Q6 Disaster

Day 1,491, 06:30 • Published in USA USA • by Gnilraps

Department of Head-Scratching
Day 1,491 of the New World
20 December 2011

Latest "Upgrade" Shakes up Markets.
Changes everything.

In a move we saw coming from miles away, Q6 weapons and food have been added as "Limited Time" upgrade options for business owners.

The upgrade is an expensive one, 200 Gold from Q5 to Q6. As far as we can tell, these upgrades will not be available during any future 50% off upgrades sales, so business owners will be paying the full ride for this upgrade.

The introduction of an entirely new class of weapon and food represents a total shift in how our markets will look.


EMPLOYMENT

Several factors govern the Job market.

First, the fact that every "work click" yields an equal production regardless of health or worker skill creates an entirely even playing field with respect to workers seeking jobs. One worker is as good as the next.

Second, the proliferation of available Q5 jobs means that lower Q companies cannot afford to hire. The Job Market daily wage is set by the highest-return jobs available. In the past this has been a Q5 Manufacturing job. Even Q5 RM companies could not afford to hire.

Third, the practice of Hire/Fire day labor inflates the job market. Many busy company owners will post job offers, then as soon as the worker takes the job and works he is fired. By doing this a company is no longer limited by the 5 worker/company maximum. If busy enough, a company owner can literally run through dozens of employees daily, maximizing production and increasing profit.

With the introduction of the Q6 weapons factory (we'll get to food in a minute), the Job Market will now be governed by Q6 companies. This means Q4 Weapons companies which in the past may have been able to turn a profit via workers are absolutely shut out. It remains to be seen if Q5 companies will be able to compete with the Q6 jobs market.

Q6 Hire/Fire owners will as usual dictate the market wage. Once the market stabilizes (I expect to see a Q6 weapon eventually sell for around 40-50 USD), we will be able to determine if Q5 companies will be able to afford workers.

A lot depends on the availability of Q6 jobs. A brief glance at the markets already leads me to believe that people are spending the Gold for the upgrades willingly. My prediction is that there will be plenty of Q6 jobs. If this is the case, Q5 salaries may rise to keep pace, driving the price of Q5 weapons up with it. If, however, enough Q6 weapons and jobs are available, Q5 Manufacturing may get shut out of the employment market as well.

If that happens, Admin has just robbed all value from the entire Q5 Manufacturing sector. Many who invested in Q5 business ownership are going to be TICKED OFF. Grab your popcorn.


RAW MATERIALS

So far there is no Q6 Raw materials company.

The introduction into our markets of Q6 Manufacturing companies which will require (I am guessing) 200 more RM per employee per day will increase traffic on the Raw Materials market driving those prices somewhat higher.

Business owners considering the Q6 upgrade will have to consider increasing storage capacity. Self-producers will have to consider adding additional RM companies.

Most importantly, Militias who rely on commune manufacturing will experience an increase in the cost of production, as they tend to purchase their raw materials. OMS funding for those Militias who rely on it will have to be stretched even further.

Perhaps (and this is really a pipe-dream in a virtual economy governed by a purchasing "bot") the rise in prices and the addition of a new expensive class of products will inflate the value of the USD. That would be a good thing. It won't happen.


Q6 FOOD

One of the sillier notions in all of this is the introduction of Q6 food. Food Q is nearly meaningless as it is. The single greatest benefit of Q5 food has always been that it is conveniently worth 10 health. Q6 Food is worth 12 health, meaning it will need to be coupled with other-Q food in order to keep your health meter in good order. Blech.

Higher Q weapons, in addition to lasting more clicks, also pack a larger punch in battle. This makes them desirable by far over low-Q weapons. But Q6 Food may become a total bust. It will be inconvenient without offering significant enough additional benefits. There is the potential for greater profits, but only if people desire to purchase them. My advice is to boycott all Q6 food. Who needs it?

However, the Food Job Market is combined with the Weapons Job Market. This means that hiring employees in your Q5 (or Q6) Food company may have just become impossible unless the cost of food rises to keep pace. If enough weenies upgrade to Q6 Food, all bets are off, but I predict a sharp rise in the cost of Q5 Food.


TAXES

The one golden egg in all of this is that with higher wages and higher priced goods, tax revenues just shot up without an increase in the tax code.

This should drive congress to lower tax rates across the board. Bank on it.


MISCELLANEOUS

There is much more that can be said about this new addition. I will cover some additional thoughts in brief:

I predict some rage (and non-rage) quitting.

I predict another major economic shift coming from Plato to "fix" the chaos Q6 Manufacturing will cause.

Militias may have to reduce their daily supply rations.

Commune workers are more valuable than ever.

Those who spend significant Real Life dollars on this game were just given a huge super-gift by Plato. More than ever they can own everything.

I predict that Admin will raise the daily donation limit which governs the Congressional Budget. The current cap is 99,999 USD per day. It will go up.

Lower Q products may become less expensive. The market for them just got smaller.

The divide between the government-sponsored military and the privately-sponsored military just grew. Unless an MU has a rich benefactor, their entire operation just got a little bit more difficult.

I invite your thoughts/opinions in the comments section below.

I am proud to sport the award I recently received from The Irish Community.




You may now return to your regularly scheduled clicking