Playing with the gw2spidy API

     The gw2spidy API is pretty great.  I was working with pulling some data into Excel and building custom reports, calculating Return on Investment, Net Profit (after taxes and fees) to see how effective it would be as a tool on the trading post.  Pretty soon this could be something you could do autopilot.

     For example:  http://snipurl.com/25i2r8i
     This link will give you every level 80 rare weapon with "Berserker's" in the name.  There is a guide on the github page that will guide you through how to import this into Excel.  Once imported, I created a few columns for calculating what I was interested in to see which items would be the best to try and trade.  It looked like this (I have everything on my sheet, not just Berserkers's weapons).

     I could set the spreadsheet up to auto-update, but I prefer not to since a snapshot in time is really sufficient to get the data I want.  I basically then just go from top to bottom placing buy orders on each item until I'm out of money.  My thinking is that this will maximize my potential profit, instead of just randomly buying whatever items I find, or having to look through each window to check the margin and do some quick calculations in my head.

     I have similar sheets set up for the following:

• Gemstones and Jewels
• Level 80 Masterwork Gear (greens)
• Common Crafting Materials (cloth, leather, ore, wood)
• Fine Crafting Materials (blood, fangs, claws, etc...)

     Next I'll be working a sheet with 80 Rare Gear, then I don't know.  It's definitely a useful tool I think, for people who are willing to dig a little deeper.  Because I'm such a swell fucking guy here are all the API calls I created for my spreadsheet.

Common Crafting Components
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=24272,24273,24274,24275,24276,24277,24278,24279,24280,24281,24282,24283,24284,24285,24286,24287,24288,24289,24290,24291,24292,24293,24294,24295,24296,24297,24298,24299,24300,24341,24342,24343,24344,24345,24346,24347,24348,24349,24350,24351,24352,24353,24354,24355,24356,24357,24358,24363

Fine Crafting Components
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=19701,19700,19699,19702,19698,19703,19697,19679,19680,19681,19682,19683,19684,19685,19686,19687,19688,19718,19739,19741,19743,19745,19748,19720,19740,19742,19744,19746,19747,19719,19728,19729,19730,19731,19732,19733,19734,19735,19736,19737,19738,19722,19723,19724,19725,19726,19727,19709,19710,19711,19712,19713,19714

Gemstones and Jewels
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=24889,24876,24875,24874,24873,24872,24871,24870,24535,24534,24527,24526,24522,24521,24520,24519,24516,24515,24512,24511,24510,24509,24508,24507,24506,24504,24503,24501,24500,24475,24474,24473,24472,24471,24470,24469,24468,24467,24466,24465,24464

80 Masterwork Gear
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=13397,13444,13481,13403,13445,13487,13394,13447,13478,10496,10531,10566,10601,10643,10671

80 Rare Weapons - Berserkers
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=25923,25944,28530,28553,26352,26370,27278,27300,27588,27610,27903,27924,13892,13927,13976,14011,14422,14472,14514,14563,14598,14647,14682,15265,15307,15349,15391,15426,15468,15510,15552,26114,26125,26963,26986,28216,28238,26649,26672,26818,26839,26488,26511,28389,28409,28780,28791,28075,28095,27761,27781,27446,27467,28703,28723,27131,27153

80 Rare Weapons - Carrion
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=13889,13924,13973,14008,14428,14469,14511,14560,14595,14644,14679,15262,15304,15346,15388,15423,15465,15507,15549,32946,32950,32954,32958,32962,32966,32970,32974,32978,32982,32986,32990,32994,32998,33002,33006,33010,33014,33018,34809,34813,34817,34821,34825,34829,34833,34837,34841,34845,34849,34853,34857,34861,34865,34869,34873,34877,34881

80 Rare Weapons - Cleric
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=13890,13925,13974,14009,14420,14470,14512,14561,14596,14645,14680,15263,15305,15347,15389,15424,15466,15508,15550,25941,25950,26122,26131,26367,26376,26504,26522,26665,26684,26834,26846,26979,26998,27147,27160,27293,27311,27462,27474,27605,27622,27777,27787,27919,27937,28091,28101,28233,28251,28405,28415,28546,28565,28718,28729,28788,28797

80 Rare Weapons - Explorer
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=13891,13926,13975,14010,14421,14471,14513,14562,14597,14646,14681,15264,15306,15348,15390,15425,15467,15509,15551

80 Rare Weapons - Knights
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=13894,13929,13978,14013,14437,14474,14516,14565,14600,14649,14684,15267,15309,15351,15393,15428,15470,15512,15554

80 Rare Weapons - Rampager
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=13893,13928,13977,14012,14423,14473,14515,14564,14599,14648,14683,15266,15308,15350,15392,15427,15469,15511,15553,25930,25947,26118,26128,26361,26373,26496,26516,26657,26677,26826,26843,26972,26991,27140,27157,27285,27305,27454,27471,27597,27617,27768,27784,27911,27931,28083,28098,28224,28245,28397,28412,28538,28558,28710,28726,28784,28794

80 Rare Weapons - Shaman
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=24995,25035,25075,25115,25155,25195,25235,25275,25315,25355,25395,25435,25475,25515,25555,25595,25635,25675,25715

80 Rare Weapons - Traveler
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=33269,33273,33277,33281,33285,33289,33293,33297,33301,33305,33309,33313,33317,33321,33325,33329,33333,33337,33341,34049,34053,34057,34061,34065,34069,34073,34077,34081,34085,34089,34093,34097,34101,34105,34109,34113,34117,34121

80 Rare Weapons - Valkyrie
http://www.gw2spidy.com/api/v0.9/csv/items/all/1?filter_ids=13895,13930,13979,14014,14439,14475,14517,14566,14601,14650,14685,15268,15310,15352,15394,15429,15471,15513,15555

You can pull these into Excel and do whatever you want!

Guild Wars 2 is Bleeding Out

     There will be no more Orichalcum map updates.  Guild Wars 2 is bleeding out and I'm going to continue transferring to whatever the most populous servers are until I decide to quit the game, which will undoubtedly be very soon.  I've already had Steam fired up, and League of Legends patching, looking for a new game (looking forward to the new Hitman).

     Guild Wars 2 is likely the last MMO I'll ever play.  I feel like MMOs are a genre that is going to die because companies no longer make the time investment feel like it pays off.  They get bogged down in the details of how they're going to milk every last penny out of you through micro-transactions and they forget that they've got to give you something to look forward to to continue playing.   I don't mind spending money but Its really all simple economics.  I expect that for the consumption of entertainment my 1st dollar and my 500th dollar should yield the same utility, if they're encouraging me to spend that 500th dollar.  I didn't spend a fortune on Guild Wars 2, but I probably spent more than most. (maybe $150? I didn't really keep track.)

     What is the build-up in Guild Wars 2?  What is the objective?  Why am I farming?  What good are achievement points?  What am I supposed to be looking forward to?  I feel like this game is an "asian grinder" MMO in disguise.  Grinding isn't a big deal.  I'll farm and grind all day if there is a point... but in asian grinder MMOs the point is the grind... which isn't fun.  In Guild Wars 2 I see no point in continuing... which leaves nothing but the grind.

     None of the issues I have with the game have been addressed, and there has been nothing from Arena Net communicating a direction.  In fact in today's patch, instead of fixing broken class mechanics in WvW they remove orbs from the game completely.  I can't help but be reminded of when Warhammer Online removed Fortresses from the game because they couldn't keep their terrible game engine alive when tons of players actually laid siege to it.  A-net could at least tell us what they're working on and communicate a vision.

     Whatever I'm over it.  Back to fun games.