I don't want to be a warrior or mage

I want to be a merchant, crafter, and business owner. I am not sure how realistic it is to ask this but for me this is what I enjoy. I would like to start the game with a donkey, a cart and a pocket full of gold and see where that takes me. If I become successful I could own a large warehouse and I hire caravans to search out natural resources. If my caravans are getting raided I could put bounties up and npc "heroes" can try their luck collecting on them. Now I am not saying there shouldn't be warriors and mages and thieves in the game. I am saying give us actual options were we don't have to go through the game in a traditional sense (hack/slash/kill).

 

It is quite realistic. There will be plenty of opportunity for the entrepreneurs in us to stake our claim in some fashion. I know Richard Garriott is a fan of options and various lifestyles in a game so no need to worry about that.

The warriors and mages will need to come to us at some point, no? And we shall be ready for them. *grins*

 

I played UO as a full time Blacksmith / miner for 3 years.

It would be nice to be able to have NPC miners.
One thought is be able to own a mine and some water powered machines to help mine / help blow the forge. would require lots of maintenance to keep the machines running. both material and skill would be required to maintain the equipment.

maybe even water / wind powered cloth making equipment.

I would like to be able to program play owned vendors to walk around a shop and program what they would say to players.

 

For any craft to be meaning, it has to mean that there is a world which can take stuff away from people. Meaning if someone buys a sword from you, that someone needs to be in a world where they can lose that sword and have to go buy a new one...

Also means stuff has to decay, otherwise why any kind of repair-skills at all.

Also means that stuff needs to require different materials, otherwise why ever buy more than that one weapon type that does more damage.

Also means that those materials need to be more or less hard to get, otherwise why ever go with lesser materials and why have a market, since everything is super easy to get.

And so on and so on and so on.

 

I'm looking forward to an intense economic game also. Cheers!

 

My hope is that and point allocation or progression is completely separate between combat and non-combat. So no decisions that you make on one have the slightest bearing on the other.

 

@PrimeRib
RG said they would be separate in an early interview.

 

Speaking on mining... other minerals besides "ore" would be nice.