SpecialEvents.oxp: varying the in-game economy
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:46 am
I have continued to think of the possibility to script events that in a randomized way influence the commodity-prices in certain systems. The idea derives from the Dynamic Ooniverse- (see the "Acts of God"-idea) and the MMORPG-threads.
I'm giving it its own thread here, because it has nothing to do with the server- or multiplayer-idea.
LittleBear has come up with the possibility of substituting the main station of a system with a clone that can have different market-prices. So events like this and their influence on prices are (or at least should be) scriptable.
Now I've made up a list of possible events that could influence the prices of one commodity or another in one way or another. This list is a first draft. Comments and opinions are welcome!
1. A drought has raised the price of food on XXX
2. A good harvest has dropped the price of food in XXX
3. A fashion revolution has raised the price of textiles in XXX
4. An overproduction has dropped the price of textiles in XXX
5. Growing demands of the nuclear industry have raised the price of radioactives in XXX
6. A new mining method has dropped the price of radioactives in XXX
7. Growing demands have raised the price of slaves in XXX
8. The conquest of a new province has dropped the price of slaves in XXX
9. A planetary festival has raised the price of liquor/wines in XXX
10. An overproduction has dropped the price of liquor/wines in XXX
11. A new hedonistic religion has raised the price of luxuries in XXX
12. A new ascetic religion has dropped the price of luxuries in XXX
13. A dangerous disease has raised the price of narcotics in XXX
14. A newly developed synthetic drug has dropped the price of narcotics in XXX
15. A solar flare has raised the price of computers in XXX
16. A new generation of thinking machines has dropped the price of computers in XXX
17. A gigantic building project has raised the price of machinery in XXX
18. An overproduction has dropped the price of machinery in XXX
19. A gigantic building project has raised the price of alloys in XXX
20. A newly discovered source of ore has dropped the price of alloys in XXX
21. An armed conflict has raised the price of firearms in XXX
22. The end of an armed conflict has dropped the price of firearms in XXX
23. The extinction of an indigenous animal has raised the price of furs in XXX
24. A trumble invasion has dropped the price of furs in XXX
25. Growing factory demands have raised the price of minerals in XXX
26. A recent asteroid storm has dropped the price of minerals in XXX
27. An inflation has raised the price of gold in XXX
28. A newly exploited goldmine has dropped the price of gold in XXX
29. Newly imposed market restrictions have raised the price of platinum in XXX
30. A failed speculation has dropped the price of platinum in XXX
31. Growing demands of jewellery have raised the price of gem-stones in XXX
32. A newly discovered source of ore has dropped the price of gem-stones in XXX
The list is complete in that it has en event for every commodity to raise or drop its price. I don't think it's necessary to include all 32 of them in the script. To have a random choice of 20 or 25 would be fine (these could be divided evenly with a d100_number).
a) Obviously not all of these events make the same kind of sense, either in terms of general logic or game-wise. As for general logic: Feel free to add other ideas as to for what reason the price of a certain commodity could rise or fall.
b) Gamewise it doesn't make much sense to change prices that by default are close to the possible extremes. These extremes are 0.4 cr as the smallest and 102 cr as the biggest possible price. The engine doesn't allow for anything bigger or smaller. So e.g. number 2 is a perfectly logical event, but as food-prices are pretty low by default it wouldn't be much of an incentive to travel to that planet.
The same is (more or less) true for numbers 4, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 21, because the prices of these commodities can be very close to the extremes, but don't need to. It would just be that the extreme price--which is always possible for these commodities--would be guaranteed on that planet for some time.
c) For reasons of gameplay I would prefer events which tend to bring the market to the other extreme eventually. E.g. number 1: Eventually the planet would be flooded with foreign aid, bringing the internal market to a complete collaps (as happens usually in RealLifeTM). This would introduce an element of timing, like in passenger- or cargo-contracts. If the player arrives within a certain time-interval he makes a good profit. If he arrives afterwards the prices have dropped (or raised) again and he will only be able to sell or buy with a loss. Or the market is flooded (already 127 units on the station--no selling possible) or drained (0 units to buy). Not all my events may fall under this category. Additional suggestions would be appreciated here.
d) If this is going to be scripted we would need somebody who can give these bony short descriptions some flesh, so to speak. So anybody interested in turning the hard facts into a couple of nice mission-screens? Captain Hesperus, perhaps?
I'm giving it its own thread here, because it has nothing to do with the server- or multiplayer-idea.
LittleBear has come up with the possibility of substituting the main station of a system with a clone that can have different market-prices. So events like this and their influence on prices are (or at least should be) scriptable.
Now I've made up a list of possible events that could influence the prices of one commodity or another in one way or another. This list is a first draft. Comments and opinions are welcome!
1. A drought has raised the price of food on XXX
2. A good harvest has dropped the price of food in XXX
3. A fashion revolution has raised the price of textiles in XXX
4. An overproduction has dropped the price of textiles in XXX
5. Growing demands of the nuclear industry have raised the price of radioactives in XXX
6. A new mining method has dropped the price of radioactives in XXX
7. Growing demands have raised the price of slaves in XXX
8. The conquest of a new province has dropped the price of slaves in XXX
9. A planetary festival has raised the price of liquor/wines in XXX
10. An overproduction has dropped the price of liquor/wines in XXX
11. A new hedonistic religion has raised the price of luxuries in XXX
12. A new ascetic religion has dropped the price of luxuries in XXX
13. A dangerous disease has raised the price of narcotics in XXX
14. A newly developed synthetic drug has dropped the price of narcotics in XXX
15. A solar flare has raised the price of computers in XXX
16. A new generation of thinking machines has dropped the price of computers in XXX
17. A gigantic building project has raised the price of machinery in XXX
18. An overproduction has dropped the price of machinery in XXX
19. A gigantic building project has raised the price of alloys in XXX
20. A newly discovered source of ore has dropped the price of alloys in XXX
21. An armed conflict has raised the price of firearms in XXX
22. The end of an armed conflict has dropped the price of firearms in XXX
23. The extinction of an indigenous animal has raised the price of furs in XXX
24. A trumble invasion has dropped the price of furs in XXX
25. Growing factory demands have raised the price of minerals in XXX
26. A recent asteroid storm has dropped the price of minerals in XXX
27. An inflation has raised the price of gold in XXX
28. A newly exploited goldmine has dropped the price of gold in XXX
29. Newly imposed market restrictions have raised the price of platinum in XXX
30. A failed speculation has dropped the price of platinum in XXX
31. Growing demands of jewellery have raised the price of gem-stones in XXX
32. A newly discovered source of ore has dropped the price of gem-stones in XXX
The list is complete in that it has en event for every commodity to raise or drop its price. I don't think it's necessary to include all 32 of them in the script. To have a random choice of 20 or 25 would be fine (these could be divided evenly with a d100_number).
a) Obviously not all of these events make the same kind of sense, either in terms of general logic or game-wise. As for general logic: Feel free to add other ideas as to for what reason the price of a certain commodity could rise or fall.
b) Gamewise it doesn't make much sense to change prices that by default are close to the possible extremes. These extremes are 0.4 cr as the smallest and 102 cr as the biggest possible price. The engine doesn't allow for anything bigger or smaller. So e.g. number 2 is a perfectly logical event, but as food-prices are pretty low by default it wouldn't be much of an incentive to travel to that planet.
The same is (more or less) true for numbers 4, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 21, because the prices of these commodities can be very close to the extremes, but don't need to. It would just be that the extreme price--which is always possible for these commodities--would be guaranteed on that planet for some time.
c) For reasons of gameplay I would prefer events which tend to bring the market to the other extreme eventually. E.g. number 1: Eventually the planet would be flooded with foreign aid, bringing the internal market to a complete collaps (as happens usually in RealLifeTM). This would introduce an element of timing, like in passenger- or cargo-contracts. If the player arrives within a certain time-interval he makes a good profit. If he arrives afterwards the prices have dropped (or raised) again and he will only be able to sell or buy with a loss. Or the market is flooded (already 127 units on the station--no selling possible) or drained (0 units to buy). Not all my events may fall under this category. Additional suggestions would be appreciated here.
d) If this is going to be scripted we would need somebody who can give these bony short descriptions some flesh, so to speak. So anybody interested in turning the hard facts into a couple of nice mission-screens? Captain Hesperus, perhaps?