Hydrophidian

Oh, is that a "fact" now? Could you supply the link to the developer statement that indicates the AT is going to be "phased out"? I'd like to see it.

I think you're painting with far too broad a brush.

First of all, the ATs play differently, and the attitudes they engender can vary greatly. For example, a lot of people aren't going to join a team as an MM with the same mindset they'd keep to were they playing a Defender (many MMs I've teamed with have been much more focused on their own entourage than on their teammates). And if I'm playing a Controller, control is going to be my main contribution to a team. My secondary is just that... secondary. After all, if I wanted to play a Defender, I'd've played one. I'd say teams that expect Controllers, MMs, and even Corrupters to behave as Defenders will oft times be disappointed.

Secondly, AT is only part of the equation. Sets make a difference, the powers chosen and how those powers are slotted makes a difference, and overall team synergy makes a difference. If I have a "clump 'em and whump 'em" melee-oriented team taking shape, I'll choose the Kin Defender over any MM, and without hesitation.

Thirdly, you have the fact that it largely doesn't matter what any given character is. Just about any team configuration can work, and comfortably. If someone wants a Rad, and a Defender is standing right there, do you honestly think they're going to ignore the Defender and wait for a Corrupter to show up? Doesn't happen now with Controllers, so I don't see why it'd start with the introduction of Corrupters and MMs. And if people are trying to max out a team, do you really think they're going to say, 'any AT except Defender?' C'mon now.

Fourth, your premise seems to be built on the idea that Going Rogue is going to bring about this overall merging of redside and blueside. I really don't think that's gonna happen. Far as I know, we've no clue about what the mechanics for side switching are going to be, how difficult they'll be, or what sort of limitations there might be on them. Side switchers might very well be a rare thing.

Power sets impact solo performance a great deal. There are several Defender types that solo just fine. They won't be breaking any speed records, but they're more than capable of soloing, and can often solo things others would have serious problems with. For example, there are quite a few things that my Storm Defender could handle without risk that would severely threaten my Scrapper. And I've breezed (yuk yuk) through MA arcs with her that I've seen multiple players call "too hard".

I agree, though, that the Defender inherent is pants.

All this said, even if Defenders do get overshadowed by other ATs to the point where they feel superfluous and no one wants to play one (or play with one) anymore, I'm sure the developers will do something about it.

And I'm very confident that "phasing out" Defenders will not be the solution they choose.

After all, Kheldians are still here...

(ducks and runs!)

My observations:

* After the supply on common salvage was gutted by MA's release, it started to make a slow, but steady, recovery. However, it's recovery was (and is) hindered by an influx of would-be gougers, attracted by the low supply numbers. Then 2XXP came along and kicked supply in the teeth again. Despite all of this, existing supply continues to increase in most cases.

* Recipes, outside of purples, are still largely in the basement, compared to what they went for pre-MA. However, most have climbed out of the sub-basement they were in right after MA's release.

* Considering all the Inf that's supposed to be out there, and how rare they're supposed to be, I am routinely surprised at how cheaply and consistently I've been able to buy a lot of the PVP recipes and IOs.

* The price of uncommon salvage has, in general, gone up. Flippers galore here.

* Rare salvage seems remarkably stable. During 2XXP, the floor went up, but the ceiling really didn't lift all that much. Overall, rare salvage seems cheaper than it was pre-MA, though some types that were once vendor trash now fetch the same amount as others that were once highly coveted.

* Supply on costume-piece recipes continues to dribble its way upwards. Most have returned to going for peanuts, with a couple of notable exceptions.

* There's a lot more Inf to be made in common IOs these days. I suspect it's because it requires greater patience to get the required salvage cheaply, so less people are bothering to craft, which means less competition for the sales.

Overall, I don't think it's any more expensive to slot up a character post-MA than it was before MA, unless you start getting into purples. Or you insist on paying Buy It Nao prices on common IOs. If anything, it's cheaper. Certainly, I'm buying a lot of set recipes and selling finished IOs for much less than I did before MA (though the margin is often about the same).

Now several months in, the impact of MA on the markets still seems very much a mixed bag to me.

Well, it does... but Lord Recluse keeps it for himself in order to make his My Little Pony story arcs. It's an ongoing series, you see. It's actually the real reason why we can get more than 3 publishing slots now. Recluse demanded it for his multi-arc epic: If You Want to Ride, You Have to Ride the Red Pony.

But that's a good thing, because, between AE and MapleStory, he's usually too distracted to really focus on the whole world domination schtick.

I take it to mean that, if an arc mission is of a particular level range, you'll have to go to an AE building in a zone that covers that level range in order to do the mission.

So, for example, I've an arc wherein the missions are set 42 and up. Under this proposed restriction, the arc would only be able to be played in Peregrine Island or Grandville.

If an arc has missions with varying ranges, you'd actually have to go to different zones to complete it. Either that, or there would be a further restriction, preventing varying ranges within an arc.

Arc missions set to 1-54 would also, presumably, have to be blocked, as their existence would largely defeat the purpose of the restriction.

This is just my understanding, though. I might be entirely off the mark.

False dichotomy. It can be intended for both, and is.

That it is meant to be a leveling alternative is implicit in the design. You can use it to level, thus it is meant to be used to level. If it had not been meant as a leveling alternative, it wouldn't have been designed as one.

The developers have good reason for it to be a leveling alternative. It takes some of the pressure off of them in having to serve up new content, which allows them to give more attention to other improvements (for example, power customization).

It's also been explicitly stated that it's a leveling alternative. I'm sure you'll see it in the load screen help messages eventually.

As I've mentioned elsewhere--I think in this thread as well, but just in case I haven't--I really don't use AE as a leveling tool. It's not worth it. You have to be doing specific things in order for AE rewards to exceed RC rewards, and I've zero interest in doing those things. The only time AE gets integrated into my leveling process is when I'm so tired of regular content, I'm willing to take a hit on progression speed to avoid it. And that's generally in the low levels, where the progression's going to be pretty zippy, regardless.

This approach has been independently adopted by many of the people I know, so... you're not as much of a black sheep as you may think.

As for toggling XP gain, you have that ability as a player. And that's where I think the option belongs.

Well... no. Not really.

Firstly, I wouldn't have described the post I responded to as hostile. I'd've called it mostly thoughtful with a touch of frustration.

And what got a response from me wasn't your bold caps, it was the specific line I quoted.

Yah, again, I really don't think your one potentially offensive line had anyone batting an eye.

If you're going for offensive and hostile, you're going to have to try a lot harder than that.

But, I want to reiterate: lack of response does not mean lack of attention. I realize it can feel that way... but, believe me, people are reading, and no response is actually often a good sign.

Just so ya know, you're not being ignored. I've read your posts. I just wouldn't have had much of a response to them beyond, "sound advice".

I used to offer suggestions along the lines of what you've been saying, but it just seemed to engender more hostility... so I stopped.

Oh boy.

Uhm. This is pretty straight-forward...

...If the majority of players were pugging regular content...

...then the people complaining that they can't find PUG teams due to MA...

...would not be having that problem.

ERGO

...those who're complaining must be a minority segment of the player base.

If they were not a minority segment, they would not be having a problem.

Follow?

I'll put it another way:

You can't claim, 'everyone is farming AE' and then try to claim, '"as someone who doesn't farm AE, I represent the majority of players' and not sound like a loon.

And as for threads, yes, the number of threads that're about arcs, playing arcs, designing arcs, recommending arcs, reviewing arcs, etc., seem to outnumber the complaint threads by a very wide margin.

I've stated that already.

I think you need to consider this question a bit more. It's not nearly as cutting as you might think it is.

Except, I'm not talking about 'a few small examples'.

There has been no massive inflation on the market since MA's launch.

What part of this is eluding you? By and large, prices are the same, lower, or slightly higher, and several of the items that MA did initially inflate have since dropped in price.

It's been months now. When, exactly, is this "massive inflation" supposed to manifest? Next month? Two months from now?

It didn't happen when MA launched, it's not happening now, and there's no indication it's going to happen in the future.

The "terms" are not "gross inf". The "terms" are: the markets.

The claim was not: "i'll suggest now that in total Inf, inflation is happening due to MA." No, you don't get to reword the claim to suit you.

The claim was: "prices are being driven up in the markets."

The claim is flat-out wrong.

The claim was: "there has been massive inflation in the markets".

There is no "massive inflation" on the markets.

Thus, the statement, "there has been massive inflation in the markets" is a false statement.

Outside of purples, it is cheaper now to outfit a character in IO sets than it was before MA. If there were "massive inflation" on the markets, that wouldn't be possible.

So, there is no argument. You simply have to go to the markets and look. There is no "massive inflation" on the markets. I'm sorry that this is inconvenient to what you and Alt want to believe. But I'm looking at what's actually going on in the game, not what people make up in their heads, or conclude based on what is obviously very limited knowledge and experience.

You talk about "trivialization", and then turn around and try to argue simple logic and plainly observable facts? Well, if it's all the same to you, I'll pass. If you want to debate those things any further, you'll have to find someone else to do it with. I'm really not interested. There are genuine issues with MA that could be discussed, but if you're not going to concede simple facts, we'll never get to them, which renders further discussion fairly well pointless.

Edited to add: Yes, you have now brilliantly illustrated the issues I've had with the anti-MA sentiments. Thank you.

Interesting enough that I'll play it when you're finished.

Just as a point of interest, I've just watched a new player get her first 50 in under 3 months doing regular content almost exclusively. This is on top of playing alts on both sides to various levels.

Compared to my first 50, that was a positively meteoric rise.

The thread was about whether or not the markets are settling, not about whether or not MA caused massive inflation. Again, MA has demonstrably not caused "massive inflation" on the market.

I repeat: MA has not caused "massive inflation" on the market.

In fact, it's deflationary effects are still evident in many places.

See that level 50 Adjusted Targeting: Recharge recipe that you can get for a few 100k?

You couldn't touch those for under 3.5 million before MA.

That's one of many, many recipe/IO examples I can cite.

Then there's the rare salvage, most of which has become very stable in price and, compared to pre-MA, rather cheap. Even under the strains of a 2XXP weekend.

Not to mention a significantly increased availability of many things redside.

So again: MA has not caused "massive inflation" on the market. It contributed to inflation on certain items, inflated some, and brought the price down on others, dried up supply over here, and flooded it over there. It's impact on the market was, and continues to be, mixed... and has been showing signs of diminishing since its release.

It's not a matter of opinion, not a "concept" that can be "split' on. It's simply a reality.

But please, continue to deny it. It illustrates my point rather succinctly.

That's nice. Now go ask him if MA is responsible for that inflation. This is a non sequitur.

Yah, you don't seem to be getting it. I'm not denying it has an impact on many players. The point is: if someone denies that it's having no impact on many players-- and it's not--then they're not seeing the whole picture. Their view, to use your own word, is myopic.

Also, by definition, the number of players on which the impact has been negative must be a minority. Because if they were a majority, well, there wouldn't be a problem at all, right?

Irrelevant to the point. Again, you're not getting it. The point is: if someone fails or refuses to recognize that many players are indeed playing regular content--which they demonstrably are--then they're not seeing the whole picture. Their view is, to use your word, myopic.

Yes, many people are using MA a lot. Declaring that to me as if I've denied it is a straw man. I've not denied it. The market supply reflects that they're using MA. Just as it reflects that many people are doing regular content. Again, this is simply a reality, not a matter of opinion.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I can only go by what I see. I saw a lot of activity in the zones during 2XXP weekend, and I can monitor market trends. It seems to me the RC crowd is growing. They just don't appear to be PUG types.

I could very well be wrong on that, though. I depend on the developers to monitor things like that.

Yah, uhm... sorry, that's not my impression at all.

Several of his points are, in fact, not valid. Such as, for example, that MA has caused "massive inflation" on the market... which is demonstrably wrong.

I think MA is already an amazing addition to the game.

Trivializing the impact on any segment of the community is potentially detrimental to the game. Folks like Alt don't seem to give a toss how their "solutions" might impact me or anyone else like me. He simply labels me an exploiter and puts me on ignore.

That seems like trivialization to me.

The problem with this is, it's more complicated than that. The rewards in AE are notably less if you're playing it solo or in smaller teams.

Which is actually why I think many people have returned to regular content. I think those are the people who play like I do. During the 2XXP weekend, for example, I didn't step foot into an AE building until the very end... and then only so we could have wildly disparate levels on the same team.

So, while I agree with your point on balance, the solution can't be a simple as just removing rewards from AE, because the rewards are already subpar in many instances. There has to be some sort of scale to it.

Despite the many players that loathe it, the developers seem to like the general concept of Diminishing Returns. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see that coming down the pike in the near future.

Something I wouldn't have objected to before MA's release... actually I don't really object to it now, either. But the developers kinda painted themselves into a corner on this one, with marketing. I don't think we'll see this happen. At least, not any time soon.

Yah, that's SOP based on established and conventional wisdom. Frankly, I expected MA to cleave much more closely to it than it ultimately did.

But, I've had a handful of occasions now where I've been glad it didn't.

I believe a lot of the rancor stems from how the PCs are treated by the contacts. There's a fair few that, let's face it, wouldn't get away with their attitude were the players free to *ahem* respond appropriately, so... it comes off feeling like godmoding: "Nyah, nyah, you can't hurt me, I'm an NPC, nyah nyah."

If the contact simply treats the PC with a modicum of respect and recognition, or even as a partner in crime rather than as a tool-- er... instrument... I think much of the problem is eliminated right there.

I will say though, after having played a couple of arcs where there really is no contact (it's your own desk, computer, or whatever), I've come to appreciate, from an immersive perspective, the more personal feel of that.

Fine analogy, and if that were as far as it went, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But it often goes further than that.

When the chess player starts declaring that the cards should be thrown out, that they're bad for the club, that the card players are fleecing everyone... that's when my response reflex begins to twitch.

I'd love for the topic to go away. And I think it'll fade in time.

I'll tell you why I've started responding to it again, though...

The other day, someone sent me a /tell, asking for help with the market. Why they chose me, I dunno, but they did. When I agreed to help, they proceeded to rant at me about how MA had ruined everything. It soon became apparent that they were pretty new to the game, so, in their rant, they had to have been just parroting what someone else had said to them.

This kinda bothered me.

I helped them out, explained what some of the real issues were (impending 2XXP being the big one), showed them a few things, and remained on hand as they made their first pure-market profit of several 100k in just a few minutes. That made them happy, and suddenly the game wasn't "ruined" anymore.

Then there was the player who, on the help channel, asked where the "AE action" was, only to be met with vitriolic refusal to help them 'ruin the game'.

From what I've seen, both on these forums and in the game, the anti-MA sentiment, aside from oft spreading misinformation, is frequently surly and vicious. I'd rather not see that drown out opposing viewpoints, lest the false impression be given that that's the dominant perspective.

This is something I could support. Good idea.

Edit to add: I'd be for the same requirement and embellishment for the game tutorial as well.

Oh, the irony.

I don't think someone who presents "problems" only in the context of one side of the game and only in relation to how they negatively impact just one particular segment of the playerbase--a minority segment--can, in any reasonable way, be attributed with seeing "the big picture".

Here are some things that have been stated that aren't opinion:

* Those opposed to draconian restrictions on MA are not all power-levelers and farmers.
* MA has not caused "massive inflation" in either market.
* MA has had little to no negative impact on the play experience of many players.
* Many players are playing the regular content.

Failure or refusal to recognize any of the above is the very definition of myopic. Alt has refused or failed to recognize at least two, probably three, and quite possibly all four.

If you think that's "bang on the point"... well, your version of "the point" must be roughly the size of Nebraska.

All I'm saying is: if you think there's a problem, find a solution that doesn't take MA away from everyone. I'm not abusing the system, and neither is anyone I interact with. I'm not exploiting the system, and neither is anyone I interact with. If you want to push for a solution that accommodates your playstyle and preferences, please come up with one that doesn't shaft ours in the process.

That would be taking the "big picture" into account.

Thanks.

Right, but don't you think the difficulty sliders slated to be introduced in I16 will lure them back to farming for purples in the regular content, even if it's only part of the time?

Myself, I'm inclined to say yes. Also, I don't farm, but I do have a few lvl 50 characters that will have those sliders upped, because they can handle it, and it'll increase the chance of purple drops. I'm sure I won't be alone in doing that.

So I'm pretty confident that purple supply will, come I16, go up. The question is: will it be enough to bring prices down? I'm hoping it will be. But we'lll see.

Truth be told, I think the biggest hindrance will be set expectations. People will continue to pay the high prices, even if they don't have to.

Oh, sure, I'd agree with that. It just seems to me that a lot of them came close to their current peaks before MA even hit the scene.

Some, however, went into the stratosphere, and I think MA's to blame for that.

And what seems to be overlooked here all too often is that MA didn't create that problem. Merits did.

MA added fuel to that particular fire, sure, but it didn't start it. And of the two contributors, it honestly looks like the lesser of the evils.

I'm hoping I16 will deflate the prices of purple recipes a bit.

So do I.

I would, aside from that, like to play content I haven't played before. I don't think that's unreasonable.

So do I.

But I would also like to have that interaction in content I've not experienced before.

I would also like to be able to make that content for my friends, without being hindered by level restrictions or wondering if they've unlocked MA yet or not.

MA is global. I'm sorry you haven't found anything. I have. Many other people have. I fail to see why that has to be taken away from us, because you haven't found anything. If you're deriving the bulk of your enjoyment from playing with your friends, I don't see why me having different content to explore has anything at all to do with you.

I'd prefer it if we both get to play the game as we want.

My own experience has been very different.

I suspect there are many players who're doing what I do: making SG-specific and character-specific content, publishing it when it's ready to be played, then unpublishing it when it's played through.

Right now, I only have one published arc designed for a general audience. Everything else I've done--numbering well into dozens of missions at this point--has been designed for specific audiences.

Most of what I play, I play due to recommendations, either from friends or from forum posts. While not everything I've played has been my cuppa, I can't say this method has led me to anything outright bad. Yet.

The most recent thing I played which I and everyone on the team found to be a lot of fun was a heroic arc called One Million Eyes.

For the record: I don't PL, I don't farm AE.

False.

Initially, with some notable exceptions, MA had a huge deflationary effect on the market. Then things largely leveled out. Right now it's the aftermath of 2XXP that has everything inflated. Not MA.

Please understand: I use the market extensively. I now have multiple characters at the Inf cap. There is a long list of items--recipes, common IOs, salvage, set IOs--that I check every day, often multiple times a day, on both sides of the fence. I know the market.

This isn't a matter of opinion or perception. You can't just declare, 'MA's caused massive market inflation!' and expect it to stand when it's demonstrably untrue.

Ah, the claim that no one is playing regular content.

Prices for non-purple recipes that only drop in regular content continue to deflate.

People are playing the regular content.

Sorry.

Once again, the gross generalization of new players.

Uh... no. No, it's not. Please stop foisting your playstyle and preferences onto others.

Haven't seen anyone suggest that.

Look, this isn't hard to understand. If it has become difficult to find teams, adapt and expand the way you look for them. If the power-leveling reaches levels that the developers don't like, they'll do something about it. Until then, roll with it. That's all.

Again, I think that's a far more reasonable reaction than demanding the game be changed for everyone else in order to accommodate you.

No one's forcing anything onto you. You're the one advocating force, here. Let's not lose sight of that.

Who gives a damn about the preferences and experience of all the people not exploiting AE, as long as you get on your PUG team lickity-split, right?

Except several people, myself included, aren't making that argument. Rather, we're saying the "solutions" being suggested:

1. Will only shift the problem behavior, not stop it.
2. Will adversely impact a large number of players who have not and do not engage in that behavior, both new and old (raises hand).
3. Will accommodate only a particular segment of the player base (which seems to be a minority).
4. Hinge on the idea that there are tons of new players (doubtful) and that those new players are uniformly dull-witted and unable to think for themselves (ain't so).
5. Hinge on the assertion that MA has caused MASSIVE INFLATION (it hasn't).
6. Seem to be inordinately focused on blueside. So count another huge population segment (anyone who plays redside) being negatively impacted for No Good Reason.

If the choice is all this OR you adding some frickin' global channels to find teams on... I'll go with door #2, thank you.

Note: this response is more for myself and anyone who happens to still be reading this thread, than for the individual I'm responding to (who allegedly has me on ignore).

Also, for anyone who may be interested:

* Redside market seems to be rebounding from 2XXP weekend much faster than blueside.
* After a big spike right after MA's release, costume piece recipes continue to increase in supply and drop in price. If you want to monitor this yourself, Tech Wings and Rocket Boots are the big ones to watch. The latter shot up to 20-30 million right after MA's release, with no standing supply available. Compare that to what they're going for now.
* I'd say this is not the time to buy IO sets if you're playing blueside, due to 2XXP aftermath. Give it a week or two. If you must make IOs, you'll probably be better off getting the common and uncommon salvage with tickets. But check prices first. Some stuff rebounds faster than other stuff.

Yes.

My current options for leveling up lowbie blueside characters:

* Hollows.
* "Vintage" content.
* Radio missions and safeguards.
* Sewer runs (never done it, but the option is there).
* Hit AE content I've never played before.

Now... after 5 years of playing, which option do you think tends to hold more appeal for me?

It's even more limited, redside...

* Kalinda, (Mongoose), Paper missions in PO.
* Burke, (Doctor Creed), Paper missions in PO.
* AE.

Even though leveling in AE is slower for the solo/small team player, I'll be inclined to bring my new characters directly to it from here on out. Simply because, after 5 years, I'm bored to tears with everything else.

Of course, it doesn't take 5 years to wear out that regular content. As previously mentioned, one new player got tired of it after only a few months.

You didn't mention anything about the environment in what I responded to.

You stated:

"If you had to be a minimum of lvl 25 to access AE content there would be plenty of opportunity to learn what the game has to teach you such as which powers work, how to enhance and basic tactics."

Emphasis mine. Nothing about the game world there. Again, regular content gives you no greater insight on "which powers work, how to enhance and basic tactics" than MA does. It's the same system.

What is and isn't "great" or awesome is subjective. How about we let everyone decide for themselves what they think is great and awesome, hmm?

If a new player wants to go see other zones, he or she can go explore them.

When I started playing this game, the Hollows didn't exist.

The contacts aren't teaching you anything you can't garner from a Wiki.

Regular content simply isn't the wealth of information and wonder you're presenting it as. Much of it is very dated. It can get tedious real fast. And people can go through it all and still be incompetent players.

It does no such thing. It isn't either/or.

Even if this were true, it's a 'let's sink to the lowest common denominator' argument, which I don't buy into. If people want to "go with the flow," that's there choice. I don't see why their choice should result in limiting the options of everyone else.

Especially when all we're talking about is the convenience of one segment of the player base. Your preferences do not take precedence over everyone else's.

I've already covered this ground up thread.

If you are brand new to the game and you log into Galaxy City, what are you surrounded by?

If you are brand new to the game and you log into Mercy, what are you surrounded by?

I find it ironic that the demand that new players be forced to engage in regular content, so that they'll be more aware of the game, seems to always come from people who routinely exhibit a very narrow perception of the same game: There is no City of Villains, everyone logs only into Atlas, everyone PUGs, and they only do it via broadcast and search.

That's not how everyone plays. I'm inclined to say that's not even how the majority plays.

In any event, I'm not going to operate under the assumption that all, or even most, new players are mindless automatons, no matter how you couch it.

Some people do that, some people don't. For those that do (and I've asked this before, to no avail): so what?

I'm going to need a good answer to that before I ever consider taking options away from those who don't play that way.

Furthermore, these arguments always seem to hinge on the "new player" (and depend on that new player being straight off the short bus, complete with safety helmet). This game is 5 years old, and it's showing its age. I'm willing to bet there are far, far, far more vets playing this game than newbies.

So, strictly for the sake of the convenience of one particular segment of the player base, you want to 'discipline' another particular segment, by removing options for everyone?

Why is the preservation of your particular playstyle so important that it calls for such draconian measures to be inflicted on all of us? Why do people have to be forced to expand their knowledge, just so you can remain in your narrowly defined comfort zone?

I'm not going to support anything that limits options for no good reason. Your particular standard for PUG teammates is not a good reason to me. And, ultimately, that's all anyone advocating restrictions to MA seems to care about... their own convenience in teaming.

But the thing is, no one is obligated to meet your standards, whether MA is there or not. No particular level of skill with this game is mandated. Players are free to be as casual and clueless as they'd like to be, free to take it all in at their own pace, in their own way. Even if it takes years.

If you don't want to deal with those people, you've multiple tools and options available to you to help you avoid them. I think it's far more reasonable to expect you to begin using those tools, employing those options, than it is to limit the freedoms and options of the entire player base.

But, in the end, this is all academic. MA isn't going to be restricted. Not by level range, not by unlocking it at 50, or any of the other oft suggested "solutions". The developers designed it quite deliberately as a leveling alternative. They're vested in it being so, and have good reason for it to be that way. So the implementation of any such restriction would be an admittance of failure, and I very much doubt they're going to do that.

MA isn't the problem. A certain type of behavior is the problem, which just happens to be easily facilitated in MA. If you want any solutions to be taken seriously, they should not throw out the baby (MA) with the bathwater (PLing behavior). Draconian restrictions is effectively throwing out the baby.