Economy Emphasis/Implementation
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Prometheus responded in a recent thread about the Gear System, stating:
@reaper said in gear system?:
The item system of Fractured strongly empathizes equipment replaceability, so the average armor or weapon will be made of common materials and it will be easy for a player to craft a whole new set if he loses his own - or to buy it from another player, of course. The geographic distribution of resources will play a big role in this - a material might be common in a region of Tartaros but "rare" for you because you live on Syndesia and hell there are really a few merchants who dare to go THERE to trade or gather - and if they do bring back some, they sell it at 20 times the price it's found at the local market. That being said, there will be bosses, rare resources and rare items, but they are not the core of progression in Fractured. You aim will be to learn as many things as you can so you can vary your build as much as possible, and to have a steady supply of materials (not only for crafting - food as well!) for your everyday life. I'll be bold and say Fractured's progression is really something different from anything you've seen so far :slight_smile:
This started the gears in my head turning, and I wanted to see if there are any other details on hopes for the economic system in the game. Particularly, will a player conceivably be able to play as only a merchant? Or will they simply have to quest and fight to make headway, even though their focus may be on crafting?
The idea of merchant caravans between regions and worlds is appealing, but if the skill system allows everybody to learn how to craft their own armor, will players be able to play as weapon and amorsmiths, viably? Obviously there will always be those wanting to pay so they can go fight, but if the skill system allows players to replace armor on their own with relative ease it may impact the ability to play a "merchant". I'm curious what the goal is, in terms of economic play and viability.
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@Vahn interesting question. I'll give you a quick answer since these points too will be discussed in future Feature Spotlights.
The fact you can craft the piece of armor / weapon you need yourself doesn't mean that you have the material you want to use to craft it. Basic ones, you'll likely do, or be able to obtain easily. Rare ones (particularly those coming from other planets), probably not. Plus, even if you have "that" rare material you want to use, that doesn't mean your character can actually use it! The ability to use each material is something that you need to learn, just like the ability to craft each piece, and if you're a Beastman and that piece of knowledge is tucked away in a remote and dangerous region on Tartaros... Good luck obtaining it!
As said above, mind this was just a quick answer. There'd be a lot more to be said :slight_smile:
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I'll be on the lookout for this topic in one of the future Feature Spotlights, then!
That said, the points above are fair. Seems Merchant Adventurer will at least be viable for players that are up for it!
Crafting always holds the potential for me to be an interesting aspect of gameplay, but when the economy and crafting systems don't mesh with the goals of gameplay - and that happens more often than I otherwise seem to expect - it can come off as either tedious, or lackluster.
Mixing in the gampeplay elements of having to travel, delve, and risk danger not only for materials but also for knowledge/recipes is a great idea, but one that other games have failed (at least for me) due to Auction Houses allowing me to grab anything I need. Not that Auction Houses are bad, just that the implementation and goals of crafting/economy never seem to really nail the right feel.
Looking forward to seeing Fractured's plans!
