I know a way to fix the economy.
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:32 pm
Hello, it's me.. The one you both love, and hate.. Just thought I would throw in a single idea, that has the possibility towards fixing a lot of the problems with the bloated economy.
Before I mention the very idea I have in mind. Let me make one thing clear.. This is an "Idea". Not law, and not a demand.
Take away "Instant Heal".
Replace instant heal, with a gradual climb to 2.5 second heals, once 220 Dex is achieved. The original UO has a bandage capped speed, which is far slower than that.
Even 1 second heals would be too powerful for this server we all currently play on. It creates a rather sizable portion of the problem with the current economy climate.
1) Allows people who have little experience with UO, to fast track far sooner than they reasonably should be able to. Experienced players to UO, should have the benefit from their years of experience. The playing field should not be even between the people new to the game, vs Veterans of UO. That needs to be earned. (It is this way in RL, and many people treat this server as RL. Goes without saying.)
2) Players have the ability to go to a champion spawn, and go afk. (happens a lot) They then go make dinner, or watch TV. Or whatever thing they have going when they plant themselves at a champ. That in it's self, is no effort for the pay out. Players who are not well enough equipped will not survive past the third and forth stages of many champs afk, with a slower healing time. (Means they have to pay attention, at least half way through a champ.)
3) People will be more careful about fights. Especially about the use of "Enemy of One". The very spell that gives a ridiculous slayer like boost to a players damage. I have also watched Veterans at the Halloween Event, gathering up all the Sigils from players. So they can go and solo the bosses in larger number, and reap the rewards. They can easily get through the fights with strong gear, and Instant Heal. Without Instant Heal, they will not have this capability to solo multiple bosses at a time. At least not very easily. It ends up on their vendor, which creates a monopoly. (Something JW has mentioned in another post.)
4) It removes the use of many other methods of play.. Pets, Magic, Poisoning.. the list goes on for a country mile. It has negated the need for most skills in the game. Yumi, WW Weapon, Insta Heal.. done. This ends up being how everyone plays. It is easy, and the easiest way to make money on the server. Which right there, is in part to why the economy is so bloated. Money is too easy after 220 Dex is achieved. (Donations are faster, but that is a different subject entirely.)
5) The auctions. (You knew this was coming...) If you make it to where other methods of play open up. For experienced, and inexperienced players alike. You can easily add more "inventive" items to Auctions. Special pets are the first thing that come to mind. Things you cannot make with Bio Engineering. (Glacial/Quartz Golem Graphic come to mind.) With special abilities no other pet on the server has.
(The possibilities of new things on the market, could be huge.)
(6 Humans are fundamentally lazy. (Not an insult. Scientific fact.) Give them the easy road, and everyone will take it. Hence why everyone wants 220 Dex as soon as possible. Also, it's the first thing people tell a new player when they start playing EX.. That should tell you something... (Well, almost everyone. I'd say 95% of everyone.)
I could continue on, but I think a few valid points have been made here. Giving people the easy road in a game, will cause big problems to the market. I play the harder road, and it works out fine. I tend to make less than if I had 220 Dex, a Yumi/Heavy WW Weapon, and use Chivalry. (Literally 1 million gold a day less if I do not use a Yumi, or Chivalry.) But this is by choice, as I want to enjoy the game. Not destroy it, and say "I won!".
There should be no such thing, as "End Game"
Being an artist, I have a very "obsessive" mind. I can (and have) made 4 million gold in a day, using the easy road. I can and will hunt from morning, till bed time. With breaks in between. If I want something bad enough. I am not the only player that can, and will do this. If a far-off goal that would normally take 1/2 a month, to a full month could be reached within days. Then I will choose to stop being a mage, and use the easy path for a short time. It makes just over a million more gold a day when I do this. (My Hypocrisy knows no bounds when wanting to achieve a goal.)
I personally (speaking for myself here), believe if 2.5 second heals from 220 dex is to slow for anyone... then I am at a loss for words.. they would not survive regular UO.
I went and beat the Black Belt Master a couple days ago. With 169 Dex, 2 relayers, and a Player made Yumi. It has under 50% on hit Fireball and Lightning, and 53% HML. No other stats. I got hit 1 time early on, for 3/4 my HP, healed up, and kept nailing him till I won. Took me only 1 try to beat him. (That's a skill called "Kiting", not Insta Heal.) I've heard people say they got to this fight, they threw on their Yumi, went afk and let their healing and Chivalry script do the rest.. Raises an eyebrow when I hear someone say something like that.
(I personally think the Yumi is overpowered, but that's is another issue in itself.)
The bottom line of my "Idea" of how to fix the economy. Is to weaken a player's standing power. So they cannot have easy access to the afk function in this game. The idea of just letting afkers do their thing, has caused massive issues on other servers I have viewed and even played on for a time. So if anyone wants to suggest that.. don't. It's a bad idea all the way around. The actual player base was tiny compared to bot players.
Yes, I have heard many things... Things like "That's just how gaming is now.". Great.. but it does not function well here. (This server has been up for many more years than other online games. Ideas for short term games, do not work here.) Also, those games are not online after a period of time, like this server is. If they are, they are over run by bots. (Meaning the player is glancing at the screen, while the game plays it's self. Sound Familiar?)
After this possible change. It would open the doors for many other things to be changed/tweeked. (By the whim of +C, with less having to overthink a situation.) The only people who will/would complain, are those that are getting a hefty benefit from having to easy access to how fast something like Insta-Heal, slingshots them forward.
It will not hurt donations. In fact, Relayers and the need for such equipment, will pretty much stay the same. It may even increase the sales of certain items in the ED room of Trinsic. You will still need them to reach higher heights. No matter how you play. They even mean something to me, and I play Mage 80% of the time. This means I do not have 220 Dex, and I do not rely on bandages 95% of the time. I use them for curing poison and Bleeding these days. (I end up with a few hundred bandages more by the end of a day, than I started with.)
When you are good at UO, the game is only sometimes challenging. But no matter if you are great at the game, or new. 220 Dex destroys the gaming experience, and pushes an easy play mode mentality. (My opinion, of course.)
Harder Fights. Less capability to stand still and do nothing. Means a small % of effort must be used. Which will decrease the gold pulled in by none-committed players who want easy street. Then want to complain when +C does not have enough to entertain them with. Well, (again, my opinion here) If you want the server to have more to do on it, then stop asking for more things to make your ability to make gold, more convenient. Simple as that.
Additionally, the reduction in Balron gold. Actually slowed down the abusive growth of the economy. Reducing bandage heal times to something more realistic, would be the next logical step.
Before I mention the very idea I have in mind. Let me make one thing clear.. This is an "Idea". Not law, and not a demand.
Take away "Instant Heal".
Replace instant heal, with a gradual climb to 2.5 second heals, once 220 Dex is achieved. The original UO has a bandage capped speed, which is far slower than that.
Even 1 second heals would be too powerful for this server we all currently play on. It creates a rather sizable portion of the problem with the current economy climate.
1) Allows people who have little experience with UO, to fast track far sooner than they reasonably should be able to. Experienced players to UO, should have the benefit from their years of experience. The playing field should not be even between the people new to the game, vs Veterans of UO. That needs to be earned. (It is this way in RL, and many people treat this server as RL. Goes without saying.)
2) Players have the ability to go to a champion spawn, and go afk. (happens a lot) They then go make dinner, or watch TV. Or whatever thing they have going when they plant themselves at a champ. That in it's self, is no effort for the pay out. Players who are not well enough equipped will not survive past the third and forth stages of many champs afk, with a slower healing time. (Means they have to pay attention, at least half way through a champ.)
3) People will be more careful about fights. Especially about the use of "Enemy of One". The very spell that gives a ridiculous slayer like boost to a players damage. I have also watched Veterans at the Halloween Event, gathering up all the Sigils from players. So they can go and solo the bosses in larger number, and reap the rewards. They can easily get through the fights with strong gear, and Instant Heal. Without Instant Heal, they will not have this capability to solo multiple bosses at a time. At least not very easily. It ends up on their vendor, which creates a monopoly. (Something JW has mentioned in another post.)
4) It removes the use of many other methods of play.. Pets, Magic, Poisoning.. the list goes on for a country mile. It has negated the need for most skills in the game. Yumi, WW Weapon, Insta Heal.. done. This ends up being how everyone plays. It is easy, and the easiest way to make money on the server. Which right there, is in part to why the economy is so bloated. Money is too easy after 220 Dex is achieved. (Donations are faster, but that is a different subject entirely.)
5) The auctions. (You knew this was coming...) If you make it to where other methods of play open up. For experienced, and inexperienced players alike. You can easily add more "inventive" items to Auctions. Special pets are the first thing that come to mind. Things you cannot make with Bio Engineering. (Glacial/Quartz Golem Graphic come to mind.) With special abilities no other pet on the server has.
(The possibilities of new things on the market, could be huge.)
(6 Humans are fundamentally lazy. (Not an insult. Scientific fact.) Give them the easy road, and everyone will take it. Hence why everyone wants 220 Dex as soon as possible. Also, it's the first thing people tell a new player when they start playing EX.. That should tell you something... (Well, almost everyone. I'd say 95% of everyone.)
I could continue on, but I think a few valid points have been made here. Giving people the easy road in a game, will cause big problems to the market. I play the harder road, and it works out fine. I tend to make less than if I had 220 Dex, a Yumi/Heavy WW Weapon, and use Chivalry. (Literally 1 million gold a day less if I do not use a Yumi, or Chivalry.) But this is by choice, as I want to enjoy the game. Not destroy it, and say "I won!".
There should be no such thing, as "End Game"
Being an artist, I have a very "obsessive" mind. I can (and have) made 4 million gold in a day, using the easy road. I can and will hunt from morning, till bed time. With breaks in between. If I want something bad enough. I am not the only player that can, and will do this. If a far-off goal that would normally take 1/2 a month, to a full month could be reached within days. Then I will choose to stop being a mage, and use the easy path for a short time. It makes just over a million more gold a day when I do this. (My Hypocrisy knows no bounds when wanting to achieve a goal.)
I personally (speaking for myself here), believe if 2.5 second heals from 220 dex is to slow for anyone... then I am at a loss for words.. they would not survive regular UO.
I went and beat the Black Belt Master a couple days ago. With 169 Dex, 2 relayers, and a Player made Yumi. It has under 50% on hit Fireball and Lightning, and 53% HML. No other stats. I got hit 1 time early on, for 3/4 my HP, healed up, and kept nailing him till I won. Took me only 1 try to beat him. (That's a skill called "Kiting", not Insta Heal.) I've heard people say they got to this fight, they threw on their Yumi, went afk and let their healing and Chivalry script do the rest.. Raises an eyebrow when I hear someone say something like that.
(I personally think the Yumi is overpowered, but that's is another issue in itself.)
The bottom line of my "Idea" of how to fix the economy. Is to weaken a player's standing power. So they cannot have easy access to the afk function in this game. The idea of just letting afkers do their thing, has caused massive issues on other servers I have viewed and even played on for a time. So if anyone wants to suggest that.. don't. It's a bad idea all the way around. The actual player base was tiny compared to bot players.
Yes, I have heard many things... Things like "That's just how gaming is now.". Great.. but it does not function well here. (This server has been up for many more years than other online games. Ideas for short term games, do not work here.) Also, those games are not online after a period of time, like this server is. If they are, they are over run by bots. (Meaning the player is glancing at the screen, while the game plays it's self. Sound Familiar?)
After this possible change. It would open the doors for many other things to be changed/tweeked. (By the whim of +C, with less having to overthink a situation.) The only people who will/would complain, are those that are getting a hefty benefit from having to easy access to how fast something like Insta-Heal, slingshots them forward.
It will not hurt donations. In fact, Relayers and the need for such equipment, will pretty much stay the same. It may even increase the sales of certain items in the ED room of Trinsic. You will still need them to reach higher heights. No matter how you play. They even mean something to me, and I play Mage 80% of the time. This means I do not have 220 Dex, and I do not rely on bandages 95% of the time. I use them for curing poison and Bleeding these days. (I end up with a few hundred bandages more by the end of a day, than I started with.)
When you are good at UO, the game is only sometimes challenging. But no matter if you are great at the game, or new. 220 Dex destroys the gaming experience, and pushes an easy play mode mentality. (My opinion, of course.)
Harder Fights. Less capability to stand still and do nothing. Means a small % of effort must be used. Which will decrease the gold pulled in by none-committed players who want easy street. Then want to complain when +C does not have enough to entertain them with. Well, (again, my opinion here) If you want the server to have more to do on it, then stop asking for more things to make your ability to make gold, more convenient. Simple as that.
Additionally, the reduction in Balron gold. Actually slowed down the abusive growth of the economy. Reducing bandage heal times to something more realistic, would be the next logical step.