Business And Economy Archive
Thread: Currency exchange and money types.
TitanTen wrote:
As an economist I applaude the idea, but in this kind of game that tries to cater to everyone this would be WAAAAY over some peoples head. (Younger players come to mind). Also it would be very easy to play the market and make money just like in real life. Picture this.
A huge imperial guild, the largest on the server, wants to make a huge amount of money fairly quickly. They buy a lot of rebel currency, (used for simplicity) then they purposly stay out of the next few huge battles and lose a few zones of control so the rebel currency appreciates then they cash it in at the higher price. Instant money.
Sorry but having this would make for serious exploitation of the system. I love the idea though. Just very easily manipulated.
Obviously I don't have all the answers, but I think adding a bit of dynamics to the economy is overall a good thing. Not only does it add a bit of spice to the game, but it gives the developers a system they can use (or abuse) to control currency on a large scale. Back when the game first started, building maintinence and shuttle fees were adequate, but we need a more flexible system now that we have a more mature economy to deal with.Message Edited by TKarrade on 02-07-2005 10:22 AM
TKarrade wrote:
A well designed economic system can eliminate most forms of exploitation... without necessarily making it over-simplistic. All it takes is adjusting the matrices so that the net sum of the changes results in a balance that is equal to or less than the value of the previous system. I think you're over-estimating the economic impact of a single guild in comparison to the combined net worth of the rest of the server.
I am seriously not trying to be funny here, but would you trust game developers making an economic system that rivals true life for involvement? I still love the idea dont get me wrong, but what you are basicly proposing is making an international currency system in an online game with nearly no regulation. A grand idea, but also a huge risk. They break it or leave even one exploit in and bam billions made or billions lost.
My idea would be to put this in on a limited basis. Like maybe space credits and ground credits or the such. Or maybe an outer rim currency and a galactic currency. Because what was said in episode 1? "Republic credits are no good out here" is that right?
Sorry for being negitive, but I do not want to see any ways for exploitation to get in the game again.
. Also that would be very handy for merchants, and if smugglers had to be able to convert to one of the types that would be an added use there also.
TitanTen wrote:
I am seriously not trying to be funny here, but would you trust game developers making an economic system that rivals true life for involvement? I still love the idea dont get me wrong, but what you are basicly proposing is making an international currency system in an online game with nearly no regulation. A grand idea, but also a huge risk. They break it or leave even one exploit in and bam billions made or billions lost.
My idea would be to put this in on a limited basis. Like maybe space credits and ground credits or the such. Or maybe an outer rim currency and a galactic currency. Because what was said in episode 1? "Republic credits are no good out here" is that right?
Sorry for being negitive, but I do not want to see any ways for exploitation to get in the game again.
Heh, I understand your perspective. And I agree there is inherent risk involved if you do too much with this... however I think the risk is minimal.
There are two ways to regulate it and control the exploitation of the system. On large scales just design the system to take into account the amount of currency in circulation so that the exchange rates don't fluctuate dramatically, and so the net result of a change in the rate results in 0 money being 'created'. On small scales implement fees or other mechanisms to prevent or at least provide a penalty for frequent exchanges of currency.
Maybe it's naieve... but I do trust the developers to design a system that takes these factors into account. It's just a matter of doing the math, and as a programmer myself I can tell you that math skills are a prerequisite for this job.
Perhaps you are right however... maybe a variable exchange rate poses too much of an exploitation problem to deal with. So what about a simple 'fixed' exchange rate, that either doesn't vary, or changes over time so slowly that it won't make any difference. Having multiple currencies in this case won't add much dynamics to the economy but it WILL provide several benefits.
Why would this be useful?
- It would allow merchants to take a greater part in the GCW bygiving them the ability to restrict the type of currency accepted by their vendors.Add a skill in the merchant tree so thatvendors can charge a'markup' for an itempurchased in the wrong currency.
- Itcould provide smugglers with anotherthing they can doin the game. Give them the ability to exchange credits without (or with reduced)bank fees.
- It would give people a reason to use the bank more often and would allow for a large moneysink in the form of bank fees for currency exchanges.
With a fixed exchange rate you could eliminate thepossible exploits ofa multiple currency system, and still provide a large amount of possible GCW and roleplay content that currently does not exist in the game.
A dynamic system has more potential as far as game content... but a static one may be safer in the long run. Either way, it's game content that currently doesn't exist,... and any new content is always a plus in my book. Besides, right now as a merchant I can't make someone pay more for an item if they're a certain faction... which is something I would very much like to do at some point. Especially if I'm selling weapons or armor. I have no way to really 'help out' my chosen faction as a non-combatant.
-TK
Message Edited by TKarrade on 02-07-2005 12:51 PM
bluejanus wrote:
Interesting idea. How about adding bribery code to certain corrupt Imperial officials and officers?
That's an interesting thought... we could probably do that with the current system just as easily though. Would make for some cool game content.
-TK