Yep, gaia is a greedy business.

I mean, I could understand offering like a few formulas (same item) and all materials to equal the amount of formulas (so you can make them) for a small amount of Cash, but they should also offer it all for gold (but it should be really cheap on the cash-they way people can and will buy it with cash, and not so high gold prices so...if you want to you can still do it, but sell the items separately)

Yes, that'd make for a decent sink but still offer people who are able to donate another route...

Exactly and everyone can get the friggin wings some year D:

The formulas for the wings are soul bound though >.>... Overall I just simply hate the way Gaia made alchemy work. The system is just simply broken beyond repair as far as I'm concerned and the economy is likely to become just as broken (if it hasn't already reached that stage already that is) as it.

I'll be honest, I just don't see Gaia surviving another year, the economy is broken, the games are buggy or 100% neglected, the gold shops get mainly just scraps and a lot of other features are buggy, in urgent need of an update or downright broken to a certain extend. Not to mention how Gaia has been squeezing Gaia Cash into it's events...

The people in charge right now are squeezing as much money out of it as they can then they are going to sell it of for every penny they can get out of it, then whatever happens to it is no concern of theirs. That's whats about to happen.

Well, considering the rumors about Gaia making an 18+ site, I think they'll either do that, or just close it down.

But frankly, even if they do sell it I doubt it will keep on running for long.

I feel sorry for the parents who have to deal with their kids spending money on a site that, to me, barely has any sense of community, like Tris does.

Gaia is pushing their GC into their events now?! D:

Afraid so. ):

Jeez... that is the worst. D: I can't even believe it.

What do you mean by putting GC into their events? Like..you need to pay to get EIs, or to unlock stuff...?

I mean like that one Valentine event where you HAD to spend gold and cash to give gifts with your Valentine because they wouldn't allow you to just give a valentine free of charge.
Skelekitten Plushie About $2.50 for it,
Puppy Love Plushie About $2.50 for it,
Love's Warrior About $3.00 for it,
Heartless One About $3.00 for it,
Not even to mention the health potions you have to spend cash on this Halloween event just to have an edge to surviving.

The Halloween one is the one I was referring to. The V-day one I didn't mind too much because by that time I was already used to Gaia making a bunch of event themed items for the cash shop... specially the ghost Halloween event a few years ago where the items came with a special recolor... that was only gotten by pure chance. The items were of course in the cash shop >.>...

This year's Halloween event was just simply the most over the top one. Not only did the cash shop potions make it possible to buy resistance, they made it possible to buy actual levels! And to that you add how they introduced the recolors for this year's trick or treat items/set. The recolors could only be obtained by playing a certain game, sounds rather nice, right? It does until you reach level 8 or so from which most people could not advance without spending cash for more moves... I think the highest lvl a person managed to get on that game was 10... and that still left them with half of the items from the set missing...

...Oh, yeah, that's all sorts of fucked up o.o;

Yes, those things the two of us mentioned, that's the fucked up.