(2010.Sep.15 02:42 PM)zliplus Wrote: (2010.Sep.15 02:25 PM)InPaceRequiscat Wrote: (2010.Sep.15 02:21 PM)zliplus Wrote: They depreciate the same way money does - through (competitive) inflation. Money is worth less over time because the total supply increases and your share decreases, both in real life and in-game. Stats become worth less over time as everyone else gains stats, so that relatively you become weaker. There's a big difference between the first to 100 and getting to 100 years later, and there's a difference between having stats *now* instead of in the future.
What you are talking about is relative to much larger and complex economics than this, and the basis of value is demand. Getting better stats is always in demand, so your reasoning is bunk.
Unless dev points get switched out for something else, and endurance becomes useless, Endurance will always be the better buy.
I'll try to explain this more simply: stats only matter in relation to other people's stats. Whether by bragging about your rank or beating up other players, only the relative value of your stats matter - the absolute number is meaningless.
Edit: and the basis of value is supply and demand. Base inflation happens primarily because the supply of currency (both cash and stats) increases, as it does constantly and steeply here (and most online economies).
I was thinking faster than my typing -- you are right, i meant to type supply and demand.
So long as you are willing to put in the time and money, you can pass people. This makes dev points a huge value to people with low stats --- comparatively speaking. OTG is a perfect example of this.
Sticking to the simple question I attempted to answer before; OTG in 10 months the trains will be equal if you invest the same 900k a month into endurance, give or take a week or two. After an additional 4 months, you will have had gained the same NET dev points as if you were using the trainer the whole time. After the initial 14 months, you will be making much more dev points than if you were using a trainer.
Thus why I say, using a trainer is never worthwhile in the long run. If you don't think you will be playing in 14 months, that's fine. Use the trainer.