This is is disgusting. I can't beleive they are doing this. To support the selling of virtual goods in anyway is deplorable. They will be supporting people having a job as a gil farmer on MMORPG's and that basicly means there is a new coporate supported proffession in our world.
"Gil Farmer". Sure it already exists, but that doesn't mean it shoud be fascilitated in any way.
There are many more reason's this is bad I'm sure but I can't think of them. This should't even be considered. To even debate it is ridiculous.

If this was ever introduced into FFXI, the first and only thing that would be put up for auction would be my account. I have no desire to play a game where game status is bought by RL status.

You know, you guys are right. The marketing ideal behind this is truly flawless. Why NOT get in the middle of the "black market" of your own product and monopolize on it 100%. It's much the same like real estate, you do buisness on my lawn, you owe me a share of the profits. These people are just making their own "lemonade stand" that is going to be better than the other one due to the integration properties it will have. I guess most people are just saddened that the company would "sell out" to the gil sellers. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I like honest games that don't put you back into "real world" situations, but on the flip side, I can understand why they did what they did. What a double edged sword, and I know this debate will go on for awhile. But like other people said, the liklihood it will ever come to FFXI is slim to none seeing that it would completely destroy about 1/2 of the games design. Just an excellent place to debate it. Hope to hear more feedback about this because it is interesting to read ^^

Ok, so both sides have good/bad cons about if it happens to XI.
BUT THINK ABOUT THIS!
The operation for lvling would go all to hellz. Eveyone knows that lvling in XI takes some time in the game due to haveing to farm, mine,....more, just to get your gilz to have food, items, haha, NIN tools >.< and equipment. If now you could buy every item in the game with real money 0.o people that have welth in real life would have an atvange over the kids, ex when it comes to lvling then that of who does not have the money to go out and buy their sniper rings, emporors hair pin.....ex. When you bring in the real world to FF you would take out the hart of the game. It would no longer be based on who has better skills in the game then the other person, it would be based on who has the most money in RL. And the one with the most, would own the game! It would no longer be of the peoples! and Hello WoW if it does happen >:)
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Do your research, please - There is no substantial connection between SoE and Square Enix and even suggesting this might happen to Final Fantasy XI, and suggesting it is irresponsible.

Sony Computer Entertainment did buy around 10% of Square after they helped fund Final Fantasy 7, but when Square and Enix merged they bought most if not all of that back. Even if Sony still had that full 10%, however, that is not enough to impose any kind of will on the company's operations.

Other than a few remaining stock points, the only formal connection between the two companies that remains is a marketing agreement for EQ2 in Japan.

And if this is the kind of irresponsible speculation I am to expect from AllaK, at least be consistent: please post about /pizza, and how Square Enix's connection to SoE means that they will be adding a /sushi.

Edited, Wed Apr 20 12:33:43 2005

Disgusting, truly disgusting. One of the charms of online play has been that people, regardless of their real life situations, enter the game equally. Now, you will need real life money to make in-game money.

If SE ever does this, and I'm not saying they will, they will of had my last 20 bucks.

Good GOD! They've lost their damn minds! How can they actually expect the gil sellers to move? Of course, it would be a dream come true, but its never gonna happen. I think i'll pitch a tent to Martha Stewart in a bikini before the gil sellers ever move.

If this moves over to FFXI because the n00bs froms EQ2 actually support it....I will hunt those greedy pricks down Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back style.

There's my 2gil.....which will probably comepletely worthless soon enough....

I'll quit. I'll quit. Wahhhhhhhhhhh. Cry about it, babies.

Sony's making a business decision because they aren't blind. They are totally aware of how much RMT happens, be it via certain banned websites or be it via EBay or be it via private arrangements between users. They're aware of it because of the volume of customer complaints they receive where people are getting ripped off and want their character, items, or money back.

Sony's had the same enforcement issues against RMT that SE has had - it's like the war on drugs. Enforcement is slack at best and the market continues to grow faster than the authorities can clamp down on it. If you mention gil-selling inside the game, the GMs will own you; if you do everything quietly, out of the game, there is very little they can do to track you down and punish you. Everyone knows this; it's why the market flourishes. It's why certain banned websites are able to offer up to *fiften million gil* for sale on most servers.

They don't offer it because it's pretty. They offer it because it sells. People buy it.

-

What Sony's doing is actually very smart. They're trying to consolidate RMT to a few select servers, and they're trying to ensure accountability for real market trades. If they can remove the fraud and the constant complaints they handle, it's customer service personnel they don't have to employ to deal with whining users (thus saving Sony money).

Sony's setup works like this:

You set up an object for sale (be it money, an item, a character, etc). The object is removed from the game world and can now be listed on the Station Exchange. This is just like the Auction House in FFXI. Because the item goes to Sony's control, you are 100% certain of what you're bidding on, and 100% certain you will receive it.

The auction is set and runs. People bid with real money. Someone eventually wins.

The winner pays via credit card. Sony ensures that the item reaches it's destination. They're selling accountability and ensuring transactions go smoothly. They're acting as an escrow service. (For this service, they'll dock a small percentage from the sale for themselves.)

This is extremely smart as a business move. They don't have to print money (thus leading to inflation), they don't have to farm items themselves; all they have to do is consolidate and enable trustworthy RMT under their banner and they'll be able to skim profits right off the top. It's ingenious as a corporate money maker.


And it will work, because people do spend money on this stuff. Even if absolutely nobody here ever does and they'll all quit if Square ever does it blah blah blah.

Honestly I think it's a fantastic idea. If people are willing to use RMT when it's high risk/high fraud, they'll sure as hell use it when it's safer and protected and authorized (no chance of having your char kicked and banned for trading via Sony's system after all!). Sony gets some money off the top and gilseller-style companies are forced to compete to make their sales, lowering prices.


Better. There's real money at stake now. If Sony's system goes into effect and certain banned groups try to drastically undercut the going rates, it'd be them using illegal auction transactions to take real money from Sony's system. Want to bet that enforcement against unauthorized RMT goes through the roof?

Why would anyone enter these servers? Unless you are rich, you are going to get much unless you play 24/7. You'd have to farm many things to keep up with the $200,000,000 (stated by the letter) going around maybe 100,000 people. Can you afford $2,000 to buy stuff for your character un current ecnomies? Most people I'd imagine buy maybe $50 2-3 times of items/gil throughout their characters life even if they do at all. Mind you that even these people probably will not join an all money economy. Leaving the prices estabished by the rich.

You may enter these servers and pay lots to keep up with people who are richer than you, most people aren't going to look at doing this unless they have money to spend. OR think they can make some off of items they get ingame. Heads up, there will be many many many poor Eastern people doing this so don't expect that.

Welcome to a wind cluster for $.25, good for crafters maybe but, your vermillion cloak is now $800. Did you farm it up?

Oh GREAT! a game that reflect real life economy. Eastern people who need jobs get them. American middle class is gone and everything is owned by the rich. I play this game to escape that imbalance.



Edited, Wed Apr 20 11:27:08 2005

If this moves to the FFXI game, The AH would cease to function. Everyone would sell through the Real Money Tranfer, because people would rather get real money than get gil. You offer gil to someone for their armour, they'll say, "***** that! I'm gonna get real money." It would become the only way to get new items. That or craft it. But where are you going to get the stuff you need for crafting? Through the RMT. Nobody will want to play MMORPGs anymore, because they have to spend real money for every single item. MMORPGs will fall. Let's just hope that the RMT will not come to FFXI. Sqare Enix, along with everyone else will just lose money because of it. The game won't be fun anymore, and I'm not going to play a game if it's not fun to play.

I don't know what will happen, but here is what I hope happens....

All the gil selling company's are under heat, because SoE, Blizzard, and S-E are all trying to take legal action against thier business. (Not doing to good as of yet)

So hopefully they will see it as way of doing it legit, and move all thier people to the new servers.

All the gil buyers and sellers will all be moved to servers where we wont have to deal with it, and can play, the way the game was meant to be played.

I'd hope that would be "happy ever after" but I don't think so, if that happens, I think everything would be monopolized on those servers.
You couldn't get a peacock uber what ever item, with out RL cash.

Then it will be a game of how much RL cash you have and/or want to spend on a game. Instead of farming in game for items, those people will be working extra hours in RL.

I for one want to play the game more and work less, not the other way around O.o

In the end I think this will blow up in their face.


Here's my idea, instead of banning gil buyers and sellers, just make a server just for them...like a jail server. If you get caught buying/selling you get sent to that server...forever and if you don't like it ..quit.
Then with that server full of buyers/sellers hopefully those people will realize what they are doing to everyone else, because they will see a climps of the future of online games if they continue selling/buying.

The idea of buying cool virtual stuff to get ahead in a game with RL cash amazes me.

I need my RL cash to get cool RL stuff to get ahead in life.

Just my 2gil.

Should sells on Online game material be counted as "Income"? lol i think they should be taxed. XD