Well I think it's simpler than market manipulation in this case. Seems more like supply and demand.
If you notice, whenever there is a situation like now where everyone wants Zen, there is a huge amount of Q dumped on the market because everyone wants to buy Zen so they can buy whatever else they want at the Z-store. For example I've been hoarding my Zen for months because I didn't want to take a loss but now that this sale is on, I've dumped my 400+k of Q on the market.
This is a pretty huge price jump we're seeing @ 330 Q per Zen, biggest by far that I've seen in the past year since I started playing, but it's also a fairly huge sale.
Now. What drove the longtime 'normal' selling price of Q to 230 from 200, I dunno. Then again, it's often a mystery to me how Zen keeps getting pumped into the market when there doesn't seem to be a lot of (any?) new stuff to buy with Q.
It does seem like there are less people playing lately. I've been seeing less of the things I normally buy/sell for sale in the Auction Exchange lately.
It's understandable. I've had my own probs with my video card woes and other stuff so that could be the root of *my* problem, but, I do feel less compelled to log on lately with my best guy nerfed, my Eruption (device chaining..) dream/goal poofed, and a large portion of my play - my farming routine, feeling kinda poopied on since some months now.
I understand the changes being made and can agree with them to varying degrees - just am not enjoying them atm.
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On the subject of (slowly or otherwise) ruining the value of Q. If the goal is to motivate us to spend more cash in the Z-store, it is backfiring in my case. Any notion I had of spending cash in the Z-store instantly evaporated at the sight of 330Q Zen. The trend of Q being devalued these past months isn't motivating me to play/pay more either.
