Addition to trade system

[Morila Qugay]

My idea would be adding a small scale economic system, where you can buy something in one place and sell it higher at another.  For instance, you could buy a unit of cloth in Ojaveda for 100 tria, sell that unit of cloth for 105 tria in Hydlaa, and then you could buy something like iron tools in Hydlaa for 300 tria to sell in Ojaveda for 315 gold.  This would be realistic and add more to rp as it would add the merchants who simply travel place to place to 'buy low, sell high'... something we've seen in our real life economy through the ages.  This would provide players with an alternative to pure combat, or smithing, or crafting.  There is also chance that this could increase rp as there would (possibly) be more people travelling the roads... which could also mean more of an opportunity for highwaymen to attack the caravans.... However, if a system like this were to be implemented, the prices of the trade-able goods would have to be balanced, and to keep balance in other areas completely different goods might be needed.  However, to reduce exploits and keep the fairness, the goods themselves shouldn't be overly light, or have a high difference in value.  Otherwise there would be people making a 20 minute trip to sell 5k units of something with a profit of 10 tria a piece (higher unit weights would also serve as an incentive to avoid using the 'DR express' on the return trip.)  This is just a thought I've had for sometime, and think it could eventually lead to a more dynamic and possibly real-time economy in later versions. 

[Earowo]

that wouldnt be a problem though
if the price is only 5 or 10 tria higher, its enough for rp but its low enough to where it would take all day long to get even 6 or 7k
so i doubt anybody would wanna do t hat when money can be made WAYYY quiker off other things

[Morila Qugay]

True, but I really would like to see a system like this implemented, even if only with one or two items.  It can open doors to alot more RP... and actually provide those who RP merchants with a way to make a living

[Earowo]

its a nice idea, and with only a little bit of tria diffrence doesnt need the gained weight thing, the weight already rose recently and lowered for other things, and that seemed to piss some people off as it is

[khoridor]

That idea makes sense for objects available in a region and not in another one. However, I guess this would happen automatically if the self-balanced economy is implemented, as discussed in previous threads; in particular, NPCs supplied by PCs and adjusting their buy/sell prices according to their stocks.

Another way to make merchants wealthy is the ability to buy larger quantities at a lower price; which would be a skill; with bargaining taking time (with a progression bar); a long time at low levels.

Also, in order to buy large quantities of heavy things (when they are available), a merchant would need a transport force, that is, a group of players payed for carrying the goods; which, in the current system, requires trust, and therefore is better suited for guilds.

[Rigwyn]

It would be pretty cool to see a slow moving (walk speed) caravan packed with more stuff than a person could carry.

I know that currently for thos training magic in bronze doors there is a demand for mana potions - especially the greater ones which are sold in oja.
I know if I was training there and was out of mana I would gladly pay a high price for the convenience.
Same might go for the sale of guts in such remote places.

The arbitrage idea is much simpler though.. Just tweak a few prices so that a haul is worth the time spent.

 

[Koios]

I once met someone at the Eagle Bronze Doors selling Greater Potions of Mana. These can only be bought in Oja (as far as I know) and of course he asked more for them, as he rightfully should. You could also, say go to Levrus, buy some of his glyphs and then head over to Oja to sell them there for a profit to other players that need them.
We also have some merchant in the game that sell various items for a price higher than NPC would pay for them, although most of these things can't be bought from NPCs.

Is this in the line of what you're thinking or is it more "Buy from NPC in Hydlaa for 100, sell to NPC in Oja for 120" ?

[Morila Qugay]

Koios, there is already a system where players buy something and sell it to others for a higher price  What I have in mind would be something that could be done without selling to other players.. something you could do by yourself (or with some guildies) to make some tria in a way other than crafting mining or fighting.  It is hard to make alot of tria by say, going to the BD to sell potions due to the small number of people who would find you and want to buy the potions.  Additionally, with the low amount of players lately, doing something along those lines becomes harder.  In my opinion this would also be great for the merchant guilds who cant necesarily sell to others all the time, or hold auctions/markets.

Rigwyn, having caravans is a great idea.. though im not sure what it would take for the devs to implement stuff.  In the mean time caravans of friends or guilds would have to do.  Im not a developer or scripter, so I dont know exactly how much work would be involved, but as I understand adding a couple items with different sell prices in different places wouldnt be too difficult (correct me if I am wrong.)  The items themselves wouldnt even necesarily need an icon or model, they could be represented by say, a sack.  And again with the potions.. there arent many active players on lately, and you know how its uncommon to meet someone in your travels and do more than a /greet or a run past... it's been that way for years.   

[zinder]

I have a wish/an idea that i believe fits into this. I would like to see the trade system expanded by trade incidents. A trade incident is something happening that influences the prices in a region. They happen at random, influence the price of a selection of goods, and their influence drops over time.

An example incident: In Hydlaa vermin got into the grain stores and soiled half the stored produce. Immediately the prices for grain and grain products, like bread, rise by 10% at all NPC traders in Hydlaa. NPC in Hydlaa will complain about vermin in the grain storage and NPC in other regions may comment on the incident. Over the next week or so they drop down to normal levels for each NPC trader.

Other incidents could be an exceptional or poor harvest or hunt, renovating a manor, a medium fire, the upper crust replacing their wardrobes, throwing a public feast for a wedding, a rampaging draft animal ruining a delivery, a noble/merchant in money problems flooding the market. Some are more probable,and thus mire frequent, than others. Same with the amount of influence. The effects of a wedding feast should be shorter lived and weaker than a poor harvest, for example.

Occasionally the incidents could be coupled with or triggered by an GM event, but normally they  occur with out an event.

It would bring more life into the play of a merchant character. Just running always the the same route might not work all the time anymore. At the same time there are opportunities to make extra profits if only you keep your ears open and maintain a network of contacts in the different regions. It would also bring more life into the world and support that the NPC's have live outside of player character interactions.

[Koios]

It can be a good idea, but there is a catch here. In the Octarchal Decree one of the laws is (not a 100% correct quote I think but the point is made):
"A merchant shall not inflate prices in times of crisis."

Sure there are flows in the market, but with the given crisis you propose the Hydlaa Guards would have to be alert to such things. It would bring some RP, but can easily get out of hand as well.

[zinder]

I don't think any of the incidents i listed as examples would constitute a crisis by itself. You would need at least two or three in the same region in a short time frame to call it a crisis. Two poor harvests in a row and vermin in the grain storage together in the same place - yes, that would be a crisis. But the way i see it done, if you already got one of the incidents, the probability for another in the same place or of the same type drops sharply. Perhaps i didn't make that clear. Also keep in mind not all incidents would raise or only raise prices.

The example of vermin is also intended as one of the stronger and short lived examples. In my mind a poor harvest would also get you 10% raise, but only let up after a month. And a public feast for a wedding would get you a 3% raise in raw food materials and a 3% drop in food products(leftovers) for two days, for example.

There is also some leeway in what constitutes inflating a price. Just raising the price is not inflating. I would place the threshold at 20% or 25%. That is a high raise, but still short of inflating in my opinion.

Oh and as for the Guard, I would say they needn't go looking by themselves. This is one area where people would alert them whenever they think someone overcharges or inflates. But it can easily be a comment that they had to investigate this or that one for accusation of inflating prices already. It could also be a dynamic quest for player characters that only appears when an incident happened.

[bloodedIrishman]

I don't think any of the incidents i listed as examples would constitute a crisis by itself. You would need at least two or three in the same region in a short time frame to call it a crisis. Two poor harvests in a row and vermin in the grain storage together in the same place - yes, that would be a crisis. But the way i see it done, if you already got one of the incidents, the probability for another in the same place or of the same type drops sharply. Perhaps i didn't make that clear. Also keep in mind not all incidents would raise or only raise prices.

The example of vermin is also intended as one of the stronger and short lived examples. In my mind a poor harvest would also get you 10% raise, but only let up after a month. And a public feast for a wedding would get you a 3% raise in raw food materials and a 3% drop in food products(leftovers) for two days, for example.

There is also some leeway in what constitutes inflating a price. Just raising the price is not inflating. I would place the threshold at 20% or 25%. That is a high raise, but still short of inflating in my opinion.

What you are suggesting here cannot be implemented right now. But it is a good idea for a economic system in the future.