Sw33t's Easy Fixe$

Day 2,584, 13:43 Published in USA Ireland by Sweet Drinker

Let's talk about that starving elephant The Economy

Everyone knows something needs to be done, but it's such a tricky module to tamper with. Tinkering with it is complicated and potentially catastrophic (think V2).
Nobody wants that, but everyone wants an economy that lives. Nobody ever called Erep's economy inspired, but lately it hasn't had much of a pulse at all.

That's why I was so happy to see this:


Now I know everybody logged in, saw that update and immediately said "Well that's stupid, everybody is just going to lay-off tanking until this is over", and ofc you're right that was many's responde.

Then to nobody's surprise Plato sends out some encouragement:



So why would I be interested by this apparently a lack-luster attempt?

How would the playerbase respond to the removal of WaM? That could be catastrophic, too much invested in it.
How about the release of Q8's? Don't think they haven't considered it. But it'd be a last straw for tons of hardcore players. They promised 'the last upgrade' with Q7.
Do you want big changes to tax structuring? Oh Yay..
How'bout 100% more health? Or 100% faster regeneration? These both counteract themselves due to the proportionate increase in WaM potential.
More specials? When everyday is special, no day is. But a very very Happy un-Birthday to you regardless.
It's not so easy to find a 'solution' that won't have the community in uproar, which is affordable to impliment and administer.


How about a simple adjustment of production/consumption rates that effects every producer and consumer proportionately?
Doesn't sound too bad compared to the alternatives.

Nobody's investments gets taken away. They may reduce the amount of units you can produce, but everybody else in your marketsector faces the same. Consumers will face higher costs, but their enemies will also.
Adjusting base-line production/consumption ratios isn't very tramatic. It can be tuned like a radio dial as easy as any company could hope for.
Graduate production rates down, consumption rates up. Eventually you'll reach the spot where the pool of career producers don't have enough available energy to weigh down the global economy with WaM.
RM prices begin to rise taking product values with them. Self-suppliers won't be able to do so as well, but its everybody's issue to deal with. Soldiers might not be able to tank so easily, forced to save up for important battles, but we're all really just doing that with EB's now aren't we?


I'm not selling this as the magic bullet for our dream economic module, far from it. But you have to be practical for a payerbase our size.
This would do quite a lot for the game experience with the smallest of mechanic changes. Prices will rise but the amount of actual money in the system won't be increased. That makes things much easier to manage. It will effect gold/cc value ratios, but it doesn't effect the amount of gold entering the game. Which is understandably a sensitive issue for E-Labs.

That's why I'm hoping



While Economy Days isn't the right spot, it at least shows that Plato is looking in the right general direction,

eLife is,
Sw33t