The Economy And You

[The Roger]

Wow, okay:

First of all, Hi, i dont think i know you but it seems you know me very well, very very very well, even if you have been around only since... uhm, some time; as i said, i dont know you so i... dont know. :o

Second of all, thank you. I am serious, really; not many would spend time and effort writing about me so when that happens i feel honoured. Written words cannot pass down this feeling well, it may appear sarcastic but please believe me, i am not.
Ok some time i joke and troll a bit but i'll try not to in this post and withing my answers, as i simply want to explain couple things that are not clear, mostly because its been said you're around here since not too much time.

Ah the to all the guys and ladies who alread wrote their personal comments here before me, i skipped reading you to not be influenced so i can write my post in its most natural and unaltered form possible. I will read all of you after finishing here, dont worry!

Now, to give some form of order to my answers, im going to quote your entire text and make bold and add a bracketed number [#] to the parts im going to answer to, so then after your quote i can list them by those numbers and people can easily track them back to the precise points. Here we go!

I've been around for a while[1], enough to see and understand things on my own. One thing I don't understand is why some people complain about others and wish for change, but continue to support that which harms them[2].

To be more specific, Roger.

Often avoiding the hustle and bustle of the big towns, I didn't really interact with others until recently. Eventually one of the topics we talked about was Roger. His shops occupy a significant percentage of Prontera[3], after all.

To the outsider he seems like your average rich player[4]. He is occasionally helpful[5] when others have questions regarding gear or cards, and the wares of his shops are generally competitively priced[6].

But beneath the surface there seems to lie something else. A very different story. Suspiciously acquired gears[7], manipulative marketing[8], dishonest business practices[9], sabotage[10], hostile takeovers[11], and to top it all off, rare, explosive temperament[12].

Yet Roger's businesses continue to thrive. Why?[13]

It appears those that complain or whine the hardest, do just that. Complain and whine. A little whine here, a little complaint there. But they still support his shops[14]. His wares are generally the cheapest around, of course[15]. And so, a vicious cycle emerges[16].

Roger allegedly uses dishonest methods to acquire zeny[17a] or even buy out entire auctions, angering some in the process[17b]. He lowballs prices, harming other merchants but not himself[18]. Still, people buy[19]. He steals big kills[20a], angering even more[20b], but now he has rare merchandise to fill his shops with[21]. People buy, because it's better than risking wasting time getting big kills aggressively being taken over by him[22].

But I ask you, why conform to a cycle of abuse and dependence?[23] Does he not use the money he takes from you to batter you?[24] Do you wish things could be different?

Why not do something about it?

If you want change, pitch in to make it happen. Support other shops, even if they're slightly more expensive. You who can fight, time your big battles, give him less chances of having free kills down the road[25]. Spread the word! Spread resistance to unfair competition[26]!

We can all bring about change for the better, but we have to do it together.

Answers:
1) I play here since august 2008, you? Said "been around for a while", how much is this "a while"? I think thats not enough time to know some stuff.

2) "but continue to support that which harms them"; thats your vision of it. If those people do that its because they want to do that. I dont think you can speak for all of them.

3) I'll be more than glad and happy if Vending skill wasnt locked to 12 unique items. It would spare me a huge amount of hassle moving items. Speak to Gravity's employees to have created that skill that way. Plus, theres no upper limit to how many shops can be in prontera or a person can set open, as long as they respect the rules of positioning them far from warps and npcs outside roads.

4) Uhm, yeah i am, i guess.

5) Yeah okay so im not THAT helpful i mean, i think you're too kind with that "Occasionally"; there are other players way more helpful than me, i just mainly focus at playing the game by myself or with my guildmates and friends.

6) yes i try to be competitive but also try to keep and mantain the Value of things, as much as me alone can do. But at the end i have to follow the market trends as anybody. Ah often i forget some prices in between shops resets, so sometimes some of them are higher or lower...

7) Its 4 years some people started attacking me with that subject. The tl;dr sum is: people quitted, i was still there and among all who could receive some cool gifts i was deemed the most reliable and responsible person to inherit that legacy. The other, the call it like: "best candidate", was a person (GL of a guild) who was already been charged multiple times with account bans so the guy with the stuff okay he was quitting, but he would have had his heart broken to hear all that juice went to waste because that other "candidate" managed to get another account ban full of gears. Because of this, butts were hurted, salt arose inside bloodvessels of some, and some people started attacking me spreading any genre of obsenity and accuses. End of the story. Anybody else who thinks to know anything about, or listens to words spread around is a fool.

8) What is "manipulative marketing"? Explain pls.

9) Again, do you mind to explain?

10) Again#2, explain because, i really cannot figure out how i could sabotage in this game. If it was Ultima Online, oohhh boi, those were fun years man, i tell ya.

11) Again#3!, explain, bring examples, bring real facts, bring somethinggggg

12) Oooooh, incredible! Roger is a human! And because of that, he is subject to emotions! Wow... we all thought Roger was a steel column of the Universe... Instead he is made of bones and flesh like all of us...
Okay okay, seriously, i said at the beginning i wouldnt throw in irony or jokes, but man, your sentence broke out a laugh from me; "rare, explosive temperament", "RARE"
I dont think you can come tell us you are an omniscent, perfectly-mannered being. Really, you never got angry at something in your entire life? If you're so strong, i admire you. Else, you might suffer of apathy or disinterest in things, and its not good.
But man, "rare"... Lmao. (sorry if this answer felt sarcastic, pls dont ask to see my manager pls)

13) Person A produces thing X, person B has money and needs thing X, person B buys X from A, as B cant produce easily or quickly the product X. Its pretty easy to understand.

14) Do you support any real life shop? Like, buying bread or fruits at the local market? Answer is already in 13), as long as a person needs a product it cant produce itself or fast enough but can raise money, it will buy the product with money. You do it too everyday in real life, as every human on this wonderful planet.

15) Again, yes i try to have competitive prices. I also think your "of course" its a bit out of place.

16) Oh my RNGod! A vycious cycle! Eww, go away, filthy cycles of NORMAL REAL ENVIROMENT OF PEOPLE BUYING AND SELLING STUFF TO EACH OTHER ops my caps lock slipped, sowwyyyyy! Well, here it goes my rare chance of explosive temperament. I guess i spent it here, damn i doesnt have any more to use for this post!
Okay real answer: what seems vycious to you its the natural cycle of economy everywhere.

17a) Dude, i farm monsters. Monsters drop items. NPC buy items for Zeny. Ta-daaan! I acquired zeny! Also, you have seen yourself my mall in prontera, that raises quite good coin. Where do you see dishonestness?

17b) Duuude: you are confusing Auctions with Give-Aways. In auctions one thing only rules: cash. The more zeny you have and the more willing to spend them are you, more auctions you gonna win.

18) Ooooh man, this is hilarious: "Roger, you scum! Your prices are too high!" -Roger lowers the prices- "Roger, you scum! Your prices are too low!"
What the f***, lol. Hilarious.

19) Still, you go out every couple days to buy food at your local market, why? Why havent you evolved yet into a godly eternal being which doesnt need anymore mere things like food to sustain your body? Why are you still buying stuff? Tell me please. Because, AGAIN, referr to Answer 13).

20a) Every mvp not quest summoned are FFA, free for all, as long as one side doesnt play to actively on purpose disregard the ability to damage the mvp of the other party.

20b) Thats your problem, not mine.

21) Whaaaat?! I didnt know its was illegal to display items with Merchants. Hilarious-part-A'thousand. I can play highend sometimes alone.

22) How, how can i answer to this sentence without sounding like a prick; exactly, theres no way aside saying if you quit competing, you're a wimp. Do you know ho much and for how long i camped certain mvps? Are you aware i camped gloom for nearly two straight years EVERY RESPAWN with heavy competition? Did i got angry and quit? My gloom card in my lv 6 ToH wings is the answer. Also often the things people want to farm from mvps are being sold by me for fucking cheap, and it takes way less time for them to raise couple mils instead of waiting 1-2 hours to just have a chance of killing it and then have another chance of dropping the item. You guys doesnt really grasp how cheap the marketed items are today, the vast majority of them. You guys doesnt understand how easy and fast is to raise a dozen mils of zeny. I suspect many are lazy, while others just really have little time to play.

23) Tell me, why are you and your life dependant by others, and their products? Why are you still not 100% independant on every aspect of your existence? If tomorrow water wont come to your house's pipes anymore, do you have a spring well in your yard to supply it? And if you do have a well, man: FLASH NEWS! You will be DEPENDANT by your well!! IN-CRE-DI-BLE! Dude, everybody is dependant by somebody else or something else.

24) I dont. I buy stuff from time to time, and the cash you give to me return to you guys. How 50K blue herbs bought in couple weeks sound to you? Just a practical real example.

25) I have free things only because other people, maybe like you, quit the competition. oh! oh! like WoE!

26) Whats unfair? Me waking up at 3:30 AM to compete for Gloom? Do the same, boi. Im not holding you back for sure.

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Phew, what a ride! Im not the best answerer for sure, but i tried to do my best.

I wanna point one thing out: i am off the server since friday 22 May; my PC needs a mobo change, and my old lappy is too slow and cooked to not make me angry playing RO.
Sooooo, you have more than 2 weeks without me camping anything on the server, why are you whining that im sTeAliNg eVeRy mVp aLiVe!!1!!2!!!one!! ? Get out on the field and start your adventure, boi!

Now, i'll read the other posts <3