Is there too much money around?

[Porkolt]

The problem with maintaining any form of stable economy (especially limiting inflation, which is the issue at hand here) on EFU simply originates from the fact that every day, many thousands of gp enter the game, but not nearly as much leaves it.
 
Sure, there's things that remove coin from the game world (NPC merchants, pots'n'wands, patricianship), but these don't nearly take up as much gold, especially considering that pots'n'wands are basically investments that get you more gold over time (because you use them to win quests, etc).
 
 
 
In MMORPGs that try to simulate a stable economy, but deal with the same problems, they use money sinks for this end.
 
Basically, a money sink is something that costs a lot of money, but provides no real benefit. What you buy with money sinks is cool, because it allows you to make clear to other players how much money you have and thus how much better you are than them at playing the game.
 
If thought through, this system can work perfectly. A nice example of what could be considered a money sink on EFU are rentable inn rooms. They don't provide a real benefit (save for very limited storage, and a free rest area which doesn't save you nearly as much as it costs), but are nifty, cool places to RP in, there's only a few available, so it's special.
 
If developers put more of this stuff into the module, the sheer amount of gold can easily be pushed back to an amount where, say, two thousand gp is still a lot of money. Don't forget that in PnP, your average working guy has to work a few day at least to earn even a single gold piece. If we're to even consider that, the amount of wealth even your average poor PC has is just ridiculous.

[Drakill Tannan]

Hmm, money sinks sound like a good idea, rooms, guildhouses and patricianship are already there, but we could add more, such as:

-The ability to modify your armor, helm, shields and weapons so they look the way you like it, for a price.
-The ability to change the hair colour, or perhaps even modify the head model (haircut) for a steep price.
-More rooms, some bigger, and more luxurious. Perhaps adding another inn, an "elite" inn that rents more expensive rooms to patricians with larger storage and that look a lot more luxurious.
-Horses. Even if they costed 10K gp, people would buy them if they existed on the module. A character with a horse would look so bad ass, too, that it would be the ultimate sinkhole IMO.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

It's easy to make 3k a day. But only if you play certain types of pcs.

Some people know how to make the most efficient use of those garnets, gems, scrolls that drop on quests.

I could type a explanation of how to make $$$ on efu but I am to lazy.

[Loghaire]

To be honest, I know how to rake in 4k easily, but that is because I am half decent when it comes to finances. I don't mindlessly toss around gold, and I know how to ration and set budgets.

[derfo]

What? It doesn't take a mastermind to lay out your inventory in-front of a stall and make a sending, wait for offers, then put the gold into the bank. Plenty of people will be willing to sell things to you cheap as well. Like Sandstorm said, as your horde of treasures grows, and you buy and sell, three thousand a day isn't out of the question. (if you really enjoy sitting around bartering all day)

Anyone can do this with or without a great understanding of the server. Persistence, good relations, and sometime luck is key.

[Loghaire]

I once raked in 2k in a minute because I knew who to talk to.

[AceOfSpadesX]

Porkolt the economist broke it down perfectly. We can definitely use a few more of these money sinks. I think the perfect way to make some of these is to allow a bunch of aesthetic options that would not only help lowering the amount of gold, but also make things look a bit cooler. You can have exotic dyes available to be ordered for import for a steep price, or as Tannan said you can allow NPC crafters to modify armors and helms and such with some cool unique options (not sure how easy this is to implement).

[Nightshadow]

I personally prefer to think of the ducat as a copper piece, not a gold piece. I also prefer to think of many thousands of gold being an assortment of gems as well as silver, gold, and platinum coins, not a wheelbarrow full of ducats. Thinking of it this way, it's not the most ridiculous thing in the world to be paid 15 ducats for delivering some soiled rags to a little girl, nor is it outlandish to think of someone carrying around many hundreds or thousands of ducats.

Anyway, more money sinks that take up gold but are entirely optional and aren't necessary for the survival of your character would be nice, like more inn rooms and other things would be nice, just to make me feel a little less poor when I walk around with 600 gold thinking I'm doing well, and then I see someone else handing over almost 10k gold for something.

[Secutor]

Were it up to me, you'd all have 9 gold, rusty chainmail, a club, Duergar invisibility potion, and some rat meat.

[Capricious]

Were it up to me, you'd all have 9 gold, rusty chainmail, a club, Duergar invisibility potion, and some rat meat.

Says the creator of "Pantless Plate" and "Crossbow?"

[Staring Death]

Were it up to me, you'd all have 9 gold, rusty chainmail, a club, Duergar invisibility potion, and some rat meat.

Is that why you once gave me 4000 gold? To buy those for the whole playerbase?

[Kotenku]

You mean Secutor actually gives you guys loot before you die?  What the hell, Secutor?

[Cerberus]

I don't see where a "money sink" changes the fact that some players know how to get thousands of gold and others are happy to have over 500. A money sink only gives those that can make the money better things and keeps those that cant down. How does that help?

I'm not complaining, the fact that some play well enough to make that kind of coin shouldn't mean they should be punished. But it doesn't help those that cant figure how to get rich.

Example: Only taking half of of a players 400 gold in that mugging... Yet that players has spent days getting that 400 gold and they may not be able to come back from that kind of loss. Say the player of the "mugger" knows how to make thousands in a few hours so to him that 200 gold means nothing. To the player that doesnt know how, it means everything.

I have retired characters because they went broke.

[sylvyrdragon]

I look at it like this, even IRL there are those that have money and those that struggle, and in between is the vast majority of us.

We can't all be the Trumps of the world.  So I scrimp and save to buy X, where as he can do so on a whim.  It's the same here.  There are those that know the ways and can do it on every P.C, then there are those that can't keep 100 coin in their pockets, but the vast majority of us can at least keep 3-500 coin on us.  If you want to buy that Armor, weapon, patrician status or what ever... well, you need to save for it.

I don't see a problem adding 'money sinks' to the game.  It let's those that have the money, or even those that want to "Look like" they have the money a way to do it.  Sort of like that person you knew that drove the holy hells hot car, but their house was a POS... it's all about perception.

But, that is just my .02 cents worth.

[9lives]

Calculor made Pantsless Plate and Crossbow?, you noob.