Business And Economy Archive
Thread: Socailism? Communism? Is Capitalism the way to go in SWG?
Page 1 of 2
BlackJango
Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:29 pm
#1
Should there be a mild Socalistic "Cap" on goods? For example, Weapon with less then X stats go only go for up to X amount? Above X for this amount? Etc?
Flame on! Discuss!
bluejanus
Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:54 pm
#3
Definitely not. Economies vary server to server. Product value isn't the same. For your idea to be worked in, every server would be required to follow a pricing scheme that that server economy may not support. People would probably do more physical trading after that. Basically this kind of scheme would try to make all server economies the same.
And really, this is supposed to be player-driven economy. How are the devs supposed to decide value anyways? If your cdef weapon is selling for 1000 cr on Naritus, but only 100 on Valcyn, what's the proper price cap?
I've said it repeatedly in other threads. Opportunity cost is what runs this game. It's about finding the cheapest best. How much time and effort are you willing to give for that cheapest best? If you're not willing at what price are you willing to settle or what feature are you willing to do without? There are a range of sellers in the game, you just need to do some legwork to find what you feel is worth your credits.
What if mission payouts didn't occur till the end of day, when the average of the payouts by all players doing missions that day was calculated? That would be a nice communistic thing - same pay regardless of effort.
And really, this is supposed to be player-driven economy. How are the devs supposed to decide value anyways? If your cdef weapon is selling for 1000 cr on Naritus, but only 100 on Valcyn, what's the proper price cap?
I've said it repeatedly in other threads. Opportunity cost is what runs this game. It's about finding the cheapest best. How much time and effort are you willing to give for that cheapest best? If you're not willing at what price are you willing to settle or what feature are you willing to do without? There are a range of sellers in the game, you just need to do some legwork to find what you feel is worth your credits.
What if mission payouts didn't occur till the end of day, when the average of the payouts by all players doing missions that day was calculated? That would be a nice communistic thing - same pay regardless of effort.
Scythykins
Sat Feb 05, 2005 8:51 pm
#5
That is an idea that has merit...though I think it should be used more to curb in low-ballers than anything. It isn't socialism or communism, it's just a bit of government control stepping in. Right now the economy highly resembles late 1920's America...just before the great depression :-p
gera
Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:22 pm
#6
There is no Socialism, nor Communism and nor Capitalismin Star Wars Galaxies...
I'm not sure if those terms were available, lets say 2K years ago...
Free bazaar does not mean Capitalism either if you want to know...
MisterLeebo
Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:02 pm
#7
Artificial Ceilings and Floors on prices is hardly ever a benefit to an economy machine in the real world. Their purpose isn't to improve the economy, but to make it fair. In SWG, the economy is even more fair than in real life. Everybody starts out with the same amount of credits, however the number of delicious pre-nerf melons you enjoy depends on when you started 
. When you create your character, you aren't randomly chosen to be born a noble or an orphan. Almost the embodiment of the American ideal, everybody starts out exactly alike and rely on their own two hands (or in some cases someone else's hands) to build their empire.
. When you create your character, you aren't randomly chosen to be born a noble or an orphan. Almost the embodiment of the American ideal, everybody starts out exactly alike and rely on their own two hands (or in some cases someone else's hands) to build their empire.Controlling the price of things in SWG is a really bad idea because it is so difficult for a central controller to figure out how things belong and there is only two possible outcomes. Either the controller is too loose, and has absolutely zero effect on the economy (except for the occassional Going-Out-Of-Business-Sale) or is too strict and denies the Free Economy its power to move with the times, shift to respond to changes in the system, etc. Every Server is different, the prices of goods depends on a million variables... How often a resource spawns and at what quality, how abundant the crafters to make it are and how many people may use it.
When everything comes down to it, all the economy is is the result of what sellers can get away with selling and what buyers are willing to buy. As long as sellers are willing to sell and buyers are willing to buy, there is no problem. If you really want to affect the price of something that is too high or too low, boycott it or buy it in crates.
Message Edited by MisterLeebo on 02-06-2005 01:08 AM
Pawlin
Sun Feb 06, 2005 12:25 am
#8
Since everyone has the chance to succeed in SWG and nobody is going to starve to death, there is really no need for any kind of regulation to the economy and nobody needs price controls or social safety nets.
Shadine
Sun Feb 06, 2005 3:48 am
#9
This thread is pretty much irrelevent. The problem is, and will be for awhile. Lack of pricing information across a city, planet, galaxy.
If you could find things out at these levels, you can competively price things. Certain people won't hold monopolies.
Plain and simple.
No real flame involved.
bluejanus
Sun Feb 06, 2005 8:06 am
#10
Shadine wrote:This thread is pretty much irrelevent. The problem is, and will be for awhile. Lack of pricing information across a city, planet, galaxy.If you could find things out at these levels, you can competively price things. Certain people won't hold monopolies.Plain and simple.No real flame involved.
I'm not sure I know of anyone that has a monopoly There's a bottleneck concerning loot, but that relies on whatever randomizer there is for loot and player effort on a server. There are better locations for vendors. People have established reputations. Can you give us an example of a monopoly?
BlackJango
Mon Feb 07, 2005 9:38 pm
#12
Gom_Kuub wrote:
BlackJango wrote:
Should there be a mild Socalistic "Cap" on goods? For example, Weapon with less then X stats go only go for up to X amount? Above X for this amount? Etc?
Flame on! Discuss!
either way, I WANT LOTS OF MONEY
-Gom
Ahhh...
I try to start a smart conversation and, just for the sake of putting others down, you jump in with a moronic comment like this. Yes I know how inflation and the like works, I'm not the "give me a Jedi and 100million" n000b that doesnt know that when everyone has 100,000,000, 100mil isnt anything specail.
Straker_Atrella
Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:11 pm
#13
The economy is fine the way it is, any type if price fixing is bad.
First any crafter is just as capable of competing as the next, if they need resources, time will eventually take care of that. That extra 5 points on a weapon or 2% on armor isn't really that big of a deal, people just buy it to feel good.
You also can't compare SWG to a RL economy at all, every single day there are about 100 million credits added to the economy from missions. These are free credits that are added, not old ones. If that type of money was added in a RL economy, the value on it would drop fast.
We kind of have that happen here, as people get more money, they are WILLING to spend more. Where once 100k was a lot, it is now pocket change. Combatents can make a TON of money from misisons, then even more from selling loot. Even including expenses, they still pocket quite a bit.
The point is that price fixing is bad because the only thing it will do is allow the combatents to pocket more money, and the crafters to get less. If people are willnig to pay 20k more for my droid because it has 500 HAM more, then let them. It's their money, let them spend it.
Page 1 of 2