Just a general question for all you players who have experience playing on servers that have an established currency/pricing system... How has your experience been? Does the system work, or does it break-down in the long run? Did the server limit you to buying resources exclusively, or could you harvest/craft things as well? How would you improve upon the system?
We tried to make a currency in my worlds with my friends but in the end it just broke down and hindered growth of the server. Mainly for sole reason x=y or x+y=z just get complicated. We just ended up making a massive vault and now everyone polices themselves. Mind you this works because we are all mature players who know what a give and take system is and how it needs to work to work correctly.
It gets old fast. The biggest issue is consistency. You cant make your closest friends millionaires, and leave the other people out in the cold to earn their money. You also need a bit of commitment to your map, as most time is spent making negotiations and deals for people to further build. To run the show, you would be more of a businessman than a builder. If you were going to establish a currency system, you need to put a few things into consideration, as well...
1) The values of certain resources cannot be set in stone, so to speak. The value of each resource will naturally fluctuate, all based on who's building what. If some guy is tapping into the cobblestone supply to make his colosseum, then the price of cobblestone will raise higher, as it is lower in supply and requires manual labor to obtain.
2) Ask yourself: Why would someone want to spend their free time "making money" to build on my map, when they can just load up a map of their own (or just join a friend) and build freely? People need an incentive to want to build on your landscape. If your map doesn't have any impressive work from the get-go, I would personally feel as though my work would be put to waste on a map that wont have much publicity. That brings me to my next point...
3) You cant trust everybody. Its shocking how hours of work can be lost in a matter of a few minutes by a player you've turned your back to. Most cases, the people who are griefing are friends of the friends currently in your map. They have no association with your map, and they couldn't care less what happens. People who "work" to build would want the assurance that their building wont be screwed with. Can you watch every creation every minute of the session time to deter griefing?
I could go on and on about the cons of this idea. I tried to make it work, it went horribly awry. If some kind of currency system was to be implemented, it would have to be after later updates when you can have more control over the lobby
My experience has been fine with the Bullion-Credit system. It is comprised of Iron and Gold Nuggets, Ingots, and Blocks that are translated into "credits." The auriferous metal is rare, the silver metal is more common, but more useful, and both cannot be reproduced/limit the gameplay (No Nether, only Peaceful, etc.).
However, I have found that many players dislike currencies for Minecraft. That is why I also created a Trading Center; any two players can trade whatever they want inside that building. Also, because of the limited plots of land in my city, newcomers must give a certain amount of resources to a government representative in exchange for their first property.
With the money cycle I created, everything has been working almost perfectly. You can harvest and craft things, for, as I previously stated, each player's experience will not be limited.
The server I usually Play on had a pretty nice currency system that couldn't be messed up by anybody. The guy did not use actual materials he kept all of the information on the money you had on his phone so nobody could dupe it,steal it or make it. Plus there were quite a bit of jobs too.
Everyone who posted is correct; it all levels down to how much effort you're putting into your server. Currency in Minecraft isn't like the real world because the main objective everyone has in mind - whether you're going RPG status or not - is building, building, building. Also, the description of currency in-game is dependent on what you can throw on the shelf in regards to quality. Like most people, I used paper as my currency. Like most people, it's been going downhill due to several reasons....
1) Deciding currency is a rather difficult task.
Even if you follow something as simple as paper or wood, think about it; they're replenished sources. Even if you capture all the spots of sugar cane or knock down every tree, someone is going to discover at least on hotspot and claim it for themselves to strike it rich. Thinking of using ores as money? Good luck trying to find that many, or if you're duping, expect other players to do the same (it's kinda hard to notice someone duping if they stay silent w/ everyone else).
2) The economy will be changed.
Just as Master_Buttchin stated, prices fluctuate constantly when goods slowly decrease/increase. To assume prices will remain the same and that everyone will be selling/buying the same goods at the same price the whole time is relevant to expecting a student to remain a 4.0 all throughout high school (oh believe me - it's not easy).
3) The players are humans, not walking ATMS.
Honestly, anyone who comes on to play Minecraft wants to do one thing: build. Even while running an RPG server, distributing a form of currency is rather tedious and makes it more effort-consuming on not only your part, but your players' parts as well. Your best bet at creating a stable economy is through bartering. At this moment, I've reduced money transactions on my own server and only use money when it's necessary because players find it boring to walk around doing math in their heads just to buy a porkchop.
4) Know what is on the market.
If you're really serious about having an actual economy, know what you're gonna sell. For instance, nobody wants to buy cobble, wood, etc etc, regular blocks. Manufactured goods are usually best sellers (pre-made tools, cooked/baked food, coloured wool, etc). The objective of a working market is allowing your players to buy and sell what they choose at quick, easy paces. If they have to pay for unnecessary things that they can easily find right outside, chances are things are not working out too well.
In essence, use the economy to how you see fit. Currency can work, but it's not guaranteed to if you don't set it up correctly and with the right players.
Awesome feedback, folks! I really appreciate the analysis. Definitely like the trading center. Was considering doing a weekly or bi-weekly flea market where all players come together in the span of an hour or two for the sole purpose of trading. Drop-in, drop-out, queue system.
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1) The values of certain resources cannot be set in stone, so to speak. The value of each resource will naturally fluctuate, all based on who's building what. If some guy is tapping into the cobblestone supply to make his colosseum, then the price of cobblestone will raise higher, as it is lower in supply and requires manual labor to obtain.
2) Ask yourself: Why would someone want to spend their free time "making money" to build on my map, when they can just load up a map of their own (or just join a friend) and build freely? People need an incentive to want to build on your landscape. If your map doesn't have any impressive work from the get-go, I would personally feel as though my work would be put to waste on a map that wont have much publicity. That brings me to my next point...
3) You cant trust everybody. Its shocking how hours of work can be lost in a matter of a few minutes by a player you've turned your back to. Most cases, the people who are griefing are friends of the friends currently in your map. They have no association with your map, and they couldn't care less what happens. People who "work" to build would want the assurance that their building wont be screwed with. Can you watch every creation every minute of the session time to deter griefing?
I could go on and on about the cons of this idea. I tried to make it work, it went horribly awry. If some kind of currency system was to be implemented, it would have to be after later updates when you can have more control over the lobby
However, I have found that many players dislike currencies for Minecraft. That is why I also created a Trading Center; any two players can trade whatever they want inside that building. Also, because of the limited plots of land in my city, newcomers must give a certain amount of resources to a government representative in exchange for their first property.
With the money cycle I created, everything has been working almost perfectly. You can harvest and craft things, for, as I previously stated, each player's experience will not be limited.
1) Deciding currency is a rather difficult task.
Even if you follow something as simple as paper or wood, think about it; they're replenished sources. Even if you capture all the spots of sugar cane or knock down every tree, someone is going to discover at least on hotspot and claim it for themselves to strike it rich. Thinking of using ores as money? Good luck trying to find that many, or if you're duping, expect other players to do the same (it's kinda hard to notice someone duping if they stay silent w/ everyone else).
2) The economy will be changed.
Just as Master_Buttchin stated, prices fluctuate constantly when goods slowly decrease/increase. To assume prices will remain the same and that everyone will be selling/buying the same goods at the same price the whole time is relevant to expecting a student to remain a 4.0 all throughout high school (oh believe me - it's not easy).
3) The players are humans, not walking ATMS.
Honestly, anyone who comes on to play Minecraft wants to do one thing: build. Even while running an RPG server, distributing a form of currency is rather tedious and makes it more effort-consuming on not only your part, but your players' parts as well. Your best bet at creating a stable economy is through bartering. At this moment, I've reduced money transactions on my own server and only use money when it's necessary because players find it boring to walk around doing math in their heads just to buy a porkchop.
4) Know what is on the market.
If you're really serious about having an actual economy, know what you're gonna sell. For instance, nobody wants to buy cobble, wood, etc etc, regular blocks. Manufactured goods are usually best sellers (pre-made tools, cooked/baked food, coloured wool, etc). The objective of a working market is allowing your players to buy and sell what they choose at quick, easy paces. If they have to pay for unnecessary things that they can easily find right outside, chances are things are not working out too well.
In essence, use the economy to how you see fit. Currency can work, but it's not guaranteed to if you don't set it up correctly and with the right players.