From: bairds@eecs.cs.pdx.edu (Shawn L. Baird)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.admin
Subject: Re: Multiple currencies
Date: 15 Dec 92 04:26:17 GMT
Article-I.D.: pdxgate.6574

whale@leland.Stanford.EDU (Stephen Schmidt) writes:

>In article <Dec12.175542.15258@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> ludwigj@CS.ColoState.EDU (Vilkata (Joe Ludwig)) writes:

>>  What exactly is a zero-sum economic system?

>  A zero-sum economy, at least the way I'd use the word, is one in which
>every economic agent is a player. Thus, all economic activity is simply
>trades between players, leaving the total wealth of all players unchanged.
>To get something like this, you have to have player-run shops and banks
>and pubs, and some way for players to produce items for a cost.

Hmmm, I'm no economics major, but wouldn't this really refer to the fact that
the total wealth in the system doesn't change?  In other words, I'd think it
would just be that if the players were richer the mobiles would have to be
correspondingly poorer.  Mobiles could certainly be programmed to take on
economic roles and not force players to assume positions of mundanity (unless
perhaps they want to ...).
     I don't really believe in a perfectly static system, but certainly some
devices would need to be written due to the fact that, as explorers, money
would tend to flow away from the mobiles and toward the players.  I'd like
a level of wealth that corresponds somewhat to a standard of living, I guess.
I should have enough wealth so that if I took the frequent players and
calced the average of their wealth individually, I should come out to
somewhere close to what I wanted.
     Diku, in my opinion, tends to be too open ended.  Players simply
accumulate wealth and mobiles continue to regenerate, providing yet more.
This system has some visible flaws in that after the Diku has been running
for a while you'll notice a lot of characters with 1 million or more coins
on them (also a problem based on the fact that coins are weightless), and
then newbies will appear who suddenly have 500k to buy equipment.  To use
a specific MUD as an example, Perilous Realms tends to be one of the way too
rich muds (no object limiting that I've seen, no monetary limits at all).  I
remember deciding to can my high level character and start a new low level.
I gave all the coins over and only a few items, but was able to buy a very
hardy set of equipment with the rest.  When purple cloaks sell for 200k
coins each, you get the impression gold is a bit too free (not to mention
the number of players who know how to get purples is surprisingly low
considering the ease with which it may be obtained).
     Hmmm, looking at your signature perhaps we should try something besides
a cross between feudal/capitalistic ... how about communism the economic
theory?

     The Bread Line
          You stand in a line of about one hundred people, waiting to get
     your weekly stipend of bread.  You feel restless, tired of hearing
     about countries across the great ocean where everyone has enough to
     eat.  The clock is at nearly 4 pm, when the line will close, even if
     there are still people waiting.
     A man dressed in black is standing on the street corner.  As you
     glance at him he winks and you get a brief flash of brown bread
     crust from underneath his jacket.

|  bairds@eecs.ee.pdx.edu                                                   |
|  I think I am right, therefore I am right.                                |