Suspending new accounts on Gemp

[neopium]

Hi everyone,

It seems that most exploits of the merchant are based on multiple account creations to influence artificially the pricing of the cards.

An easy way to prevent this would be to suspend the automatic creation of new accounts and to moderate accounts creations in the future.

I know this can be painful for admins to manually validate new accounts, but I'm not sure there are so many new subscriptions and it would be an easy way to prevent abuses.

What do you guys think?

In term of code modifications on Gemp, I think this is a very minor feature. I can have a look at the time to spend on it if the idea is approved

[Cthulhu]

After the last merchant fixes (cards go out of stock now) the multiple account exploit is mostly neutralized, the most some desperate troll could do, is to spend his day trying to buy out all rares out of stock, but as we saw  his hard work was undone for 15 minutes just by some people opening some boosters.

[neopium]

Let's just hope he won't come back.
This is at least a solution in case he returns...

[sgtdraino]

It seems that most exploits of the merchant are based on multiple account creations to influence artificially the pricing of the cards.

An easy way to prevent this would be to suspend the automatic creation of new accounts and to moderate accounts creations in the future.

There are several factors which allow someone to manipulate the merchant. Removing any one of them would solve the problem.

1. New accounts (if people can't open new accounts, they can't mess with the system).
2. Starting gold (if new accounts have no initial value, they can't be used to mess with the system).
3. Buy/Sell singles (if the merchant no longer dealt in singles, players cannot manipulate the system).
4. Price increase algorithm (if buying cards no longer drove up the price, players could not manipulate the system).
5. No price limit (if card prices were all capped, it would become very difficult to manipulate the system).

That said, the last time I checked, each set only had 0-3 cards that cost more than 100g. Of course, we do now have the other issue...

After the last merchant fixes (cards go out of stock now)

...which is essentially no different than having a price so high no one can afford it. If the Merchant is going to deal in singles, I think it is silly that it should ever be "out of stock" on anything. As has been noted, there is not much incentive for players to refill that stock.

the most some desperate troll could do, is to spend his day trying to buy out all rares out of stock, but as we saw  his hard work was undone for 15 minutes just by some people opening some boosters.

Apparently not, since Mauhur, Relentless Hunter has been out of stock for at least a day now. Which is extra-silly considering it's a fixed starter card, and for some reason the Hunters starters still aren't available in the Merchant.

[Cthulhu]

...which is essentially no different than having a price so high no one can afford it. If the Merchant is going to deal in singles, I think it is silly that it should ever be "out of stock" on anything. As has been noted, there is not much incentive for players to refill that stock.

Actually its quite different. For example FotR Elrond is out of stock and back very often the last days, and the moment someone opens him and sells him, he's back and you could buy it for 15 gold or so. Compare that to him costing 100-200 gold before the fix when he was being bought out.  So I don't think its silly, on the contrary I think this was quite the elegant solution to the gold farming using multiple accounts. Props to MarcinS for the simple yet excellent idea, that didnt require any of the mentioned alternatives that would limit the site options for all of us because of a few trolls.

And as a side effect there is much more incentive to buy boosters now, as compared to before when most people just bought the singles they need.

Apparently not, since Mauhur, Relentless Hunter has been out of stock for at least a day now. Which is extra-silly considering it's a fixed starter card, and for some reason the Hunters starters still aren't available in the Merchant.

I dont see what that has to do with exploiting. The moment the starter is added to the merchant, his price will drop and you could buy it. Write to MarcinS if you want to see that happen. If more people write to him that they want the starters added, he'll probably do it when he finds time.

[UnPapayaCoconut]

After the last merchant fixes (cards go out of stock now) the multiple account exploit is mostly neutralized, the most some desperate troll could do, is to spend his day trying to buy out all rares out of stock, but as we saw  his hard work was undone for 15 minutes just by some people opening some boosters.

As I also wrote in the chat, people buying boosters didnt solve that issue, since you were selling cards at their max price, buying boosters, selling cards at their max price, and in that way abusing the merchant yourselves .
That's exactly the same thing the last reset was for, because people exploited that some1 was abusing the merchant, and was given an unfair advantage towards other players with the cards costing way more than they're supposed to.

If there's no way to prevent people abusing the merchant like this, I'd say have a new reset and go without singles as people are obviously not able to handle it.

I know alot of people will whine about their "collection" being lost, but truth to be told alot of people were just building their collection of zool's abuse.

[ZooL]

After the last merchant fixes (cards go out of stock now) the multiple account exploit is mostly neutralized, the most some desperate troll could do, is to spend his day trying to buy out all rares out of stock, but as we saw  his hard work was undone for 15 minutes just by some people opening some boosters.

^ this.

[sgtdraino]

the moment someone opens him and sells him, he's back and you could buy it for 15 gold or so.

As I said, there is very little incentive to sell cards back to the merchant. Especially high value cards.

Compare that to him costing 100-200 gold before the fix when he was being bought out.

Priceless is not better than 100-200 gold.

I think this was quite the elegant solution to the gold farming using multiple accounts. Props to MarcinS for the simple yet excellent idea, that didnt require any of the mentioned alternatives that would limit the site options for all of us because of a few trolls.

I'm not sure why you think having cards completely out of stock doesn't limit the site options for all of us. Sounds pretty limiting to me! Price caps or fixed prices could have eliminated the problem just as effectively, without limiting the players.

As I've said before, it seems to me that some people like the Gemp fake economy because they like to game the system. For them, playing the market is part of the fun. For me, it's just an annoyance.

I dont see what that has to do with exploiting.

The previous system made Mauhur absurdly expensive. The current system makes him literally priceless. This does not help players who want to purchase a Mauhur. At least when he was absurdly expensive there was (possibly) more incentive for someone to sell him back to the merchant. It seems to me that incentive has effectively been removed.

The moment the starter is added to the merchant, his price will drop and you could buy it.

That's a pretty big hypothetical.

Write to MarcinS if you want to see that happen. If more people write to him that they want the starters added, he'll probably do it when he finds time.

I wouldn't bet on that.

[Eukalyptus]

Even with sold out cards, the price increases every time a card is bought. I have been collecting Savagery to Match Their Numbers in the last few days and each last copy available was more expensive than the one before. The price is increasing, but slower. Selling was 13 or 15 two days ago, now it's 18.