Gold vs. Steel

[Aletheian]

So here is my beef:
If Planeshift is another reality separate from ours why is there such a high payout for Gold? In the land of PS Gold is essentially useless. The only real use for mining Gold is not to make anything of value in PS but to bring in lots of tria. In the reality of Planeshift shouldn't iron ore and coal be worth substantially more? Or at least have gold worth substantially less. It seems useless to mine iron and coal for hours to make stock for and get maybe 10k when you can spend that time mining gold and making at least triple that. If we are striving to make an in game economy it seems that the npc's set values for items are counter productive. In the reality of PS iron and coal are in demand but the npc's don't support that ultimately hurting the role playing experience because it just doesn't make sense in game unless you choose to ignore these discrepancies. I hope this makes a little sense it's late and I'm tired because I just leveled up my casting skills and learned about the economic injustices built into planeshift towards the casting population.

[Hadfael]

I never went to the other parts of Yliakum. I don't know what they are using gold for and how rare it is. But Gold circles have to be made somewhere before they fill miners pockets.

[miadon]

Also the chances of a Miner also being a Blacksmith is rather low.

A miner would be spending his whole career mining and selling his ores on to merchants who would then sell it on to blacksmiths.

[Nikodemus]

Would you believe that in medieval times salt was valued equally as gold ?
conclussion:
It all depends how rare is the resource when its price is set on the market. How rare it is on the market, not in the nature.
As far as i remember the prices, iron is 3 and gold is 6 what doesn't make gold that rare.
But the fact is economy in PS is really unbalanced. There are at least two sources.
One is the fighting and looting where way too many things are killed and looted. Here the biggest problem is masively looting swords and other metal equpment from NPCs like gladiators or rogues.
Second are the prices offered by NPC merchants, which are too high, unbalanced to each other and making PCs to sell their gear and other inventory pieces to the NPCs, because it is not worth selling to PCs, what brings concluccio that they ma be not needed at all wha should give them value of 0 tria.

[Eagel]

Would you believe that in medieval times salt was valued equally as gold ?

As said by Nicodemus, salt was used for food conservation, thats its importance and that's the reason for the high price for salt.... besides, refrigerators were created many years laters...

Also I must to say that in medieval times an alchemist used many others minerals trying to make gold... iron, lead, zinc, etc... because gold was a rare metal, and the first thing that an alchemist was trying was to transform others minerals into gold. Think about Philosopher's Stone... that mystical stone that changes everything into gold.

*Edit* in RL: Gold as Diamonds and precious stones, becomes importants and high valuables for men because our vanity... Gold has little cientific uses compared to necklaces, rings... and diamonds too being the hardest stone off all... We're doomed... Mmmuuhahahah 

[neko kyouran]

*Edit* in RL: Gold as Diamonds and precious stones, becomes importants and high valuables for men because our vanity... Gold has little cientific uses compared to necklaces, rings... and diamonds too being the hardest stone off all... We're doomed... Mmmuuhahahah 

Eagel, most the connectors on your motherboard are gold.  gold is a highly useful conductor.  makes for great contact between pins and chips and all those nifty little thingies that make the computer go.  theres actually a business market for melting down old computer parts for the gold and other materials in them. 

[Eagel]

@Neko Kyoruan: yes... that's I was saying... and besides gold won't corrode like copper
I was trying to say that is more "important" a gold ring, than a circuit conductor... it's more important an accessorie than science or technology... but, forget it... I was trying to be ironic... it's hard... I can't be like zanzibar!!  (No offends zans!!! )

[Under the moon]

In a world such as PS, salt would be worth -far- more than gold, which I have pointed out before to the Devs. It is the only way to preserve food in that day and age. It is also needed to make weapons and tools. Salt is needed to survive. Without salt, we die. Now ask the big question. Where does this salt come from?

The only logical answer is the Stone Labyrinths, deep in some sort of barren salt bog or flats of a dried up, underground saltwater sea.

The economy should be based on salt, not gold. This is the way it was in many anchient cultures. Gold in those days was just rather useless. Rarity and how hord it is to get is was makes a stock worth anything. Gold is neither in PS.

[Hadfael]

Rarity **and** qualities are both important.
Bananas are rare in PS and they are not the base of the economy, because they don't last enough in your pocket.
Let the rain fall on your salt purse and you are poor...that's the value of gold, it lasts. And the alliage of a Tria seems to last even longer.
Gold doesn't alter with time can he melted, crafted, chiseled, unlike babanas. A golden babana will last forever. A salted one is lost forever.

[Kerol]

I think you should read this.

And

It is the only way to preserve food in that day and age.

is not true.
See this for details.

[Choren]

Also gold is what your money is based off of.  Gold I think connecdets froces of migic better then the other metiles like it dose with the things in your computer.  Such as the quest to get your feimlet, where you need a gold ring and 10 demaons.

[Under the moon]

Hadfael, you are an idiot.

Is the money in your pocket made of the gold it is based on? When you invest in the stock markets, do you have an actual chunk of the concrete the company is made out of? No. Learn about economics before you toss your inane dribble at me. What an economy is BASED on does not mean that is what the money is MADE out of. If your economy was based on bananas, you would not hand out bananas at the market like some fool. You wold have coins that were worth so many bananas. Does the original banana last? No, but you can exchange your coin for an equal banana later. In some games and books I have seen, water is the base of the economy, and coins were worth so many barrels a peice. Why? Because water was rare.

Anything can be used as a base for money. Land, food, salt, gems, water, materials, trees, shells, oils, or even services. Our own world has seen all of these as the base of money. Gold is just what most of us use now.

*edit* Look at the movie Waterworld. The three most common and cheap materials we have nowdays are what the economy is based on. Water, dirt, and paper.

[Karyuu]

Under the moon, chill out when you post, or don't post.

[Mariana]

Hadfael: I take your comment as : choosing a durable material as base for money is best.

Under the moon: You are right, except the first phrase, unless you define idiot as person with ideas in which case you are completely right.

[Nikodemus]

I think UtM is so harsh because he care so much. It can be really frustrating, when you play a game like PS, with all this what it is supposed to be and the reality is often different, because of the people. I sometimes loose my nerves too.
UtM seems to know more about economy than for example Hadfael. I poorly know the polish names for terms and when it comes about english terms... with  no dictionary... Economy isn't easy and you really should study it a bit before you say someone is wrong.
Even if i'm restricted i try, coz i know a bit

As for Hadfael theory. The important thing i would say about bananas, so not that they don't last long, but that they aren't necessary and you can as well eat an apple
And salt may be the most expensive thing, even if the rain may make you to loose it. But it isn't good for currency because of this reason. what doesnt mean it can't be worth very a lot.
Like UtM said. We can't live with no salt. In Africa people die because of its lack.
Although i think that Talad and Laanx creating Yliakum did not make it resource lacking, because some of them are really important for the life to exist.
Yliakum is more than a stalactite and i believe creation of world in it was far more complex than any of us think.