Sunday, June 7, 2009

Merch Clans Revolt in Runescape

Well, revolt might be too strong of a word, but that's how the topics are named on the RSOF anyway. The bottom line is that multiple merchanting clans just got owned by either Jagex or unexpected GE mechanism while trying to manipulate price of limpwurt roots. Huge losses by huge number of clan merchants resulted in about 3000 posts created in a span of only 2 days on RSOF.

Here are the topics, if you want to see them (though I won't suggest you to even attempt to read 3000 posts):


And here is a short "summary" topic at TruthScape forum.

I personally don't feel any compassion for "poor" clan merchants, even if Jagex violated "market rules" to make their life harder. Price manipulation which is practiced by the merch clans is too close to bug abuse or even organized crime for my liking. And that's not even mentioning the duping part of the whole thing. I would be all for having some kind of unpredictable events influencing GE prices built into the game. Even zero-cycle trading at GE (which I am doing) is too easy and I wouldn't mind it being affected and becoming more risky, but a least it is a solo endevour which is not tied to artificial price manipulation.

What do you think?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good on them.

Good on them.

Knifestorm said...

IF when items are sold on the GE they are distributed to all players who are offering enough gp to buy them.

IF the GE favors old bids over new bid.

IF a large number of players have bids out for a hoarded item.

THEN merchant clans are vulnerable to hoarded items being dumped at minimum prices. This will drive the price of the item down but few orders will be filled.

This does not strike me as being any sort of esoteric behavior of the GE but is the natural consequence of the GE performing in a reasonable way. The GE was not programed to favor merchant clans so no one should be surprised when merchant clans attempts to exploit the GE occasionally fail.

There is a possibility that Jagex did something "funny" to limpwurt trades, but the limpwurt trade behavior can be explained with out resorting to the explanation of divine intervention on the part of Jagex.

Buried in the threads you point to are my explanation on how an item can be bought out and the price of the item can still go down.

Vaskor said...

Yeap, I saw your explanation on TruthScape forum, which is plausible. But who knows what really has happened. In either case, I won't object of price manipulation to be made much harder and riskier to perform.

Aximili E I said...

Good, the price manipulators got their just deserts!

Anonymous said...

You reap what you sew as the saying goes. Mercs have been running runescape lately, and they always thought it was all upside with no chance of losing money. I Am glad, as it was (and still is) out of control. At least now maybe they will look before they leap.

00chief00

Anonymous said...

It happens. Jagex discourages it, however it's not been a bannable offence. I do it.

 
2006-2009 RuneWise, all rights reserved.
Reproducing or copying any material found on this page is not allowed.
Runescape is a trademark of Jagex 2000-2009 Andrew Gower