[MUD-Dev] Selling training

[Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com]

On 09 March 2001 09:19, the_logos at www.achaea.com wrote
> On Thu, 8 Mar 2001 Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com wrote:
 
>> I actually think selling items to players is a pretty horrible
>> thing to do in an online world as it means that financially well
>> off end up with all the toys. I guess it stems from the fact that
>> I'd never pay money for these things, but it puts me off a game
>> when I know that people will have an advantage if they are
>> *foolish* (my perspective!) enough to spend substantial amounts of
>> real money on a virtual item. I don't have a problem with the guy
>> offering real world training in the game if thats what they want,
>> but to actually sell in game currency for real money just seems
>> wrong.

> Shrug. It's no more foolish than paying Verant $10/month to play
> Everquest. You get something you want either way, in return for
> money. It happens every day and it's called commerce. You sound like
> one of those people from Usenet in 1993 talking about how charging
> for muds was evil, because "Muds were meant to be free man. People
> who charge for anything on the internet are the devil! Peace out." 
> (Nevermind that they weren't, or that what they were meant to be is
> entirely irrelevant.)

Well with respect to paying Verant 10 dollars a month, and everyone
getting a level playing field, yes I do think its preferable. Surely
you can see the difference. Painting me as an internet peacenic
doesn't really support your argument, you are simply being rude.

> Clearly, I am of the people and for the people. I am a populist. I
> believe in equal rights for all. I believe that no man has the right
> to tell me I can't buy a virtual item if I darn well please! Virtual
> items are soothing to the soul. They are islands of sanity in times
> that lack it. In today's hurly burly world, can we really afford to
> deny people the simple pleasure of purchasing a magical flowerpot
> and tending to your tiger lilies, or Scorpion's Tail and stinging
> the living hell out of your enemies?

> I don't think so, and those who deny the Rightness of selling
> virtual items will suffer the same eternal fate that awaits mimes,
> communists, and that banal idiot who writes Family Circus.

I feel like I've just been ranted at by a TV evangelist. I didn't tell
you that you couldn't sell them. Merely that its something I find
distasteful /shrug.

I was more interested in a response explaining how the game is
balanced when people can buy success. Can you be as effective as a
warrior if you don't buy equipment? If not, how do you think this
would impact a game with more users/wider recognition - does it only
work because you are small?

What happens if you introduce an item into the game, sell it for
500USD, then realise its unbalanced and nerf it? What happens if your
database crashes and you lose player data how do you cover that? What
happens if you decide you want to stop running the game?

Dan
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