Should raid boosting be allowed in Ashes?

Wandering Mist

For the moment let's imagine a that you could enforce this rule and completely stop raid boosting if you wanted to.

Should guilds be allowed to sell raid boosts for in-game gold?

Discuss.

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Comments

Songcaller

I think it is plausible. It would depend if 40 Master Gatherers can each take a resource, or, if 40 Master Gatherers will have to roll on the resource.

Main Gatherers will want options to gather in peace. A guild boost will be helpful in all areas of gathering without exception. I'm ambivalent about the process. On one hand, gold will talk, or the other hand, gold could be made.

daveywavey

I don't see why it shouldn't be allowed. If there's a group that can do it, and another group that'll pay for it, then fair dos.

bloodprophet

How would they stop it? If it is only in game gold and not RMT then let the community be a community.

halbarz

Personally, I do not think they should allow any kind of RMT in the game. If it is done with in-game money well there isn't much they can do. While I personally have never used this kind of option to clear content, I hope people will be open to joining practice groups/raids, I love organizing these and getting people into raiding

jackalopejane

I think as long as it's in game and not RMT, it should be allowed. It's a fantastic way for guild's to gain gold in any game you find it and it helps people who may not have a solid guild yet, need better gear to get accepted into better guilds, or had been unable to do the run when their guild had the time set for it due to real life obligations, etc. I've personally bought a raid boosts via in-game currency in another other games because there was a short period in time when I had to step down on the raiding team of my guild due to health issues but was able to keep up with them gear-wise doing this, thus able to jump right back in as soon as I was healthier and they didn't have to waste their time re-gearing me. Also, I'm unsure if there's even a way to police this.

halbarz wrote: »

Personally, I do not think they should allow any kind of RMT in the game. If it is done with in-game money well there isn't much they can do. While I personally have never used this kind of option to clear content, I hope people will be open to joining practice groups/raids, I love organizing these and getting people into raiding

Edit: that's true, people could definitely run practice instances and charge for them as well although I don't think I've ever quite seen that. I think that guild organization at this level makes the game more fun and alive.

Noaani

From the perspective of someone that has organized these in the past, I am not a fan, over all.

While the exchange may be for in game currency, there is no doubt in my mind that a lot of that currency was bought in order to be used.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be allowed, as it isn't breaking the rules, just that I aren't a fan of it.

I am also aware that it would be silly to think people that would buy gold to use like this would simply not buy gold if this weren't a thing- they would just buy it to gain what ever other advantage they would be able to get with it.

But I'm still not a fan.

Vhaeyne

It is not like downing a raid is going to be something to brag about in a game with open world raid bosses. Why wouldn't they allow raid boosting? I mean it is going to be very likely that you see guilds paying for "protection" to not be attacked while raiding. Not having to face a whole other raid group while fighting the boss could be seen as boosting. Considering that is the likely environment you will face bosses in. This is going to be part of the politics and emergent game play. Who is willing to let/help who do what and why?

In any case there is really nothing that could be done about it without some real draconian measures.

halbarz

jackalopejane wrote: »

I think as long as it's in game and not RMT, it should be allowed. It's a fantastic way for guild's to gain gold in any game you find it and it helps people who may not have a solid guild yet, need better gear to get accepted into better guilds, or had been unable to do the run when their guild had the time set for it due to real life obligations, etc. I've personally bought a raid boosts via in-game currency in another other games because there was a short period in time when I had to step down on the raiding team of my guild due to health issues but was able to keep up with them gear-wise doing this, thus able to jump right back in as soon as I was healthier and they didn't have to waste their time re-gearing me. Also, I'm unsure if there's even a way to police this.

halbarz wrote: »

Personally, I do not think they should allow any kind of RMT in the game. If it is done with in-game money well there isn't much they can do. While I personally have never used this kind of option to clear content, I hope people will be open to joining practice groups/raids, I love organizing these and getting people into raiding

Edit: that's true, people could definitely run practice instances and charge for them as well although I don't think I've ever quite seen that. I think that guild organization at this level makes the game more fun and alive.

I meant more that the practice runs are not charged, at least that's how I do it

Been doing this in many MMO's free of charge, it's just a fun community event.

Maezriel

So long as it's all paid w/ in game currency and there's no RMT then fair is fair IMO

That said, I would like to see Intrepid put in some systems to help limit spam...but we'll have to wait and see how toxic people get w/ it

VmanGman

Of course... it's part of the sandbox player agency part of the game. It makes no sense to restrict it...

Immortalmage

"Should raid boosting be allowed in Ashes?"

Isn't this determined by the difficulty of the raids and not policy?

Ravudha

Assuming there's no RMT involved and the gold used as payment has been 100% earned in game, I'm all for it.

I see it as just another service like paying a guild for caravan protection. It reminds me of a very common plot used in movies: the wealthy but inexperienced protagonist pays a group of toughened mercenaries to take him to exotic location X and recover lost treasure Z.

Merek

I like the idea of a few guilds that earn their income purely from carrying combat inept gatherers through dungeons. That's something I can definitely get behind.

akabear

Raid Boosting is a term I have not come across before, so with a quick read, I am not sure if I understand the full implications..

But from that quick read; if Clan A provides a service in return for in game money to a player, whilst perhaps not an intended avenue from the way the game was setup, is that not just sandbox play that should be encouraged?

Or is there something nefarious / unethical in doing "raid boosting"?

Noaani

akabear wrote: »

Raid Boosting is a term I have not come across before, so with a quick read, I am not sure if I understand the full implications..

But from that quick read; if Clan A provides a service in return for in game money to a player, whilst perhaps not an intended avenue from the way the game was setup, is that not just sandbox play that should be encouraged?

Or is there something nefarious / unethical in doing "raid boosting"?

I'm not a fan of it because the prices that are asked (or offered) could only ever be met by people that are buying gold. Even if it is only gold exchanging hands, if you know that gold was most likely bought with real money, you are still a hypocrite for taking it unless you are perfectly fine with RMT.

This is why my guild stopped doing this many years ago.

Others may have other reasons for not liking it, but the only other one I have heard is from people that think achievements and the like have meaning.

McMackMuck

I assume (hope/pray!) that gold buyers/RMT would be detected and banned.

Raiding boosting is services rendered within a *closed* game economy.
I don't see anything wrong with raid boosting in itself.
In the gaming groups I have been in, if you genuinely commit to a decent guild then they would help you level up for free, even if you join the server a few years later than everyone else.

My limited understanding is that the RMT, and the bots that evolved to exploit RMT, damage(d) WoW. This practice dumped lots of gold into the economy, causing Weimar republic style hyper inflation (in effect, the bots were printing money). One outcome is that for a non-cheater to buy into a raid boosting session the going rates became too expensive. I haven't played WoW, that is just what I surmise from googling the subject.

AoC is doing a number of things differently that make RMT and bots less viable.

Full disclosure from Intrepid would be a bad idea, just trust that they are going to do everything that they can to stamp out RMT because they know it would damage their game.

Warth

@Noaani i dont think raid boosting in AoC would even be remotely compareable to WoW.

In WoW one of the primary reasons is the souldbound gear. Here, you don't have that factor as gear/materials an be bought outright. You just have the Achievements left, which won't nearly be worth as much gold as raud boosting cost in WoW.

Also WoW supports RMT through the sale of tokens.So taking that gold there isn't unethical in the slightest

akabear

Thanks for the explanation. Definitely apposed to gold selling/buying.

halbarz

To be honest, I do not see raid boosting being a real thing in Ashes. Advertising such a service would benefit PK'ers the most. They can easily just tag along or follow and gank whenever they see an opportunity. But I do hope that any kind of spam in chat related to this kind of raid boosting will be banned, nothing more annoying than someone spamming it every 10 seconds in chat. It ruins the game.

When it comes down to RMT I personally believe that any form of it should be banned. No matter if it is for gold or a service. This indirectly could also mean raid boosting as it often is indirectly involved.

Hellfar

I think it is inevitable that raid boosting will exist. Doesn't matter whether it's for a chance at gear or achievement rewards; lots of people will pay to be carried and get their quick reward. Nothing can really be done to combat this imo.

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