Conspiracy Theory: Quark Weekend

It's well known that while Free To Play games seem free, they still take a lot of time and effort and money to produce. Because of this, developers try to 'nudge' players to spend more (and more often) through events that may seem awesome at the time, but are really targeted to get us to go through our saved up piles of stuff so that we'll eventually have to spend real world money instead of in-game money.

-Triple Mark weekends are intended to get us to go through banked Reply Badges.
-Double XP weekends are supposed to get us to go through our Nth Metal stashes.

None of this is a bad thing, by the way. Just the way the world works. All businesses are trying to figure out how to get us to throw our time and money their way.

So it's got me to wondering about the Quark Vendor Weekend. Why are the devs trying to get us to empty our Quark hoards? Are they trying to get us to open more Time Capsules so that Broker prices will stabilize? Or are they adding something soon? Something so awesome, we'll be tempted to dip into our real money pocketses?

Just a way to hopefully get you to buy more time capsules.

You pretty much said it yourself: That's the way the world works. I myself do similar things to incentivise my customers (or even my employees) to go out of their way and to shortly spend more/perform better.

As for your question, does it really matter? We saw the last few TC releases older items being added to the 2nd Chance vendor. Good chance this happens again. Though I am certain about that the devs don't want to "stabilize the broker". I don't really think they care. The broker is something that we ourselves control for most of it. High demand is something we ourselves influence and as long as we are willing to pay certain amounts for certain items, it's all good.

Well, for me personally, I'm sitting on a stockpile of 3600ish Quarks. I've just been slowly building them up, knowing that the only items I really needed from them were Collection rewards that cost 5K+.

For me, I am faced with an opportunity to spend about $40ish in real life cash, and then have enough Quarks to unlock a Void Material with the discount... or I could wait another 9 months to have enough to do it for free.

I just imagined sales like this were designed for people like me who normally would just be waiting down the clock, but with proper motivation can be convinced to make an impulse buy.

You had me at “pocketses” ...lol

Or maybe a nice gesture for all the gameplay issues.

I have to ask if you aren't saving your items to spend them at the most opportune time why are you saving then at all? Why are you even buying them?

If you don't buy replays to replay content why are you buying replays? They're not conspiring to take your money they're simply giving you different opportunities at different times to maximise the benefit you receive from them.

There's never been a weekend like this before so naturally their will be some people sad and thinking "gee wish I'd saved for that" and naturally so, but that doesn't mean you don't do it just because there will be some customer disappointment.

I guess now that we know they do it we'll see more people save for another one.

People need to remember this is a video game, you don't need to hoarde billions of dollars of in game money you don't need to stockpile quarks and replays for a rainy day.

This isn't hedgefund online

It's not?

No it's Randy retirement village online if you don't have a sufficient nest egg the new players in Little Bohemia euphanaize you so as to avoid you draining the tax funds by needing welfare

You know those people you see begging for pretty auras and materials at the broker they're the ones that have thus far managed to elude the clutches of the Little Bohemians.

The goal is actually to have 250mil at all times and as tempted as it might be to go out to Little Bohemia for the pvp experience you'll want to stay well away from there if you're a peasant

But bro. Can you plz get me enhanced bats rebirdth emblm plsssszzzz

If you're premium I'll sell you one for $2001

People need to remember this is a video game, you don't need to hoarde billions of dollars of in game money you don't need to stockpile quarks and replays for a rainy day.

This isn't hedgefund online[/quote]


Lol, what game you playing.

You stick pile quarks to buy gear when a DLC drops. That's the only gear at the current CR. Those billions you speak of. Those are the peeps who can afford to sell and buy items day 1 that cost 800mil, and not sweat it.

These comments I have to 100% disagree with. This game is only about the money. After feats and gear, what are most of us playing for? The LFG has been dead since the DLC dropped on anything but the current content. The only raids I've seen other than current end game, ZOOe and PANe. Are people running that crap for gear ir money.

Just saying, let's be real about what the only goal is in the game. To have all the money.

I just wish I had taken my little break when the DLC first dropped. Then I wouldn't had spent the full price on the pieces of gear I bought.

I was kind of hoping this would be more of a forward-looking thread, instead of a commentary on the current state of economics in the game.

More 'What Cool Things Are The Devs Going To Put In The Quark Vendor' than 'Bah, The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil.'

I probably just started the thread off with the wrong emphasis. C'est la vie.

No it's the quark vendor, not the "omg must have 232 gear day1 avatar gear" vendor.

You don't have to buy that at all if you have just a little patience, the only one pushing a compulsion to buy that is you and the other like minded people spinning the illusion that you have to complete a DLC in 2 weeks.

Perhaps you'd be better suited slowing down and taking a breath an MMO isn't a sprint and the only one pushing that need is you.

There's plenty of useful and desirable things on the quark vendor outside of avatar gear.

Also if you actually understood the point of my post instead of clearly missing it, i wasn't say don't farm money to get what you need i was saying don't hoard it for the point of merely hoarding it. You're here to play a video game use your money to get what you need and want and enjoy it.

Unless you're already 70 your dcuo currency won't provide you with a retirement fund, by the time you retire you'll be without your dcuo money and this game will be dead.

Im advocating living in the now and not using a video game as a delusional hedge fund or retirement scheme you think is going to secure your future

This also isn't monopoly if you need to feel complete whole through building imaginary wealth this probably isn't really the best game.

Wait what? Your op wasn't that at all lol, you were basically suggesting there was a conspiracy to steal our cash and you asked for us to hypothesize why the devs were attempting to steal our hoarded cash all the time...

There was nothing about what cool stuff is going in the quark vendor next.

Edit oh never mind i see you've alluded too it right at the end..

You suspect they're trying to tank you out to get you load up later.. um ok lol

Perhaps but if you suspect that too be the case don't buy anything if there's something you already like take advantage of the sale you don't really stand to lose anything here.

Edit2 - that sort of highlights my point though if you're constantly living in fear of what tomorrow might bring you'll continue to be indecisive and never do anything because you're worried you'll regret your choices.

Embrace your choices and own your choices, worry about today's choices today and tomorrows choices tomorrow especially when those choices are as trivial as whether or not you buy big glowing sin wings in a video game

Quarks, hmmmm.

It depends on what’s important. If you are perfectly satisfied the way it is, and don’t attach too much importance to things, maybe not the whole developers try to 'nudge' players to spend more, but a significant portion of it... I believe the most important thing to do is to set effective — realistic, purposeful, and measurable — goals with one’s money. Once these goals are established and are put in place, people should spend away on things that they *desire*.

probably have dipped into their haversacks and come up with the appropriate badge of rank

Nah. Putting aside the fact that some of these assumptions are wrong,
So I doubt it has anything to do with trying to get more out of the game, or the lives of your quark hoards, or trying to get us to open more, or more precisely, no-one's trying to stifle anyones money here. If you love to spend* enough money, do it at every opportunity you get, or want.I mean It’s a great/interesting world with all of the individual differences between everyone, or I could see the Devs adding something
.

Nah - the conspiracy was supposed to be that they're trying to get us to spend Quarks NAOW because there's something awesome coming around the corner.

I just botched the whole thing, burying the lede.