The Regional Economy. Still Possible post R57? & an idea.

Hi again,

I'm feeling chatty today, its therapeutic. I'm (partially) over my sleepless night after R57 and the loss of my beloved 'Regions' and am still musing about what I think is a step backwards with the introduction of Global Banks. Did we need them and the deletion of CPs? Anyway.. Yes, yes, I know its all moot if the game doesn't have the population to survive and I know i'm a dinosaur, but we're all here on this forum to discuss stuff and i'd much rather post impartial, positive stuff than social engineering or propaganda.. OK, here goes.

Qualification - SOTA Devs are very smart, some of the smartest in the Industry, they can always roll back or 'modify' stuff once the game has thousands concurrently on line and the cash is pouring in. I'm sure they have short, medium and long term plans.

Assumptions - Control points are gone for good and Global Banks are here for ever.

The idea - How about Regional Speciality Products?

Each Region has its own climatic, geographical and geologically influenced harvests..

Think Elysium for sweet grapes and soft fruits exotic feathers, reptile leathers, think Verdantis for wild Fungi, nuts, root veg, apples, pears etc and rare elk pelts, think South Paladis for veal and lamb, the rare white bear pelts, Drachvald for the best barley and goatskins, Perennial Coast for the best hops and herbs, Grunvald for exotic crops like melons, figs, rare wild harvest spices and amazing timbers for casks, barrels and buildings from Midmaer....

These crops, animal and wild harvests can only be farmed and gathered in these locations. This means you have to personally travel there to gather them or set up a farm there to make them.

These harvests and gathers are components that have to be brought together to make the worlds best versions of finished products.. Think the best barley from Drachvald and the best hops from the Perennial Coast to make the best Ales in the world. What about that amazing wine made from Elysium grapes, gathered at night in September under a full moon and aged for 2 years in Midmaer Oak barrels..

Even with global banks and open passes, we would still have to travel and establish ourselves in these regions to make, harvest or gather these regional speciality goods. To put them on the market as raw materials they have to be taken from the production region and put on a vendor, either there or elsewhere. In theory specialist regional products could have a severe tax applied if solid outside their production regions..
To manufacture fabulous versions of the products the raw materials have to be gathered from different regions and brought together to combine for production.

The mind boggles, at least mine does.. and to think this is all still entirely possible despite the recent changes.. The regional economy is dead! Long live the regional economy!


Your thoughts comrades?

 

Some good ideas. Also, I think you've hit on something. It's not Restrictions that make a things fun, it's Additions.

Restricting access to regions is not as good of a design philosophy as adding something unique to those regions.

 

Is two kinds of trees they could divide the world in two and make each half dominated by one type of tree.

 

As long as I can travel there by a decent portal or runebook then sure its a great idea otherwise it's global auction houses that would get my vote.

People would or could still make money as those who of us who CBA to travel on foot (me included) by paying a higher premium on AH for said type of regional goods. Typically though seeing as most of us have multiple accounts ( a mere three for me) then you station a char up in one zone and mail said goods down is another solution plus TBH my low level char stuck in The Rise may prefer the hot sunshine of a city to the cold damp catacombs she currently resides in

 

From The Release Notes This Month

• Brewing Merchants: Merchants that specialize in inventory related to brewing have begun appearing all over Novia. They can be found in six locations:
  • Brittany Wharfs Cooking Shop (Brittany Ale)
  • Broochash Tavern (Drach Bock)
  • Harvest Tavern (Harvest Wheat)
  • Solania General Store (Perennial Red Wine)
  • Northwood Tavern (Paladis White Wine)
  • Desolis Inn (Whiskeys)
• Florists: Merchants that specialize in inventory related to flowers have begun moving in all over Novia. Note that the new color specific rose flower arrangements and bouquets can only be found on these merchants. They can be found in four places:
  • Kingsport
  • Brittany Alleys
  • Brookside
  • Westend

Enjoy

 

I want some rare 500 year Obsidian Whiskey. Salut !

 

We really no longer need runebooks. With the teleport and recall scrolls, and the passes all open to run through, you can get almost anywhere in a minute or two.

 

I like the idea of regional specialties.

Now it’s less painful to transport goods as the global bank is basically a Star Trek item transporter.

 

LOL

 

It's so much nicer walking around the open world in R57. Too bad it came this late in development.

 

I'm enjoying it too

 

oops, forgot the trademark.. it should be: Star Trek™

 

For agriculture could the time/effort to grow something specific variate by region.
grapes faster in the perennial region as example.

Could alternativ be so you only needed to water regional products once (initial)

 

Even though regional market did not really work. I like the idea of regional markets, but as i said in a different thread, that boat has sailed and balancing fast travel based on regional markets was not really viable.

However regional markets could still be "thing" if each new episode(s) land is a region rather than the land masses we have now.

If there is new gathered/farmed things (as you suggest) that only work in the new lands and there is mechanism that travelling to the new lands costed via the amount you are carrying rather than costing player time, which people don't seem to like. So works like the mail system.

Then maybe when/if boats come in, player could sail there with cargo without the NPC cost for the weight travelling.


Regards
Spung

 

Like that ideas here.

 

They could make regional markets work if some things only grew in the earth of certain areas. Like you can't grow some plants in some areas, they need to be in the "Hot" areas, and vice versa.

 

Note for the episode regional market to work, then no COTO magic move can happen, as for 5 COTO you can move an obscene amount of stuff.

You do have to make an exception of the first time for people, but after that you would have to stop it.


Regards
Spung

 

During the early release days, I actually thought that this was the intention with regional economies. I had hoped that by persistence, youd have features like "Maple trees only in this part of the world, Pine trees in that part of the world," and so on.

I think this is a good idea, in a general sense.

 

With the new continents, they could actually introduce some new regional resources, and other things as well. Will wait and see.

 

The problem is even if you added regional restrictions to gathering or agriculture, as long as you can recall home to list the items you're not going to start seeing regional prices - unless LOCAL vendors are incentivized, rather than disincentivized (ie 20% tax) there's no reason to list locally when you have a commission free on your front porch, or access to a CF in a market or guild town.

I think there is some potential with the new landmass, but unless a LOT of restrictions are placed on travel to/from there, you would simply recall home and proceed as normal. If you made it costly to export such items, then you wouldn't be able to travel there and shop without having to pay the same 'export' tax to go home - so you may as well buy from someone who's already done that bit. I suppose in that sense you would have something like a regional market (local folks sell it cheaper) but unless you're going to USE it there because you live there, its a bit pointless?

Its an interesting problem to solve, one that is made significantly more difficult by the current implementation of housing, travel, and magic mover. And now global banking, unless 'global' isn't going to include the new landmass? And so on.