Architect Archive
Thread: Payment Plans and other little things.
Pogo's contract idea got me thinking so credit for this idea goes to him.
Why are all items sold for credits upfront? The answer is because there's no payment system in the game.
Structure items and any items with a maintenance cost can use the same system that's in place for UXP.
Architects charge a reasonable upfront fee for the deed. The deed gets placed and the architect begins receiving payments out of the maintenance pool the player is already paying. The cost for the player does not change or changes slightly. And the architect doesn't have to charge high upfront prices. Armor smiths can charge such high prices because they can sell one small piece at a time. Architects don't have that luxury. With the payment system the prices architects charge now are actually in line with true market value and the payments make up for any shortfalls.
After a set period of time the architect stops receiving payments from that structure. The structure begins to decay. The maintenance costs begin to climb until eventually it reaches the point where the owner has to move and buy a new house.
This allows Architects to make money like they deserve and it keeps them in demand.
Another benefit is the ability to make experimentation mean something to architects. Allow experimentation to extend the life of a Structure before it starts to decay thus allowing more payments to the architect from the maintenance pool. This benefits both the creator and the user.
PA buildings would be exempt from this. Architects would receive no payments and buildings do not decay. Maintenance on PA buildings will be deferred to the PA Guild Hall. Meaning the PA Guild Hall becomes more expensive to maintain the more PA Buildings it has under its control.
Something that will probable never be implemented but should be is the separation of the professions into something more accurate.
Artisan Stays the Same except Surveying is changed to Sampling and the rates are reduced to small amounts. (This allows artisans to be able to gather resources yet not at the point that they rival personal extractors.) Sampling also allows minor processing to render the items usable in crafts.
Mining becomes a profession. Surveying, Extraction, Processing become part of this profession. Surveying is unchanged except that it provides Mining XP now. Extraction would be the use of heavy equipment to gather larger and larger amounts of raw material. (This allows a simplification of the resource layout meaning resources can be more generic in their raw form and it's the processing that gives them their stats.) Processing is what allows Miners to refine raw material into something that's useful to crafters.
The 4th skill tree is still up in the air but one possible idea would be resource tracking that gives advanced miners a general (Not pinpointing) idea of where new veins are likely to be found. As this skill improves he gains other abilities such as being able to determine the concentration and general quality before seeing the resource. It would basically enhance the Surveying skill line with new abilities and better results.
Other things I'd like to see.
Individual room controls allowing me to control access into each part of the house.
More business styled furniture related objects. (Cantina stuff in particular.)
Windows!
Bug fixes on the Admin. Functionality.
Banning somebody from your store who has made a purchase but not yet picked up the product cancels the sale. (Refunding the money to the buyer and the goods back into the vendor for sale.)
Dance hall style buildings and restaurant style buildings.
Bouncer NPC's (Or security guards.) (This would probably go under the merchant class)
anyway thats jsut my 2 credits
You're right in that a gradual payment system will most likely never see the light of day.
What I've heard of, though, are architects who charge adventures a fee each week, and in return they handle maintenance for any of the customer's structure.
It's nearly enough to ask "why not just take care of your own maintenance" but it's another way to pull in funds.
If anythingpleased customers will usually bring their next request to you; I just sold a small house to a guy only to sell him a factory with little trouble days later.
-Pogo
A payment system would be great, but what if the person decides to never place the deed? You end up getting less than you could have.
As for mining being a profession, it was at one point. However it was removed in late beta.
Heh, wish there was an edit button. Didn't notice that you knew miner was a profession 
I have heard rumors that its removal was only temporary, but not sure about that.
Here's something I do for RL and IG friends.. It isn't really open to just anyone who contacts me, but it really does help my trade...
I've had a couple of friends in the market for Medium houses. I am always in the market for resources, especially hides, as I tend to spend the majority of my time crafting and not hunting and these are harder for me to come by (and too expesive to by at the Bazaar).
One friend (IG)and I agreed that he would supply me with fuel for my harvesters, at a very acceptable rate, and once he provided me with enough fuel to equal the cost of the Medium house, then I would build it for him.
My other friend (RL) and I agreed for me to build him a medium house, and in turn he would provide me with hides until I was satisfied with the repayment.
Both friends deposit these items on my shop vendors for me to "buy" from them at 1 credit. This allows them to repay me at their convenience, and I don't always have to be online, or run out somewhere to meet up with them just to get repaid.
I'm pretty happy with this arrangement, but then again, it is only a service I would provide very good friends, otherwise, it would get horribly out of control.
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After a set period of time the architect stops receiving payments from that structure. The structure begins to decay. The maintenance costs begin to climb until eventually it reaches the point where the owner has to move and buy a new house.
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I see, so your plan is for the Arch to put up a house for a min cost up front and collect small payments until such time as the buyer quits paying at which time the house decays. Wonderful plan. Might I point out that the buyer seems to get use of a house for a time until they go broke or just decide they do not want to pay and then in your wisdom the house decays thus leaving the architect out a house for little to nothing for his/her efforts.... Might I suggest that the house return to the arch.... Under your plan I as a Master arch would never go for such a one sided deal.