Money Sinking and MC-Reduction Ideas

[PurpleMonkeys]

I would have made seperate threads because I have three ideas. But one involves only money sinking, one involves only mc-reduction, and the last one involves both. So I'll put them all here.

I haven't played properly for quite a while, but I've gotten back into the game recently and have been talking to my rl mate who plays. I've found these two topics are still needing tuning to be the best it can be for the players. I don't have a full solution but I have some additions that might help.

Idea One: Mini-games and Gambling. Very simple concept, some tavern games such as cards, dice, coin flips, cups, etc. They are repeatable actions that, as other non skill gaining actions do, lower MC. However they are also a money sink of various amounts of money. But the added bonus is that, if one wins their gamble, they not only get their monetary reward but also a very small boost to their MC Reduction. Giving more incentive to continuously play the mini-games and try and win money and get a little more reduction.

Idea Two: Fortune Teller/Palm Reader etc. Once again, very simple. I'm told there is already a fortune teller IG but I'm not sure it does what I have to suggest. My suggestion is an NPC you pay an appropriate sum of money to, who tells you your fortune for the day and gives you a temporary -random- +1 or +2 attribute boost, with a lesser chance of getting a -1 to a random stat. The odds should favor positive outcomes though to encourage more interaction. Now, I like this idea personally because it's not a huge boost. You can get an equally high boost from food and other sources. And it's random so you can't for example, be a warrior and get +2 to your Strength. It is also not stackable. You can't have multiple fortunes told for the same day. The duration I think would be longer than food benefits, but not too much longer.

Idea Three: Player Aura of MC-Reduction. This idea, I'm not too sure how hard it would be to code. However I think it has alot of potential. Simply put, every player has a radius around them that gives other players around them a boost to the MC lowered by their actions. For example. You pick berry bushes alone to reduce your MC. You lose, for example, 100 MC. Now you go and do the same action, but with a friend near you. Now this same action reduces 150 MC. This means that you will reduce your MC at a higher rate if you perform MC-Reducing actions within a radius of other players. Perhaps this might be abuseable, but who cares? The abuse would be advantageous to the game. If you have two people online they are going to find eachother and do things together rather than pick bushes alone or whatever. Which increases the chance of roleplay by so much in my opinion.

Please, discuss and/or criticize my suggestions.

[wolfsword]

#1 needs to be implemented so hard. Hell, I might just help code it if the team really needs it.

[Jupiter]

We still have the code of vilarion's poker npc and he alreay adjusted it to work in new illarion. I wanted to reimplement it but I haven't had the time yet. It will surely come back.
But that is not an NPC for single play. You can play with at least two people. And the npc takes a very small fee (1%, I think) of the total bets. So it it supports both, player action and money sinks

[PurpleMonkeys]

I remember that NPC! That's great to hear that it's coming back. It's longer lasting than a simple coin flipping game as well, which deals with the MC in a way.

[Uhuru]

We do have dice and coin flip mini games right now. They are there and the act of using them will help lower MC, I don't think they give more than coin returns.

[Estralis Seborian]

These are indeed very nice ideas.

We have a gambler in the hemp necktie inn and also, I remember a coin flipping NPC. As it was already stated, the Poker room is also on the list to get reactivated. Any other gamblers, fortune tellers, wishing wells,… are highly appreciated. On Mantis, you can find some tasks for those, including some ideas.

The more there is to do, the better. I totally appreciate any development into that direction. I have just one request: Do not play around with MC points in this context. The MC system is not designed to be influenced by an external script. Its sole purpose is to decouple player behaviour and skillgain speed. Anything that harms this puts the whole system to disposition.

I work on a revision of the MC system's tuning parameters. The approach is: if something is wrong about the MC system or spoils the fun of players, work on the MC system. Not on gamblers, potions, donkeys or crafting recipes for hats. If you want to get an insight on what I do, please contact me via PM.

[Nitram]

In any case interacting with those NPCs are not skill related action. So while you play with/against the NPC your MC points go down.

Nitram

[maryday]

Idea Three: ...Aura of MC-Reduction. This idea,...alot of potential....every player has a radius around them that gives other players around them a boost to the MC lowered by their actions. For example...berry bushes...but with a friend near you. Now this...action reduces more MC. This means that you will reduce your MC at a higher rate if you perform MC-Reducing actions within a radius of...((NPC)) Perhaps this might be abuseable, but who cares? The abuse would be advantageous to the game. If you have two people online they are going to find eachother and do things together rather than pick bushes alone or whatever. Which increases the chance of roleplay...

...criticize my suggestion.

I see a lot of potential in opening an Illarion-wide spa chain.

[maryday]

((The original proposal was too complicated i think, so i`ll only write the basic ideas, and some examples.))
No, i do not want to encourage behaviour endangering minors.))

PS: Estralis`comment on leaving the MC-sys untouched is not credited in this post,
as according functions would be depending on clearly defined triggerfields.

The four faction locations may receive bathhouse areas. Those split into one public area and
seperate rooms, some rentable for a time, some offering different kinds of services.

The names i thought about were:
Galmair: "Broke Spring - Most Cleanlyness Resort"=> Soak in the springs, take a hot mead! Bring your own brush. (("Serve [us] mead"))
Runewick: "Candle on the Apple - Bathhouse"=> Cider in the tub? (("Pour [in] cider"))
Cadomyr: "Amphora & Feather - Communal Service House"=> Enjoy the awakening fragrance of orange candles! (("Light [a] candle"))
Necktie Inn: "Bearded Mermaid - Barber and Surgeon"=> Neck shaving for free! (("Shave [my] beard"))

Well. To Topic.

1.0 The basic idea is to grant characters a MC-reduction boost. ((Public bath area. Small fee. No time restriction => "The water will not soon become any colder here".))
((PS: 1.0.B To generally avoid abuse of the sys, a minimum time could be implemented, or a timed increase of the effects.))
u]1.1[/u] A NPC infront of the bathhouse entrance will collect the fee. (( have [a] bath ))

Free services
1.2.0 ((Maybe the same NPC collecting a fee for private areas.)) Any char in the bathhouse may give specific orders to a NPC, close to the main bath pool,
to execute special commands. ((For example: "Pour [in] cold water"=> Increases rate of stamina to health conversion. OR: "Pour [in] hot water" => Increases health gain per stamina loss.))
1.2.1 The temperature of the water might offer a timed change to attributes, say for 20mins. Different bonuses aquired while the 20mins. MIGHT cummulate. Same bonuses not.
((For example: Very cold water will give +2 to Constitution at the cost of -1 Speed and -1 Agility, while very hot water will add +1 Agility and +1 Speed at the cost of -2 Endurance.))
1.2.2 Instead of pure attribute change, the MC-reduction might be impacted. ((For example hot=additional MC-reduction and cold=Endurance boost.))
1.2.3 There is a possibility for further attribute bonuses if there was a NPC offering buckets of very hot or very cold water. ((Again the bonuses might cummulate if different.))
Attributes might be again CON, END, AG, SPD.

Services for a fee
Different NPCs could offer different services, ((here goes the main idea of money-sinking)) for Example:
1.3.0-Change of hairstyle, haircolour and beards (permanently);
-Temporal change of skin-colour (measured in days, no matter if IG);
1.3.1 Medical treatment can be payd for (to simulate the work of barber-surgeons).
1.3.2 Depending on the background of the according faction many different services are imaginable. ((I think there could be faction-dependant, different bonuses to all attributes.))
May it be massages, envigorating baths, selling of special consumable goods no matter whether edible or drinkable or whatever...
use of fragrance candles, manicure and treatment of the feet... IT IS UP TO YOU.

Depending on the chosen treatment, or the quality of treatment, different times of duration could be offered.


Extended services
2.0 Small private bath rooms may be rent. These are accessible from the public bath area.
((Private bath areas. Increased MC-reduction. Basic time for rent is 30mins. After each 10mins. the water will start to "cool off", meaning:
The MC-reduction boost will slowly degrade, say in three steps: "The water is hot. / The water is lukewarm. / The water is cool".))
This 10mins. function is meant to reduce abuse of the mechanic and offer money sinking. IF "The water is cool."= Still the same MC-reduction as in the public area.
2.1.0 The private rooms might offer the possibility to be shut from the inside so anyone inside might be still hearing what is happening outside,
but from the outside nothing might be perceived what is happening inside.
((Sure. GM`s would be allowed to use those rooms for free ; ) )).
After the 30mins. timeout, the door of any private room would open automatically OR/AND would no more be "lockable" from the inside.
A message like: "A breath of cold air is blowing inside" would certainly notificate the people inside about the timeout.
2.1.1 Mobile NPCs might "enforce" this timeout, to prevent ghostly toggling doors.
((2.2.0 I have no clue how to design an extension of the 30mins. cooldown without constantly having a NPC in the private room, or having a NPC "open" the door.
2.2.1 Maybe there could be different private rooms with and without a NPC inside, who could offer special services as described above and time extensions.))


((And yes. Many walkable water tiles would be fine.
And even more vertical minus offset tiles, or transparency effects for water, or, or, or....))

[Annabeth]

Adding onto this topic instead of creating a new one:

One money sink would be to allow breaking magic gems into smaller ones in exchange for a price. The need for this has arrived with the ability to socket 5 different armor pieces, as I for one am sitting on several larger gems I would prefer to make smaller to put in armor for complete sets.

[maryday]

A good one.
I like it.
Plain and simple magic, without producing gem dust.


Thinking about melting / scrapping magic weapons might be worth a consideration.
What would also point in direction of elemental or gem magic.

[S'rrt]

breaking magic gems into smaller ones in exchange for a price