Is Spice Too Expensive?

[Gentleboy]

Hi all, I've been thinking about this topic a lot. More in the cases of the Rinth and the addicts that should be canonly everywhere...even...amongst our very own!!!!!!

I think spice is too expensive. I understand that it's meant to encourage a desperate environment, but, it's not realistic gameplay wise. I can RP smoking spice and not have it, but then people will look at me funny  (if I am playing an addict).

I think spice should lower its price by 100 coins. Right now it's like 300 coins in the rinth which is a really hard sum to get if you're a new rinth player with a concept centered around spice. The more expensive/rare/potent blends should stay expensive, but the shit ones? Maybe 150-200. Still have that struggle.

Thoughts? Am I making things too easy? Let me know!

[triste]

I generally agree, with a few additional notes. I've had good roleplay around raw, sifted spice and selling that as low quality "dirt spice," and I think it would be great if we had more low quality spice refined from high quality spice [like a lot of drugs IRL]. For coded reasons, it's a bit easier to sneak high quality spice than low quality unrefined spice, and that is all good because it's actually similar to real life drug smuggling.

To use cocaine as an analogy, our game currently has [1] high quality processed cocaine (processed spice) [2] raw inputs like coca leaves (raw foraged spice) but it does not have [3] a highly cut, low quality derivative of refined spice like crack/street-cocaine IRL.

Cocaine smuggling IRL rarely involves raw coca leaves or low quality crack, it involves the refined product at highest quality so that you can smuggle the most in the smallest amount of space. But what ends up on the street is cut with other ingredients to make it cheaper, be it crack or cocaine.

Our game has the first two parts but is missing the last part. Adding "drug cooking" to turn a pinch of normal spice into five pinches of low quality spice would be [1] great roleplay [2] great for the rinth [3] and fill a logical niche currently missing that Gentleboy noticed here.

This post can be read to the soundtrack of Trap Queen by Fetty Wap

[rinthrat]

One of the problems with using grains as a cheap alternative is that they just decay way too fast to be worth smuggling. Even if you play in Red Storm, they tend to be gone before you can do anything with them. Can we get spice-specific containers available in Red Storm shops? There's no reason why they should be hard to get in Red Storm, but they are, and they would help store the stuff.

[mansa]

...Can we get spice-specific containers available in Red Storm shops? There's no reason why they should be hard to get in Red Storm, but they are, and they would help store the stuff.

...and spice specific containers in the shady areas of Allanak?

[triste]

...Can we get spice-specific containers available in Red Storm shops? There's no reason why they should be hard to get in Red Storm, but they are, and they would help store the stuff.

...and spice specific containers in the shady areas of Allanak?

One of the problems with using grains as a cheap alternative is that they just decay way too fast to be worth smuggling. Even if you play in Red Storm, they tend to be gone before you can do anything with them. Can we get spice-specific containers available in Red Storm shops? There's no reason why they should be hard to get in Red Storm, but they are, and they would help store the stuff.

Yeah even a small changes like these can help a lot, and maybe crafts/mechanics for smuggling unrefined low quality spice similar to the mechanics for smuggling high quality spice in [if only for the sake of roleplay].

And again I love, love, love the idea of more drug related crafts, these do exist but in very limited fashion, we need more to address the low price 'rinth market Gentleboy mentions. I think pretty much every drug in human history has patterns of harvesting→refinement→cutting/mixing/cheapening potency. There is a lot of room for expanding content here still.

[Dresan]

The recreational spices should be dirt cheap.

The more useful utility spices should not. That said the spice you find on the ground should remain the same, while the more refined expensive spice should have added benefits:

• effects should last much longer perhaps 2 IC days
• Decay much slower
• Cost way way more

Additionally I still believe snorting spice should be an h-emote and should not break hide. (smoking can remain as is)

[Brokkr]

The recreational spices should be dirt cheap.

I'm not sure what you mean by recreational.  They are all recreational, and they are all useful.

effects should last much longer perhaps 2 IC days

2 IC days is 180 minutes.  3 RL hours seems a little excessive.  If you don't know how to get the longer affect vs the shorter affect, seems like something an attentive person with a spice addict character would figure out fairly quickly.

Decay much slower

I am still boggled by this.  Are you leaving it in a room?  Are you logged in all the time?  Someone who plays for 12 hrs a day is going to have problems, if their goal is to keep it a couple of RL weeks.  A person who logs in an hour a day probably won't.  No good way around that really.

[Dresan]

1. There are some spices that seem to be much more useful then others, in the same way I think strength is vastly more useful then wisdom stat. This is my opinion though which I guess we disgree

2. I believe more people would use spice if it lasted longer. The main reason being that it open the door for someone using it in private away, and still have it last long enough for it to be useful throughout the day. Right now it just isn't and its not always convenient to just to more, since that is the case why use it at all.  If you think 2 IC days is too long, perhaps there is a happy middle.

3. Yes(definately too many hours  ) but carrying an illegal substance on you is perhaps not always ideal.  Also perhaps its grebbed spice shouldn't last very long, while refined (more expensive spice) would be what lasts longer.

Basically spice could be a very interesting money sink for people, but it feels like more trouble then its worth right now.

[Lizzie]

Decay time: smaller sizes will decay quicker than larger sizes. A processed knot vs. a processed pinch. So basically - if you want your spice to last longer, buy a larger-sized "piece" and shave off only as needed.

Having said that, I would still like the smaller sizes to take a little longer to start decaying. Even a grain should last a little longer, considering it is theoretically sitting in the desert heat being pounded by sand for hours/days/weeks before it's discovered by a spice sifter.

Having said THAT, I now have a possible idea:

Miniature sandbox spice containers. Allow for the possibility that sand actually preserves spice. The container might be a shallow open box - containing sand from the Red Desert. You can put your spice in there, and leave it out on your balcony where it can remain heated on a nearly-constant basis. The smaller the size of the spice you put in there, the less likely you'll be to find it when you "sift" for it (which you'd still have to do, and this sandbox would respond accordingly).

Risks: theft, and the virtual world eliminating the grains and/or pinches from existence as a result of the sand wearing it down into useless microscopic bits.

Pro: preserves spice in a more organic way than simply tossing it in a spice box and taking it out whenever.
Pro: provides for another interesting doodad for the game to play with/use/lord over inferiors who can't afford it
Pro: be the commoner's version of a luxury item. Not so expensive that only nobles and major merchants can afford it, but more expensive than what your average spice sifting grebber will make when grebbing in a non-spam/twink manner. This means greater profit for whoever makes it, as well.

Con: not something your average poor person will be able to afford (which is also considered as a pro, above)
Con: risks (see above)
Con: might be too "dirty commoner grebber" activity for the types of people who would most likely afford to, and be interested in having one.

[Brokkr]

1. There are some spices that seem to be much more useful then others, in the same way I think strength is vastly more useful then wisdom stat. This is my opinion though which I guess we disgree

2. I believe more people would use spice if it lasted longer. The main reason being that it open the door for someone using it in private away, and still have it last long enough for it to be useful throughout the day. Right now it just isn't and its not always convenient to just to more, since that is the case why use it at all.  If you think 2 IC days is too long, perhaps there is a happy middle.

3. Yes(definately too many hours  ) but carrying an illegal substance on you is perhaps not always ideal.  Also perhaps its grebbed spice shouldn't last very long, while refined (more expensive spice) would be what lasts longer.

Basically spice could be a very interesting money sink for people, but it feels like more trouble then its worth right now.

1. Ahh, seems you are only thinking in terms of combat characters.  True, in that specific case there are some types that heavily outweigh.  But spice benefit is pretty much hugely situational, and part of that situation is what you want to do, which isn't always melee combat.

2. 1 IC day seems like a pretty long buff, especially given how stacking works.

3.  Damn Nakkis.

[Riev]

When it comes to spice, I think one concern is that we as players do not value its effects properly. If used in a combat-oriented way (warspices), you typically are taking it when you are expecting some sort of combat. The buff from spice lasts for quite a while, and if you were 'expecting' combat and it didn't happen within an hour... well. Your bad.

Warspices are the bomb, yo. There was an entire Tuluki House dedicated to training warriors on how to properly utilize them in skirmishes. Unfortunately, if you can't kill a scrab right now, sniffing some strength spice might not provide you with the benefits needed to kill them. So who needs spice? Nobles. Crafters who need coin sinks. Older PCs with high enough skills that stats become a deciding factor.

I don't think spice is too expensive. I think its insurance. You spend about the same, per month, as you do for an apartment on the offchance that you need +strength, or your mate needs some inspirational qel.

[Dresan]

The whole point is to make spice tempting to use in situations other than just assassination.  In the past I felt it isn't worth while to use since the effects are often gone before the group is ready to leave the gate.

While there are characters that need to only snort more spice to continue the effect, at the end of the day these character don't create much of a market for smuggling, blackmail or criminal investigation. In short, its a cool mechanic that isn't generating a much RP and content as it could be because its so inconvenient to use anywhere its illegal. Of course that just being Allanak which is currently biggest and only area in the game where smuggling should be happening. 

I think the potential for addiction, law and the cost associated would prevent people walking around fully buffed all the time.
 

[Vex]

Spice, is a pain in the ass, all the way around.

Its annoying/aggravating to smuggle, its next to impossible to deal to pcs, because you can get it from vendors without a lot of BS outside of Allanak and in Allanak, the risk of dealing to anyone who isn't a noble is astronomically lethal, with razor thin margins if you can manage it at all. As a business venture, it's a wash before you've even started, due to numerous issues in the chain of procurement. The prices are super high for everyone involved, but due to the impractical nature of spice, the consumer base is astoundingly low... and tend to be thrifty as fuck, too.

Tbh, it'd be a lot more effective, as a plot vehicle, were the prices for it scaled more reasonably, starting @ the source and the main area where spice is actually "ooh, ahh" taboo, didn't have such an incredibly murder-focused grudge against anyone with anything to do, with the spice trade. I'd elaborate more on why that isn't even how its supposed to be, but "~FIND~OUT~IC~", and all of that sort of things.

The sheer work/time investment, the multi-stage procurement process involving at least three and usually four to five clans, plus waiting on leads / staff reports / staff nods or head shakes, plus the inherently high and usually lethal risks of actually getting it into Allanak w/o the benefit of staff animations getting you through gates, or other, usually not accessible access points, all so you can pay your guys a couple hundred coins, as their take of the profit?

Why, when you can just go use ANY trade skills, greb diamonds 1 room out of allanak, go steal 10 mount tickets, go hunt literally anything and skin it, go... you see, yes? You can do ANYTHING else, with less risk and more profit. And people do, because you don't even get a lot of excitement in the spice trade. Its lots of walking, lots of waiting. Why bother?

That isn't even taking into account, like... how few people even use spice, even when there are NO risks involved. They know, there is almost no benefit to spice. The ups last very little time, but the down drags on for ages. Now, it decays, too. If you forget it and walk into Allanak, you're basically dead. If the NPCs don't kill you, the tragically bored Templars, almost certainly will. If you're drop dead tired, from some long Byn adventure, and forgot you had a half-smoked tube in your INV? Totally player fatigue error? Too bad, kiss your PC goodbye.

Being a smoker/addict? Enjoy stat death. Being a smoker/addict in Allanak? Don't worry, you won't live long enough, to figure it out.

Zero benefits, except, for as someone mentioned, rocking out your stats, a couple minutes before you try to murder someone. Sweet, sweet, AI stats, the one thing spice does right. So satisfying, however briefly it lasts.

And everyone KNOWS it. It's why people will dump 20,000 coins on armor and weapons from Salarr, or gear from Kurac, or clothes from Kadius... but how often, do people buy candies from Kadius? Or other frivolous coin wasters that decay/provide no value? Not many, and those are 100% safe, and even beneficial if you share them with people you want to influence.

Spice? Nope. You offer someone a joint in nak, and it's like you pulled out a crossbow and threatened them with death. They'll decline, they'll want to leave and they'll probably report you immediately upon leaving, for far more valuable influence points with Templars/soldiers, if they didn't Way them as soon as you broke out the party favors.

So... I mean, is spice too expensive? In the current system, of pcs moving/selling spice? Spice isn't anywhere NEAR expensive enough, to justify the time/effort/risk, of getting involved in it. The profits are laughable, compared to any other source of income. The drug trade IRL booms, because there is SO much money to be made, that there is never a shortage of people willing to take risks, to reap the lifestyle and rewards it offers. There is NEVER a shortage of buyers, because everyone wants to get high.

In Arm, being a spice muggler, means you're poor AF, get shit on by the other clans in the procurement chain, take insane risks, for next to nothing but "the experience". Which, as I said, is lots of waiting, lots of walking, a HUGE pile of rush-and-attack npc risks, for... enough to buy a few stiff drinks in Luirs. It sucks IC, and it sucks OOC. Arm does the drug trade wrong, on every possible level. It. Sucks. So bad. God.

But, is it too expensive, for PCs to AFFORD, currently? No, people can afford tons more frivolous spending, than they actually indulge in, but they can't afford the risks, of being caught with spice, in the only major hub of play, the game has left. The only place left, where spice matters, even a little bit.

Its way more complicated a problem, than "spice is too expensive, man!", imo.

Which, is too bad, really. Like lots of things in Arm, its a lot of ignored potential.

[Gentleboy]

When I'm talking about spice being expensive, I'm mainly talking about recreational spice! I'm glad the topic has e x p a n d e d.

[Doublepalli]

Spice, is a pain in the ass, all the way around.

Its annoying/aggravating to smuggle, its next to impossible to deal to pcs, because you can get it from vendors without a lot of BS outside of Allanak and in Allanak, the risk of dealing to anyone who isn't a noble is astronomically lethal, with razor thin margins if you can manage it at all. As a business venture, it's a wash before you've even started, due to numerous issues in the chain of procurement. The prices are super high for everyone involved, but due to the impractical nature of spice, the consumer base is astoundingly low... and tend to be thrifty as fuck, too.

Tbh, it'd be a lot more effective, as a plot vehicle, were the prices for it scaled more reasonably, starting @ the source and the main area where spice is actually "ooh, ahh" taboo, didn't have such an incredibly murder-focused grudge against anyone with anything to do, with the spice trade. I'd elaborate more on why that isn't even how its supposed to be, but "~FIND~OUT~IC~", and all of that sort of things.

The sheer work/time investment, the multi-stage procurement process involving at least three and usually four to five clans, plus waiting on leads / staff reports / staff nods or head shakes, plus the inherently high and usually lethal risks of actually getting it into Allanak w/o the benefit of staff animations getting you through gates, or other, usually not accessible access points, all so you can pay your guys a couple hundred coins, as their take of the profit?

Why, when you can just go use ANY trade skills, greb diamonds 1 room out of allanak, go steal 10 mount tickets, go hunt literally anything and skin it, go... you see, yes? You can do ANYTHING else, with less risk and more profit. And people do, because you don't even get a lot of excitement in the spice trade. Its lots of walking, lots of waiting. Why bother?

That isn't even taking into account, like... how few people even use spice, even when there are NO risks involved. They know, there is almost no benefit to spice. The ups last very little time, but the down drags on for ages. Now, it decays, too. If you forget it and walk into Allanak, you're basically dead. If the NPCs don't kill you, the tragically bored Templars, almost certainly will. If you're drop dead tired, from some long Byn adventure, and forgot you had a half-smoked tube in your INV? Totally player fatigue error? Too bad, kiss your PC goodbye.

Being a smoker/addict? Enjoy stat death. Being a smoker/addict in Allanak? Don't worry, you won't live long enough, to figure it out.

Zero benefits, except, for as someone mentioned, rocking out your stats, a couple minutes before you try to murder someone. Sweet, sweet, AI stats, the one thing spice does right. So satisfying, however briefly it lasts.

And everyone KNOWS it. It's why people will dump 20,000 coins on armor and weapons from Salarr, or gear from Kurac, or clothes from Kadius... but how often, do people buy candies from Kadius? Or other frivolous coin wasters that decay/provide no value? Not many, and those are 100% safe, and even beneficial if you share them with people you want to influence.

Spice? Nope. You offer someone a joint in nak, and it's like you pulled out a crossbow and threatened them with death. They'll decline, they'll want to leave and they'll probably report you immediately upon leaving, for far more valuable influence points with Templars/soldiers, if they didn't Way them as soon as you broke out the party favors.

So... I mean, is spice too expensive? In the current system, of pcs moving/selling spice? Spice isn't anywhere NEAR expensive enough, to justify the time/effort/risk, of getting involved in it. The profits are laughable, compared to any other source of income. The drug trade IRL booms, because there is SO much money to be made, that there is never a shortage of people willing to take risks, to reap the lifestyle and rewards it offers. There is NEVER a shortage of buyers, because everyone wants to get high.

In Arm, being a spice muggler, means you're poor AF, get shit on by the other clans in the procurement chain, take insane risks, for next to nothing but "the experience". Which, as I said, is lots of waiting, lots of walking, a HUGE pile of rush-and-attack npc risks, for... enough to buy a few stiff drinks in Luirs. It sucks IC, and it sucks OOC. Arm does the drug trade wrong, on every possible level. It. Sucks. So bad. God.

But, is it too expensive, for PCs to AFFORD, currently? No, people can afford tons more frivolous spending, than they actually indulge in, but they can't afford the risks, of being caught with spice, in the only major hub of play, the game has left. The only place left, where spice matters, even a little bit.

Its way more complicated a problem, than "spice is too expensive, man!", imo.

Which, is too bad, really. Like lots of things in Arm, its a lot of ignored potential.

PREACH.

I've always wanted to play a spice dealer. Then when I started my rinth life I realized how useless and boring and shortlived it'd be.

[triste]

I think spice is too expensive.

So... I mean, is spice too expensive? In the current system, of pcs moving/selling spice? Spice isn't anywhere NEAR expensive enough

Ding ding ding, both statements are correct.

But how can two completely contradictory statements be correct?!?!?!

It's because there are [and have for eons] always have been a "high-end" drug market and a "low-end" drug market. However, Armageddon is just operating as one muddled spice market with two products: raw spice and pure refined spice. Therefore Pure Refined spice for the high-end market is too cheap because it's also trying to fulfill the low end market, where it's too expensive. Smuggling RP also sucks because the product is poorly priced/formulated, that is, not adequately differentiated enough for these two markets.

In Arm, being a spice muggler, means you're poor AF, get shit on by the other clans in the procurement chain, take insane risks, for next to nothing but "the experience". Which, as I said, is lots of waiting, lots of walking, a HUGE pile of rush-and-attack npc risks, for... enough to buy a few stiff drinks in Luirs. It sucks IC, and it sucks OOC. Arm does the drug trade wrong, on every possible level. It. Sucks. So bad. God.

"Arm does the drug trade wrong" -- let's look at the half-empty wineglass in a half-full way shall we -- "Arm almost gets the drug trade right." I think we have good ideas here about making it easy to get cheap raw spice in the walls for the low-end market, or making cut/reformulated low-end spice crafts to address this problem for both markets. It will make smuggling profitable and expand spice roleplay to more 'rinthers and elites alike.

[Lotion]

Allowing players to cut refined spice would definitely be great and make it a LOT more feasible to be a shady spice dealer inside of Nak but I don't think anyone should expect to just spawn into the Rinth and expect to be a successful dealer unless you are REALLY good at political rp.

Also in some places where spice is legal with just a little bit of streetwise you can easily get it a lot cheaper.

[X-D]

In short...yes, it is.

When spice rotting was added the prices should have been cut to 1/3.

Before, yes, people went Hey, We should invest in this high priced item....just in case...Yes, then they might never use it or buy more.
Now The price is too high to buy for just in case. BUT, if it was lower most could afford again for that reason and not care if it rotted. And would ACTUALLY do what it seems staff intended and failed at.

The Brokkr argument that somebody that plays 12 hours a day is punished more then somebody that plays 2 is just...sad. Why should somebody that plays more be punished? Both PCs live the same amount of game time after all. Amos and Malik both buy a pinch of spice on Sunday IRL....Come the next Saturday they are confronted by gith, Amos says, lets use the spice and maybe we live...Malik is like, Um, Mine is rotted and gone...Amos is like, Mine is fine...WTF man. Amos lives because he plays less...totally OOC and grounds for Rez IMO.

[Dar]

I've said it before in similar threads, I think. The decay rate of spice, the cost of spice, and the usefulness of spice is so disproportional that the only time I ever purchase it, was to create a connection with spice dealers for reasons entirely unrelated to spice.

You can claim that I'm wrong, or that the way I'm doing it is wrong, or that I'm not unaware of something important. It doesn't matter.  The current situation is that spice trade does not work. Period.

There are numerous ways to potentially improve the situation. Whether by changing these three factors (decay rate, cost rate, usefulness rate), or coming up with something new. I dont have a solution, I do not know which way is better, and I'm not suggesting anything. All I'm saying that as a consumer amongst characters who wanted to deal spice smugglers, they never saw the point in buying spice, except to buy influence with the spice smugglers. They might've junked the spice soon after for what good it did.

[Kyviantre]

The Brokkr argument that somebody that plays 12 hours a day is punished more then somebody that plays 2 is just...sad. Why should somebody that plays more be punished? Both PCs live the same amount of game time after all. Amos and Malik both buy a pinch of spice on Sunday IRL....Come the next Saturday they are confronted by gith, Amos says, lets use the spice and maybe we live...Malik is like, Um, Mine is rotted and gone...Amos is like, Mine is fine...WTF man. Amos lives because he plays less...totally OOC and grounds for Rez IMO.

I was also yicked out by that argument...it is so OOC driven, immersion breaking, and playtime penalising.  I have no real horse in the rest of this discussion, but ^ made me cringe too.

Oh, small fib about having no interest...my only complaint about spice (other than it rotting faster than I can use it), is that my spicebox, when full of spice, gets 'bigger' and won't fit in my back...which seems daft.  All very well buying bigger lumps to make it last longer, but it makes your spicebox mysteriously bulge if you do that!

[rinthrat]

Decay much slower

I am still boggled by this.  Are you leaving it in a room?  Are you logged in all the time?  Someone who plays for 12 hrs a day is going to have problems, if their goal is to keep it a couple of RL weeks.  A person who logs in an hour a day probably won't.  No good way around that really.

Spice decay time is based on the assumption that

• Players keep it on themselves at all times (why? That makes no sense whatsoever. It's expecting us to metaplay since there is no IC reason whatsoever why spice would decay faster if you leave it in your locker or clan hall instead of carrying it around).
  
• Players don't play much. This is also - just not going to work, especially not for smugglers. How are you supposed to buy spice from someone that is hard to find because they don't play much? Keep in mind that they're probably not in your clan and you only have a rough idea on when they are available.

Seriously, just how is this supposed to work? What is the reasoning? I don't get it. I'm not trying to be combative here, I'm really not seeing it.

[Lotion]

If you are tired of your spice decaying too fast then you maybe should FOIC about how to prevent that.

[Brokkr]

Decay much slower

I am still boggled by this.  Are you leaving it in a room?  Are you logged in all the time?  Someone who plays for 12 hrs a day is going to have problems, if their goal is to keep it a couple of RL weeks.  A person who logs in an hour a day probably won't.  No good way around that really.

Spice decay time is based on the assumption that

• Players keep it on themselves at all times (why? That makes no sense whatsoever. It's expecting us to metaplay since there is no IC reason whatsoever why spice would decay faster if you leave it in your locker or clan hall instead of carrying it around).
  
• Players don't play much. This is also - just not going to work, especially not for smugglers. How are you supposed to buy spice from someone that is hard to find because they don't play much? Keep in mind that they're probably not in your clan and you only have a rough idea on when they are available.

Seriously, just how is this supposed to work? What is the reasoning? I don't get it. I'm not trying to be combative here, I'm really not seeing it.

There are two reasonable, non-hybrid options for spice decay.  On the one hand, you can have spice decay only when it is in the game.  On the other hand, you can fix out a RL time/date when the spice item will decay.

Spice decaying while only in the game avoids punishing people for not playing.
Spice decaying to a fixed endpoint avoids punishing people who play a lot.

We have chosen to have spice only decay while it is in the game to avoid punishing people for not playing.

It is possible for us to create containers for organizations that deal in spice that halt decay while the spice is in said container.

[Riev]

As a member of a spice slinging organization in the past, there are ways around the spice decay code so that you can have 'fresh' spice at the sale.

If you let it go to oil, thats on you.

[ChuciPeppers]

"Arm almost gets the drug trade right."

Yeah. If you are a random street level procurer and House Kurac is Pfizer, Merck, and Glaxo-Smith Kline all in one.

This is why I will 1000% use spice, and a lot, where it's legal, but would never even consider playing a spice smuggler.

All those problems you list about the low end spice game are there because it's too realistic. Prove me wrong.

Signed - 20+ years smoking weed with multiple people in the family who've done time for dealing the shit

[X-D]

I still cannot see why it has been made to decay at all...unless you are trying to get rid of it.

It certainly is not to increase demand...spice simply does not do enough and what it does do does not last long enough to jump through all the hoops.

Oh sure, I have the PC who buys some war spice and maybe never uses it....BUT...with decay that means that type PC never even buys it to begin with.

I have had PCs who used war spices ALL the time...one of the last ones got hit with decay and was like well, if it cannot be depended on then I will not bother...Never purchased for himself again. None of my PCs after that one have...Oh sure, if they find a sifter full on a corpse...windfall sure.

So...My biggest question is...What was the intent behind putting spice decay into the game?

[tapas]

I think the biggest problem is the lack of distribution. There are places in the game world that lack for spice because nobody there is selling it. If there was someone to stock my character up once a real life month, I would have nothing to complain about.

[BadSkeelz]

I can access most of the places in the world that sell it and I still don't bother to buy it.

[Vex]

The decay also means that spice cannot function as a hedge, or security, against Templarate, Senate or even GMH meddling with the funds of your bank account. You can no longer have a brick of something nice in reserve, for when you need to impress, persuade or bribe someone of high influence, because there is no means to secure it long term. If you're waiting on having a some smuggled in, in order to use as a bribe, to save your ass? You're already dead, dude.

The game and the politics, proceed too quickly, to wait a for RL weeks, if not longer, for someone to jump through every respective hoop, in order to make it happen. And people will no longer be impressed even IF you manage, because really, what is a several hour a day sponsor role going to do, with a whole brick of spice? That's a lot of spice, and unless you're overtly passing it out like candy, its going to decay long before you can ever use it all.

There were, probably, more uses for spice as a currency, than as a thing for PCs to use with any practicality, all of which vanished the instant it could no longer be reliably kept in reserve for those purposes, when the time was right.

[Dracul]

I would absolutely love to see new spice items. Cheaper spice, less effective spice.

Tweak the decay code (it really is so rapid that it is currently an obstacle to spice use and trading as opposed to an assistance to spice trading by decaying pc/clan stockpiles).

Add in a little bit of crafting code with spice, allow for 'cutting' with bulking/unhelpful/(Poisonous???) additives.
"Here's your spice Lord Templar, it's good stuff, don't have your poison tester or elf taste tester try it out. You can totally trust me"

[triste]

hell yes, someone else who sees the potential for crafts and roleplay like this!

[AdamBlue]

There are currently items in the game, certain lichens, that have equal effects to low-dose spice that people can get for absolutely free.
The ability to -cut- the weak lichen with the full spice for larger sums of 'slightly weaker' spice-infused powder, OR combine the providing powder to make -DOUBLE STRENGTH- spice would be absolutely fucking sick. I would say making the weaker stuff takes the cooking skill, allowing basically anyone to work as a 'spice mixer' but someone with the brewing skill able to make whole, full-fledged 'Spicepowder'.

That way, we have four tiers of drugs.

Tribals and hunters know that they can get lichens to get their high, but know there's money in the spice trade if they can find it.
Regular criminals get the lichen from the tribes and hunters and cut it with spice they managed to get a good deal on. The mix with lichen with the spice can be cut into a gritty, almost rock-like powder when boiled together and dried out. The total sum of spice, since it's been drawn out, is slightly greater than the sum of it's parts due to not wasting a bit of the lichen or spice, but each dose is roughly half-strength. Good for: Poorer people wanting to have fun, addicts trying to not hit withdrawl,  or people concerned about addiction, or someone who needs a stockpile. DOES NOT GO BAD, or has an -extremely long- timer to go bad, due to it's dried out mixed state. Still illegal in Allanak, but worth a lesser charge than straight spice.
Regular spice can function as it does. Pure, powerful. Often used by merchants, or anyone who needs to take it for hunting and fighting. Goes bad relatively quickly when stored improperly, but can be kept.
Infused Spice is the marriage of Spice Mix and regular spice. Further distilled down into an extremely fine powder that looks like an extremely fine sand. Is -triple- strength of regular spice, but considering it is made of a mix of Spice Mix (which is made in bulk) and regular spice (Which is still relatively common, but slightly more pricy) it is slightly cheaper than buying three doses of the same spice but far quicker and easier to take. Great for high-end warriors that need that potent edge. Highly addictive if used often, but the benefits are great.

I know this could take a lot of work to code in, but having cheaper/ more expensive drugs than just 'regular spice' can add flair to it.

[Erythil]

Spice in sizes above pinches knots should not decay, to better justify the expense.  There is currently no reason to buy these, ever.  Once pinches are cut off them, they can begin decay as normal.

Also, I would like to see a non-spice smokeable (tobacco or its analogue) added. This seems like a no-brainer to me.  If you're still looking for more reasons to make the silt sea useful, an extensive tobacco plantation in a unique climate on one of the far sides would be neat.

[HeeBeeGB]

Spice in sizes above pinches knots should not decay, to better justify the expense.  There is currently no reason to buy these, ever.  Once pinches are cut off them, they can begin decay as normal.

Also, I would like to see a non-spice smokeable (tobacco or its analogue) added. This seems like a no-brainer to me.  If you're still looking for more reasons to make the silt sea useful, an extensive tobacco plantation in a unique climate on one of the far sides would be neat.

Agreed.