Economy

[musashi]

I think that laying out instructions on the actual process and formulae and gain on foraging and selling salt, or anything else, should probably be cleared by staff before posting. Especially since that formula isn't even accurate.

[Nyr]

There has been a bit of a surge recently in the areas of revealing in-character information and information on mechanics in the game.  This is usually done by well-meaning folk with good intentions.  We'd like to remind everyone that in this sort of game environment, it is best for things to be discovered in-character, and for mechanics to be determined in-game. Unfortunately, there is not a clear-cut line for a lot of this.  Please use your best judgment, and if you are in doubt, it may be best to simply not write anything at all.

We will reserve the right to moderate/delete posts or threads that cross the lines on either of these areas (as always).

We also reserve the right to enforce the rules of the GDB by banning an account for x period if it appears this is a consistent problem.  That's not as nice as "we will reserve the right to moderate/delete posts or threads that cross the lines," but repeat offenders take note, please.

[KankWhisperer]

I was thinking about this and I think the problem is not enough drains on independents.

As far as I am concerned trying to prevent players from SPENDING their coins is the problem.

Automate apartments further. I'd pretty much be up for there being a few large apartment buildings that
dynamically grow as more and more people want to rent. Everyone has an apartment oh no!? Who cares?
It gives them something to spend their coins on. Maybe the burglars can't carry everything from everyone.

I'd be for more commoners/independents being able to buy whatever they want. There is a possibility for
abuse but that's a risk I am willing to take.

Let them buy a wagon. Let them do whatever with the wagon. But add some parking fees. Every day that
you leave the wagon idling in a wagon yard they add some fee. A drain that requires they DO something.
Don't pay your fees? Wagon is impounded and auctioned. Most likely the wagon is going to be destroyed
or in a hole anyway.

Let people buy slave bodyguards. Abuse abuse abuse. If they try and use them in non shady areas have the
crim code rape them like it does everyone else. A bodyguard is a good idea that someone has money and
should be bribing. Someone has the coins to do this then maybe your filthy grebbing ass should keep your
mouth shut and not piss them off openly. Make some kind of food/water fee for these NPCs.

I think that the "richness" of independents is because you don't really have anything to spend it on. Make
them pay the fees to get what the clanned for free. Some may say they don't have enough time to maintain this.
Then join a GMH. Hire a player to manage your shit while you are "away".  Of course this would require some sort
of automated clan system. Ah well. One can dream.

[Pale Horse]

I was thinking about this and I think the problem is not enough drains on independents.

As far as I am concerned trying to prevent players from SPENDING their coins is the problem.

Automate apartments further. I'd pretty much be up for there being a few large apartment buildings that
dynamically grow as more and more people want to rent. Everyone has an apartment oh no!? Who cares?
It gives them something to spend their coins on. Maybe the burglars can't carry everything from everyone.

I'd be for more commoners/independents being able to buy whatever they want. There is a possibility for
abuse but that's a risk I am willing to take.

Let them buy a wagon. Let them do whatever with the wagon. But add some parking fees. Every day that
you leave the wagon idling in a wagon yard they add some fee. A drain that requires they DO something.
Don't pay your fees? Wagon is impounded and auctioned. Most likely the wagon is going to be destroyed
or in a hole anyway.

Let people buy slave bodyguards. Abuse abuse abuse. If they try and use them in non shady areas have the
crim code rape them like it does everyone else. A bodyguard is a good idea that someone has money and
should be bribing. Someone has the coins to do this then maybe your filthy grebbing ass should keep your
mouth shut and not piss them off openly. Make some kind of food/water fee for these NPCs.

I think that the "richness" of independents is because you don't really have anything to spend it on. Make
them pay the fees to get what the clanned for free. Some may say they don't have enough time to maintain this.
Then join a GMH. Hire a player to manage your shit while you are "away".  Of course this would require some sort
of automated clan system. Ah well. One can dream.

Did I hear someone mention Arm 2.0?

[janeshephard]

For all of these claims that the easy acquisition of wealth creates plots,  I have yet to see much of this in-game.

Because its very difficult. As an indie you work 3x as hard to get any kind of plot going. You'll also have higher turn over rate than any coded clan. You'll never see much of it in game. You'll see some of it, sure, but not much of it.

[Qzzrbl]

For all of these claims that the easy acquisition of wealth creates plots,  I have yet to see much of this in-game.

Not so much plots.... More just sending bounties against other PCs who slight them.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who's seen this happen more than a few times.

Interesting plots do pop up out of 'em every once in a blue moon though.

[Synthesis]

For all of these claims that the easy acquisition of wealth creates plots,  I have yet to see much of this in-game.

Not so much plots.... More just sending bounties against other PCs who slight them.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who's seen this happen more than a few times.

Interesting plots do pop up out of 'em every once in a blue moon though.

I'm curious as to why "putting a bounty on someone" doesn't qualify as a "plot" in the context of a game which has the tagline "Murder. Corruption.  Betrayal."

Also, those are just the most highly visible plots.  Nobody posts "I just hired the byn to fetch me 3,000 'sid worth of flour so I can bake pastries for the upcoming Fale party" on the IG boards.  If you're looking for something more high-falutin', I'd like to remind you that commoners are commoners and do common commoner things.

[Agent_137]

Hm, but 3000* sids on a PK contract doesn't exactly strike me as commoner either. If you have 3000 sid to blow on killing someone who annoys you, then you are not a common commoner.

(unless you've scrimped and saved and stolen and busted butt to save that 3000 for a few RL months to spend it on a contract against your arch enemy Malik who murdered your lover in cold blod. then i'd say, that's cool.)

I always found paying people to make their life miserable a lot more entertaining than simply making them go away.

*just using the number already mentioned as an example. I do not know the going rate for a hit. it probably varies.

[Qzzrbl]

For all of these claims that the easy acquisition of wealth creates plots,  I have yet to see much of this in-game.

Not so much plots.... More just sending bounties against other PCs who slight them.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who's seen this happen more than a few times.

Interesting plots do pop up out of 'em every once in a blue moon though.

I'm curious as to why "putting a bounty on someone" doesn't qualify as a "plot" in the context of a game which has the tagline "Murder. Corruption.  Betrayal."

I mean, putting bounties on someone for no real good reason.

Like.... "I saw this guy shadowing me, so I'ma put a bounty on his head."

Silly stuff like that.... It happens more often than you'd think. x-X

[Saellyn]

Players who are crying about 'sids don't understand how Zalanthan society works, or really how the game works.

Coins, like skills, will only get you so far.  If it's easy for you to make them, guess what:  it's probably easy for everyone else to make them, too.  You might be able to drop a 5k 'sid bribe...but it will only be useful against newbs.  Just like having good combat skills by yourself is generally only useful against newbs.

Coins can't buy you friends who won't sell you out to the next highest bidder.  Coins can only buy you stupid shit from NPCs that make your character -look- like a badass.

The only things that matter, really, in terms of raw power, are relationships with social elements that are supposed to be powerful, according to the documentation.  E.g. templars, nobles, GMHs if you're in the city, or whatever d-elf tribe claims the current zone you're riding through.  There is no amount of coin that will save you if a templar -really- doesn't like you.  There is really no amount of coin that can compensate for favors from nobility, even if the actual noble PC doesn't have two 'sid to rub together.

In other words:  boasting about coins is idle bragging.  Not having them is great:  it gives your character something to strive for.  Instead of bitching about how everyone else has it so easy, GET A PIECE OF THAT PIE IN-CHARACTER.

As everybody knows you can survive without a single coin above your starting coin. You can also die without a single coin above your starting coin.

You can also get eaten by a Gith who then takes all your starting coin and eats it.

You can ALSO give me all your coin. This is the best option.

[spacewars]

I have played many clanned characters, and they are always broke and can't buy things they need, of course most is provided by the house. but the few characters i've had that stayed unclanned i had way more fun playing it forced me to meet people because its not safe to go outside the the gates and greb stuff, even tho my characters had good coin it was more fulfilling to be able to roleplay an unclanned character that actually makes it in zalanthas but i never stay unclanned forever.

[Reiteration]

All my characters have always been dirt poor, always.

[RogueGunslinger]

All my characters have always been dirt poor, always.

[FantasyWriter]

I tried playing a really down-on-his-luck character once... everyone kept giving me stuff

[Reiteration]

One of my characters even started out broke because he dropped his coins in chargen.

[spacewars]

coins in the char gen? never heard of such.
always got coins when i went pointed to a place on the map

[Reiteration]

coins in the char gen? never heard of such.
always got coins when i went pointed to a place on the map

My mistake, meant the point place.

[spacewars]

i'm just suprised you had coins in the pointing place

[Reiteration]

i'm just suprised you had coins in the pointing place

Check your inventory and equipment when your there, I wonder what happened to the large I left behind...

[AmandaGreathouse]

Nothing. When you're there, your str is always too low to lift anything. So it should have stayed until the game rebooted, then disappeared.

[Reiteration]

Nothing. When you're there, your str is always too low to lift anything. So it should have stayed until the game rebooted, then disappeared.

I bet that filthy tattoo NPC stole them!

[spacewars]

i've checked when i was there before and i thought F*** the staff really screwed me this time and the pointed to where i was going and now i have coin. so staff don't get offended you guys do a great job, i love this game but if you didn't have any coin when you pointed then you did something wrong after you pointed.  I'm just saying

[AmandaGreathouse]

I've actually had that happen. Largely because I was dumb enough to put my starting coin in the HoK pants before pointing while waiting for a setup once - needless to say, when it gives you new pants, it still doesn't replace the contents of the pockets of the old ones.

[Thunderboots]

I once found someone's dropped pile of starting coins in the point area, I managed to drag it into the game  , gd times...

[Thunderboots]

Nothing. When you're there, your str is always too low to lift anything. So it should have stayed until the game rebooted, then disappeared.

I bet that filthy tattoo NPC stole them!

So sorry if it was me Reiteration  , anyone else would've done the same thing...