When we were designing Path of Exile ( http://www.pathofexile.com ) we had an explicit design goal to create a complex barter economy. To that end we decided to remove gold (quite strange for an Online RPG).
We added what we call internally "currency items" which are homogeneous items that have an inherent use. For example, an item that rerolls the magic properties on another item. There are 22 of these types of items of increasing rarity.
Because they all have an inherent use, there is demand for almost all of them. Because there are so many, few people have a true understanding of what the current exchange rates are.
The rest of the items in the game are randomly generated, and are hard to pin down accurate prices on, especially with so many competing currencies. Experts can take advantage of the uninformed to trade up in value and frequently do.
You might ask why do we want to have an economy like that?
There is a large class of players for whom trading becomes a kind of end game. If your economy is complicated and interesting there is room for a huge range of skill levels, room for true expertise in the economy. The feeling of making a trade in which you gained advantage over another player is addictive and really fun.
Wait - so by creating the currency item as something that gets used, as opposed to stones of jordans, are you trying to do an end run around inflation?
Also - loved the beta weekend.
(niggle - mage power charges were hard to understand and a terrible ability to rush. Which I did. When it worked it was fun)
Edit: Will you now have treasure goblins? Also, how has your take on the RMAH changed now that its starting to open up and feel its way around?
Comments
When we were designing Path of Exile ( http://www.pathofexile.com ) we had an explicit design goal to create a complex barter economy. To that end we decided to remove gold (quite strange for an Online RPG).
We added what we call internally "currency items" which are homogeneous items that have an inherent use. For example, an item that rerolls the magic properties on another item. There are 22 of these types of items of increasing rarity.
Because they all have an inherent use, there is demand for almost all of them. Because there are so many, few people have a true understanding of what the current exchange rates are.
The rest of the items in the game are randomly generated, and are hard to pin down accurate prices on, especially with so many competing currencies. Experts can take advantage of the uninformed to trade up in value and frequently do.
You might ask why do we want to have an economy like that?
There is a large class of players for whom trading becomes a kind of end game. If your economy is complicated and interesting there is room for a huge range of skill levels, room for true expertise in the economy. The feeling of making a trade in which you gained advantage over another player is addictive and really fun.
Wait - so by creating the currency item as something that gets used, as opposed to stones of jordans, are you trying to do an end run around inflation?
Also - loved the beta weekend.
(niggle - mage power charges were hard to understand and a terrible ability to rush. Which I did. When it worked it was fun)
Edit: Will you now have treasure goblins? Also, how has your take on the RMAH changed now that its starting to open up and feel its way around?