jewels: frequency?

[Tad Carlucci]

I agree with Callie's reasons for commenting.

Every now and then we see someone attribute some feature as being mainly profit-driven. I doubt they *EVER* consider their side of that.

Quite frankly, there is really only one factor which has any real effect upon profitability: food. Everything else is so far down in the noise it's not work talking about. If everything else were free, breedable products would still be insanely profitable (although the product would probably be very short-lived).

My expectation is, when pricing ever comes up in their decision-making process, it's probably always showing concern that the price is low enough for players to accept.

So why are things NOT free? Simple psychology. The price gives value. If it's free, it has far less value. By setting prices, they help ensure their products have some value to everyone. Sure, determining pricing is often a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey process and price/performance testing can be problematic, but, at the end of the day, you have to set a price, and you want it low enough people will pay it.