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Fog · 04-02-2009, 10:49 PM

Let me make some propositions:

A) Crafters don't want to make things that are inherently inferior. They want to be able to make really good things; if not the best, then almost the best, or the best reasonably obtainable. It's no fun to spend a lot of time making lousy things.

B) Players don't like to feel "dependent" on the whims of other players they aren't personally connected to (i.e. in a guild or a close relationship with.) They want to be able to get the good things without feeling like they are relying on strangers like this.

C) One way to reconcile A and B is by setting up a free market. If there's a vibrant market, you can get a good thing in one of two ways; do it yourself, or obtain it through the market. Getting it through the market doesn't suck as much as getting it from a stranger, since it's reliable and it feels self-directed.

C') Crafters like markets too, since they're inherently game-like and provide structured competition between crafters.

D) To have a free market with reliable goods, the population needs to be proportional to the "depth" of the crafting system; i.e. the more stuff you can make and sell, and the harder it is to make it, the more people you need to have a good market. Too few people, and players get frustrated again when the market fails them by providing ridiculous prices or when the things they want are unavailable.

D') By the way, money has to really mean something to make the market work properly, so you ought to work out some solution for gold farming.

I feel like this is why most modern MMOs end up with pretty dull crafting systems. They don't really have the per-server population to support entertaining or complex crafting systems that provide really meaningful results and still have a competitive market for those items. They also often manage inflation poorly, and it's rarely challenging to make a "lot of money" given some time and mindless farming (i.e. it doesn't take any skill to make money, so players would be angry if money could buy the best goods through a market.)

04-02-2009, 10:49 PM	#15 (permalink)
Fog Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,996 -1 Internets	Let me make some propositions: A) Crafters don't want to make things that are inherently inferior. They want to be able to make really good things; if not the best, then almost the best, or the best reasonably obtainable. It's no fun to spend a lot of time making lousy things. B) Players don't like to feel "dependent" on the whims of other players they aren't personally connected to (i.e. in a guild or a close relationship with.) They want to be able to get the good things without feeling like they are relying on strangers like this. C) One way to reconcile A and B is by setting up a free market. If there's a vibrant market, you can get a good thing in one of two ways; do it yourself, or obtain it through the market. Getting it through the market doesn't suck as much as getting it from a stranger, since it's reliable and it feels self-directed. C') Crafters like markets too, since they're inherently game-like and provide structured competition between crafters. D) To have a free market with reliable goods, the population needs to be proportional to the "depth" of the crafting system; i.e. the more stuff you can make and sell, and the harder it is to make it, the more people you need to have a good market. Too few people, and players get frustrated again when the market fails them by providing ridiculous prices or when the things they want are unavailable. D') By the way, money has to really mean something to make the market work properly, so you ought to work out some solution for gold farming. I feel like this is why most modern MMOs end up with pretty dull crafting systems. They don't really have the per-server population to support entertaining or complex crafting systems that provide really meaningful results and still have a competitive market for those items. They also often manage inflation poorly, and it's rarely challenging to make a "lot of money" given some time and mindless farming (i.e. it doesn't take any skill to make money, so players would be angry if money could buy the best goods through a market.) Last edited by Fog; 04-02-2009 at 10:57 PM..