titsup
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Post by titsup on Jan 27, 2016 1:09:18 GMT
I understand the concept, but is forcing players to manipulate banks in various cities justifiable?
It seems to me that when developing a game and systems within a game, things can seem sensible on paper when they may not be in practice. When I was younger, I would have agreed with some of what I would consider the worst ideas on the SotA forums. What if mail were only delivered to your mailbox via a mailman that came by and dropped it off? That's how the real world works and so why not in game?
Should we not look at systems and determine whether they are fun or at least have fun as their aim? For a game that wishes to have players exploring and traversing the world, shouldn't that games mechanisms be such that they promote exploring? How does either a) asking players to store money in various banks throughout the land or b) asking players to fast travel to a bank then fast travel back from that bank provide a positive experience? Does money being in a bank make that money regional? Does the system as its designed disincentive player exploration by making it beneficial to keep a single bank account thereby reducing the aim of exploration?
Certainly the idea of 'fun' can be argued. But I can't imagine this system being fun for players long term, particularly casual players.
I suppose a counter argument could be made that this system gets players moving around the map, but that seems like something that would not be true in practice. People, as a whole, will find the most comfortable experience and its more likely to me that that will mean keeping a main bank/home where they operate from.
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dodgy
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Post by dodgy on Jan 27, 2016 1:46:32 GMT
Regional economies are a must.
I love it in EVE
I love it in Albion
Each bank different
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Post by dewderonomy on Jan 27, 2016 2:50:15 GMT
It's a matter of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Regional economies can be cool if the game supports it with incentives - organic incentives - to participate in the program. Additionally, with towns, trade hubs for crafters and PvP/PK/thieving being an option on the open roads, maintaining regional economies becomes a group effort, building solidarity, pride and creating rivals and allies. However, literally none of that exists in any meaningful form: towns are bought and run like servers; trading and crafting will be nearly pointless since everyone can craft something and the whales will likely dominate markets anyway; shitty combat means no real PvPers and limited PKing opportunities (if any) relegates combat to certain thinly veiled arenas. Throw on top the crappy overworld map and who the fuck wants to spend time outside of towns or the nearest dungeon?
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titsup
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Post by titsup on Jan 27, 2016 3:03:39 GMT
I'm not saying it can't work in games, more is it applicable to this game as it is designed. Does simply making banks individualized localize that economy I think is the real question I am getting at.
Given that fast travel will be possible in SotA, are the economies really regional if one can freely move about in an instant?
As an example, would making UO have regional economies have any impact on the game's economy? Players can recall/gate wherever and whenever they choose. We're a regional economy instituted in UO, I'd likely just use a single bank and fast travel to and from that bank when necessary. There's no reason for me to keep money or items in various banks even if the banks were individualized.
Of course they haven't spoken about the costs involved with fast travel and maybe the expense will outweigh the benefit of hopping back to a 'home' bank and utilizing a variety might be beneficial.
Is there fast travel in albion or eve? I have a hard time comprehending the utility of many banks if a game permits me to return to a single bank in the blink of a 45 second loading screen.
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Post by dewderonomy on Jan 27, 2016 3:10:53 GMT
Well, that was my point. I was hoping to paint a picture of people working together, against each other, and together against each other to strengthen their region for some unknown incentive (stronger economies means bonuses, festivals, special rewards, town upgrades, etc.). Fast travel is a good point; without it, who cares? You can just travel to the best region. But fast travel is a bane; if your game is so shitty people don't want to explore it, then you got a bigger problem than fast travel.
And before anyone moans about time, the average time for most is around 20 hours a week in an MMO. You can wander from town to dungeon and back and create opportunities for interaction without fast travel, opening a helluvalot more options for interesting and immersive game mechanics.
As far as SotA specifically is concerned? Regional economies face a bigger issue than fast travel and location-specific banks, like having fucking people to play the goddamn game.
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titsup
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Post by titsup on Jan 27, 2016 3:26:53 GMT
As far as SotA specifically is concerned? Regional economies face a bigger issue than fast travel and location-specific banks, like having fucking people to play the goddamn game. This is a good point in regards to regional economies. Specific areas will flourish and others will naturally struggle which can cause people to move from PoT x to PoT y. All the 'give people a reason to come to your town' in the world isn't going to help if the local economy suffers. If Baron's Rats Nest is in an area that becomes depressed, his PoT that he paid a shitload of money for will suffer. I use him as an example, but any PoT owner, in fact multiple PoT owners can be affected by a struggling local economy. Players will leave those towns and move to the towns which have a more vibrant economy. Not that we won't already see ghost towns, but towns could, through no fault of their owner, become ghost towns. This all presupposes that there will be a functioning economy. Many companies consult economists when building in game economies. I'm not saying I am one, but I can see issues with the game's economy developing. Maybe not what I point to, again, I'm no expert, but certainly there are pitfalls. Everything looks fine on paper and in theory to a bunch of forum jockeys that have taken econ 101 or a dev team who have worked on other online games. There are people with phds in economics for a reason and the economy they plan on having will not necessarily be the economy they have.
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dodgy
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Post by dodgy on Jan 27, 2016 4:49:19 GMT
You could argue UO had a regional economy.
I know there was a GM SMITH in Yew was worth buying from.
We had a house by the British moongate where we sold our looted/stolen goods that attracted buyers and more pvp
So it was more regional then say Wow where you get it all from the AH and a lot less then EVE where you either risk Jita or pay inflated prices in smaller hubs
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Post by Membrane_on_Vacation on Jan 27, 2016 10:18:50 GMT
I'm not too sure about regional economies, it would take some pretty decent study for me to have an informed opinion on the matter. But my opinion on how the banks work? I don't think very well.
The reason is that banks exist for a reason, you give them something and you get it back out in return. Right now I can keep 37k of gold in my Avatar with totally no ill effect. No weight penalty, no PvE or PvP gold loss on death, nothing. Where is my incentive to put gold in the bank? In fact, there is a very good reason for not putting old in the bank; you can only access it from that one bank.
That is not a regional economy in of itself, nor is limiting bank boxes. I think there is a lot more too it than that. Sure isn't fun in the current state. Has anyone heard of any plans to expand on this regional economy idea?
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Caliya
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People fight to gain things they can't take with them in the end
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Post by Caliya on Jan 27, 2016 12:34:54 GMT
Regional economies are understandable. The banking system included in that is not. If anything, having to schlep from bank to bank would be a deterrent to use other region's banks, unless they made it meaningful.
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