Discussion on Trade, Resources, and Crafting
Hey everyone, these are some thoughts I had recently after listening to the latest interviews that have come out, and I was hoping to get a discussion about it going; or, if these have already been answered and I just haven't seen it, please let me know.
Trade and Resource Diversity:
I recently read some information and heard in the various interviews about the caravan system and the incentives to move different types of resources from one node to another. It sounds like, if I understood it correctly - that it's largely artificial drivers that create a supply/demand element by NPC's, so that a caravan of loot from one region sells more in another, taking into account factors like distance and scarcity. This seems like a great system but sounds like it's largely driven by an artificial algorithm reacting to the players actions, rather than driven by the players themselves.
My question however is to wonder if there are going to be any more natural trade incentives driving players to create caravans other than selling loot. For example, are there going to be crafting/building resources that are more scarce in one region and plentiful in another? Will a mountainous region have more access to stone and less to wood, while a forested area would be the opposite?
Similarly, aside from the rarity of a resource being a higher 'tier' and required for higher level gear, are there going to be variations of the same type of resource that are good for different things? As a completely made-up example; the wood found in region A grants HP bonuses when used to build the hull of ships, while region B has wood that gives bonuses to the range of siege weapons built with it, and region C has wood that creates sturdier buildings. I haven't found any information pertaining to these questions and I'm curious if it's planned, as it seems like this would very naturally drive the trade system, as players will want to get resources that may not be able to be sourced locally but which may be more efficient when applied to specific tasks, and resources will naturally be priced differently based on how far players need to travel to get them.
What are the thoughts you all have on this type of system? Or is this what's planned and I just haven't dug this one up yet?
Crafting Interdependency:
My next question has to do with crafting professions being intertwined - I understand that the gathering and processing professions will be needed by crafters, but what about other crafters? Will building plate armor also require components from a tailor or leatherworker (for example)? Will high level crafted gear require input from multiple professions? It's entirely possible this is already planned, but I think it would be a great way to get multiple crafters to cooperate with each other and create a real community.
Crafting Demand:
This is a somewhat simple question, but what is going to drive the need for crafters once a server matures? I understand that node development and repairing gear will still require gathered and processed resources, but what is an armor smith going to do on a mature server where most players already have the more high-end armor? It seems like there won't be a lot of demand for gear in a system where gear is rarely lost, so what are the plans to balance a player run economy where the main costs are in mats for repairs and not in the gear pieces themselves? For example, what role would someone have who crafts mounts when most players already have them? Obviously this isn't an issue that will appear for many months, but at some point the community will mature past needing a large influx of gear as the average player starts hitting max level.
