What's up with all the crazy conspiracy theories?

[Buen]

So guys, everywhere I look I see people whining over this and over that, one of the things as oftent follow these comments is that they do 'this and that' to funnel everyone into the RMAH.

Do people honestly believe these things, or are they just grasping at straws with something to criticise?
I do realize that alot of these people are just whiners with baseless arguments, but what about the rest of you? What do you think?

Personally I really, really, really doubt that a company like Blizzard, who isen't excactly running a deficit, would make big game changing decitions just to make 20-30% ekstra of the RMAH, considering how big a risk they have a scaring customers away.


And if you are a big objective about the reasoning, it makes perfect sense for Blizzard to do alot of the things they do.

I didn't really have a point to this topic, I just find it so wird that so many people are hugely busy whining and acting up when Blizzard produced a really good game. (If you stop looking from an Elitist entiteled POV) Plenty of my friends aren't that hardcore gamers, and ever after weeks they haven't reached Inferno or even Hell for some.

[Nizaris]

I don't think the RMAH needs to be looked at through rose-tinted glasses, but its presence resonates throughout the game design. If you look at the game with an objective lens and put simple economics in the equation, the relevance is significant. Apply simple opportunity cost into this mix and you'll see why.

I wrote a fairly long post about it and I might adapt it to a more proper response if you so desire. It's not so much of a conspiracy as much as the application of relevant economic models.

[Snakefinger]

Well they did design the game with the AH in mind, but the biggest problem with people saying blizzard designed the whole game around making money off the RMAH is this: There's also a GAH that you can use. Last time I checked there's plenty of great gear on the GAH.

Cynicism is a by-product that drives much of the world today. I'm 28 and I really long for simpler days. The internet is single-handedly the greatest and worst thing to happen to the world in the past 100 years.

[Skjolde]

Can you give me a link to the the thread where you made a post about it Nizaris? I would like to read it.

[mr punk]

Do people honestly believe these things, or are they just grasping at straws with something to criticise?I do realize that alot of these people are just whiners with baseless arguments, but what about the rest of you? What do you think?

yes, it's totally a crazy conspiracy theory. big game companies like Blizz, EA, Capcom, etc are just misunderstood. they would never think about designing games with open customizable systems to sell endless products. it's absurd to think the industry discuses ways on how to monetize their games at GDC. no, they only discuss how to make high quality games. obviously, they're completely satisfied with risking millions and millions of dollars with only the possibility to profit from the one time sale of the game.

Personally I really, really, really doubt that a company like Blizzard, who isen't excactly running a deficit, would make big game changing decitions just to make 20-30% ekstra of the RMAH, considering how big a risk they have a scaring customers away.

exactly. diablo players made up the bulk of D3 millions of sales. this kind of decision would risk turning off this decade old massive player base. besides, they're too discerning to get wool pulled over their eyes like they're zynga players. they only buy complete, highly polished games on day one.

[sacridoc]

The game was clearly designed around the AHs. That's both AHs, not just the RMAH. The GAH is very important too. I don't think it's a conspiracy theory to say that Blizzard is testing monetization in their games with the RMAH in preparation for TITAN (their next MMO that is supposed to support the company for years to come). Their goal isn't to make tons of money through the D3 RMAH, it's just to test it out and see how it works while making a little money on the side. The RMAH in D3 isn't designed to be a huge money maker for Blizzard.

It's undeniable though that the most meaningful change from D2 to D3 is the inclusion of both the gold auction house and the real money auction house. And the game was designed around both.

[Nizaris]

Can you give me a link to the the thread where you made a post about it Nizaris? I would like to read it.

http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/s...=1#post8359042

It's a little dated, but you might have to follow along a bit before understanding where I was coming from.

The follow up post clarifies a bit on how I'd address the perceived problem:

http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/s...=1#post8359139

The main thing here isn't that the RMAH or GAH exist, or even that the game caters well to them. It's more about the environment that instills a sense of "need" in the average consumer (aka the common denominator of players). Rational buying is an interesting thing (because most of the time consumers don't always conform to the rational consumer model), but if you look at the model Blizzard created from a third party perspective, you'll see how well it caters to the rational consumer.

The rational consumer, in short, is that an individual will always seek to maximize utility. Right now, the general consensus is that money in lieu of playing the game not only has more utility, but provides more "fun" for the average player.

The model I'm constructing isn't based on conspiracy, but on common economic practice and understanding. The same ones that Rob Pardo is surely applying as well. Having met the guy and talked with him on a few occasions, I have no doubt in my mind that he sees the game as an economic equation.

[sacridoc]

The main thing here isn't that the RMAH or GAH exist, or even that the game caters well to them. It's more about the environment that instills a sense of "need" in the average consumer (aka the common denominator of players). Rational buying is an interesting thing (because most of the time consumers don't always conform to the rational consumer model), but if you look at the model Blizzard created from a third party perspective, you'll see how well it caters to the rational consumer.

The rational consumer, in short, is that an individual will always seek to maximize utility. Right now, the general consensus is that money in lieu of playing the game not only has more utility, but provides more "fun" for the average player.

The model I'm constructing isn't based on conspiracy, but on common economic practice and understanding. The same ones that Rob Pardo is surely applying as well. Having met the guy and talked with him on a few occasions, I have no doubt in my mind that he sees the game as an economic equation.

Good points.

I don't believe we've reached the final destination with how the RMAH will actually work in D3.

There's a sizable group of people out there who have the best gear available and farm Inferno for the best gear to list on the GAH or RMAH. These people will become increasingly concerned with making real money from D3 over just accumulating gold. This will shift trade from the GAH to the RMAH. When the RMAH was released, the best items were still found on the GAH, but over time I think this will change as the RMAH becomes the focus.

Eventually, it could be the case that the only way to buy the best items is through the RMAH. If D3 goes in this direction, it will essentially become a PtW game. Where your average naive gamer will play the game through Nightmare or Hell and then realize that they could either try to find items on their own (which at that point they should understand will take a long time). Or they could use real money to buy the best items instantly. At this point, depending on how naive the gamer is, they either quit the game or they invest several hundred dollars in the game perhaps thinking they'll make it back.

The problem with this design is that it can lead to a serious bottoming out of the player base since a lot of people will not want to pay hundreds of dollars to have the best gear and will feel disadvantaged because they know that farming for the best gear will take a massive amount of time.

Again, it creates a PtW atmosphere and would likely increase the number of people playing HC by quite a bit.

Those with the best gear who are willing to farm heavily on a regular basis as a form of income will sell to those with weak gear who want instant gratification and can rationalize paying hundreds of dollars to be good at a game versus investing tons of time or just quitting.

I don't see this as a conspiracy theory. It just seems inevitable that the people who stick with D3, playing ~12 hours a day, will find the best gear and will be primarily concerned with earning an income off D3. It all depends on whether the GAH sticks around or not. But if you have really high MF + stats and you're farming Inferno, why would you continue to sell items for gold when you could be making an actual income from the RMAH?

[raveharu]

So guys, everywhere I look I see people whining over this and over that, one of the things as oftent follow these comments is that they do 'this and that' to funnel everyone into the RMAH.

Do people honestly believe these things, or are they just grasping at straws with something to criticise?
I do realize that alot of these people are just whiners with baseless arguments, but what about the rest of you? What do you think?

Personally I really, really, really doubt that a company like Blizzard, who isen't excactly running a deficit, would make big game changing decitions just to make 20-30% ekstra of the RMAH, considering how big a risk they have a scaring customers away.


And if you are a big objective about the reasoning, it makes perfect sense for Blizzard to do alot of the things they do.

I didn't really have a point to this topic, I just find it so wird that so many people are hugely busy whining and acting up when Blizzard produced a really good game. (If you stop looking from an Elitist entiteled POV) Plenty of my friends aren't that hardcore gamers, and ever after weeks they haven't reached Inferno or even Hell for some.

And who doesn't want to make money? As long as the game is fun, who cares?

I've played several popular MMO's in the past and D3 is nothing compared to the huge gap between cash and non-cash spenders.

People love to dramatized their whiny subjective opinions, majority of these whiners are still living in that obsolete D2 bubble and still can't accept the fact that AH and RMAH is what saved the game.

[SteveG]

A public corporation using unethical business practices in the name of profit?! That’s crazy talk!

It is my personal belief that D3 was indeed, developed around the RMAH or a “pay to win” mechanic. There are a two facts that I base my opinion on. What I’m gonna list here is FACT, not opinion

1. Drop rates have been nerfed to account for the RMAH. From Bashiok himself. Translation, you farming is now less effective than if the RMAH did not exist at all.
2. Character customization that is ENTIRELY gear dependent.

There are also a couple of observations, that when you look at them with your “D3 built around the RMAH” glasses on, make a lot more sense.

1. Removal of add sockets/Mystic . Less item customization means higher item turnover, or more $$$ from the RMAH.
2. Little character viability without AH use. Viability is a subjective term in the context of D3. But, it is my opinion that, the alternative to the RMAH should not be hundreds of hours of farming just to make your character not get one shotted. The addition of PvP is just gonna make this worse, A LOT WORSE.

So, as you can see, a “Pay to Win” mechanic was indeed added to D3. I’m just reading the writing on the wall. Personally, I believe the “pay to win” mechanic is the worst thing to ever happen to gaming. Blizzard sympathizers, please save us all your BS argument of “heaven forbid Blizzard get paid for their creation!” It’s not about wanting to pay Blizzard or not, it’s about unethical business practices. “Pay to win” is unethical. It’s about core gameplay mechanics being changed to accommodate the “pay to win” mechanic. No full priced game should have an intentionally built in “pay to win” mechanic.

Why am I still here? I’m hopeful, hopeful that Blizzard changes. I’m hopeful that enough noise can be generated on these boards, on the official boards, other fansite boards that can grab Blizzard’s attention and convince them that game design of this manner will not fly. I liked it so much better when game developers just tried to make fun games.

The “whiner/hater” label? I, personally, wear it as a badge of honor. It symbolizes my unwillingness to bend over and take it in the you know what from a game developer, even one named Blizzard Entertainment.