Curse

Antheus · Sep 09, 2007, 08:30 AM // 08:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by PyrAnkh

How do people get ecto?

eBay

I kid, I kid...

Holly Herro · Sep 09, 2007, 09:03 AM // 09:03

Quote:

How do people get ecto?

Farming underworld (UW) or buying them from other players or the rare material trader.

Malice Black · Sep 09, 2007, 12:07 PM // 12:07

Lockpicks are not of high enough value to use as an ecto replacement.

Ecto will never be replaced.

fenix · Sep 09, 2007, 12:13 PM // 12:13

The only thing I've seen that sometimes replaces Ecto was Diamonds...before EOTN when their price more than halved. Lockpicks won't ever be used, value is too low.

Ensign · Sep 09, 2007, 11:04 PM // 23:04

As someone else said, the big fortunes in game are stored in ecto; those people buy and sell in ecto accordingly, making it the defacto currency of high-end trades; everything else follows that.

HawkofStorms · Sep 09, 2007, 11:43 PM // 23:43

Old habits die hard. Even if ecto isn't the "smart" thing to do, it is too well into the mindset of the average player.

=HT=Ingram · Sep 10, 2007, 05:50 AM // 05:50

You want the real reason? here it is... they have control of them...

Lets say the accepted currency went to lockpicks. then the people that hoard the ectos in order to keep the prices up will have to trade in ectos for lockpicks, driving the ecto material value way down... Where as the lockpicks will never go down from what it is now, they may go up... however that is not what these people want because they do not have massive stockpiles of lockpicks from farming. Its never been about value to these people, its been about what they can exploit. Many of these guys bought ecto for as cheap as 600 gold in the massive hundreds using illegally purchased gold. They can also replenish this commodity because the ecto is not a scarce an item, its just perceived to be scarce cause the item is seldom sold back to the vendor NPCs and destroyed from the game... On occasion they are used for armor. to this date that is the major ecto sink in the game... however Anet has added a few new ones in special collector items in Gwen. Every ecto destroyed is another nail in its coffin. because the more it is pulled out of the game the less likly the hoarding farmers will be able to resist or demand ecto exchanges...

Lets use a less stable example. Diamonds for instance... This is the direction these people WANT us to go, because again, THEY can control it better. Diamonds drop with some regularity and can now be farmed in some areas, Much as ecto is now... True not as plentiful as ecto can be, BUT its possible.. With Lockpicks this is not really very true as they drop in unpredictable ways all through the game in HM. So while it is a 100% acceptable currency exchange method that SHOULD be accepted and used in the bogus player driven market of make believe values and imaginary demand. It more then likely will never be allowed, simply because lockpicks can not be MASS farmed by the people that continually exploit the game for more FAKE value then a typical player should have. This also drives many of their illegal gold selling activities for Real money. Something that is unacceptable by Anet and NCsoft, but is continually ignored by many of the game populous because they want to cheat and don't care if they get caught... Its a real business for them. Not a game. This is what makes it in violation of the EULA and the Rules of Conduct EVERY PLAYER ACCEPTS WHEN THEY INSTALL THE GAME.

The reason lockpicks will not be allowed to become a good commodity in the game is because they are not easily replenished with exploitative behavior. Fact is every aspect of the demand market is controlled by the very people that use it. When a price is too high or they are asking for 50 ectos instead of a reasonable amount of game gold, people buying it SHOULD always and 100% say "Your freaking nuts.. I'll just go get one myself and and you can go to hell." Then, and ONLY then, will the flow of the market place become something more in line with a normal player and the perceived REASON for farming be drastically reduced to near zero... Cause after all there is nothing in this game that is unattainable from just playing the game. NOTHING.

Sorry folks... the only ones you have to blame for prices is yourselves. Tell these people to bugger off and never use them. Problem solved. If they demand ecto refuse the trade... If they demand anything over 100K refuse the trade. Hell if you want to know where to get it, look it up on wiki for crying out out loud.

Control of an out of control market place is 100% in YOUR hands. Refuse to buy outrageously uncontrolled priced wares, and go get it yourself FOR yourself. The day you stop making use of the trade button and start making full use of collectors and Merchants and Traders npcs, you will QUICKLY discover that what you were paying those outrageous prices for, are not all that big a deal after all.

O Nuxtofulakas · Sep 10, 2007, 10:30 AM // 10:30

Too late to change habits...

Ecto is established in the market as an alternative currency for 2+ years.
It's value was unstable from day 1 (yeah i belong to those players who bought their fow paying 12-13k/ecto) but this didn't change anything and ecto survived till today..

I don't want to be pecimistic but since GW2 is on the way...it's too late for such "innovative" ideas/proposals

just my 2 cents

dragonofinfinity · Sep 10, 2007, 12:15 PM // 12:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngstar

It would be a great idea if lockpicks didn't drop.

lockpicks drop? this is the first time i've heard this.

ectos have always seemed to be more desirable and usefull that lockpicks, as lockpicks are an alternative to keys which drop reasnobly frequently (at least for the amount of time i spend on) but for the armour ectos cannot be replaced with something else.

pkodyssey · Sep 10, 2007, 12:25 PM // 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLOODGOAT

I sell them for 1k. Bam -- crushed your "set value" theory.

Your loss,

Nobody can "purchase" them from and npc for less than 1200gp. I could sell one that dropped for 900pg and beat your price.

R!ghteous Ind!gnation · Sep 10, 2007, 02:52 PM // 14:52

how about a perm set value for ecto... would also prevent people from complaining (as they should) about the favor system.

Malice Black · Sep 10, 2007, 04:04 PM // 16:04

No, bad idea. Ecto is a rare a rare material, therefore it should be subject to price change as all other materials are.

brian78wa · Sep 10, 2007, 04:39 PM // 16:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLOODGOAT

I sell them for 1k. Bam -- crushed your "set value" theory.

Let me buy some off you then

But ya its not a set price. the prices dont fluctuate as much as ectos but they still do.

I see some guy in the town you go ele sword farming selling for 1300 all the time. Some people are greedy others like Bloodgoat arent. so ya the set value is incorrect

Lord Sabir · Sep 10, 2007, 06:00 PM // 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonofinfinity

lockpicks drop? this is the first time i've heard this.

ectos have always seemed to be more desirable and usefull that lockpicks, as lockpicks are an alternative to keys which drop reasnobly frequently (at least for the amount of time i spend on) but for the armour ectos cannot be replaced with something else.

I've never gotten a Lockpick via drop, but it makes sense. After all, Keys drop, so why not Lockpicks?

Btw, how many uses does a Lockpick have? Is it a set amount or random? And will the lockpicks work on any Chest? Ex: I buy a Lockpick from a merchant in Ascalon City, will it open a Steel Chest in Shiverpeaks?

Healers Wisper · Sep 10, 2007, 06:11 PM // 18:11

these thread are getting kinda old. Why do we have to completely change the alt currency. Really. I have an idea. use what u have. I doubt any real trader will deny you using ectos or lockpicks as long as the seller gets enough money to cover his price.

As for lockpicks, their value is only 750g dispite whatever else you want to claim. As soon as lockpicks become currency, this will be true. They dont drop well or often, so farming them is difficult. If demand rose, the alliances that hold towns will increase the cost. I personally don't want to trade in something that will cost me 1.5K and give me a return of 750g.

But my original arguement still stands, you want to trade or sell something work in the currency that both parties agree on and stop trying to change everyone elses practices to fit your agenda.

=HT=Ingram · Sep 10, 2007, 08:43 PM // 20:43

Yea they are old, but I think the concern is valid... the point is ecto is being used because its easily farmed and exploited... And as such that is what the people that sell for huge amounts demand. well if people STOP GIVING IT TO THEM AT ALL, then change will happen. without it well that's their problem then isn't it?

Personally I have long since abandoned the use of the trade button as a source for game gold... As far as I am concerned if gold does not come from
1: a drop, or
2: an NPC merchant.

Its not a legal acquisition.

True I don't have much more then 20k or 30k on me at any time, but then again I also don't have reason too either. Cause I have long since learned that if I want it I go get it myself otherwise I do not deserve to have it. Buying things from other players is a waste. And the sooner more people learn that the sooner the CHEATERS that exploit this very system to sell gold for real money will be put out of business.