What will Diablo 3 RMT prices be?
Well, most players, even if they put most of what they find into the $-AH, will make almost no money. If any at all. Some hardcore players will make a few dollars. Some really hardcore players will make a few hundred dollars.
But only some lucky players will make a thousand and more. You will not be one of them.
At all time there will be many items on the $-AH that go for $20-$80. If not, all market research of microtransaction companies has been wrong. It will be interesting to find out whether they were right. I think they could ask more than just $80 for a monocle.
Now, if Blizzard is serious about the amount of revenue they make with fees, they will do everything they can to prevent those 5% of the players, who are willing to pay money, from running out of reasons to do so.
There are two ways to accomplish this: Either some items are incredibly rare, or we get WoW-like tiers of items.
"Incredibly rare" items means so rare, that your chance to find one is so small that it is safe to assume that you will never find one, no matter how much you play. Therefore, the only players to ever own one are the ones who really spend massive amounts of money on the game. And after they did this, they stop spending money.
Now, Blizzard will argue that it is not fair that the best items go only to the richest player. What they really think, of course, is that they don't want the richest players to only ever buy an item once. And so we will get a tiered system like WoW.
With a tiered system the richest players will be encouraged to buy the best items again and again every few months! And it's even more fair, is it not? See how RMT is not just a business model, but changes the game ?
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About immersion and stuff. I really don't find this kind of $-AH as bad as normal microtransactions. To know that every item has a history inside the game is just great. Sure, it's much worse than a game in which characters got what they have due to in-game actions. But if you really desperately want RMT, do it this way.
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What I don't really understand is how Blizzard expects to get through with this legally. Fact of the matter is that playing Diablo 3 will be as difficult as using a slot machine. And if you're lucky you can get a lot of money that less lucky players put into the machine. .. That's gambling ..
I find it hard to predict this one, and I think they'll go more for cosmetic items and pets than for tiers. They'll want to find rare items that a large number of the player base finds appealing (think: the people who buy the WoW pets and mounts), and hunting for those rare items and taking part in PvE competitive events (like levelling ladders) will keep the hardcore involved.
ReplyDeleteIt's entirely possible that some people may bank decent cash from the D3 AH. Moreso if the majority of the playerbase finds it fashionable to drop $5-10 per month on items.
Nils wrote:
ReplyDelete"About immersion and stuff. I really don't find this kind of $-AH as bad as normal microtransactions. To know that every item has a history inside the game is just great. Sure, it's much worse than a game in which characters got what they have due to in-game actions. But if you really desperately want RMT, do it this way."
Sorry but I can't understand this statement. If I go adventuring as a Melee class but this day luck smiles upon me and I defeat that big mean demon and loot his body to find that awesome necklace with mighty... caster stats. Now I go back to town and decided to cash in on my luck and seek these guy I know (fence/pawn) he says he will keep an ear open for a potential buyer - for a price of course. And yes he manages it to sell the item for some "currency" - how is this *not* a ingame action?
I see that it is a bit less immersiv as that currency is only ingame gold but currency differs greatly and even ingame gold is arbitrary and a placeholder for barter trade (which would have a high simulation aspect but would be a bit clunky)
Campmaster, I fear I will never really understand players like you :)
ReplyDeleteWith D3 RMT the sword of überness ends up the the hands of the characters which owner is willing to pay most $ for it. These $ have been earned due to out-of-game actions.
That's a big difference from the sword ending up in the hands of the character whose player was willing to invest the most gold, which he earned due to in-game actions.
Spinks, I agree. Blizzard will try to use as many pets/vanity items as anyhow possible. And they will give them out in tiers ;)
ReplyDeleteIf you play D3 seriously many hours a day and just to make money, you will probably make a serious amount, a few hundred the months or so. Perhaps a few thousand if you are part of a serious group.
But 'normal' players will make almost no money and will find themselves buying stuff, although they never intended to.
("It's an investment, just so that I am better able to get better items which I can sell. It will pay for itself!")
Ironically, I look forward to this game now. It's going to be a very interesting experiment. It's just sad that if it is successful (and it will be), the coming AAA MMORPGs will follow suit.
Nils wrote:
ReplyDelete"Campmaster, I fear I will never really understand players like you :)
With D3 RMT the sword of überness ends up the the hands of the characters which owner is willing to pay most $ for it. These $ have been earned due to out-of-game actions.
That's a big difference from the sword ending up in the hands of the character whose player was willing to invest the most gold, which he earned due to in-game actions."
I can see your point and can agree with it for the most part. But this is a game it's not the real world so even if I have the skills and dedication to play most of my free time I'm still less likey to acquire said sword of uberness as maybe a schoolkid or a student who got his priorities wrong - in an abstract sense this are also "out of game action/influences".
But maybe as a suprise to you. Personally I have always opted out of pay-to-win methods. And because I'm not interested in ladders (which I find also very unimersiv and out of game) and don't participate in PvP and only play for myself or co-op with my reallife frinds the rich player from whatdoiknow who buys the (1st) sword of uberness from someone I don't know either for a couple of hundred$ doesn't effect me the slightest.
But I can see that someone who is interested in PvP or someone who thinks that the items his avatar has have more value or meaning other than the pleasure and fun I had by aquiring them and knowing that with there help I'm able to tackle some new adventures and fun, will have a difficult time to accept the RMAH. (I know you don't match these criteria)
Thank godness for all the achievers there is the hardcore mode.
On a sidenote:
Even a few years back (1995-1997)
I had quite a good time to beat the players in my local comic shop and some regional DCI MtG-tourneys with my common cards killer deck for about 5€ (5 to 10 €-Cent per card) when I knew that every second card in their deck was more expensive than my whole deck together (and even sweeter they knew it also).
"But 'normal' players will make almost no money and will find themselves buying stuff, although they never intended to.
ReplyDelete("It's an investment, just so that I am better able to get better items which I can sell. It will pay for itself!")"
Yup, I think Blizzard want to change the face of the whole gaming hobby. We're cheapskates at the moment, figuring out how to pay as little as possible is part of our gameplay.
They want people who like shopping and will enjoy it AS PART OF THE GAME.
People won't buy stuff as investments (at least, aside from a few hardcore economy types who may or may not make much from it, I'd guess more likely not though). They'll buy stuff because they get into the habit of buying stuff. Oh look, a new alt, pick up a set of starter gear for $10 etc.