What if we made USD sales a bannable offense ? (in General)

Sure, you wouldn't CATCH all people that sell CB$ and items for USD or buy some with USD, but that's not a very compelling argument... it's like saying we shouldn't punish multies, because catching them is not a 100% certainty.

If it was made bannable, at least the amount of transactions would heavily reduce (that's pretty much a certainty) because people who would usually purchase CB$ massively no longer could do that at all (it's not that difficult to trace unwarranted amounts of CB$ transfers).
Not only that, but the number of "NUB sell-outs" would pretty much reduce to zero.

Seriously, why ISN'T selling CB$ and items for cash a bannable offence anyway ?

P.S. You can still "buy CB$" indirectly in limited amounts via supportership payments and purchase of current and former supporter items (which you would then sell via auctions)... but the amounts of CB$ you could buy would be severely limited... and there would be no incentive to play for financial gains, since you couldn't take cash OUT of the game.

It has much to do with the fact that the policy on CB was always that you could decide what you wanted to do with your CBD. (That's how I see it, and I think even Jon said something similar.) Including selling it for USD.

The new drop system makes it more imperative to buy USD if you want to progress your character.

That is buy minions, up items, buy NCB BA.

Without an occasional input of USD, I would be losing money on buying BA everyday and the few rentals I try.

To answer your Question is because it is a Free Market and as soon as you take that option away a lot of ppl would say forget it and move on. A ton of online games thrive simply because of their openness to USD transactions, CB is no different in this avenue.

Unfortunately it brings other unwanted things with it but no matter which way you go that is gonna happen. Having the Admins around to squash this is a better way to go about it imho, so far they have done a great job.

Doesn't it seem strange that the people saying that it is the only way things should go, or that anything else wouldn't be possible are the people that use USD. Just an observation is all.

I'm not against the idea of having the freedom to do what I please with my money. This extends to everyone else. I'm an adult, and I find it acceptable to be able to trade for USD. Yet I don't. I just love the financial liberty as a principle.

PS: Or should I say, I do sell for USD, then pay my bills, then re-buy all my CBD? I don't think that counts :P

Free market and choice are always good. This comes from a non-USD spender.

I vote no on banning USD.

rockdiva42: To put this into perspective yes I am a USD spender but only in the past 4 1/2 months have I used it solely on myself. Before this I used to do nothing but buy Supporterships, host contests, and bought items and set small loans for ppl why....just because I could.

So far on this NCB Run I have still not quite matched the amount of money that I spent to do those things. To let you in on the price that was roughly 700 - 800 USD. there is nothing inherently wrong with spending USD it is the application there of.

To clarify :
I have nothing against SPENDING cash on CB-stuff.
But I do have pretty much everything against SELLING CB-stuff for cash.

If anything, we could just as well have Jon institute a "pay X USD, receive Y mil CB$" button alongside the other stuff (item naming, supportership, special items).

Just make it so you can't trade for USD before you've been here for X time.

Sickone I believe that Jon has already stated he did not want to do that. I cannot remember where the thread is for it but I remember him saying something to that effect.

a big resounding NO

Unless you want the CB community to get cut in half, I suggest we keep it as it is.

Sick, you do that, and all that would happen is CBStuff or another website would pop up for CB USD trades.

With no logs in game (and as part of the sale, you include *some* CB2, just so it doesn't look like a multi one sided trade), you can't really ban someone for somethign they're doing on a site outside CB.

The only real way of stopping USD's involvement in the game is stopping player to player transfers. And you really don't want to do that.

Be careful what you wish for.

@johnnywas : banning transfer is also banning auctions because it would be a way to send money to someone else (like buying a base katana for 20M cb$) and then banning the game because the only way to get stuff would be blackmarket :(

Conan: yup, no auctions, no character sales, no merchant class whatsoever. That's the only way of completely wiping out USD involvement.

Sick, I do namings for people, have bought special items for others and supporterships. That's all USD for in-game cash. Would you want rid of that? Remind me, how did you become a supporter? ;)

"The only real way of stopping USD's involvement in the game is stopping player to player transfers. And you really don't want to do that."

Just because you can't STOP it altogether doesn't mean you shouldn't even try.
By merely making it a bannable offense you will automatically reduce the frequency of it happening at all in the first place.
And you can't disagree with the fact NUB sell-outs are quite an unsightly happening, and the fact they're occuring a bit too frequently for just about everybody's taste.


"Sick, I do namings for people, have bought special items for others and supporterships. That's all USD for in-game cash. Would you want rid of that?"

I hate to repeat myself, since I already covered that (twice, actually), but I never meant to imply spending USD for game services should be a bannable offense (be it for yourself or for somebody else), quite far from that, I'm completely ok with that happening and would actually encourage it to happen more often... I only meant that CASHING OUT of the game (or assisting somebody in cashing out) should be a bannable offense.

Long story short, as long as the USD goes to Jon (doesn't matter what items or CB$ change hand and in what direction), it should be A-OK... but as soon as the USD goes to another player, banstick for both parties involved.

Yeah, sorry, I read the thread too early in the morning. ;)

I'm also saying no.

one; it would give those who bought with USD a huge advantage
two; free market and all that
three; multi's will come and go regardless

Let me just say when it comes to laws and rules I prefer them to be enforceable.

If we do what you're saying and make it a bannable offense, it is perfectly possible for people to continue trading USD while avoiding the rule. It would be more difficult, but it would be entirely possible to get around it.

What this means is, you won't catch the people skilled at selling USD. You will catch the people who make a mistake, and people who make a mistake don't deserve a ban.

Jon has said in the past that it is too difficult to prove and I think he realizes allowing it increases the player base of the game anyway.

Yes, allowing it increases the player base and also it makes it nice to have free market. I like to have that option be there if I ever want to start using it.

I don't see banning USD sales as an option in any sort of future.

Right after we ban USD sales, then we'll ban complaining, and fun!

I would also think that it would be silly for making this a Bannable offense. People will buy and sell anyways like most other games that work like this.

However an alternate idea could be Somewhere in the game that CB sells CB$ for USD at a rate that is updated weekly/daily/monthly whatever. This would discourage people selling out, multi's abusing this system and help support this wonderful game. By keeping the rate competitive it would allow veterans to still sell when the need arises and people to buy from A CB BANK to avoid paying out muilt's/sellouts.

Even If Jon has said no I still think it a solution to help stop most (not all) abuse.

Jon is against CBD simply popping into CB's economic system out of nowhere, a cash shop most definitely will not happen.

This cash could come from the 20% we lost for having drops or from xfer fees, Auction fees, rental fees, more?

I am not going to argue his methods or ideals but he has no problem for money to just disappear. If he wants it to come from somewhere why not one or all of the aforementioned places ...anyways just an idea that won't come into fruition.

The Central Bank makes stuff disappear all the time. Seems reasonable it could sell it's stuff and thereby have money to sell. I would be willing for one to buy back the items I just sold that were bought by the central bank. or to pay 50k more for the item(s) I recently tried to buy but was outbid at the last minute by the central bank. If he wants a 'free market' -- Let's do it all the way!