Recently, it has come to my attention that this server lacks a stable system of trade. I had traded twice with two different players over the past few days and did not know if they could be trusted to trade. [Luckily they are trustworthy :3] I had to make sure not to bring superfluous items incase that player killed me for my stuff and whatnot. The price and trade value was banged out by us and we agreed upon a trade. This got me thinking however, what would keep one person from scamming or ripping off another? My thoughts drifted back to a year or two ago when I was in another server which had money. All prices were set (based on the admin's discretion) and all trades were fair. Players could set up their own chest shops in certain places around the spawn for a fee. All materials were available and most people were happy. There were banks which gave you interest, there were taxes on your chest shops, the economy rose and fell... but I am getting ahead of myself. Unlike this: http://skcraft.com/threads/alice-physical-currency.1265/ I think all money should non-physical and be obtained though a world shop with a set price. The amount of money in the world is scaled to the amount of active players per week ([Amount of money] per amount of unique users logged on per week) so that the world shop (or this server's Fed) increases or decreases their money supply accordingly. When it comes to inflation, there could be a currency ceiling per player. I hear you asking "But Dmoney! Who would be so attentive to design all this?!?! Who is god's name would run such a thing?!?!" In all honesty, I cannot tell you if any Mod or Admin would want to set this up, already making a pit in this idea. I think that this server would greatly prosper if it incorporated Fiat Money and Chest Shops. Feel free to agree with me or tell me I am an idiot, all input on this is greatly appreciated!
Would this not decrease not only the price arguments, scams, and problems mods have to deal with? Just having an Iron Ingot being worth (off the top of my head) 15 $k and be done with it? Not to mention Chest Shops would be placed in protected areas? (I realize this cannot be done until the Mining Laser problem is sorted out) And that only one player has to be present?
I believe Sk disabled the recipe for IC2 credits with the intention of eventually setting up a physical currency system(rather than just numbers attached to your account). Even without them you are currently able to trade safely with either trade-o-mats or trade stations using the mail system (I have used it and surprisingly did get some sales). Basically what we need at this time is a player market. There were a couple suggestions, one was building it on the path out out of spawn, and the other was building it in the nether. I actually kind of liked the nether Idea, there already is a path in the nether, and if we build a path going in all 4 directions it should be easy for anyone to get to the market through the nether, or through the spawn nether portal. If fact rather than having a single market in the nether, what about building individual stalls along the path? Instead of each person having an individual stall in a building, they can have one off the path, perhaps even a little/medium building of their own that they can decorate themselves and show their own style. In fact, I like that Idea so I am just going to do it! I am going to go build my shop now, if another player market is made I may move there, but I am going to take the initiative and start an ad-hoc one now =P
Basically what we need at this time is a player market. Yes, all of my yes. I tossed The Nether out as a suggestion as a place, but then again... Ghasts, Fire bats, Zombie Pigs, etc. I think a Player Market village just off of spawn where you can claim ONE chunk and have a shop there is a good idea. I would personally make the entire town myself but I have only been on this server for 2 weeks, I am not that prosperous (yet). Either way, I am going to go 'try' to build that town and set up The Enclave's shop. I will push for this to happen.
The major problem with building a nether marketplace (or any marketplace without special permission) is that people could easily grief one another as the shops would need to be left unprotected or protected where players would need to do something first like apply for a stall where you would then give them permission to build in the stall. Even then in a claimed chunk, customers wouldn't be able to buy anything as they wouldn't be able to do anything but walk... I have an idea to get around that but it'll take time to think over.
"players would need to do something first like apply for a stall where you would then give them permission to build in the stall" This is where we need more support from people who have that kind of power. Chest Shops *should* work in claimed chunks, I knew of one place that was able to do that. I also carry the notion that it should be an area like spawn, where nothing can be edited. You would have to apply for a shop here, on the forums, and then have that one chunk be made available to you if you are to be accepted. The MOST SIMPLE WAY to do this is to have the server claim a large plot of land and then give it away to applicants per chunk. The Chest Shops are signs which can be right clicked (buy from) and left clicked (sell to); they are applied directly onto the chest. A sign would be formatted in such a way like... | [BLANK] | | [Item amount]| | [Price] | | [Item Name] | So if you have a shop for Iron Ingots... | [Blank] | | 1 | | B 15 : 10 S | | Iron Ingot | I know there is a Chest Shop Mod that does exactly this. Found it: http://dev.bukkit.org/server-mods/chestshop/ I don't know if it is compatible. The only problem is getting these particular signs past the Chunk Claim.
"so who is going to scout out the location?" Honestly, this is going to have to be done by someone who has the power to do so. I would set up this entire system if I could, but thats not up to me.
We use to have a plugin like that last Alice, i'm sure there's a good reason we don't have it this time around
We had a plugin for economy that sk made for vincent, I think. It worked really well but no one ever used it when alice opened.
Are you talking about the Farbes, and iron--> credit plugin? Everyone wanted to use it but it was never setup on Alice
On old alice trade-o-mats worked in claimed areas, we just need to ask SK to put them back on the exemption. I like the idea of having a hard currency, I don't like the whole "this is just a number attached to your account" currency. Actually for basic shops trade-o-mats and personal safes are all that is needed, it can be left unclaimed as they can only be removed by the owner of them
Or what you can do is if you're hellbent on trade-o-mats is just leave everything unclaimed since players can't destroy trade-o-mats/personal safes they never placed and if your shop get's griefed, ask a mod to help It's a whitelist server so this shop has just as much chance of getting griefed as much as your home if lasers were enabled.
" I like the idea of having a hard currency" But then you can lose your money if you're carrying it to the bank or a shop if you just so happen to die. And if chest shops then put the money inside it, there is less space for materials inside the chest. What if the money inside the chest runs out? Then all trading ceases until the player restocks not only goods but physical cash as well. Also, then shop keepers have to collect from their chests to get their money, where-as they would get it instantly. A "number just attached to you account" is the most liquid currency we can have, and with the point of having a more liquid currency (not bartering actual goods) it would inhibit not only the speed at which money travels, but the time it takes to mark it all down and balance your ledgers.
The same thing you do with everything important that you carry on you, keep it in ender pouches. Trade-o-mats can have 2 chests, 1 for input and 1 for output, so same space as a regular chest shop. Trade-o-mats also don't require currency as well, they can trade items for items, that is how it was on old alice, no currency at all. I actually liked that system because the buyer got what they needed, and the seller got what they wanted without having to go buy it themselves. I believe the "hard currency" is something SK is thinking about. The IC credits can also be combined to make larger credits, saving space. I remember on old alice people had teleport pipes connected to their systems so they could restock it from home, the same can be done here. The IC credits are already in place, so are the trade-o-mats, why add another mod to do the same job? We already have 2 different trading systems, I don't see a need to add a third.
"I actually liked that system because the buyer got what they needed, and the seller got what they wanted without having to go buy it themselves." Then why have a common currency? Say I sell one metric butt-tonne of Iron for one Lapotron Crystal, how does this help the common man get Iron? The point of a player-run market is that any player can be apart of it (with the right provisions) and that all items can be bought there with common dollar that anyone can use. If you have the time to set up an entire shop for one item as payment, you have time to just make that item. Everyone has to work. What happens when you no longer need that item? Or if someone who has that item but wants to buy Gold instead of Iron? It just makes things complicated for the buyer, that is why this server's economic system was in the toilet and was never used. Nobody wanted to use it because it was too taxing on the buyer to have the right materials for the seller. Every player should have equal opportunity, the common dollar establishes that. "The IC credits can also be combined to make larger credits, saving space." You missed the point entirely on non-physical money saving space. "I remember on old alice people had teleport pipes connected to their systems so they could restock it from home, the same can be done here." If you have a pipe hooked up so that the coins flow back and the items flow there, why not use that Ender Pouch you mentioned to hold the items you want to stock so you can place it in the chests? In addition, what if your home chunk isn't loaded? Do the items stop traveling? Backing up the system? The point of liquidity is that your non-physical number (which represents your amount of money) can be INSTANTLY transferred to you or anyone else at any time. No combining coins, no retrieval from pipes, no space taken up at all. Money moves fast, money moves efficiently, money gives everyone the opportunity to succeed right off from the start. I guess you can say that's MY endgame. To improve the availability of materials to the common masses as well as giving them the opportunity to not only succeed, but to become better off than myself. I want everyone to prosper. A common, liquid currency is the best start.
