Also, not being argumentative here, but don't you think that if I made 30 swords and threw them on a vendor, and so did my 10 neighbors, the fact that only 350 people are logging in won't mean that my stuff is just languishing on vendors due to low pop? As in there simply aren't enough players that need items, so no matter how low the price drops, they don't need them. So now they are just sitting. Pop keeps dropping, so they the market isn't auto correcting, it's depressing.
Just curious if I'm overlooking something. It seems there is no scarcity because not enough demand exists compared to the supply.
You're not wrong to be confused; It's a complete mess. My understanding of the issues is the mechanisms that are supposed to counteract your example are in game, but they are counteracted in turn by other honkingly bad decisions designed for Guess Who.
* The items on Auction houses were supposed to be confiscated after 7 days if unsold to stock NPC stores and the mob loot tables.
* But that, surprise surprise, doesn't apply to player vendors;
"Player Vendors are placed directly onto lots by Avatars who own a contract for their services. They are similar in function to Public Vendors. Notable exceptions are that only Avatars with Kindred or higher permissions for that lot may place items for sale at a Player Vendor. Items placed with a Player Vendor are also not auto-sold for half their value after a certain amount of time. The Player Vendor stocks the item indefinitely, until another Avatar buys it or it is manually removed. "
* As the 10% controlling the economy all likely have Vendors, because $$$$, this then doesn't apply, and their items neither leave the players control nor help the NPC economy.
* Items have ungodly durability decay. This was to create a high turn over the player crafted items, the core of the economy, and keep them circulating, needing to be replaced, and funding dedicated crafters.
* And then durability took a Crown of the Obsidian to the head. These can be used for repairs (and tax, and buffs, and gold) instead, and once more the Rich will be using these to escape losing items; because how dare you ever suggest they lose anything?! Only paupers lose.
* The players can't actually afford to buy the items on the vendors, and the rich have no reason to lower prices to the point that they could. Look at Dark Knight over on Steam bragging that the exchange rate now is "only" 1500 gold per $1 in the store; at the end of my 4 hours play time for the video, I literally didn't make a penny as 2 skills and 50 worms for fishing that doesn't work took them all again. But the 10% are so financially secure there's no pressure which would get them to compromise, they have a captive market; and remember, Libertarianism weirdly thinks that cartels and captive markets are good things, because obviously the best must be the ones controlling it, so they deserve it.
Those who do try and compromise for the good of the game though still get hit by the fact there's no demand there, because the NPC part of the economy isn't functional. Dark Knight again may claim it doesn't matter where the player gets an item from, but it really does, because somewhere down the line, the in game part of the game has to be working, and as the Devs have now openly admitted, it absolutely isn't. It's like trying to run a charity to "Save the extinct creature!"; it might be well intentioned, but the target is already dead.
* And there's always the risk that something new will come into the Store that further breaks the economy, or just tempts you to continue to insist upon cartel practices; the Airship with a 150 limited production run I pointed out because of this issue; its set up is precisely designed to encourage speculative bull markets. It's such a given by now that it's become pure Orthodoxy amongst the remaining investors. And that influences how people will calculate the game's future irrespective of what happens in game. And no one wants to be the one caught left holding the basket when the music stops...
* You mention that all players can be crafters. Yes, this is something we also pointed out (it's in my video review part 2 as well). But not everyone would want too because of the ridiculous delays in every single crafting bar... only those who loved the role would truly follow it all the way.
* But over on Reddit you can see people discussing the fact that there was a Glitch which was exploited to hell which allowed people to GM crafters without ever making an item. If you guess that there was no wave of bans for the high end backers who abused it, well you win 90% of nothing. And now we've had Final Wipe, the GM status can't be taken away from them. So the specialisation out of love argument didn't work.
* But anyone following the GM path now is going to be forced into PvP zones, both for specific rare crafting materials but even within the story line and single player? So again those following behind are going to find it much harder than you, so why should you lower prices for your exploit gained GM crafted items?
Round and round and round we go....
