Ok,

It may have passed the mild stage.

Yes, devs routinely mess things up. However, for something like how rare a particular drop should be, how much time it should take to earn, there's no right and wrong. There's only how often YOU want them to drop and how often Billy Joe Jim Bob wants them to drop. Endless treadmills are a staple of MMOs. If not for the very rarest of recipes, what do you want to endlessly run on the treadmill for? Or if you want everything to come easily, just play the 1-50 game. It comes pretty easily.

I have no problem with there being shinies in a game that are very, very time consuming to get, particularly if they are generally only marginally better than alternatives (and often not even that). I also don't want the devs following the market to decide how difficult things should be to get, such as in the case of the junk PvP recipies.

The Steadfast Protection +3% is better than the Gladiator's Armor +3% because it also enhances the power. But I see no real problem with it being common as dirt and the Gladiator's Armor being ultra rare and influence-cap-busting expensive. Both things can comfortably exist in the same game.

Actually, the correct thing to do would be to make PvP something more people want to participate in, however, that's a completely different discussion.

If the Steadfast proc is better than the Gladiator's Proc, then why does it take 30 times more merits to get the PvP IO? The idea that "Both things can comfortably exist in the same game" is about as comfortable as the idea of getting a prostate exam by an NBA all-star.

You'll also need 1500 merits to go with that 600 million...




I'll change the original just for the English majors out there grading spelling.

Then what's the problem? If something isn't worth it to YOU, then don't do it / buy it / participate / whatever.

That would be the completely "ridiculous" way to do so, yes.

You can just buy the less valuable ones with inf. There are plenty available and the people who have them, have no trouble parting with them. Anyway the system looks deliberately screwed up so players can have the joy of beating it.

....

I strongly suspect that the huge majority of PVP IO's are not gained via 'PVP' at all, but rather via AFK pvp farmers.

A situation which drives me to distraction.

People who are NOT EVEN AWAKE running overnight farms to get the MOST VALUABLE REWARDS IN THE GAME.

Yeah, while I am happy that the PVP IO's exists (because I farm them up using tips) it enrages me that people get the same rewards much faster and easier while they're not even LOOKING at the damn game, much less playing it.

Call it my pet peeve.

You're drinking the Kool-Aid, Iron.

I bet there would be more joy if they made the system better than what we have now.

See, this is the kind of behavior the current system promotes.

Some of them, not all of them.

(shrug)
You're dismissing a glaring question with a fatuous remark.

Entirely possible.

Ah yes, that would be annoying for soloists. I TF quite a bit and have that many on at least two or three characters so I tend to be more bothered about spending the inf than the merits.

Actually my degree is in law; I just find it hard to take someone seriously if they make silly errors like that. Same way I'd avoid a team invite from a "u want 2 team" type of l337-speaker. I'm old, I know. See my reply to TankShock above.

At the risk of being on topic ... I am pretty lazy and I won't grind but at least the A merits give me the option of getting a Glads 3%. Before they were introduced the only way I'd get that is if I got VERY VERY lucky when stabbing an alt for the PvP badges. So yes they are expensive but I could do it if I wanted. Solo would slower than using a combination of merit conversion and tips but it is still possible.

Actually, before AM's, this [AFK PVP farming] was the only way to GET PVP IO's. This is the kind of behavior the previous system promoted.

What do these three quotes have in common? None of them give anyone the slightest reason to change their mind. You could replace each of them with
and not remove ANY information.

Go ahead. Explain why the rarest thing in the game should become dramatically easier to acquire. For extra credit, explain why the last thing they did to make it easier (in inf terms, AM's dropped the price from around 3.5-4 billion to 2.5 billion) was not nearly enough.

PLEASE learn about Supply and Demand.
1. How bad do you want it? That's DEMAND.
2. How many are available? That's SUPPLY.
3. How good are they? Well, that's DEMAND.

Re: 1 - you have a 'concept', so that concept will cost you. In some cases, opportunity cost (a less optimal power for RP purposes, for example.) In other cases, Cold Hard CASH MONEY.

Re: 2 - Those blasted PVP IO Farmers are a buncha jerks, I know. [I have it on good intel that they also like to eat kittens.] I wonder what would happen if they were to suddenly... Disappear. Poof! Result: Supply of PVP IOs goes to nearly 0. Demand stays the same. End result? PRICES THROUGH THE ROOF. 3B for an IO? Try 12 Billion on for size!

Re: 3 - That 3% +Def IO is worth... well, it's unique, so you can only slot one. There's only one other IO in the game that provides the same global benefit. AND THE PVP IO EXEMPS FROM 1 TO 50. Allow me to repeat that. IT EXEMPS FROM 1 TO 50. So slotted at 50, IT WORKS ALL THE TIME, 100% OF THE TIME. Running Sister Psy? It's Workin! Why do you think the Steadfast +Def Special is barely worth 1% as much??

PLEASE. Get a grip. The AMerit prices are right on the money, so to speak. The Eeebil Farmers, contrary to your belief, are making it possible for these IOs to be on the market in the first place. And the Kool Aid that you refer to is people dealing with how the system is set up, rather than crying foul because it does not jibe with your playstyle.

Think of the Glad Armor +Def IO as the Lamborghini of the entire IO set. You want a Lamborghini? You certainly don't need a Lamborghini. But if you want it because it goes with your pinkie-ring, by all means, just pony up the $350K, and it's all yours. Can't afford it? Get to work!

you arent required to lrvl past lvl 1. but it is a neat idea.

Actually, to do certain content in the game, you are. To at least get A-Merits (if you're concerned with being on topic), you're required to be level 20. Thanks for the exaggerated counter argument though.

Why? Because, overall, it would make the game more fun.


Extra credit: Because if they reworked the Invention system just a touch more, they would have a better system than any other "trash-drop" MMO system.

I'll agree that its better now than it used to be, however, just spraying some air freshener over a cess pool doesn't make it something you want to sit next to during lunch...

Heh, you look at this game as work, I look at it as entertainment. I doubt we'll ever see eye-to-eye on this.