Item Alchemy Feedback

[Amberose]

I'm sorry, but this entire thing is ridiculous. Using rare items to create even rarer items is just ridiculous. I understand gold sinks, and those are fine, but this is going way overboard. We already have several different item exchange options, which work perfectly fine. The alchemy idea even in itself is good, we don't have a clothing and regular item exchange yet. However, in the few short hours this has been out, the market has pretty much collapsed into utter chaos. All we've ever wanted was a stable market, and you, as the staff, have always said you wouldn't interfere with our market, that it's user run. This is absolutely, 100% interfering with the market. The extreme inflation that's happening right now is a direct result of this. Also, releasing backwings through this system is an absolute slap in the face. We've been lead to believe for years that they were going to be released to us in a free event. However, based on the requirements to make even the most simplest of recipes right now, they are not going to be anywhere close to free. The only people that will be able to craft them will basically people who spend actual money on this site, because there's no way people are going to be able to afford the ridiculous amounts of items it's going to take to craft them.

You say you care about your users, but out of everything you've ever done, this is by far the most careless thing you've ever put into effect. =(


Now, if you tweaked it so it used common items to make new items, it might be worth using. I wouldn't mind having to shell out the gold for a thousand neutral starter glam girl dresses if it could be turned into something new that everyone has a chance at, not just the select few that can actually afford to pay real money to get items.


Edit, did some quick math, based off of the Nomy the Snail recipe.

Nomy the Snail currently sits at a very affordable 30k. Most Gaians could easily buy him with little to no effort. Now, let's take a look at the new recipe to create him, and what the ingredients to make him would cost us.

Cirque De Junkfood: Now, up until the Alchemy system was released, the average price was about 20k. When I looked it up, the current lowest market price was 300k, about 15 times higher than the average. It was also the only one listed. This was originally a RIG fail item, and fairly common.

Double Complete Rainbow: The market place average sits at about 1.8k, but when I checked, the current lowest market price was 60k, about 30 times higher than the average. If I remember correctly, this was a free item.

Sherbet: His market average is about 57.5k, but when I checked, his current lowest price was 210k, about 3.6 times higher than the average. He was also a low end RIG payout.

Cutin:The average price is about 3.7k,but the current lowest market price when I checked was 700k, roughly 175 times higher than before the Alchemy system was introduced.

So, for me to craft Nomy the snail now, it's going to cost me roughly 1.4 million gold, assuming those prices are still the same, I can even obtain them, and I don't fail in crafting him.

Oh yes, and Nomy was originally a low end RIG item himself, so how long until he gets thrown into a recipe, making him virtually extinct as well?

[Sachie Whitby]

Thanks for using old Chance Items in the recipes. By doing so, you've ensured that even these items will become rare and stupidly inflated. Besides removing gold from the economy, this also removes items that someone may want just for the item and some of those items are eventually going to disappear forever.

[Revidnioc]

My general experience with the alchemy system: Looked over the formulas, saw weird yet-to-be released items as components, quickly lost interest. Then found out about the starter pack, and created it successfully.

More importantly, though, I saw people asking why can't the components be found as zOMG! items, and then I realized...

This alchemy system is almost exactly the same as the recipe system that zOMG! uses. The only difference is that this system lets you buy the recipes from the store, the components are more often than not rare and expensive items, and have a failure rate to their creation.

Now I'm only wondering why Gaia had to make a clone of what was basically already there.

[RAPsody in Pink]

What a great idea! biggrin Thank you

[Diosu]

I don't think that you should use up the formula when alchemizing an item. I failed the Aspiring Alchemist five times in a row and I can't even attempt to craft it anymore unless I buy one from the marketplace. I think you should either sell all of the formulas in the alchemy shop or only require one for life.

[Andromeda Phoenix]

There's a very good idea going on here. A very good idea. Even as it is now, it's still a good goldsink. Great goldsink. It's also an item sink, a horrible, horrible, terrible item sink. Using a rare item to create a rare item is self-defeating. Unless you/higher ups plan on continually re-releasing all these cash shop items and rare giftbox/advertisement items that are going to be used up.

That's seriously the only issue I have with this. I don't have an issue with the gold required, the exp and leveling up, the amount of items needed, the failure rate system. None of that, except what's stated above. Why Cash shop items? Just, why would anyone think of doing that?

There's a ton of gold shop items, a ton of zOMG loot, a ton of game items, and yet, you guys pick cash shop items as ingredients in some of these recipes. Are we serious? It's the dumbest smart idea I've ever seen yet. I'm currently facepalming, but I may change to applause 'cause I'm so impressed that such a strong level of wrong, for lack of a better word that won't get me reported for flaming, could be achieved. Or I may just walk away, and not even touch alchemy because at the moment only two items interest me. With you guys chucking CS items in there, folks don't even have to touch the thing to get screwed.

With that said, I've one request/question: Can we switch that or something? Using rare items that will eventually disappear (or become so high priced they may as well not exist) to make rare items is just horrible. Aren't any of you artists sick of seeing your items so rare that you're wondering if they've even been released? You do all this work to create these items, and you guys may only see a handful of users capable of buying them, or winning them outright. Don't know how you guys do it. I would have quit Gaia by now if I was an artist, seriously. It's just sad. *shakes head*

[Majikkani_Hand]

This sounded nice, and I was really excited, but now I'm actually quite upset (or as much as one can be over an artificial environment.)

The process, first of all, is prohibitively expensive. Most of those items use cash shop stuff, even multiple sets, and it's just not something the average Gaian is going to be able to afford. Now, I can get that, if it's just something for the people who buy Gaia Cash. I'm not happy, but I get it.

The other problem is that this uses old Cash Shop items, and RIG items, and not only does that mean that the items will become rare (as they're transmuted) and prohibitively expensive, but the chance of failure means that they might do so with nothing to show for it. For those of us who are trying to work our way up to buy older items, this is going to make it very difficult. It would be better if there was another way to get the ingredients for the recipes, like ZOMG. Those of us who want the ingredients for their own sake, and who aren't interested in (or can't afford) the alchemy process are also hurt.

It's a gold soak, and that's fantastic. It's an item soak, and that's the worst thing you could do. This is not a good thing, Gaia. Using up old items, making them go away, this is a bad thing. I'm not even slightly optimistic. It's unleashed chaos already, and I don't see it getting better, not at all. I'm disturbed at the line of thinking that would bring this into existence. Change it quick before it does more damage!

[Lucca the Inventor]

I agree with a lot of others. If your goal was a goldsink, then use gold shop items. A LOT of them. They are renewable and cannot become rare just because they are a component.

Then people spend gold and spend gold and voila, new item. Or fail and spend gold. Then the new item can be passed around on the MP and use the 2% tax.

As it is, people pass around gold to buy items off the MP, destroy the supply of already rare-ish item and currently unobtainable items so that no more 2% tax can be gotten from their very existence passing through sales, to create a small supply of rarer items that only a few people can afford. Often vendors and exchangers. Most of whom aren't stupid enough to use the MP to make such high cost transactions and will use the exchange forum to dodge the 2% tax.

Good idea, awful attempt at creating artificial rarity and passing it off as a goldsink.

[Excalibruh]

classified_jet

I just finished my quest for Jet. I feel a little ******** over now that I know there will be more Jets in the market in time and his value will decrease greatly.
This is the case for many other valuable items as well, thanks for constantly ******** us over, Gaia.

classified_jet

[Big Nick Energy]

It's good to have something to push inflated gold into, and I like the idea of an alchemy type thingy soooo... I like this.

Edit: waaaait... okay, so you have to use cash shop items to generate recepies? and even then, these recepies are for low ed RIG fails?
Er. I change my opinion.

[Prism Rose]

...why is there even a fail rate? I just failed on two of the starters, and that alone has turned me off from using the system.

If we are going to use items we spend real money on and break ourselves over trying to make, then what's the point in having any chance of failure? You already have to go through several different levels to even get to the highest recipes, so why would I want to risk spending a buttload of gold on a recipe that isn't guaranteed to work? These aren't RIGs. A fail rate is unnecessary when there is a chance you can't even get the ingredients for the recipes.

Maybe a low chance to get some ingredients? Sure.

Fail rate that goes up as more recipes become available with higher difficulty? Of course.

Both? No. Just no.

[Haru Mania]

Chibi Halo

Pepper I love you and all but I don't know if you guys really thought things through here. If it's going to be a worthwhile feature then being able to get the items needed for it should be easier. Take the Princess wig recolor for example. It takes two ginger and two flaxen wigs, along with the other items, to make it. The flaxen wig is going for two million on the market right now and there's one wig left. The ginger wig is going for three point one million with only one listed. To get them you have to be extremely lucky to even see an ad that lets you have a chance at getting it and even then the chances are low that you'll get them. While I realize this is supposed to be a system that takes time to complete a formula, not everyone is going to have ten point two million just to get the four wigs they need in order to create the final product. It's not going to go over well with the masses if getting the items needed is going to become next to impossible. I like the whole idea of the alchemy feature but I do think you guys need to make some of the items gained through methods like the special ads a little more easy to obtain.

This, this, a thousand times this.

I love the idea of the Alchemy system, but if the items to make the final products are already next to impossible to get, then the final product is far beyond most Gaian's grasp. I'm all for a challenging system that'll make me work for my prize, but making ingredients things that are already in limited quantities (i.e. anything that comes from rigs and other rare chance items) will make the turn out even rarer while making items that some people just like and would possible just want to have next to non-existent since they're used up to make the final product.

It's a good system, but I really think some of the quantities should be changed or maybe the rarity of the ingredients should be lowered. Maybe make some of the ingredients appear in Daily Chance OR bring over ingredients for Zomg, fishing, and flower stuff over into the mix as well.

[Marytanna]

It will really help if we:
a. knew how to get loot
b. or have a place where we can get loot
c. have someone explain how to get loot XD
d. have someone explain how to get what type of loot XD.

This is hardest thing to understand for me. Plus, I still don't have any piece of loot yet XD.

[The Imperial Majesty]

PEPPER-TEA!!!!

I hath a feeling this shall be a great idea. Sure, some people might give some downer feedback because it is so new and people art not so keen to change... but.. I like this... at least it makes me feel I am DOING something.

I like how Gaia is updating and evolving so fast (Unlike other forum sites out there)...and is introducing more and more events and ideas. The artists here are talented and I am quite sure they hath looked over many pitfalls, pros and cons in all of their ideas.
I think if this alchemy outputs even rarer items people are interested in obtaining, can afford, yet are too lazy to do "alchemy" to get the items, the price of gold will increase. There are bound to be people soley dedicated to Gaia Alchemy, just as there are people dedicated to vending. Because without those vendors buying up all the cash items to sell to the not-so-cash keen Gaians, Gaia's Cash shop items in the market would not be there.


Some ideas may be busts and some may be successes, but even through busts, I know Gaia will learn from mistakes and come back with something stronger or come along a fix a few "bugs" in any plan or system. I have faith in the staff appointed for the job. Everything that has been introduced has been met with doubt. Like ZOMG, now years later, ZOMG is played a lot and a lot of once shunned features are used. Keep up the good work and thank you for coming out with new ideas fearlessly. : 3


The only thing about the Alchemy thing is that I cannot find simple ingredients like the silk and sequin glitter. Do I comb ZOMG for them? And another thing is I think this feature will be beneficial to those who have gold to burn or those with the diligence and game time to obtain ingredients and take a gamble... but mostly for those with gold to burn. o u o

I will give this who thing time to evolve and sort out and find it's comfortable place in the Gaia world.

I think requiring to make rare items with rare items only increases the overall rareness of everything and this is BOUND to affect the marketplace in some way or another guaranteed.


I on the other hand...(I would personally like to see more royale' items.) -Whispers- (Nice, detailed, flowing, jaw dropping, sparkling, gleaming, flowing, accurate, upright, traditional EPIC royale' items.)...(Whispers)… also more crowns. Lotz of crowns…. O U O

Anywho, you are one of my favorite Gaia-staff artists.



. . .



-Paint me a pwetty picture pwetty pwease?????-

;_; (Begs on hands and knees) I'LL DO ANYTHING!!! ANYTHING! Even give up my dignity! See?! : o

[Hybrid]

I love the idea, but hate the execution. I don't even know where to get needed items, so whatever.