At the risk of getting my head chopped off, I want to preface this by saying I'm not an economist, but there is a straightforward logic to how currency works in the real world that I think could be interesting in Ashes of Creation.
In the real world, every country has its own currency, and the value of that currency fluctuates based on the stability and reputation of that country. When we look at "Ashes of Creation", the Node system functions very similarly. We have settlements that eventually grow into Villages, Towns, and Cities. In essence, these Nodes act like independent "countries."
The Concept: Corrupted Currency: We know that in any MMO, there will be bad actors—players who grief, exploit, or generally disrupt the peace. These players will inevitably have a "home base" Node.
My proposal is this: What if the behavior of a Node's citizens directly impacted the value of that Node's currency?
If Intrepid (or the game systems) detects that a specific Node is harboring a high volume of "Corrupted" players or bad actors, that Node could be subject to an economic penalty—essentially a sanction.
- If you try to take currency earned in this "Corrupted Node" and spend it in a "Lawful Node," it would be worth less value (Not to be confused with worthless).
- This creates a natural disincentive for players to support or live in Nodes that tolerate corrupt behavior.
- It incentivizes players to "self-police" their communities to keep their currency value high.
How it contrasts with standard MMOs:In most MMOs, Gold is a static resource. 1 Gold is always 1 Gold, regardless of whether you earned it by playing legitimately or by griefing/exploiting. If you have more of it, you have more power, period.
But in a system with "Corrupted Currency," not all wealth is equal. If a resource (like Gold) is harvested in a stable, lawful region, it retains high transfer value. If it comes from a region known for corruption, it loses purchasing power when you try to export it.
Questions for the community:
- Is there any existing mechanic in the Wiki that already covers "Economic Sanctions" on specific Nodes?
- Do you think this would lead to healthy self-policing, or would it just punish casual players who happen to live in a "bad" Node?
I’d love to hear your thoughts or see links to any similar systems already planned or previously discussed!
