Armagon submitted a new blog post: March 2nd - Developing the economy. Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Hells yeah, I'm excited for a real economy. I'm also super happy to see you're taking a mathematical approach to determining values. Nothing sucks worse than arbitrary pricing.
Thank you! I knew someone would get around to this. I've done this sort of thing before, and I'm right with you there, this is no easy task. Good luck!
yes! pricing structures ftw =D farming is finally almost useful again ^^ and at last, a workstation lab at the outpost xD was really looking forward to it ^^ wondering though, will the printer learn things automatically, or do we still have to scan them first? if so, will there be a way to visually identify not-yet-scanned scannable items as well as items that are scannable but have already been scanned once?
Finally! The administration is taking the economic recession seriously! Can you address the issue of how readily-available fuel resources is causing oil prices to drop sharply? On an unrelated note, does the "Dungeon Guy" in your title have anything to do with the movie release of 50 shades of grey? Because that'd be kinda exotic weird.
Would this sort of economy also applies to multi-player? I think players are more into the multiplayer aspect of the economy than via NPC. Once we have a standard price for all items we (meaning you guys) could implement a trading function between players, so that items and pixels can be exchanged between players in a safe facing with no risk of getting robbed, but prices can still be bargained.
Heh. The addition of the crafting room and teleporter to the Outpost is wonderful. Very useful. Now if we can just make some of those quests optional rather than mandatory...
I hope teleporters are coming soon! ) Please give more love to the Core Fragments, they're shiny and should be used to make some illumination items as well.
This is good stuff. Too many times would need to craft something while at the Outpost, and have to run back to my ship to do so. Keep up the great work!
These outpost changes sound great! It is good to see the little things get some polish with each update. Trimming the fat makes all the difference.
My personal thoughts on this. No economy ever uses a straight pricing system. Not for wholesale at least. I think that there should be at least some charisma based negotiation system. It would also allow for a new character role i.e. "middle men" with high charisma to buy foods from farmers at prices higher than they could normally sell it for then sell it to vendors for even higher prices (still less than value pricing however).
Well, I am looking forward to an update to the economy in Starbound, but I can't say I am happy with how you've chosen to balance farming in this new economy. Unless I am missing some relevant information, why would the player be interested in buying further seeds if the farmable plant gives back a seed on harvest and has the potential to give more seeds as well? This goes especially for Wheat... every player knows just how much the Wheat Seed tends to exponentially multiply while farming. And farming is, in itself, extremely fast and easy to do. Wheat takes, what, six minutes to grow fully? It used to take ten, which was more appropriate, but you guys reduced the growing times further, probably to accommodate the impatient, vocal minorities... not to mention that all farming requires is Dirt and a Hoe. There is no benefit to using exotic substrate (like jungle Mud or volcano Ash) over something available on the starter planet, and there are no current mechanics which would warrant using an improved hoe to till soil to plant crops. I mean... I know you guys want a farming system in-game, but I just think it's a bit too early to be pricing crops and seeds. New mechanics and better balance are necessities that should come first, before any decent pricing can be established. By the way, if anyone has some info on the farming tier system, could you share it with me? That would be great.
I really like that teleporter in the outpost. The repetitive walk from the Gate- albeit short - was rather annoying.
Taking wild crops into consideration. I think it will only work if wild crops have a high failure rate.
I think the point of purchasing seeds would be to accommodate those who don't want to travel all over Tiy's Creation looking for certain seeds. I know that there are times when I'm starting my own garden that I'd rather go to a centralized location and just get a group of seeds instead of wasting exploration time trying to hunt down boneboo or reef pod. Being able to buy seeds would let me get a quicker start on that and spend my time on the architecture of my homestead.
I know the point of buying seeds. I clearly stated that you cannot get a satisfactory pricing for seeds and crops until you consider all of the factors, and further develop the farming system. And I'd honestly prefer it if crops were not something you scanned planets for, as crops IRL are the farthest possible thing from wild, natural plants. You wouldn't expect to find a chihuahua out in the forests, would you? So why would you expect to find wheat or carrots?
As long the "charisma" was a trait acquired through clothing or buffs, I'd be inclined to agree. Race could even be a factor. Glitch and Florans could have a slightly harder time of it, while Humans and Avians might have it a tad bit easier. That said, I wouldn't sweat if it wasn't implemented.
yaaaaaayyyy selling Items !! whoop ! ... thats actually all that stayed in my mind from this post ... but haaaay I LovE that this is a actually worked on feature ...
As with pretty much every single aspect of Starbound since the initial beta release, it is likely open to change. I totally agree with you on fleshing out the mechanics more; different grades of soil having varying effects on success/duration; maybe even depending on what you're trying to grow in the first place. I'm in the habit of putting a thin layer of water on my rice crops, would be nice if it was mandatory. Codexes that you can find throughout the universe that highlight ideal growth conditions. Want 100% success rate? Get some UV lights, temp control and vents, because you'll have to go hydroponic. Maybe even distinguish between saltwater and freshwater. So many ways to make agriculture more challenging and engaging! "Easiest" isn't always "best", and for those who wish to grow crops and take the time to create an ideal conditions, it could be lucrative and feel rewarding. For those that don't wish to waste their time with all that, then the agricultural aspect of the game isn't for you, and that's what the rest of the economy is for!
