💸 EC to CC Conversion Terminal

prairie • 9 February 2022 at 1:05 PM

@riceboysleeps
The best we can do is keep this topic active or at very least at the first 5 of the site suggestions. That'll keep this topic in discussion and seen by not only Ian but other players. Mods can see it too, though I think they can't do much other that bring it more to Ian's attention as I think they mostly make sure bugs and rules stay in check(?).

I feel like by this point with 120 replies in this topic and numerous pings to @Ian, he's probably seen it by this point. I'm not entirely sure why there hasn't been any questions about how this might go/propose a possible issue that we'd need to consider - but he could be thinking up a solution for this topic, or have something he wanted to test out in the works already. Who knows.

But overall, it would be nice to have Ian respond to such a hot topic in site suggestions. If nothing else it shows interaction with the site's player base.

wweesisa • 9 February 2022 at 7:07 PM

I would agree with this note, if most people agree.

viltuvitrast • 10 February 2022 at 9:18 PM

@prairie The fact that @ian hasn't responded yet (even though there are more than 100 posts and the thread's been around for more than a month) gives me the impression that he doesn't want to listen to the vast majority of his customers. If something's in the works, he could say "something's in the works 😉" It would take five seconds. The fact that he has said nothing seems to indicate that money is more important to him than making the players of his site happy. I hope I'm wrong ☹️ please prove me wrong, Ian.

And by the way, there is a strong case to be made that you'll make more money long-term by making the players happy. I hope you will check out all of the arguments in this thread.

iia • 10 February 2022 at 9:49 PM

@Viltuvitrast it sure seems like it, but I desperately hope it isn't so.
I think that we have CLEARLY marked out that this would bring in money for eggcave in the long run, and if he won't do this I think it mayyyyyy be for other reasons than greed.
It bothers me how he always responds to blog posts always agreeing with how good and how much people like the creatures he released (or addressing bugs) and never shares his opinion on site improvement suggestions ☹️ Honestly I think it is a tad bit rude to ignore conversation that is so well thought out, has the backing of eggcave players, and a thread that so many people have put time and effort into while he has a good time in the blog section.
I would really like to see more activity from @ian on threads such as site improvements. The only threads I ever see him on are creature suggestions when he announces it’s been picked 😊

(I edited this a little. I wrote it late last night and reread it this morning and it was a little stronger than I remember it being XD
I don’t want to spread bad ideas or “conspiracy” just what I have observed and my thoughts)

stellalunagirl • 11 February 2022 at 12:08 AM

@iia @viltuvitrast @prairie

Cool thing with the new SARC critter being released, but I wonder if it is a bit of a distraction from this discourse?

Pings:
@ida92
@sandara
@tryvegan4theanimals
@lexicon
@megamisama90
@nut

prairie • 11 February 2022 at 12:26 AM

@stellalunagirl
No, it's just long time there's a new SARC creature.
Lets try to stay on the topic of this EC to CC idea vs conspiracy-type stuff. I understand frustrations, but lets not go off the rails. Mods and Ian seeing actual feedback - positive or negative - for this idea is much more helpful VS bashing Ian for stuff.

Orderedchaos • 11 February 2022 at 12:27 AM

I realize that you all are frustrated that this topic is not being responded to in the way that you want but that is no reason to toss around baseless conspiracies theories (new SARC creature is not a "distraction") or defamation of someone's character. I get it, you want a response, but neither of those things is going to get you what you want any faster.

I am putting my foot down and if I see such things again the posts will be deleted and the users who made them will get an official reprimand.

stellalunagirl • 11 February 2022 at 6:56 AM

@prairie @orderedchaos

Just writing in response to above posts -

I apologise for offending anyone reading my comments. It was not meant to be taken in a such a serious manner. I understand and agree to direct discussion around the practical and on-topic pros/cons. I have also participated in this myself.

I think to make such a threat as deleting a post is a bit alarming. I mean this with all due respect but it feels a bit like censorship to me.

I think my critique is fair and I was inviting discussion and rebuttal. I did not make a statement of fact, rather I shared a thought I had.

I'm coming at this as an adult returning player who joined when I was just a young teenager. I definitely understand the need to moderate and police content on this website and I support it.

Again, sharing my personal opinion that I don't think deleting user posts on this thread is necessary. I think it would send a message to users that new or different ideas won't be met with a good response from the creators and moderators of this website or a response at all.

It would discourage open and honest critique from users (and yes even if it sounds conspiracy-y, sometimes).

I understand internet censorship is a complex issue, and the line between critique and defamation can be blurred. Once again I am just stating my opinion and I welcome open discussion and rebuttal.

--- back on topic:
I think it would be good to get some kind of response at least. It doesn't have to be one where we are told whether this idea may be implemented or not. Just an indication and confirmation from @ian that he has seen this topic and read the arguments laid out. I think that is a reasonable thing users should expect.

Thanks 😊

nut • 11 February 2022 at 4:01 PM

I was under the impression that EC to CC conversion was never going to be a thing. Back in like 2011 or whenever CaveCash first appeared there were users, myself included, who asked in the blog if we would be able to convert EC to CC and the answer back then was definitely no. So I’m sure Ian is aware of the idea and that people want it, but I suppose there’s a multitude of reasons why it hasn’t been implemented over the past decade and why he’s not responding to this topic.

I do support the idea, I just don’t think it’ll happen unfortunately based on past interactions.

//edit lol nvm I guess back in the day ian did say it could be converted...

structuresfromsilence • 11 February 2022 at 4:13 PM

@stellalunagirl I agree with you. Regarding your post @orderedchaos I don't think it's anyone's intention to defame or hurt @ian. Rather, we all feel hurt and frustrated that we're being ignored and that the site is as P2W as it is, and we're just venting our thoughts and feelings. I hope censorship of criticism won't become a thing on this site. It might further entrench people in their bitterness towards the site IMO.

But back to the topic at hand, please consider this proposal @ian. I along with many others would be so excited and happy if it happened.

"EC can be converted into cash to be used at the cash shop... Egg Cave will ALWAYS BE FREE 😃"

sandara • 11 February 2022 at 9:47 PM

@/stellalunagirl Thanks for the ping😊
Well...

Reply to the Idea
As I stated back in the comments of some news (back when CC creatures were announced to be re-released), I do think that a way to get CC another way than buying it with real money should be a must, but I personally would not like the CC to be easily obtained either, in my personal opinion a simple convertion with any amount as a limit is nowhere near cool for me too.
If we were to think, some people may take advantage of friends and family or even strangers that didn't use the max. limit to actually get more CC, that would cause chaos for all EC community. To prevent that I would repeat what I said on @/iia post: "I am bittersweet about the rereleased. I would really enjoy it if they do something else for us to get Cc, like tasks (like every 5,000 creatures you feed you get 50Cc, using 500 items...) or things like that". Like having missions every day or week or month (achievements would be cool too, like logins, EC spend on shops, Cove Space, others) to get EC and CC would help a lot, and that way people really have to play EC to get fairly rewarded.
Plus, let's be real, the real money buyers will drastically fall, and as a friend of a game developer, I understand that a game can only be kept for longer if it actually has its profit. Why have a big headache with a site as big as EC and not have profited from it?

Reply to other players
I understand everyone's frustration because I am one of the people who are actually still thinking about quitting after all these changes, and currently, I am on a semi-active stage (if I add all the time, I play like 10 minutes a day at most).
But please understand the staff side a little too, last time Ian took some time to reply but he did reply, didn't he? We just have to make sure a lot of people are involved in this, there is no need to put frustrated emotions on the staff.
I am sure that Ian is already aware of this post, but we do need to understand that he is a human behind the computer too, and I think he may be frustrated too. A game is a system, if we don't carefully think about something before actually making a decision it will be chaos.

Reply to staff
I know that some players may be demanding answers right away and you may be upset by it, but I kinda understand they too, most posts here are from people that love this site and just want it to improve.
Plus, I certainly know that modifying a program and making big changes are hard, but not impossible. I stay firm that if there are missions, minigames or things like that would be so more fun and I would certainly return to being active here.

Conclusion
Everyone just needs to put their own ideas here on how to help improve, but I do think that it would be good if at least one staff member is active in this forum and if Ian actually just give a shout out to just let us know that he is reading our opinions.

P.S. I may have spoke some nonsense, 'cause I did not have the mind to read all the comments, so sorry 😋

prairie • 11 February 2022 at 10:04 PM

@sandara
Thanks for the super cool input!
I completely agree with what you said with "people may take advantage of friends and family or even strangers that didn't use the max" - and that is CERTAINLY the biggest flaw with this idea. That is the biggest issue I see with something like this being implemented, not entirely sure how you can avoid that.
I'd be cool with login rewards or activities, I just feel like they'd either need to be frequent/large enough of a reward to warrant the time spent.

Here's a Possible other Idea
Unfortunately I see that some people don't enjoy activities such as the VEND (which half of that is that not a ton of users want the creatures in the vend). It takes tons of time and EC with a chance of getting one creature they like out of a pool of others they might not. However, perhaps if there was a added CC prize pool or a token exchange there - that would encourage more Questing as well as provide CC. That Prize pool could only be redeemed once per month as well.
Basically - its the same idea behind this EC to CC conversion but with questing so more time and effort has to go into it. It drives the need for EC gathering since people need EC to buy items, gives users who are active/using the site CC and also increases Questing.

Deleted • 11 February 2022 at 11:07 PM

@prairie

That does sound like a good idea, I acknowledge that including CC in the Vend Pool (50CC Voucher) would one, bring back the supply of Vend Creatures into the market and provide an alternative way to obtain CC..

Questing is a way to obtain retired creatures, right? So, if 50CC Vouchers are included as a chance to get CC.. well, it's like getting back 500,000 EC on the off chance we don't get the creature that we are seeking. If the developer and staff are concerned, it could also have a limit (such as 5 (50CC Voucher) a month), and well.. it's RNG so it depends on your luck and fortune to get what you want.

As for exploitation of this idea.. I have to ask if we are allowed to accumulate Vend Machine currency on side accounts, and besides it's easier to track Vend Creatures.. I think, due to the strict restriction of needing a specific amount of tokens.

Anyone know a rough estimate on how much EC it takes to spin a round at the Vend Machine?

Defending my choice, I would pick (50-100CC Voucher) for the Vend Machine as most creatures are worth around this amount.. Yes, you might say that compared to the first, the original suggestion of a terminal it takes a lot more effort, time and energy to collect tokens. But, nonetheless with more users thinking that it may be worth to play the Vend Machine (others might buy CC to get Vend Creatures.. I hope)

So, just throwing this out but this could be another way to implement an EC to CC exchange function.. but truly collecting tokens is a little exhausting.

But, in any other case the developers could choose to award CC through daily/weekly tasks or a cumulative login.. well to this what are your thoughts?

iia • 11 February 2022 at 11:10 PM

Firstly, I do not want anyone to think I have anything against Ian. I think what he has done so far for this site is amazing it just seems to have had a lot of changes I don’t wholeheartedly agree with and my mind is trying to make sense of it all XD

@sandara I do think abuse of sides and friend coves’ would increase at first but remember that you can’t just get 5M ec in a minute or two. It is hard work feeding tons of creatures or trading for people that have ec. I think ec would become of less abundance so more feeding would happen and ec trades would probably reduce.
I think side abuse may spike but reduce or plateau after people realize how much time it actually takes to collect ec.

Also parts of Eggcavers charm for me is it’s simplicity. I feel like sites that have tons of mini games and side trails loose its simple charm and are condusing for new players.

@prairie
I love the questing to CC idea. I would completely be on board with that! Even if they released rereleases through the VEND like the foo (I don’t know why they stopped that. Any guesses?) I would be satisfied. I do not think the idea of “questing” is being used anywhere near its full potential.

(Here I go on my rant😋)
I think part of the reason I may come off a bit annoyed or pushy (I don’t mean to) in this thread is because it’s the only thing I’ve been coming on eggcave for. I guess I’m bored. There is no motivation to do anything right now. Questing costs more in ec than it’s worth and if I want ec I can put a creature in the auction instead of feeding for hours. As a player that has now been here for a few years and built up a stock of valuable creatures, items, and VEND coins I don’t want to use I have nothing better to do here and it’s making me restless (I’ve noticed myself subconsciously looking for trouble or drama to keep myself busy with). That’s part of the reason I cannot wait for the event starting soon.
I think there are so many things here that could be manipulated to give eggcavers a purpose to be here that is rewarding and worthwhile

I think some updates could really improve the site in a terminals place and here are a few suggestions:

1. Make a quest for the bean sack. Why is there not one for the bean sack? Anyone have a guess?

2. Put more valuable creatures in the VEND pools.

3. Put some cc or rereleases in the VEND machine.

4. Retire old and release new creatures in the thief shop and SARC.

5. Just experiment more! Bring Eggcavers in on the action! Most of us love things like CDWC and creature suggestions because it makes us feel at home here and like a piece of us will always belong here 😊 More things that promote Eggcavers to get involved would make a word of a difference 😊

6. STOP DOING ELABORATE APRIL FOOLS JOKES! They always get me and I always cry ToT (lol) I don’t know how long they take to set up but I feel like that could be used to much better use elsewhere. Mayyyybeeee to make a quest for the bean sack :0 (why is there no quest for the bean sack? Is there a method to the madness?)

7. Release new vend pools more often

8. Retire items as more come out (as a quester the amount of items I have to collect is overwhelming whereas I would not need to keep up on how many I have of the ones that are retired)

I had some fun thinking these up 😊 (gives me something to do around here atm)

quinoafuntime • 11 February 2022 at 11:12 PM

@sandara I agree with most of what you said, with the exception of this:

"Plus, let's be real, the real money buyers will drastically fall, and as a friend of a game developer, I understand that a game can only be kept for longer if it actually has its profit. Why have a big headache with a site as big as EC and not have profited from it?"

Check out this post I made a while back. I'll copy paste it here. TLDR - This site doesn't need to be pay to win in order to be profitable. There are many other pet sites that are much more generous to free players than this one and that do fine financially.

" I've been on the site for almost two months and I'm having fun. But here's my main criticism: the site is extremely pay to win.

CC is used to get valuable creatures and to freeze creatures, and selling CC can get you a lot of EC very quickly. Gobbler hunt and Egg Cave bday are the only opportunities for free players to get CC directly from the game. Devs have been talking about maybe adding a EC to CC converter for a while now, but I worry that it's never going to happen.

The only other way that poor players can get CC is to purchase it with EC from other players who spent real money, but opportunities to buy CC from other players are rare (I see many players asking to trade CC for EC all the time). Most of my favorite creatures are ones that I can't get because their owners either never log on or only want CC. And for most creatures, I like their earlier stages more than their adult stages (the cynic in me suspects that this is done intentionally, but I hope that's not true).

I don't like the pay to win nature of the site at all and to be honest it creeps me out and makes me less likely to spend real money here, as much as I like the site. I regularly feel frustrated and powerless to make the cove that I want to make. There are many creatures that I like that I can't get unless I spend money.

I see many people defending the current system by saying that CC is the only way for the site to make money. There are many pet sites that have premium currency, but most give it out more generously so that free players have a chance. On this site, if you pay you can get almost any creature you want. If you don't pay, it's very hard to get most creatures and impossible to get many others. I would also prefer more ads if that meant that free players can get the creatures we want to get.

Thank you for reading. I only feel so frustrated because there is so much here that I like. There is a lot of potential here, but currently it seems like there is too much greed here as well."

I agree with @prairie - there really isn't any way to completely avoid the possibility that people will take advantage of the system in some way. However, the benefits outweigh the risks in my opinion. The way the site completely revolves around the premium currency is very frustrating as it currently is.

@sandara I definitely like your idea of daily/monthly missions, but that would take quite a bit of programming/developing to implement. An EC to CC terminal would be relatively easy and would do so much for so many players.

Deleted • 11 February 2022 at 11:21 PM

@iia
I agree! I love EggCave for it's simplicity.. and that the currency isn't a headache to obtain, it is repetitive clicking but unlike another site that I don't frequent much.. at least we aren't running around and clicking to get currency.. even games like Flight Rising require a lot of time spent on bright and flashing games that hurt my eyes and well, my brain too.

EggCave has been soothing, simple and nice. Seeing improvements to site would make me happy and the rest of the community. Even the Vend Machine is a pain but it's not complex.. instead it's time consuming.

viltuvitrast • 11 February 2022 at 11:37 PM

@laylamocha I agree, I find the clicking and feeding to be relaxing and fun despite the monotony. It would be nice to have access to cc with enough time spent on the site instead of just money.

I agree with @quinoafuntime that other sites with premium currency are more generous about letting everyone have access to a little of it (with enough time and hard work). And like many users have said, letting people earn a bit of cc every month could very well result in more people spending money here.

1 - if people are happier with the site, they will spend more money.

2 - being able to earn 500 cc a month only allows us to get one CSP or one rerelease every two months. That's enough to make things attainable but little enough that people want to get the rest of the content. As @prairie said on page 4: Endowed Progress Effect, which is when "people provided with artificial advancement toward a goal exhibit greater persistence toward reaching the goal".

tryvegan4theanimals • 12 February 2022 at 4:49 PM

@stellalunagirl Thanks for pinging me, Isabelle! I still love @prairie's idea of being able to convert 5m EC to 500 CC once a month.

Would anyone be interested in pledging to purchase CC if this idea is implemented? I for one would be more than happy to do so 😉

Pinging some lovely people to see if they'd be interested (hope it's not bothersome):

@ida92 @lunacharm1037 @lbowe_elbow @lilacblack @chihiro_sang
@icedragon3000 @lady_dreamwyn @blub @sulvas @dragonnn @raitonchidori @applegranny @lexicon @izziedragon @mindassala @skyshoyru @aedia @megamisama90 @nitch @noah @thedarkarcher @ekmmke @sapphiremoon @anarchy @portal @castielkix @zircon @widgetspinner @catpeejasmine @gudetama @ian_hives @lex_lestrange @starlight4428 @mr-blue-bones
@marafordoom @stopwatcher @rheashadowfire @snail @rubymae

dougprishpreed • 13 February 2022 at 10:37 AM

While I agree that more mini games or daily missions or some such would be nice, that seems like it would be a lot of work to develop. Since I think only one person is doing all the work, that might not be possible at this time. However, the ability to convert 5 million ec to 500 cc a month should be pretty easy to implement and would have a big impact on making the site less of a shop and more of an inclusive game and community. The way it is now, since most of the creatures can't be acquired through gameplay but instead by paying money, it's more of a shop where you buy jpegs. Great idea @prairie 😉

lbowe_elbow • 13 February 2022 at 11:53 AM

@tryvegan4theanimals I am going to be 100% transparent and say I do not have the time to read all of this. Gotta leave here in a little bit. I like being able to trade with users EC/CC. This is how I earn EC most of the time.

If people want CC they're more than welcome to come on over to my page. (:

Not sure if I have an opinon on the terminal because I know I'll always be buying CC d:

lobstertheremin • 13 February 2022 at 8:45 PM

@lbowe_elbow thanks for sharing. See @ian? Your most loyal longtime players will still support the site. The only thing that will change is that new players will get a bit of a foothold and will be more likely to purchase some cc later. It may also encourage older players to try and get ec to do the conversion themselves. More site activity and more of an open door for newbies. Please consider it.

aquafaba • 14 February 2022 at 1:10 PM

I am still thinking about how great @prairie's idea is. Also feeling upset and disappointed that @ian is ignoring us. I'm going to keep talking about this. Eggcave would definitely benefit from being more generous to free players.

I'll ping people who posted on the most recent Blog post to see if they'd be interested in sharing their opinion:

@subie
@aedia
@sorrow
@ekmmke
@wolfmoon
@megadash
@myriadium
@elluwah
@sparklefox
@nexu
@izziedragon
@brookie
@asbe
@zircon
@stefrawr

Thanks and happy valentine's day 😸

iia • 14 February 2022 at 1:36 PM

I sent a message to @Ian letting him know we would greatly appreciate his response and he said this:

"Thank you! We are currently reviewing this topic." (2 days ago)

While I am a little sad we haven't gotten a response quickly it could possibly mean 2 things:
1. @Ian has definitely seen this topic and is likely mulling over a response.
2. Since it has been a while he could possibly be hashing out the pros and cons on his own time and setting up a blueprint plan for carrying out the terminal before responding.

He may be apprehensive about responding. Think about it...
If he says it will happen he better count on us to hold it to him. And if after he says it will happen something in the blueprint is just not going to work, he probably would dread telling us it's not going to happen now. He may not want to risk it.
If he says no he's probably afraid of backlash (I would be too! Look at how many supporters it has and how thought out this topic has been. It's SERIOUS! XD)


So for the time being we have some hope and can give as much slack as you see fit XD
(But continue with the good thoughts and new opinions!)

wolfmoon • 14 February 2022 at 2:09 PM

I actually like @prairie idea! It actually gives players who can't get CC a chance in getting CC creatures that they may want. It makes it fair for them. Now if @ian doesn't want to do so then make it fair for other players by releasing re-release creatures into the cave too! It makes it fair for those players who may actually want older creatures to be able to get them. And I feel the same towards CC creatures and at some point release those creatures into the cave for a while too. I also feel that creatures who originally were found in the cave should be replaced back into the cave, like Sey and Chimera for examples....However, apart from all of this the game is called Eggcave for a reason...just saying!

prairie • 14 February 2022 at 2:37 PM

@wolfmoon
I'm happy you like this idea!
However, I disagree with your statement about the re-releases. Reason being for retired Event Cave creatures (Foo, Hallowolf ect) - they have a chance to be re-released at the VEND (do I like or use the vend much myself? No, but it's there). For retired Cave creatures (bunthoff, Aerlo, Chimera ect) we have the Leila Oasis which will randomly have a egg there - its rare, but it happens and is a great way for the site to disperse endangered cave creatures.
For the CSP re-releases I do not believe they should ever be available for free in the cave. The CSP RRs are only at least twice the CC that they originally sold for, so it makes complete sense for them to remain CC exclusive as without CSP RRs we'd be paying up to triple in the span of 3-4 years.

myriadium • 14 February 2022 at 2:44 PM

I like the idea of f2p players being able to get premium currency. I've lost my f2p status unfortunately but the game is just no fun without spending money, since a lot of the nice creatures are in the CSP or can only be bought with honestly absurd amounts of CC. I don't know anything about online economics so I wouldn't know if implementing a terminal would damage the player base at all, but I'm sure there will always be adults who would pay money for CC. Besides, I think having a hard cap on how much CC one can get through this terminal is a good idea. There's always the fear of people exploiting the terminal, so that is another reason why Ian is hesitant about it.
I can understand where the fear comes from. The system hasn't changed for a really long time; all the attempts to bring back rare creatures either further boost the importance of having a deep wallet (the monthly unvaultings, for example, which I have paid real money for T^T) or just overly tedious and annoying (lottery and VEND).
I like the idea. Right now everything is dependent on having CC so it'll be nice for the low spenders or f2p players to have a little something.

wolfmoon • 14 February 2022 at 2:54 PM

I agree with you! It would be nice!

quinoafuntime • 15 February 2022 at 4:49 PM

@myriadium Well put. It's true, everything is so dependent on CC. It's a bit sleazy if you ask me. I have no intention of spending money here if nothing changes. Maybe @ian can try @prairie's idea and see what happens? A trial run could answer a lot of the questions/fears regarding the site being profitable.

autumnal • 16 February 2022 at 5:39 PM

I agree with your post at the top of this page @prairie. "It would be nice to have @Ian respond to such a hot topic in site suggestions. If nothing else it shows interaction with the site's player base."

I remember when I first joined the site, someone somewhere said that Ian is well known for listening to feedback and being open and friendly with the player base. I hope this is still true 😊

Ian • 17 February 2022 at 11:39 AM

Hello everybody!

Thank you all for your feedback and for your continued support. I wanted to drop a quick message in here that we are currently having talks among the team about this idea and are open to a way for users to obtain CC without a direct buy but through other activities on the site. I want you all to know that we're reading and listening in this topic and that we are talking about this. The delay in response to this topic is NOT a leaning that we've already axed the idea. That's not it at all.

A major issue in a direct EC -> CC conversion--that's currently taking up most of our time and discussions at Team Egg Cave--is the high potential for abuse by bots, click farms, and illegitimate traffic to gain Egg Coins from feeding without putting in the real work. In fact, when Egg Cave lags during major site events right now, it's because of bot traffic and is a current issue.

We understand that a monthly cap on a conversion terminal solves it from becoming a runaway issue but it would be vital to ensure that legitimate players are rewarded for their time spent on the site and that abusers not only be punished but disallowed from ever obtaining the benefits. We need you to understand that we HAVE to think long and hard through all of these issues prior to releasing anything.

Other measures such as (1) formally declaring and linking multiple accounts (i.e. in account preferences with email address verification), (2) removing the ability to feed from non-registered users completely (i.e. you must have an account to feed, so you can't spoof from VPNs or change IP addresses), and (3) implementing a cap of X feeds per second might also be needed to deter cheating.

A more formal response to this idea is in the works, but it'll take us some time due to the technical issues I've outlined above.

To recap, we are open to creating a way for users to obtain CC without a direct buy. You all are right. Most other games that I've played have had some other way to obtain the premium currency. But, it has to be done in the right way.

We're also discussing other ways we could give users to obtain CC without a direct buy, but that's not a direct EC -> CC conversion. Think questing, scavenger hunts, daily sign in rewards, or weekly/monthly challenges you have to clear. What do you guys think about these ideas? Let us know your ideas and reactions to that. It's still about rewarding time spent on the site.