The economy
EL has a really big economic side to it, and although players often complain about stuff, they mainly like it if they keep playing the game.
One of the biggest problems is that the manufacturing skill does not bring enough income. This is mainly due to the fact that there is a very fierce competition between the players, and often the end product is sold at a loss. Many players try to make great swords, in the hope that they will get lucky and produce an enchanted version. The non enchanted versions are sold at very low prices, because the demand is smaller than the production rate.
I always told those who complained about the economy, as though it is my fault, to actually take the matter into their own hands, and not lower the price to below the value of the ingredients. Now, it seems that they finally realized that it might be a good idea to do so, and they agreed to go on 'strike' and not sell items at a loss, which is great.
Now, there are a few solutions to this problem, but, as with anything, some people will love them, and others will hate them. For example, one solution would be to increase the break rate of the great swords (which I did). Before doing that, there would be one or two great swords breaking each day, which is not that much considering that there are probably 100+ players using them. Assuming a totally equal chance to break one, that means that each player has a chance of about 1.5% to break a sword in a day, which means that a sword would last, statistically, 2+ months. Given the fact that the cost is only around 20-25Kgcs, that's about 400 gc per day, which is not that much.
Another solution would be to make a formula that produces the enchanted version of each sword, so that the manufacturers can reliably make them. Of course, the formula would have to be quite expensive, and use ingredients that cost at least 200 Kgc. The formula would also need to require a very high manufacturing level, in order to reward those who worked harder.
Another way to help the economy in general is to add new gold sinks. The more important the gold becomes in the game, the more valuble it is, which drives costs down. On a related note, the archery skill is not that useful (although it has some uses).
So to address both issues at the same time, I came up with a new potion that cost 15Kgcs, available for now only from the NPC (which means, it is a gold sink). This potion permanentely increases by 1%, up to 60% the chance to do a critical shot with the bows and crossbows. A critical shot means that all the armor penalty is removed.
So a player who spends 900Kgc and has a high ranging skill can be quite competitive in PKing (especially if they are in a team).
One of the biggest problems is that the manufacturing skill does not bring enough income. This is mainly due to the fact that there is a very fierce competition between the players, and often the end product is sold at a loss. Many players try to make great swords, in the hope that they will get lucky and produce an enchanted version. The non enchanted versions are sold at very low prices, because the demand is smaller than the production rate.
I always told those who complained about the economy, as though it is my fault, to actually take the matter into their own hands, and not lower the price to below the value of the ingredients. Now, it seems that they finally realized that it might be a good idea to do so, and they agreed to go on 'strike' and not sell items at a loss, which is great.
Now, there are a few solutions to this problem, but, as with anything, some people will love them, and others will hate them. For example, one solution would be to increase the break rate of the great swords (which I did). Before doing that, there would be one or two great swords breaking each day, which is not that much considering that there are probably 100+ players using them. Assuming a totally equal chance to break one, that means that each player has a chance of about 1.5% to break a sword in a day, which means that a sword would last, statistically, 2+ months. Given the fact that the cost is only around 20-25Kgcs, that's about 400 gc per day, which is not that much.
Another solution would be to make a formula that produces the enchanted version of each sword, so that the manufacturers can reliably make them. Of course, the formula would have to be quite expensive, and use ingredients that cost at least 200 Kgc. The formula would also need to require a very high manufacturing level, in order to reward those who worked harder.
Another way to help the economy in general is to add new gold sinks. The more important the gold becomes in the game, the more valuble it is, which drives costs down. On a related note, the archery skill is not that useful (although it has some uses).
So to address both issues at the same time, I came up with a new potion that cost 15Kgcs, available for now only from the NPC (which means, it is a gold sink). This potion permanentely increases by 1%, up to 60% the chance to do a critical shot with the bows and crossbows. A critical shot means that all the armor penalty is removed.
So a player who spends 900Kgc and has a high ranging skill can be quite competitive in PKing (especially if they are in a team).
posted by Radu at 1:36 AM
11 Comments:
Hi, as i hadn't read your blog for a while i was a bit confuse in game when i head something about a strike...i though bad things etc like you would with rl strikes!
But upon reading this part of your blog i understand now.
Looking forward to your future stuff.
- T3trO -
raising the breakrate may help a little (not much i think)... if the enchanted swords become makable, don't make the ingredients to cheap.. (at least 400k+)
otherwise soon everyone has one.
maybe it's time to introduce some additional positive perks to compensate the enchanted weapon & armor effects, too.
I think the new potion will be a nice money sink and very helpful for some high-level archers.
But it seems to me that one issue with ranging (and offensive magic) is the short distance restrictions. It actual use, a skilled archer could kill an oncoming foot-soldier before he ever got close enough to attack. A group of archers with a clear line-of-sight could be very hard to eliminate.
In EL a skilled archer can only get a very few shots off, typically not enough to kill an on-coming attacker. A group of archers are more effective, but that is lost against a group of attacking fighters.
My main use for ranging is in invasions on the PK server. And because of the short distances involved I can only use it from a safe (attack-proof) location - like the Bethel caves. The risk of being killed is simply to large out in the open (although I admit to not being very good at shot-and-run tactics).
The same situation applies in games like WoW and the distances that magic spells can be cast. A pure mage in EL seems to be to easy to catch and kill.
I realize there are physical limits on distance based on screen size and such. But perhaps an increase in the distances one can see and shoot would help make archery (and magic) a little more useful.
Sir Radu, I've read all your post on Devmaster and I'm very inspired and amazed with them. That's all the reason why I want to start to develop my own MMO like Eternal Lands. I want to start developing a small single map mmo with a sci/fi futuristic theme. I have no problem with the game engine since I already develop a single player game before, I will modify it accordingly.
Can you please enlighten me a little with my coding problem? here's the list sir.
1.) What technique or how can I send the information needed by the server from the client?
2.) How long is the best possible DATA that I can send without overloading or lagging the server?
3.) I don't know how to start developing the server, can you please teach me or show me some code? c++ or vb is ok...
4.) How to receive the send DATA from the Client to the Server?
There are just too many question I want to ask right now but...those are the important one's..
Please reply thru my email: psydox[at]yahoo[dot]com
Thank you and more power to you sir Radu...
It is really nice ideea the potion thing. Maybe you should make that an ingreedient for the potion to be from the npc like you told about 15k and it shall be manufacturable by potioning.
Just some thoughts
I think your comment that players continue to play the game, even when there complaining about the economy. Is a little erroneous.
A lot of players put up with it, as there hoping that you will fix it. There certainly have been enough thread on the subject.
You seem to suggest that players who don't like it can just leave. But what about those who like the underlying game and have invested time (some many years) and some player real life players?
Do you want them simply to leave, to prove the point? That isn't good for anyone. Not you, not the player and certainly not EL game and community.
Having the rare versions of great swords reliably make-able would further pump up the cost of competitive PK, of which is already very high. It would also heavily increase the weight of luck within those competitive PK fights, which imo is a bad thing.
Some of the problems with pricing at the lower level Manu items is that we are competeting with drops rather than each other.
Tit Chainmail costs ~8k to make sells for about 5k, is this due to over production or drops killing the market.
Maybe the solution could be to reduce the items drop but increase the Gc so that fighters but what they need rather than collecting it. Possibly an increse in EFE would help by dropping production costs as well.
How about a Evanescence cape that's only sold from NPC and is quite expensive?
I think your comment that players continue to play the game, even when there complaining about the economy. Is a little erroneous.
A lot of players put up with it, as there hoping that you will fix it. There certainly have been enough thread on the subject.
Well, I don't think most of the people who don't like it would keep playing, when there are so many other MMOs out there. The economy of the game never changed dramatically, and people usually know that there will not be any dramatic changes coming soon. Those who like the game, like it as it is, those who don't would be better off to find a game they like more, because it is impossible to please everyone.
Hmmm... ranging is already one of the most expensive skills. It'd seem you hate rangers.
Why not to create such a money sink for sword fighters? Too many swords, too few of other stuff in game (specially if you look at it from a viewpoint of "historical realism", as swords were elite weapons and bows and spears were people's weapons).
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