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Evildrider
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5521
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Well there goes 75% of the WoW subs!
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Malakili
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Posts: 10596
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ni hao?
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Mrbloodworth
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Posts: 15148
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pifft, can't stop the spice.
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345
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Frontpaged.
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IainC
Developers
Posts: 6538
Wargaming.net
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More interestingly, the ban also includes 'prepaid cards for cyber games'. I wonder if this also includes microtransactions and other 'legitimate RMT' activities?
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Teleku
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10510
https://i.imgur.com/mcj5kz7.png
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The most popular form of virtual currency in China is called "QQ coins" Jesus Christ, this shit just writes itself.
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"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor." -Stephen Colbert
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345
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The most popular form of virtual currency in China is called "QQ coins" Jesus Christ, this shit just writes itself. The SoJ:Yuan exchange rate is going to fucking skyrocket.
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Malakili
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10596
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More interestingly, the ban also includes 'prepaid cards for cyber games'. I wonder if this also includes microtransactions and other 'legitimate RMT' activities?
That was the part that stuck out to me as well, actually. It could be farther reaching than it looks. Anyway, now we have a moral dilemma. Do we not buy gold because it hurts MMOs and is against the EULA, or do we support the little man in defying the oppressive chinese government!
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rattran
Moderator
Posts: 4257
Unreasonable
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More interestingly, the ban also includes 'prepaid cards for cyber games'. I wonder if this also includes microtransactions and other 'legitimate RMT' activities?
Nothing in there says you can't trade real money for virtual stuff. This is a crackdown on the parallel currency QQ coin has become . <edit> "Under the new rules, using virtual money for gambling will be punished by public security authorities, and minors may not buy virtual money." from the press release. That seems a bigger impact. The press release says nothing about gold farming, just virtual currency. Linden Dollars, not wow gold.
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« Last Edit: June 29, 2009, 02:34:18 PM by rattran »
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Lakov_Sanite
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7590
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"The virtual currency, which is converted into real money at a certain exchange rate, will only be allowed to trade in virtual goods and services provided by its issuer, not real goods and services,"
This is the line that to me explains the game card thing. The key word is "issuer" if ncsoft or blizzard or any company wants to sell gold or time cards they can but if you aren't affiliated with the currency you're selling, no dice.
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~a horrific, dark simulacrum that glares balefully at us, with evil intent.
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Surlyboi
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10963
eat a bag of dicks
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I'll believe it when I see it.
And yeah, WoW subs drop by half.
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Tuned in, immediately get to watch cringey Ubisoft talking head offering her deepest sympathies to the families impacted by the Orlando shooting while flanked by a man in a giraffe suit and some sort of "horrifically garish neon costumes through the ages" exhibit or something. We need to stop this fucking planet right now and sort some shit out. -Kail
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naum
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4262
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Eh, let's see how frequently this is enforced.
Just about any business conducted in China is illegal in some regard, yet prosecution is very selective.
Alienate the wrong person who possesses the political wherewithal and life, all of a sudden, becomes very harsh for one.
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"Should the batman kill Joker because it would save more lives?" is a fundamentally different question from "should the batman have a bunch of machineguns that go BATBATBATBATBAT because its totally cool?". ~Goumindong
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Teleku
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10510
https://i.imgur.com/mcj5kz7.png
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I'll believe it when I see it.
And yeah, WoW MMO subs drop by half.
That.
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"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor." -Stephen Colbert
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CharlieMopps
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Posts: 837
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Yea... but now MMO publishers have someone to complain to. Weather they chose to or not is another story.
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Senses
Terracotta Army
Posts: 280
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So whats the verdict, is this good for the MMO industry, or horrible?
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sam, an eggplant
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1518
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As I posted elsewhere, I don't imagine this will be enforced against mainland chinese working steady jobs to farm gold to be exclusively sold to gweilo. Its main effect will be to drive underground or localize the intra-chinese trade in in-game currency.
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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So whats the verdict, is this good for the MMO industry, or horrible?
Most likely will not get enforced. imo, if it were enforced, it would be incredibly beneficial. But of course, I'm the most rabid anti RMT person you'll probably ever meet.
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Grimwell
Developers
Posts: 752
[Redacted]
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Let's play Devil's Advocate and assume that it is enforced to the letter of the law.
What's the benefit Mopps?
(I'm not taking a stance, I'm asking for yours)
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Grimwell
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Oban
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4662
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My brother-in-law's gold farming business is looking in to using servers in Canada.
I do not know the ins and outs of how he is doing this, but technically his workers will be playing the game in North America now. The gold and all real money transactions will be outside China. Nice way to get around the rules and I imagine the other RMT operations will be doing something similar as well.
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Palin 2012 : Let's go out with a bang!
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sam, an eggplant
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1518
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Assuming that we're reading the translation correctly and it really does mean "no more gold farming in china" and the government will behead anyone caught grinding those blood elves in aszhara, it would lead to a significant rise in gold prices for six months to a year while companies retool to other disadvantaged regions like eastern europe, vietnam, india, etc.
And yes, of course gold farmers are bad for the game. CS calls, scamming, abusive behavior, crowding out legit players, etc. Do we really need to go over this again?
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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Let's play Devil's Advocate and assume that it is enforced to the letter of the law.
What's the benefit Mopps?
(I'm not taking a stance, I'm asking for yours)
Well... in SOE games it wont make a difference. You got me there.
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Ingmar
Terracotta Army
Posts: 19280
Auto Assault Affectionado
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If fully enforced it does sound like a fair amount of lost wages on the lower end guys. That might not actually be very good for China's economy.
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The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT. Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
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DLRiley
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1982
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So whats the verdict, is this good for the MMO industry, or horrible?
Drastic decrease in subs is considered a good thing in what universe?
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Mrbloodworth
Terracotta Army
Posts: 15148
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So whats the verdict, is this good for the MMO industry, or horrible?
Drastic decrease in subs is considered a good thing in what universe? Proof this will lead to drastic decrease in subs?
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Falwell
Terracotta Army
Posts: 619
Ghetto Gear Solid: Raiden
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You'll see a moderate short term decrease in the amount of farmers, a small to moderate spike in gold prices in the near future. Once the companies find workarounds (basing the company outside of China being the most obvious) it'll be business as usual.
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01101010
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12003
You call it an accident. I call it justice.
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so basically this will just result in more outsourced jobs in India?
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Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
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Slyfeind
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2037
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This will be very interesting to watch. My bet is on outsourcing, or just operating illegally. I'm guessing we as players won't see too much change. Farmers will still surely operate, but spamming might drop a bit.
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"Role playing in an MMO is more like an open orchestra with no conductor, anyone of any skill level can walk in at any time, and everyone brings their own instrument and plays whatever song they want. Then toss PvP into the mix and things REALLY get ugly!" -Count Nerfedalot
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CharlieMopps
Terracotta Army
Posts: 837
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I really think that Developers don't see RMT as anything more than a PR problem and that's why they never bother to really crack down on it. The only game to do anything to make it less annoying was Turbine/LOTRO with their Rightclick>Golderspammer so you can put them on ignore fairly quickly. I doubt they do anything with the information.
If they really wanted to deal with it, they have to introduce rudimentary logging of player transactions (something as simple as: If %todaysnetworth% > 100 * %yesterdaysnetworth% then %Suspect% = yes) Then actually ban players for buying it, instead of the gold farmers which are almost impossible to catch. The shit would end real fast. But getting a company to give up a single customer for betterment of their other customers is probably never going to happen. You basically have to stand in the center of your mmos capital city yelling racial slurs for hours on end to get banned nowadays.
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Musashi
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1692
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This is a boon for all of southeast Asia.
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AKA Gyoza
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DLRiley
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1982
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So whats the verdict, is this good for the MMO industry, or horrible?
Drastic decrease in subs is considered a good thing in what universe? Proof this will lead to drastic decrease in subs? Err we going to do the how many gold farmers in the mmo market debate?
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Hayduke
Terracotta Army
Posts: 560
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The point is if people still want it, they'll still get it. So farmers in other regions will just expand their business.
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01101010
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12003
You call it an accident. I call it justice.
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I really think that Developers don't see RMT as anything more than a PR problem and that's why they never bother to really crack down on it. The only game to do anything to make it less annoying was Turbine/LOTRO with their Rightclick>Golderspammer so you can put them on ignore fairly quickly. I doubt they do anything with the information.
If they really wanted to deal with it, they have to introduce rudimentary logging of player transactions (something as simple as: If %todaysnetworth% > 100 * %yesterdaysnetworth% then %Suspect% = yes) Then actually ban players for buying it, instead of the gold farmers which are almost impossible to catch. The shit would end real fast. But getting a company to give up a single customer for betterment of their other customers is probably never going to happen. You basically have to stand in the center of your mmos capital city yelling racial slurs for hours on end to get banned nowadays.
Coming from FFXI, SE considered RMT a little more than a PR problem. They did quite a bit to curb the "problem."
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Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
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sam, an eggplant
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1518
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Coming from FFXI, SE considered RMT a little more than a PR problem. They did quite a bit to curb the "problem." Correct me if I'm wrong as this is all from heresay as I would never play that fucking horrible game, but didn't it take them years to make a dent in RMT? Wasn't FFXXI the worst offender of them all for a significant period of time?
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Rendakor
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10131
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WoW has Right Click > Report Spam as well. I don't see how this will make a huge impact, the farming industry will just move elsewhere.
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"i can't be a star citizen. they won't even give me a star green card"
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