us-prices

I have been thinking lately that a big part of the gold buying problem is because of the wow designers themselves. I've been playing for a long time and DON'T buy gold, and I have never had a 500 gold amt all at one time yet, It's the riduculaus prices they set for stuff that causes pll to look for gold for sale. If the desingers really wanted to stop it they would lower prices to where the average player could afford the things that only gold buyers can afford

If you don't buy gold can you tell us where you got your stats from going back to last July?

Aside from mounts what else does blizzard set the prices for that are a big commodity? Training? Becuase I'm an average player too and at 63 (which is my highest toon)I bought my epic mount because I went out grinding and what ever else I needed to do to get the gold. Unless you're buying new equipment at the auction house everytime you level the average player can save gold easily.

Pawpaw - Excellent idea! Which way did you want to go about doing this? You said lower prices, so I assume you mean you would want everything in the game to be sold for a maximum of 1 gold? You said average player, but that's relative. The average player is probably doing daily quests for 150 to 300 gold a day now which I take it you're not doing. So since average depends so much on a person's point of view to be fair to all we just have to take it down to 1 gold maximum for any item being sold in the game by the designers or on the auction house, training, etc. Of course at that point the obvious question is why not just give it away. Ooo, everything free, we get rid of gold completely, no more gold sellers! By George, you've solved the problem Blizzard has never been able too.

At this point Pawpaw I'm sure you're calling my parentage and intelligence into question but what was the other way to solve this? Make everything in the game nodrop, notrade, getting rid of any costs associated with training (like the 5000 gold epic mount) and make every player equally quest and collect everything they ever get. Same result in we get rid of the need for gold again so no gold in the game. Since no trade and no gold means a very large social part of the game is removed (selling of rare items you're lucky to find, selling tradeskill items) my guess is Warcraft would go from a billion dollar a year game to a 1 million dollar a year game.

Don't blame the designers and the game because some of the players that play this game are too lazy to actually work for what they get and buy gold and powerleveling. There is nothing the designers can do except essentially remove an economy from a game which is going to leave a much less enjoyable game for the rest of us. Just enjoy the game and play it as it was meant to be played and when you think of the gold buyers know they didn't get any sastisfaction in earning that epic mount or whatever else they bought.

I wouldn't put it just like that per-say, but blizzard is taking steps to prevent items for just being bought outright by the people that buy gold outside of the game. just look at all the rep related or pvp related gear or raid gear (DUH!), i'd say that a good 75% of the gear in this game that is worth wearing you actually have to earn. now im not talking about some 1200g trinket or anything, but i mean to get my MC set i wasn't able to throw down a Benjamin in the internet and have the T1 in the mail... so all and all i think that if you BUY gold, you're taking away from the fun of the game for yourself only, or at most the challenge. people will always look for loopholes, and if that epic flying mount is so important then just stick with it and grind til you get it. I left the game for over a year, came back, and within the first week had my epic (reg) mount at lvl 62, just from completing quests. now i'm a 65 and have over 1k gold in my bank and growing. by the time im 70 i'll be able to afford my epic flying outright (even though i'll have flying form... hehe), so just pitty thoughs that are paying to play the game every month, then paying for fake gold inside it to get ahead... cuz all it really is doing, imo, is allowing them to hover... wooooo fuckin whooooooo. after that, then what? solo Ony? she flys too...

2cents

Well, here is what i think.

Farming this money would at least take me 15 days full time from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Then, if the aucton house is nice to me, i might have 5000 g.

OR

In these 15 days i could get a job that would pay me a minimum of 7.5 euro's a day, and if i work short days 6 hours i will work till 3 o'clock and do some surfing and hanging with my friends/girlfriend. I might even do some raiding in the evenings, but seeing its summer, there are few raids going on. In this day I will make 7.5 x 6 = 45 euro's at least. I will do this for 14 days (2 weeks) and have 630 euro's.

SO

- Option one will give me a pissed girlfriend, a huge headache and just enough money to buy and epic flying mount.

- Option two will give me a happy girlfriend, a better feeling after surfing for 2 weeks with friends, an epic mount and with the gold prices of today, i will at least keep 500 euro's of the 630 for myself.

Seriously, this is why I have never taken the time to farm money for an epic mount... if you keep this in the back of your mind..... i still dont have an epic mount, but of the prices get ven lower, there is no point in saying that its stupid to buy money.... either Blizz should do something about it, or get blown away be simpel economics and kapitalism...

- Shadewind