Is buying prestinge wrong?

First all, if you don't care about SG/VGs, earning prestige for said groups or overall rankings this topic may not inerest you.

I am one of the leaders of a recently deposed #1 sg hero-side on a smallish server. We have a core group of older players that have been going strong for over 2 years now. We don't do mass invites to get worker bees earning prestige for us. We have always just grinded out prestige. Admittedly the core has dropped from 7-8 down to 3-4 but most of us have 2 accts that we run so the churning has not dropped much. We have run story arcs, AV strings. We enjoy many of those dirty words like farming and power-leveling. We don't run as many task forces as we used to, do to the said drop in core players, also families are now taking priority and playing time has decreased. I personally was not surprised then when another sg came clawing up the ranks to overhaul us.

So flash back to the last double xp. Our rivals were close, we knew they planned on passing us that weekend. We talked some oldtimers to give up other games for the weekend. We managed to ship our wives out of town and just had crazy fun all weekend long. Monday evening we all get on after work, basking in the glow of pushing back the night one last time. When we got on the lead was still intact, when we checked Monday night before we logged we had been passed. Our rivals had a 6 million prestige day. The day after Double XP was over. We knew then for sure and have had the our rivals confirm that they were buying prestige.

From what they have told us their sg had about 40 million before AE and since then they have earned another 120 million in prestige. Now in that same time frame, we have earned only 20 million. Not bad, it averages out to 100-200k a night. We also know that on an average night, they might run about the same #s. In fact, usually we can produce more per day than they can. So just estimating for the last 5 months from that base 20 million we earned, they could have needed to buy about 100 milllion prestige. The conversion rate is 1,000,000 influence for 2,000 prestige. So estimating about 50 billion in influence spent to buy their way into first place.

Skeptics that we were, we of course feel that they have whipped out the credit card, what is it now $30 for 1 billion? They insist that their sg leaders have multiple accts and craft and sell everything they make to put to the sg and so that it should all be considered earning for the sg and they are fine with. Also from what we have gleaned its only the sg leaders who are doing this, so figure 3-4 peeps are working night and day to put influence on the table. So from estimating 50 bill infl over 5 monts, 10 bill a month, 333 million a day. So yes, they could have 3-4 peeps each earning from multiple accts 75 to 100 million influence per day. Possible? Sure Likely? Who knows. We always thought we were hardcore but their can always be fanatics out there right?

So back to the topic. Should prestige buying be allowed, given the ability to plunk down a credit card and buy influence? Given the ability to use the market to make influence? Should prestige just be a means for a measuring stick to tell how a sg has performed on the "field"? I know that this is a game, you pay for it, you play how you want to. I also know that several groups have used exploits to bump up their prestige. I also have read that smaller groups have in the past bought prestige to use on their bases so how much is too much? Just throwing this open for debate.

Considering that buying influence is against the EULA, I have no problem with being able to use influence to buy prestige.

If they are buying influence, they can be banned.

I do not think you should be able to buy prestige.

Given the absurd exchange rate for inf->prestige, a suspicious person might come to the conclusion that a nefarious SG is purchasing inf from RMT sources. That is against the rules.

Anything could be suspicious given the right paranoia.

As said before, buying influence with real money is against the EULA and is very perma-bannable. So when you talk about "whipping out a credit card" to buy influence, that's what I think. There are many reasons why doing this is bad, including that shady overseas businesses now have your credit card information.

Trading influence you acquired in-game for prestige is acceptable, although the exchange rate is not great.

However, my biggest question is... why do you need to be #1?

Your chain of events fails in making the assumption that they paid real money for inf then converted it. If they've confirmed they did RMT, then report them. The devs are not about to cut off inf>prestige conversion just because some people might be doing something that is already against the rules, to advance on what is essentially a meaningless statistic.

#1 prestige ranking is a pointless number. I'm glad you've had fun doing the things you did to get it, but by no means should you get so wrapped up in it as to think the number itself is important.

Of course the former #2 (the rivals) could be doing all boss AE farm, or even if perstige matters fighting certain AVs in AE missions that give huge rewards (Lord Recluse springs to mind).

Making a great deal of prestige fast isn't hard in a decent sized group, its just matter of knowing what to do.

No offence but should it really bother you that they are no in first place? Does that have any real meaning, you both have more Prestage than you can really use don't you?

That said the fact you can exchange Influance for prestinge is not really a problem. I sure nethergoat wouls remind us that the market is full of money to be made. Nothing says the RMT bought Influance.

Doom/Batman in 2012

The Resistance has boobs too, and better hair!

Sorry, I was without power last night. To clarify, they have never said they have bought any influence, just suspicion on our part. Also as I said, I fully expected to be passed and my only issue is that instead of them earning it in the usual method they bought it. I fully admit that I was too close to the situation to be objective which is why I asked the opinion of those not involved. So my answer by general concensus is there is nothing wrong with buying prestige. Thanks for you input.

We will continue to play every day as usual because we have fun doing so. As far as applauding them for passing us? Ain't gonna happen. Buying prestige to keep up? Ain't gonna happen.