DeletedUser
Back in January, Diggo11 posted a thread echoing a portion of my intent, but it contained some fundamental caveats I didn't necessarily agree with, so this is another similar, but much simpler proposal.
Problem:
As the game drags on, the following issues have become more than apparent:
1. Players with more experience are now facing 20-30-hour waiting period between towns.
2. A player must leave a town twice for each shopping trip, imposing two wait-time penalties in total.
3. New items are coming out, but are not being added to existing towns, forcing foreign shopping.
4. Foreign shopping is all but a necessity in The West, especially earlier in the game -- when fancy items change a player's game experience drastically.
5. Buying most items from foreign shops is too expensive. Literally nobody purchases items for $20,000.
6. As the player progresses in a maxed-out town, the bank's level 10 account of $12,000 prevents the player from saving. This forces the player to leave the town and shop. This does NOT justify charging 400%, however.
Conclusion:
The current foreign shopping dynamic is fundamentally broken. The process of joining other towns presents a grind to players, leading to boredom and frustration. Some towns are left with grays and rusty's, while others have a disproportionate quantity of fancies and sharps. The game revolves around labor points and duel skill points -- affected significantly by item bonuses.
In short, change is necessary immediately.
Solution:
Lower foreign shop prices to 2x.
That's it. No caveats, no "but's." No changes to anything else. This adjustment doesn't even require a full-blown build deployment.
As a possible rider to this solution, developers may consider increasing the percentage returned to the selling town's treasury. Currently, the amount of cash received is laughable, especially in smaller towns with fewer contributors. Increasing the income considerably will help small towns progress more quickly.
This solution does NOT obviate the need to be a member of a town. Some respondents are posting that this solution would create more "townless" players, who drift around without fear of being dueled. My rebuttal is that these players also have no access to: forts, dueling other players, town forums for advice and tip-sharing, camaraderie, free hotel stays, general town pride, and shops' top-tier items (like boots and shawls). If a player wants to drift around aimlessly for the sake of paying 100% more for items, then I say he/she is missing out on a LOT of the game's best elements.
Reasoning:
Nobody can assert -- with logic -- that 4x is a fair modifier. You may as well prevent foreign shopping altogether. The current system forces players to endure a ridiculous onslaught of bureaucracy and red tape whenever a new item is needed. Charging 100% more for an item (2x) is far more reasonable, and does not dissuade shopping alliances -- nor does it create rampant opportunities for enemies to rush your town for items to use against you. Be realistic, and realize that your enemies have other neighbors, too; and that their neighbors' shops also have items, and your neighbors have shops! There is no room for stubborn "but-they're-our-enemy!" principles at this point. Also, please remember that foreigners cannot access your shops' final 2 levels, anyhow! Allowing enemies to shop easier in your town is no more detrimental than allowing them to stay in your hotel after dueling your people.
This isn't Barbie's Day at the Mall or Ebay.com. If I would have known this game would turn into a shopping-simulator, I don't know that I would have jumped in so headlong.
The game appears to be one of dueling, networking, character-building and battle tactics (i.e. forts, etc.). If anyone can reasonably assert that "shopping" should be considered a central theme, as well, then please do so intelligently! I want to know what the community thinks, here.
Problem:
As the game drags on, the following issues have become more than apparent:
1. Players with more experience are now facing 20-30-hour waiting period between towns.
2. A player must leave a town twice for each shopping trip, imposing two wait-time penalties in total.
3. New items are coming out, but are not being added to existing towns, forcing foreign shopping.
4. Foreign shopping is all but a necessity in The West, especially earlier in the game -- when fancy items change a player's game experience drastically.
5. Buying most items from foreign shops is too expensive. Literally nobody purchases items for $20,000.
6. As the player progresses in a maxed-out town, the bank's level 10 account of $12,000 prevents the player from saving. This forces the player to leave the town and shop. This does NOT justify charging 400%, however.
Conclusion:
The current foreign shopping dynamic is fundamentally broken. The process of joining other towns presents a grind to players, leading to boredom and frustration. Some towns are left with grays and rusty's, while others have a disproportionate quantity of fancies and sharps. The game revolves around labor points and duel skill points -- affected significantly by item bonuses.
In short, change is necessary immediately.
Solution:
Lower foreign shop prices to 2x.
That's it. No caveats, no "but's." No changes to anything else. This adjustment doesn't even require a full-blown build deployment.
As a possible rider to this solution, developers may consider increasing the percentage returned to the selling town's treasury. Currently, the amount of cash received is laughable, especially in smaller towns with fewer contributors. Increasing the income considerably will help small towns progress more quickly.
This solution does NOT obviate the need to be a member of a town. Some respondents are posting that this solution would create more "townless" players, who drift around without fear of being dueled. My rebuttal is that these players also have no access to: forts, dueling other players, town forums for advice and tip-sharing, camaraderie, free hotel stays, general town pride, and shops' top-tier items (like boots and shawls). If a player wants to drift around aimlessly for the sake of paying 100% more for items, then I say he/she is missing out on a LOT of the game's best elements.
Reasoning:
Nobody can assert -- with logic -- that 4x is a fair modifier. You may as well prevent foreign shopping altogether. The current system forces players to endure a ridiculous onslaught of bureaucracy and red tape whenever a new item is needed. Charging 100% more for an item (2x) is far more reasonable, and does not dissuade shopping alliances -- nor does it create rampant opportunities for enemies to rush your town for items to use against you. Be realistic, and realize that your enemies have other neighbors, too; and that their neighbors' shops also have items, and your neighbors have shops! There is no room for stubborn "but-they're-our-enemy!" principles at this point. Also, please remember that foreigners cannot access your shops' final 2 levels, anyhow! Allowing enemies to shop easier in your town is no more detrimental than allowing them to stay in your hotel after dueling your people.
This isn't Barbie's Day at the Mall or Ebay.com. If I would have known this game would turn into a shopping-simulator, I don't know that I would have jumped in so headlong.
The game appears to be one of dueling, networking, character-building and battle tactics (i.e. forts, etc.). If anyone can reasonably assert that "shopping" should be considered a central theme, as well, then please do so intelligently! I want to know what the community thinks, here.
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