Upcoming Economic Balance Changes

I think this story from the upcoming issue of The R33 Unreliable Travel Guide is relevant here:



Everyone knows about the brothel in Central Brittany - some by reputation, others intimately. What most do not know, however, is how it came to be.
It all began when Lord British, concerned about the growing number of homeless outlanders, announced a raffle. Winners of the raffle would each be granted a deed to a plot of land.
To say that this announcement affected the economy would be an understatement. Rather than spending in shops, outlanders started hoarding gold to buy raffle tickets. Sales dropped through the floor, and businesses everywhere struggled to survive, with more closing every week.

Caught up in this maelstrom was Persephony Trueheart, who watched in dismay as customers stopped visiting her custom garment shop. Inevitably she was faced with a decision: close shop or make some changes.
She chose to make changes and completely altered the interior to better support an enterprise based on brief random encounters of a passionate nature. Finally she grabbed an old lamp from the attic, wrapped it in pink and hung it outside.
Soon she had sufficient funds to expand her business, and more young ladies who had been thrown out of work by the economic downturn joined her in her brave new enterprise.
Today it remains one of Central Brittany's most successful businesses and is a testament to the true entrepreneurial spirit that characterises New Britannia.

 

This is where I say; something that is not broken why fix it: I just luv little moments like this.


Ruin • Force • Might • Mystic • Power • Vanquishing • Newbified
http://www.uoguide.com/Item_Properties

 

I don't always agree with Richard's sense of what makes sense. If you're distrustful of them.. it makes more sense that you don't want them around.. rather than encouraging them to come over for a visit for free money.. If the solution involves throwing money at Outlanders then it would make more sense then.. to set up a welfare city where you pay Outlanders to live there. That way they're all in one place. (Not that that would work in practice either, story wise).

And a faucet is still a faucet no matter how small. This is just jump through hoop.. get gold. and everyone can do it equally.. including the gold obsessed super rich.. who surely will jump through those hoops as well. It may help the poor in the short term.. but in the long term you're just raising that curve you talked about.. it's just the amount of the rise is 'throttled'.

 

I may be wrong, but I doubt that the top 10% will consider these low return activities a good investment of their limited time. Clearly they are already able to make more money in the same amount of time doing other things.

 

500g? ... 3-5 minutes in the mines

 

Thanks for this, @DarkStarr! I can see the attraction of a reagent-free deck. There's currently a bit of a cliff between tiers 2 and 3 where we go from zero reagents to three, and that makes reagent-based spells a tough sell, let alone training those spells to get to others further down the tree. Making that transition more gradual--like introducing single-reagent costs in the second tier--sounds like a good way to encourage players to mix things up a bit, and to introduce newer players to that mechanic.

 

How much time and effort does it take to make an extra 500g? Or to stop by a town crier when they go to a new town? I don't think it's going to take a 30 minute conversation with the Oracle or crier.. Who wouldn't take 1 minute to make a convenient stop?

 

What is considered the top 10%?

Edit: I watched the postmortem and got the information I seek.

 

The 500 bucks are not worth the way I would have to run because I make the 500g+ in the same time, so it is no option for me (only once to check the system). Also, I only do mining. People eager to trade and only making money by trading make even more in the same time through thoughtful transactions. Yes, 500g for a talk sounds much, but in reality it is only good when you are not focused on making gold when gaming the rest of the time. But eather way: Even when all people would use the system: It's only 500g once per day, so not the big deal while still a help for many players (especially the ones who don't use the vendors for trading but only selling to normal merchants).

 

In America, the top 10% OWN 77% of this nation's wealth. That SOTA is doing better is fine, but to tinker with it risks those who pay for this game (and play it) leaving. How about letting social and economic Darwinism work?

 

Just to show why i don't understand people telling that spell reagent are a big issue in making money ! Those are the skill i use the most for ''farming'' and not because they are low in cost , just because they are the most effective for me.Look at the regs consume chance. This is very very reasonable i think. Pretty sure i would still make money if they increase regs cost by 3x (something im not asking for, just to make sure ) . And i'm not using any other weapon then 1wands+shield.






And as i state i use them the most just because they are the best for dps for me. I would not even see why i should use reg free spell like fire arrow , obsidian arrow , ice arrow outside the fact that you can spam them quickly.The only O cost spell are use are stuff like : nighvision , strenght buff , intl buff etc.. and sometime death touch to get some life back when thing are going really bad for me. Maybe people use too much that kind of high cost spell ?



Edit : I think most people that say regs cost is too high. Maybe just need some grinding ? Since the most you raise a spell , the most efficient he will be , the most damage he will do , so the less cast you gonna need to kill something and get loot. Adding some way for new people to make money , like they are doing now , like this oracle quest etc.. gonna help people afford money to grind those skill and reach a certain skill lvl where they gonna feel way more confortable to farm.

 

@Headquake , images are not working

 

Not defending the solution, but it does distribute more gold among the lower 90% an decreases the overall % of gold share the top 10% hold if in a vacuum.

Then again, we aren't in a vacuum.

 

Adam Smith said it best: "it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."

 

Need more carrots that for sure, but remember it doesnt have to be the same ol carrots.

 

Why would I buy reagents when i can farm them myself? Your increasing the reagent drops, so again why would I buy them when I can farm them faster?

On point #2 see above

 

I change it , is it working now ?

 

It is for me.

 

An issue with "social and economic Darwinism" is that eventually it is not simply that the "fittest" get more than a "fair share", but that they begin to incentivise one another to elbow others out from making a basic living altogether, much less get ahead.

People shouldn't have to struggle to feed and clothe themselves. And new players shouldn't be thrust into a world where they are surrounded by opulence, yet have no pathway to achieve it for themselves.

I mean... that's cool that some players are making 10-15K an hour in the mines... but if most of those people are doing so in "friends only" mode (which appears to currently be the case) then there is not much of a pathway for new players to ever interact with those players, and therefore are effectively "elbowed out" of the elite club.

All they see is a world filled with extravagant homes and fancy gear they can't afford... but no actual people who can lend them a helping hand to improve their skills.

 

Amen. Doesn't make any sense at all. Be more effective if melee required regents as well. I mean give me a regent I can use over and over and just need to repair it once in a while.