I must say I'm a bit shocked by some of the responses...I never intended the COOP to be a monopoly nor did I see anything wrong with my proposal on moral and ethical grounds (I still don't and I'll explain later on in the post)
I do concede that I kept the motivation behind this idea a secret. Maybe if I explain why I came up with it everyone will understand where I am coming from...
I mentioned that I have been mining in Gusgen for a while. To tell you the truth it is very lucrative and I make a decent profit doing it (if I sold what mined anyways but I use it to craft so I don't see the maximum potential returns) BUT it's no cake walk. There are 3-4 people there 24/7 that refuse to obey proper mining etiquette (constantly digging on MP's that others have already "claimed") and I highly suspect that they are part of an organization (aka gil seller company). I won't name anyone because I have no proof of this but really that is besides the point. It has really gotten to the point in Gusgen that Mining has become super cut throat. When I say that these people are on 24/7 I really mean that they are there all the time. Now to give in to them is really allowing them to, for the most part, maintain a monopoly on ore (Darksteel in particular). How can you compete with a "person" (it's probably more than one person controlling a single character because there is no way a human can stay awake for that long) that mines 24/7 and has no qualms about "stealing your" MP's? Under this context does the COOP make a little more sense? I hope so but I'm not done yet...
Dec. 16, 2003 Update:
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New items have been added for logging and mining.
Also, hatchets, pickaxes, and sickles will break more easily when used repeatedly at the same point.
This indicates that you will break your pickaxe more if you mine the same MP and NOT that you will have a lower probability of obtaining quality ore.
Dec. 9 2004 Update:
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The longer a player remains in the same area, the more difficult it will become to obtain certain items through logging and mining.
This indicates that if you stay too long in the same zone you WILL see a marked decrease in the number of quality ores you obtain.
So what does this mean? It boils down to getting dug on (sharing an MP) is not as bad as it seems and prolonged exposure to the same mine is in fact hazardous to your health...
Ok with this info I can now answer some of the reservations and concerns.
Tse you said:
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isn't this exactly what the gil sellers did?
what happens to the random person who goes in there to mine?
Sioux you said:
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What this means is that anyone not in on your gathering would find it absolutely impossible to mine. It would be basically taking out a monopoly on the mine, and I guarantee someone would call a GM at some point.
To answer both of you, other people are free to mine while the COOP is in the mine. In fact they will reap the benefits of the COOP as well because MP's are not claimable. SE never intended MP's to "belong" to a single individual. If this system is going to work the notion of sharing MP's has to be introduced. Because you don't have to run around looking for an MP makes sharing more tolerable. In addition, the minimum number of Gusgen miners is around 3-4 while the max is around 15. So it's not like the COOP will be stepping on people's toes all the time.
Moreover, I never intended the COOP to be in effect 24/7 (I like this game but not that much) so your concerns about a monopoly can be put to rest. To tell you the truth I am not even sure this is going to work; I was going to experiment with the idea by trying it for no more than a 2 hour period once a week max and end the session by completing the Eco-Warrior quest.
Another motivating factor behind the COOP was the group atmosphere. Everything in this game is group oriented. You always reap greater rewards when you are helping each other out. Have you ever noticed the number of crystals/items that drop from mobs when you are in a party vs. when you are playing solo? This effect may extend to mining as well and I was curious how big of a role a 15-18 man alliance would have. I just wanted to make the miining experience better through cooperation; I never intended to create an underhanded technique to establish a monopoly. In fact the end result of this venture may help the economy. Before the Dec. 2004 update and the massive cancelation of gil seller accounts, the price of one DS ore was 5k. Nowadays they go for on average 20k a piece. If the COOP injects a significant amount DS into the community it will cause prices to drop and the economy as a whole will benefit. Gil sellers have a firm hold on lucrative items such as the emp. hairpin and the peacock charm but this facet of the economy does not need to be controlled by them anymore.
In closing I fail to see how the COOP is a violation of ToS agreement and especially how it raises eyebrows on ethical grounds. Then again my moral compass maybe out of whack...
In any event I appreciate the feedback and I am looking forward for more critcism/interest.
Edited, Tue May 3 23:55:31 2005 by JibeLL