[crossfire] Banking system

[Mark Wedel]

Miguel Ghobangieno wrote:

> I suggest an addum to the mappers handbook "don't put
> jade and amber coins in you duengons as rewards". Then
> will come the question "why have them then!" Well then
> why have most of the things we have in CF? We could
> probably chuck most of our archtypes.. why even have
> CF? CF isn't needed in the world etc.

  Updating the map guide could be done.   I just wonder how many people read it 
:).  That said, the map check scripts could be modified to look for unauthorized 
arches also - some cases may be acceptable, but noting that jade coin appears in 
map xyz coudl still be useful.

> 
> I'd also like copper coins, this will require value to
> have decemal points.
> Could we do that?

  IMO, no.  There will always need to be a minimum value, and keeping that 
minimum 1 to me makes perfect sense.  Adding decimalization adds a fair amount 
of complication, and as is, a value 1 object really isn't worth anything.

  I'd much rather go the approach of revalueing the existing money.  Make the 
new copper coin worth 1.  Make silver coins worth 5.  If gold (10) and platinum 
(50) coins keep the same value, such a change in valuation isn't likely to 
affect things very much (unless players make huge piles of silver to anticipate 
that change).

  Or perhaps one that seems like more a hack but wouldn't have that problem - 
create 'new' coin - new copper, new silver, new gold, new platinum, etc coins as 
new archetypes.  Put whatever valuation you want in them.  Update treasure lists 
(and perhaps maps, but I'm not sure how many maps actually have coins piled on 
them)  Maybe change the existing coins to be 'old' coins or 'ancient' coins.

  Thus, all new coinage that shows up should be these new coins with new 
valuation.  However, those old coins still exist and can still be used with no 
inflation in value, so a player that has stockpiled piles of them doesn't get 
anything more from them (and if they find them in maps or something, not a big 
deal - old coins sitting in a dungeon wouldn't be that odd).

  I say all this because, as I've said before, at some level, you need a minimum 
value on objects.  You can't use floats to store value because the precision for 
high/low values isn't there, and you'll get into all sorts of errors.  So the 
only way to do this is what Brendan (I think it was) described, which is to 
multiply and divide internally.  But even then, you are still stuck with some 
minimum, based on the multiply/divide values that are set up (if for example it 
is 100, then your minimum value is .01 - anything less is lost).

  But really, it comes down to the fact (to me) that a value 1 object is pretty 
nearly worthless, and I can't see need to have stuff worth less than that.  So 
this really becomes a matter of a new coin standard, and that can be done with 
just archetype changes, which to me seems like the much better way to go.