Yeah Magnus said all of that already.

Doesn't make it any less true though.

In all honesty, I don't see anyone who actually disagrees that the crafting increase is a bad thing.

But let's get this straight, if we're talking about the changes the crafting increase has done, one isn't that it hurts new players. 1*-2* Crafts weren't touched at all, which are the primary equipment for new players, and even a decent amount of Tier 2. As was said before, it's the middle-powered people that got hurt the most. The saw the lost potential they have in upgrades compared to their earlier predecessors who already made the jump to Tier 3, while having a harder time to catch up to those T3 people.

The new players have no more difficulty to upgrade their wares, while the established players have expanded most of their line to ft many of their needs anyway.

Volebamus, it hurts anyone who isn't in t3 yet. So that's middle-players now, and new-players now who might be middle-players later.

Eh, Skype, I have to disagree with you about the AH. It's not necessarily all that hot as a way to get rich, no, but it's *easy*. Before, if I had something to sell, I'd generally crank down the price a bit (because I want to play Spiral Knights, not Trade Chat) and then sit there hollering for a significant chunk of time before *maybe* lucking into a sale. Now, I set up a min price that assures that I'll get at least *some* profit, a buyout price that gives me a decent bit without being greedy, and set it for 48 hours. I can generally be assured that eventually the sale will go through (as long as I'm selling things that people want) and it takes a *lot* less effort. On the buy side, it's even better. It makes my gaming experience smoother and more enjoyable. Am I, then, a fool to use it?

Also, the UV market is fine - it just all migrated down to tier 2. Now people will buy the entry-rank UVs (with appropriate markups) and grow them themselves.

Also, new customers aren't going to care. If the crafting prices we see now were the ones that we'd all seen walking in teh door, ti really wouldn't have been a big deal. It's the pain of impact that people are mostly dealign with right now. It's not that the game is fundamentally bad in its new incarnation - it's just that we've taken losses (in a way) from where we were.

Finally, I can't help but notice that you're frothing a lot less these days. I suppose I owe you an apology (and, indeed, do apologize) for thinking (and speaking) so poorly of you before.

I might not be in the best state to write this, (BARS if you catch my drift) but lets find out....

You have called me a fool before, and I agree with you for the most part. (on several accounts. :))

the only thing I have to say that is different from what you say is this:

the AH (Auction House) in my opinion (note the unstated but hopefully understood disclaimer here) changes the market from a Seller's Market to a Buyer's Market. Unfortunately, I haven't taken enough economic classes (or interest) to really understand this (beyond a gut instinct...)

In Trade Chat, people could literally charge whatever they wanted for any given product, and (as long as it wasn't overly outrageous) someone would buy it. there might be a lack of Philoso Feathers one day, so some silly individual might buy it for 15k instead of 10k or less. Only, of course, because there weren't any other (better) offers available when the desired product was demanded.

Now, with the AH, people can have an array of offers at disposal, that offer an array of price ranges... i.e. competition, a free market. no "set" markets, no expected cost.... whatever someone is able and willing to sell it for... and for whatever someone is able and willing to buy it for. Capitalism at its best, with no possibility of monopoly, all in one place. Ceteris Paribus, as my economics textbook is fond of reminding.... "All things staying the same".

they will allow unbinding of 4* and 5* equipment.... which i believe is reasonable.... Your proposed crafting costs are sound, but I ( as a 4* gear player) can live with them as is. (mayhaps other, 2* and 3* gear players cannot)

Do recall, please, that I am not a huge fan of increased CE crafting costs, and that i do agree with you on this account. I am only addressing the auction house, everything else is of yours understood and at *least* decently received. I have no wish to be on the receiving end of your scathing tongue. I hate Internet arguments, they bore me immensely. Lets not start one, shall we? I'd love to do a run with you sometime, btw.

It's just the way that it happened overnight. I mean i'm a bomber, and i felt like i had to buy certain bombs when they were available---recipes that is. So now i have 4,5,6+ recipes that i bought at full cost and have yet to use in crafting.

Furthermore, i was going with a very careful, focused strategy of how/when i would be upgrading to 5* equip. I've been on here since the beginning saying i liked managing my CE as a resource. However, i went to bed 1 night with enough CE banked to make all my 5* equipment, woke up the next morning with the same amount of CE but only enough to craft 2 5* items.

Also, this is gonna greatly reduce my ability to have fun and "play" in the video game. I wanted to make certain items--like venom veiler and graviton--not based on their effectiveness but rather just them being neat. But when the cost of these items just improved so dramatically, it makes that completely unrealistic. Instead i feel kinda forced into grinding straight end game gear, taking much of the joy out of the game for me.

I'm not making any bold, sweeping claims of how i will quit playing, but i do see there being a bit of an artificial roadblock being there after i craft my next two 5* items, where i'm left standing there out of energy thinking, "holy s***" how i'm gonna hustle up another 1.6k energy for 2 more items. Not to mention now i feel i'll never be able to get all the nice UV gear i wanted. And it's so much more frustrating because i did strategically plan and map out my energy usage.

and all the while having trouble getting 3*....is now impossible hell no im not playing weeks to get things ragequit bye i go play sun online -_-