Currencies and value.
WHAT AN ECONOMY CONSISTS OF
Sources: where currency enters
Sinks: where it leaves
Prices Rates of acquisition
WHY SINKS MATTER MOST
Without them currency accumulates until it is meaningless.
WHAT COMMON SINKS ARE
Purchases Repair and maintenance Upgrade costs that rise Consumables Fees on actions
WHAT INFLATION LOOKS LIKE
Players accumulating far more than anything costs.
WHAT IT DESTROYS
Every decision the economy was meant to create.
WHAT TO MODEL BEFORE BUILDING
Expected income per hour against expected costs.
WHY MODEL IT
Balancing by intuition produces economies that break within hours of play.
WHAT SEVERAL CURRENCIES PROVIDE
Separation of progression tracks.
WHAT THEY COST
Confusion, if the distinction is unclear.
WHAT TO LIMIT
The number of currencies, deliberately.
WHAT PLAYER TRADING INTRODUCES
Exploitation Duplication bugs becoming economy-destroying Real-money trading outside the game
WHAT TO DECIDE
Whether trading is worth that.
WHAT TO MONITOR IN LIVE GAMES
Currency in circulation, and how it changes.
