[CF-Devel] Money issues

[Tim Rightnour]

So, through my own playing, and listening to my friends at work who I've hooked
on the game.. I've noticed a few problems with the money system. (umm duh)

Basically, one problem is, that other than for the most basic of goods, shops
are completely useless.

1) When you are low level, you could *really* use the stuff you find in shops. 
Unfortunately, it's all so high priced, you can't afford it.

2) When you finally can afford it, you don't need it anymore.

3) Now that you have all this dough.. you just end up either collecting piles
of gems, or wandering about looking for various niche items, like a ring of
elrond.

4) eventually, money becomes wholly useless.


I think I can solve the first three of these.  #4 is more complex, because it
deals with the issue of what does a super-high-level player really need to buy
anyhow?  So I think we should leave that one for later.  Anyhow, here is my
three part solution:

1)  Greatly reduce the selling price and value of most common goods.  Scrolls,
wands, staves, potions, armor, weapons.  This allows low level charactrers and
newbies, which are arguably the only people who use this stuff, to actually buy
them from shops.

2) Increase the frequency things like books scrolls and whatnot appear on the
low level maps.

3) Make high level stores.

The third point is the most important.  What we should do, is make a list of
the towns, and crank the level of the shops in those towns.  That way, more
high-level goodies will appear there.  It gives mid-level players somehwere to
spend thier money.  Especially given that high level shops will start to have
things like random-artifacts pop up, with much greater frequency.  Ideally, the
highest level shops, should pretty much be completely stocked by
random-artifacts.

For example, and just off the top of my head:

Scorn: leave it alone
Wolfsburg: level 3-4
Navar: level 5-6
Santo Dominon: level 7-8
Brest: level 9-10

---
Tim Rightnour <
     
     root at garbled.net
     
     >
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