The Economy of WoW

[Occhidiangela]

I like the name of this site - it's kinda like this one here.  :)

Anyhow, link to the article:
http://www.overanalyzed.com/portal.php?topic_id=19

He's very accurate - the economy works very well up until levels 40-50, after which the monies really start piling up for characters who make good use of the auction house.

This impacts everyone, because once the servers start filling up with level 60 players, the economy will fall badly to inflation.  Too many characters will be walking around with hundreds of gold, devaluing everything that isn't a level 55-60 item heavily.

What would you do to fix this?  One-time costs do not solve the problem, and never will.  Only recurring costs can stem the tide.  What recurring cost could you implement that wouldn't drive everyone crazy?

One idea of mine is housing - that there would be a recurring cost to this that would keep draining you if you wanted to keep one up.  Make there some kind of point in having one, and players will line up to get it anyway.

-Bolty
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I will offer a comment on this whole thread .

The WoW economy is not self contained. When I was a DM in D & D cammpaigns, the influences I set up "in the world" as game master would occasionally backfire, and occasionally work. Other times, the changs would be irrelevant. However, the whole structure was in my control, a closed system. Such a micro does not appear to scale up with MMORPG's. :P

There will probably exist a parallel economy, though I hope its influence is small.

Will These guys get attacked like BNET-D did?

Even if Blizz puts stronger controls on what is sold/traded via E bay or straight Paypal transaction agreed during an in game chat -- talk about your caveat emptor -- there will be a commodity market outside the box that may influence the inside the box game. Gold does not appear to be a soulbound item. <_<

Is it the end game level that is Blizzard's greatest concern? The post 60 condition wherein folks will be going after the juicy high end content?

One game factor / commodity that is unequal, like oil resources under the ground in the real world, is time. By investing more time into the game, one can acrue more in game material, and since it is a Role Playing Game, not just a combat exercise, some players will apply their talents in trading for their guild, or themselves, since it appeals to them.

I see little utility in over-tampering with a playing field that is heavily influenced by the skill and ingenuity of the players. Ya don't make Michael Jordan wear weighted shoes. :huh: I also don't see WoW as being attractive if it is static.

And as to the very nature of the games involved:

Twinking, or within guild sharing, seems to be a natural feature of on line games, and it is the exception rather than the rule that a no twink condition would exist. Therefore, I would expect that the standard economy in an on line RPG is, by the nature of the game, inflationary. What appears to be under discussion here is the matter of degree.

Closing thought: Wasn't "Frodo's ring," the mithril coat, and Sting a series of twinks from Bilbo? :blink:

Occhi