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Decaying Equipment
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Sleuth Admin
Sleuth Admin
Tale Spinner

Aug-18-2004 14:36

Somebody suggested adding a swap-meet where players could sell equipment to each other, rather than just to the store.

This is an idea I've had before, but in thinking about it, I've decided that the only way it would really work is to make it so equipment wears out over time. Otherwise, everybody would quickly end up with the best equipment in the game.

The way it could work would be that a given piece of equipment would last through a certain number of cases, or uses (skill checks). Some equipment could be more durable than others. You could then sell used equipment, but the buyer would only get the remaining number of uses before it fell apart.

This would also make money more useful to the high level detectives for whom it has become fairly irrelevant.

Let me know if you are interested in the game moving in the direction of a more realistic economy or not.




Replies

Elsey
Elsey

Aug-18-2004 19:24

that's exactly what i was thinking. i have a coat that i wear allll the time that i can't even get again if it were to go missing or decay away. i like the items not decaying, just becoming tough to get.

jennyj27
jennyj27

Aug-18-2004 19:26

I don't like the idea, only because I never swap out my equipment. I have it at the levels that I like. With decaying equipment, my levels are always going to be off. I would have something good for +4 and something else at +1. Besides the fact that I agree with Chronestrian on this. I like things the way they are

Bella Luna
Bella Luna

Aug-18-2004 20:07

The higher the agency , the more money they have the more likely they would be to replace equipment for new. The middle to lower agency would suffer most not having as much money. In particular thoes who had been around for a while and not won many treasures. I think the divide would become greater not less.

MasterChiefNick
MasterChiefNick

Aug-19-2004 06:17

i dont like this idea because it would be VERY annoying. however, say you only made second-hand equipment decay? that would be ok, and also players could go there in search of a good bargain, as store equipment would not decay.

Dudgeon
Dudgeon

Aug-19-2004 08:05

Sorry, my post is a little confusing. the first line should read, "While I agree with Chronestrian in MOST cases...(I disagree with him on this topic,) and I like the idea of decaying items.

Sleuth Admin
Sleuth Admin
Tale Spinner

Aug-19-2004 09:42

When I say decaying equipment, I think it would be too complicated to have the actual stats decline as the item aged. I was thinking more along these lines:

Say a Trench Coat had a durability of 50. You could look at an item to see what its durability is. The fact that different items could be more durable than others would be another way to differentiate between them. So, a new Trench Coat's condition would start out at 50/50. Condition would also be viewable when looking at an item.

Everytime you attempted a skill test, while wearing that piece of gear, it's condition would drop one. So, if you searched a crime scene, or attempted to use one of the cooperation influencing skills, it's condition would go to 49/50, then 48/50, etc.

The effectiveness of the coat would not depreciate with it's condition, but it would fall apart entirely, eventually.

The price you could get for selling an item to the shop would depend on it's condition. Also, the price you could set for something you place for sale in the swap meet would be chosen from a range that would be based on the item's base value and condition.

Items from the detective shop, could have much higher durability than favor items and items bought from the political groups. That way, this degrading effect would have more effect on experienced detectives who want to maintain the highest bonuses than it would on newer detectives.

Does that make more sense?

Jongy
Jongy

Aug-19-2004 09:47

oooo, that could get expensive!

Sleuth Admin
Sleuth Admin
Tale Spinner

Aug-19-2004 09:51

I have another question along these lines. I'm considering changing favors so that they occasionally award prizes from the lower level prize pools. So, for instance, an Incredibly Hard favor may occasionally award a Rattlesnake Coat.

The one drawback I could see for this is it might lower the usefulness of bringing new low level detectives into an agency, since often the reason agencies do that is so they can collect useful favor items on the way up the ladder.


Athena NYC
Athena NYC
Well-Connected

Aug-19-2004 12:20

I love the way the game is. I dont think it needs any tweaking.

jcp
jcp

Aug-19-2004 12:53

Well, eventually an agency fills up without getting all the items they want. So you can't invite a low level detective in without kicking a high level detective out.

I like the ideas of getting lower prize pool items, because there is sometimes no other way to get those items. If there were items for sale somewhere else, even from another player in a marketplace type setting, it would be better.

As far as items degrading - I don't really like the idea, but that is just my opinion. However, it does raise an interesting possibility: repairs.

If the tailor could repair items for a fee, it would add another dimension to the game.

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