Fix the economy

[Wreckless-]

In my opinion, half of the fun of the game is building an economy that will sustain the adventures.
However, the developers have taken several decisions that have thrown the economy off balance. It is far to easy to amass a great surplus of resources. So they are handed over to grateful lower lvl players. However, this is not how the game should be played.

The treasure is overflowing with coin. This causes inflation, with coin losing value. And with the extra goldmines this will only get worse.

These resources will have to be put to good use to balance the economy again.

So I suggest the standing army demands to be paid in coin.
Higher lvl players have an army of 10k ore more, but most of them would be cannon fodder: recruits and bowmen. These are basically armed civilians and they only require 1 coin per week.
Militia and longbowmen demand 2 coin per week.
Cavalry, soldiers and crossbowmen are professional soldiers and demand 1 coin per day.
Elite and cannons are more expensive, they require 2 coin per day.
If they don't get paid, they refuse to go out on adventures. Don't pay them for a week and they defect. Half of them will take their weapons with them when they leave.

It takes resources to sustain a standing army.
1 bread and beer for every professional soldier per week, so for Cav, S, E, XB & cannons
2 wheat for every cav per week
1 meat for every cav, s or xb per week
1 sausage for E and cannons per week

Also, a survivor in battle has a 10% chance of getting his weapon destroyed or lost, and this would have to be replaced. The survivors don't have to retrained, new weapons would simply be taken from stock. If they aren't enough weapons in stock, the military would be unarmed and unable to participate in the adventure until they are fully equipped.

I also suggest we dispose of the "special troops". Simply don't allow R & B to participate in colony and you would get a similar effect.

What do you guys think?

[Dorotheus]

And what of new players who are just building a army to free their island before they have developed enough to be able to pay as you suggest, the costs would be even more punitive to those who have just started to do adventures.

[deltablue]

maybe try another game if its so wrong :)

[Bluesavanah]

Did you forget this is a game a large chunk of people found by accident, it's possibly their first and only game. They in many cases don't do it on a meta-gaming level. They just do an adventure as and when they have enough troops. They are just coming to terms with the fact they need a bigger army,economy and population to get anywhere past 50 but they are trying their best.

The last thing they need is a punitive tax, their army losing their weapons and running off because their lonely.

You are as deltablue said perhaps looking for a 'proper' game.

Btw inflation is caused by demand not people having massive stocks of everything. Deflation is caused by over supply, your on Northisle and should know this two examples would be bread and beans. Before XXL people were virtually giving it away you could buy 10k for 100-125 gc now it's 500-700 because there's just not enough to keep on churning out ft adv. Beans on the other hand are plentiful and have dropped by about 30-40% sometimes more.

[vigabrand]

It is far to easy to amass a great surplus of resources. So they are handed over to grateful lower lvl players. However, this is not how the game should be played.
and that's why u'll never be welcome in my guild...

u seem to be fixated on coins, which aren't a big commodity like gran or grout, but do have their use! if anything we should get more coin according to our pop, ever heard of tax? i'm sure new players would welcome this idea much more than the tosh u suggested!

[Larili]

You Haven't got a level 5 gold chain, sleeping , Wreckless by any chance? ;) Have to agree with Blue, supply and demand is what creates inflation/deflation, along with a desire to level up quicker than your own economy has been designed to handle. Each addition to the game brings along a different emphasis for what is a desirable trading resource. Bread I think, has probably been through the most change, it was once the most important resource, then lost favour as troop losses dropped, is now back in demand, but with new farms coming online I can see supply once again overtaking demand in the not to distant future. Who is to say what the next introduction to the game will do to the value of coins.

[Urgh123]

That what has been suggested would, despite being a very bad idea, amass an insane amount of new bugs, we dont want them, we just have enough old bugs here and we're being perfectly happy with them all :)

[Wreckless-]

Not a single rational argument against my proposal I see. :p

[Bluesavanah]

Here's a rational argument against your proposals, we don't need the lag. Exactly how many calculations would the server have to preform per second to keep constantly figuring out how big everyone's army is. Personally I can put anything up to 20,000 units in a barracks in a day so in losing all those units they have attacked a lot of camps, so it would also have to figure out how many weapons I've lost.

[Brayarg]

I think its an awful idea..

If my real life kept me busy all week, regardless if it be work, holiday or w/e... maybe iv found myself a new game?? Knowing that my army had defected I would be less likely to return at all.

to expand slightly

There are many many people who only play events.. Lets just assume we are now on the run up to Easter and 100k people flock back to TSO for another crack at it (2 days and counting down to lift off)... BB quite smartly do there bonus gem offer, everyone logs in to prep up and plan the event... BUT, ahh all the troops.... they are gone. Some may choose to rebuild, some may choose to log straight back out with a very disgruntled look about them. Good for gem sales and the overall population level? I know what group I would be in :)

[vigabrand]

Not a single rational argument against my proposal I see. :p
steady on fella, lets not get silly here... u started off with "in my opinion" and ended ur first post with "what do u guys think?"
we're all entitled to an opinion and we've told u what we think. its always worth posting ideas, but it seems in this case this idea isn't popular

[Iolanthe]

The 'army tax' or 'pay the army' idea was floated in Sandycove chat a while back. Due in large part to concerns about how it would impact lower level players and more casual high level players it was shot down there. These concerns are still very valid.

That suggestion, the general lack of enthusiasm for it, and the long standing wish for a coin sink that doesn't penalize a large percentage of players can be seen this thread: Stop the coin inflation! (http://forum.thesettlersonline.com/threads/27488-Stop-the-coin-inflation!).

[Alsh]

I don't think this is a good idea at all. It risks a number of bugs, seems harsh on newer players and seems to give no advantage. If you're looking for a coin/resource sink then maybe help newer players/guildies with resources?

[Xibor]

Army Maintenance? Simply a bad idea. You pay for the troops when you recruit them. Done.

[Wreckless-]

My suggestion was only that, it can be improved upon.

@ Dorotheus: when liberating the home island, the army could be paid by colonizing the provinces they have just conquered.
@ deltablue: really? this is your second post and that's what you posted?
@ Bluesavanh: I'm not discussing economics with somebody who obviously doesn't have a clue.
@ vigabrand: don't worry, I wouldn't dream of applying for you guild. I'm appreciated by the members of my guild, as far as I can tell. :cool:

[lordloocan]

Sorry Wreckless,, a -1 from me. Re not a single rational argument against the idea, I thought they were all very rational. Maybe easier to remove lootspots from the game so players cannot amass huge numbers of coins that way?

[Urgh123]

So I suggest the standing army demands to be paid in coin.
Higher lvl players have an army of 10k ore more, but most of them would be cannon fodder: recruits and bowmen. These are basically armed civilians and they only require 1 coin per week.
Militia and longbowmen demand 2 coin per week.
Cavalry, soldiers and crossbowmen are professional soldiers and demand 1 coin per day.
Elite and cannons are more expensive, they require 2 coin per day.
If they don't get paid, they refuse to go out on adventures. Don't pay them for a week and they defect. Half of them will take their weapons with them when they leave.

It takes resources to sustain a standing army.
1 bread and beer for every professional soldier per week, so for Cav, S, E, XB & cannons
2 wheat for every cav per week
1 meat for every cav, s or xb per week
1 sausage for E and cannons per week

Also, a survivor in battle has a 10% chance of getting his weapon destroyed or lost, and this would have to be replaced. The survivors don't have to retrained, new weapons would simply be taken from stock. If they aren't enough weapons in stock, the military would be unarmed and unable to participate in the adventure until they are fully equipped.

I also suggest we dispose of the "special troops". Simply don't allow R & B to participate in colony and you would get a similar effect.

What do you guys think?

I think it's "death and taxes" what you're suggesting, ever thought what would happen if someone after a year of work wants to go for a holiday for let's say 10 days and with no internet available there ? Over 70% players at lvl 30-40 would leave the game after seeing the effects of their absence. Would you yourself support such idea then ? And im thinking how much more bugs and odd loses would happen if such thing would be even considered to get implemented... Come on, pull yourself up and think twice please.

[corona88]

coins is just resource as everything else (i don't know why players can't understand this).
coins lose value? who cares, also a lot other resources lose their value and none was complained.

every resource on one point can lose their value. BB every time need to make fix when any resource lose their value?

[Bluesavanah]

My suggestion was only that, it can be improved upon.

@ Dorotheus: when liberating the home island, the army could be paid by colonizing the provinces they have just conquered.
@ deltablue: really? this is your second post and that's what you posted?
@ Bluesavanh: I'm not discussing economics with somebody who obviously doesn't have a clue.
@ vigabrand: don't worry, I wouldn't dream of applying for you guild. I'm appreciated by the members of my guild, as far as I can tell. :cool:

When an point of view (yours) clearly has no traction don't turn to personal insults.

[Dorotheus]

My suggestion was only that, it can be improved upon.

@ Dorotheus: when liberating the home island, the army could be paid by colonizing the provinces they have just conquered.


So your suggesting the the reward for taking control of a sector is that the army should be disbanded.

[TheVictorious]

Stupid idea, are you just hate high level and want to doom them?
Seriously, get yourself up and build your economy, don't wait the TSO fix that for you !

You already pay time and expensive resources to build them what the idea to pay more for them !? logically you need 1 horse to 1 cav but you pay 10 as example.
For Cannons. do you have any idea bout how expensive is they?

Plus, you pay resources and gold and upgrading resources for houses, this this not enough to be called Maintenance cost?

Oh finally, what the joke that told you that players save troops just for show? the troops usually not last more than 24 hours before they killed in Battles of Adventures.

[Urd123]

I

I also suggest we dispose of the "special troops". Simply don't allow R & B to participate in colony and you would get a similar effect.

What do you guys think?

This is the only good part of you suggestion :) - would give a +2 for the removal of the new elite and the pvp troops :)

[MMAI]

I find the idea of the original poster unattractive, but there is a certain point in getting rid of excess coins and beans. In other words i would applaud the idea of BB creating a bean/coin sink for items purchaseable in a shop (so that the payment takes said resources out of the economy).

One can debate about what useful coin/bean sinks are. Here are a few of my suggestions:
- Decorations that add bonusses to a certain production chain, like brew + 1% (or if that takes up too much bandwidth, brew + 2k per day) or similar...would cost 1 million coins or 100k beans
- 7 day x2 buffs: cost 10k coins each
- drill sergeant 24 hour buf: cost 10k coins each
- bean premium: gives premium loot bonus to 1 adventure: cost 2k beans