Board Thread:Game Discussion/@comment-31600610-20190906021246

I was asked to share this here. It is part of a discussion between another redditor and I. It would be interesting to hear your opinions.

THE OTHER GUY-> " I remember someone (either devs or game-changers) saying that the increase in prices is because of the sudden influx of gold due to glitches."

That's flat out BS. And I will tell you exactly why. (I will be making some references that you may want to investigate deeper, because I'm shooting from the hip, as it were...)

For an economy to be influenced, there are numerous, probably infinite factors involved. I'm not an expert in this (obviously), but I am observant, and maybe someone with a financial degree could weigh in here. When it comes to gaming economies, I have a reasonable and possibly somewhat above average level of experience. (Going all the way back to text-based BBS gaming. Old skool 1337, noobs!) Gaming economies can be remarkably simple, and some are unfathomably (and usually unnecessarily) complex. The RR3 economy falls into the first category, because it bears very little resemblance to what most gamers would consider to be standard. What do I mean by this? Well, to put it simply, the citizens of the RR3 world can only legitimately acquire currency in a very limited and inflexible manner.

Anyone that plays RR3 regularly is aware that gold (of which I am specifically speaking) is acquired by several methods. The first, being the expenditure of real currency, is prohibitively imbalanced at best. I have yet to see any gaming currency that employs a 1:10 ratio. I am using the 1,019 gold package for $99.99 USD in this example. That's NOT to say that there aren't others comparable to or more expensive than this, but based upon only my own gaming experience I have not experienced a single example within this particular genre of gaming. For the mathematically challenged (as i am), your purchase of this package means that for every dollar spent, you receive 10 GC's. 10 GC's! I do not recall anything tangible for purchase in-game for 10 gold coins or less, other than very early upgrades in the first few cars of the Amateur series, some select customizations, or the opportunity to reduce wait times on upgrades.

The second method of acquiring gold is by leveling up. Again, anyone who plays RR3 is aware that leveling up requires a a significant amount of fame to be acquired, (which increases as one progresses) and to be truly considered profitable would require spending nothing during that process. It would be a maddening, lengthy and sometimes risky effort to attempt to accumulate fame without an upgraded vehicle. There are of course methods for farming, but when evaluated against the cash value for gold, the time spent in order to farm any significant quantity of gold is exorbitant. I compare it to working overtime when your hourly rate is less than 1/4th of minimum wage, and then losing half of that to taxes. With no benefits. (Oh, and you are only allowed to spend your money on cheese, batteries and cat food.)

Lastly, one can watch advertising. (Rather, one can mindlessly glance periodically at one's device to collect the reward, only to tap that infernal button once again.) Factually, advertising is mutually beneficial to both EA/FM and the player. They make cash, you earn one single gold coin! (Now off with you peasant, and spend it not in one place!) The daily opportunities available to acquire gold through advertising require that a player slog through hours of button mashing. Some folks do it, and I've also done it.

There is one glaring imperfection with this monetary situation. Regardless of the method of aqcuiring gold, it can only be spent directly and indirectly on a car. Paint, vinyls, upgrades, mechanics, or motivating the mechanic to hurry the hell up and finish the damned job...

There is no intrinsic value to the car, fully upgraded or not, serviced or not. It cannot be resold. It cannot be traded. It cannot be used in any race in which it is not qualified or approved to do so.

Returning to your statement, "...I remember someone (either devs or game-changers) saying that the increase in prices is because of the sudden influx of gold due to glitches... " it is clearly obvious that the information passed along to you is either a blatant and shameless fabrication, or that the information has been manipulated to encourage more users to offensively engage with other users who have found a way to earn a little extra gold while still rendering to Ceasar that which is Ceasar's.

There is no sudden influx of gold, because there is no fixed amount. There may be an increase in the amount of gold spent. But that gold was paid for. Whether through cash purchases (both legitimate and fraudulent, as there is rampant credit card fraud within the entire gaming world and RR3 is no exception) through advertising, or through legitimate in-game rewards.

In order for there to be an influx of a specific currency (and once again, this is strictly speculation on my part) then it stands to reason that there must be a fixed quantity and/or value to said currency. For example, if there were 100 shells in a box, and 70 of them were distributed unevenly amongst those that wish to have them, then 30 shells still remain in the box. If the value of shells increased, a sudden return of shells to the supplier in exchange for the new value would occur, and the only thing that has changed is the purchasing power of each individual shell. All of the shells (including the 30 that had not been distributed) would now have the same value. However, if countless shells were available to anyone at any time and those shells never fluctuated in their value, then logic would seem to dictate that regardless of the method in which one gathered those shells, they would be worth no more, and no less to anyone with more than or fewer than their own. Introducing one new shell, or ten thousand new shells would not affect the value of the shell. Only the quantity.

That was probably a terrible analogy, but I hope it accurately conveyed my understanding as it relates to your above quoted statement. EA/FM makes real money from each and every gold coin that you acquire, with only one exception: Farming. So, by that comparison, if anything were detrimental to the economy of RR3 it would be that it is possible to acquire gold with only profit to one's self. Yet, that gold was still not free. That person farming that gold has invested time and skill and maybe some of their own acquired gold to service that car in order to continue farming.

There is no "free" gold in RR3, with the singular exception of the daily rewards. I believe the monthly amount for a non "elite" player is 350 GC. (Is that correct? I think so, but I don't feel like checking.) Assuming I've got it right, that's 4200 GC. IF the player checks in every day, without missing a single day, for a year. That alone speaks testaments to the integrity of EA/FM's accounting department... "Here you go, here's a freebie. But here's the catch: The best freebie is distributed on the last day of the month, and if you failed to come by and pick up the prior freebies, well then, screw you buddy, you're shit outta luck."

To sum it up: Get it where you can, when you can and however you can. If you're not stealing the gold by modifying the game's code, then have at it. I personally recommend the DMC Delorean as an excellent vehicle to farm gold with. Oddly, it doesn't appear in the game... They're turning a profit, regardless. It wouldn't be a successful gaming company if it didn't, now would it?  