Anonymous

Good idea! - Perfect example of where an employable NPC type (basically a script driven market stall holder, market operator etc) would be really useful for everyone.

a) I'm reeeeeeeaallly irked that we could possibly see the creation of contract lawyers as a profession in game. It's just.... so wrong for so many reasons... It's meant to be humanities rebirth people! b ) (stoopid emotes...) So, essentially, the contract system is really a quest system... (Note - not against it as a discussion - some really nice ideas in here. But yeah - emergent gameplay says such a system should just be something we make. There is no real world "game mechanic" that forces people to fulfill contracts other than pure reputation at the end of the day - yes there may be legal systems, but in reality, it is the choice of the individual to decide to fill the contract, not fill it, scam it, etc - you can't actually *force* people to do it. I also don't think NQ should be our escrow service - it's something we as players need to work out - diff orgs as "governments" may have different ways they want to deal with this.) (Plus I'm out of votes for the day - OP - consider this topic liked - it's a nice one, will do so in 24 hours )

I feel that that's really the crux to the whole debate - DAC's at the current time have no separation from real life / in-game. Which creates issues for people on either side, and NQ, as we are seeing. To sum, it would seem to me (caveat - I'm not an economist really) that: The NQ business needs a means to VC seed fund itself - DAC's in this context represent a "shareholder"/backer investment, the return on which is game time or in game currency. We are split as a community as to whether this investment should be protected in a physical sense, or if such investments are transferable, either illegally (theft) or legally. The game itself appears to "need" an underpinning "gold standard" (specie, bullion or exchange/de-facto based are options) for the economy or a fiat currency model. The latter is not really possible at this time. We appear to be split as a community as to whether it is appropriate to use either the specie model or bullion model. NQ have essentially proposed the Exchange/De-Facto model.Specie - the monetary unit is associated with the value of circulating "gold coins" (DAC's) or the monetary unit has the value of a certain circulating gold coin (KS DAC), but other "coins" may be made of less valuable metal (Post KS DAC). Bullion - a system in which gold coins (DACs) do not circulate, but the authorities agree to sell gold bullion (DACs) on demand at a fixed price in exchange for the circulating currency - this is a translation of the non-lootable option in essence, but only if DAC's are not linked to real world purchase. De-facto - usually does not involve the circulation of gold coins. The main feature of the gold (DAC) exchange standard is that the government (NQ) guarantees a fixed exchange rate to the currency of another country that uses a gold standard (specie or bullion), regardless of what type of notes or coins are used as a means of exchange. This creates a de facto gold standard, where the value of the means of exchange has a fixed external value (1 month play time for instance) in terms of gold (DAC's) that is independent of the inherent value of the means of exchange (real money or in game creds) itself. At the same time, there is an emerging debate/need on top of the above around what, in-game, should be constituted as legal and fair play (stealing and looting), balanced against considerations such as real world, and known, activities by less than honest people who will seek to exploit DU and the real money flowing through it for personal gain - either by selling accounts, or "stealing" game time in effect. These appear to me to be 3 separate but semi-related issues, that may be difficult to resolve while they are conflated into a single issue - NQ needs cash and we're investing, the game needs a working economy underpinned by something, and we need to have reasonable protections in place to stop bullying, harassment, fraud and theft, both in and out of game. *braces himself*

Define Market. A virtual exchange? A physical shop front?

@yamamushi I hear you. In defence of @GalloInfligo - I read his use of the word "scum bags" not as muck slinging in the debate, but rather, a term referring to real life, out of play people who are seeking to literally steal what is effectively real money. If that's not the context in which he meant it - well - then @GalloInfligo - I must disagree - there must be a means or mechanic (community driven or otherwise) that allows for "friendly" in-game "redistribution of wealth" (piracy/covert ops between corps/outlaws etc), but in no way makes things a simple gank-fest (sorry Twerk n co) - there has to be risk on both sides, and reward, and more importantly, a feeling that even if one side or another loses, that the experience was FUN and not something that will make players rage-quit, or otherwise constitute RL actions which anywhere else would be considered pure cyber-bullying or predatory activity. As you were.

My thoughts re: emergent are just kicking ideas about around that sort of thing - more an "well, if you're going to have them in there, then how about this". At a stepping back level - abso-fricken-lutely. First and foremost - stealing is stealing if it's real money we're talking. In-game (non-KS) "DAC" really should be something you don't pay real cash for, but is just a thing you can spend in-game cash on should you wish. Which one would hope would mean you then redeem said DAC straight away against your play account because there's no actual point to "holding on to it" in that sense. The DAC's one might buy from NQ's online store similarly probably shouldn't be transferred to inventory for selling on the market - simpler to just have micro transactions of x $ = y DU bucks. "i am also sick of you all thinking..." (Do be careful with generalisations though - not all of us think we have any real idea how anything should work - it's NQ's party really. Other than that - on point IMO.)

Fair point. I should really say "They don't do community", or "they don't do content (that's not DAC's or raw voxels and character models n trees n stuff) (Actually non KS DAC's could actually be a nice actual physical item if they were really heavy / required actual transport. Like if DAC was represented as a rare ore or some such... Gold Bars in the RL sense (vs fiat currency)

AVAST YE!!!!! Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day BOO, love Anonymous. http://talklikeapirate.com/wordpress/

I'm going to use very short and simple sentances to underscore this point. Regardless of the options in play - ALL OF US need to be aware of a fundamental key, immutable fact: The success of the game determines the value of the DAC. Let me say that again slowly in a different way. NovaQuark provides Platform as a Service (PaaS). They do not do content. They do not make the community. That is for us and us alone. If the game tanks, DAC's are effectively worthless. If the community is shit, divided and un-inclusive, and the emergent gameplay doesn't occur, the game tanks. EACH AND EVERYONE ONE OF US HERE WILL DETERMINE THE SUCCESS OF THE GAME. IT IS ON US TO MAKE OR BREAK THE BUSINESS MODEL. Regardless of the option you may vote for above - remember this immutable fact. The technology may be NovaQuark's, but the experience we make as a community is ours and ours alone. That is the real value DAC's reflect and what should be of highest concern to each and every one of you. *end rant*

Well said. All - if you are the type of player who reads the above and is tempted to ignore this advice rather than seeing it for the common sense it is - please do. Darwinism is a great way to weed out power hungry asshats early on. An Anonymous Public Service Announcement

As an aside - this discussion should include 1 vs 1 etc out of safe zones. NPC's etc should react if you break into a house, mug someone, commit murder. Nothing worse in an MMO for immersion breaking than NPC's who are just like "meh". I for one want NPC women/men to run inside, slamming doors while clutching screaming children, and NPC bartenders to shake nervously while pouring me a drink because they've "heard of me", or just left a fool dead with a hole through him slumped over a table after a card game gone wrong. If you know what I mean. (Hell - in a long game scenario - I'd love kids to see me save em from something and come back a year later IRL time to find a grown up NPC who joined X because I inspired them. You know, cause I'll be playing over a 10 year period n all)

I'm a unique snowflake. Still reckon I'll have a larger impact on politics in this game than some large orgs Dhara's right - quality, not quantity.

Radiation is one thing - you've said technology (Also, as an Australian - trust me - you wouldn't build that stuff here, especially in the outback. For a lot of reasons. The biggest one being that the U.S itself would never ever allow it because of other stuff going on... Why not use the Mojave Desert or the like?) I do like the mag-tech - rail guns, gauss guns. Practical in DU terms

What if all the underlying "jump tech" is just an extension of the Calabi-Yau manifold tech we're using for our storage packs. It's a logical extension from the fact we'll have jump gates - inter-system travel could be C-Y based as well - smaller engines, smaller power reqs, shorter jump distances.

Where to start - I guess IMO - no free kills (you're gonna have to work for it ) If we're going to talk about this, we can't limit ourselves to the idea that it's all pure PvP only. DU's setting (whether or not it's reflected IN GAME) literally will have millions of people in it. So Lone Wolf's aside (having been one myself in games - it's the risk you take against reward in PvP)... Let's look at some basic realistic principles - NPC's are a good starting point. In ANY RL environment, you have consequences to an action. If you show up to blat some player's city (or even an org's city) when they are "AFK", reality would point out that PEOPLE LIVE THERE. And they won't just be passive about things. The NPC populace would react - some would fight back, some will run (causing attackers and defenders logistical headaches) etc. Other orgs and NPC's would also move to take advantage - you'll get White Knights joining the defence. You might get other Orgs or NPC's attacking your bases while you're blatting the AFKer. Sieges and attacks on settlements (as opposed to pure raiding - in and out) should take MONTHS. Really. Unless you want to nuke the place from orbit. (It's the only way to be sure after all). They should not be lightly entered in to. They should be expensive endeavors. They need to be planned, you need intel and stuff. IT SHOULD BE HARD, and it SHOULD be rewarding if you succeed.

Make the personal AI, an actual real AI/chatbot. That smacks talks you. All the time.

OOC: Great effort, and great example of the community really taking off! IC: Armed thugs for hire, do not a police force make.

Ah. So you're creatively lying to the masses to try and recruit them. Excellent tactic. “When one with honeyed words but evil mind Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.” ― Euripides, Orestes

Bonjour Pirocat Nous croyons à ce moment , il y aura un marché du commerce dans le jeu . Que ce soit ou non il y aura un site Web commercial en dehors du jeu est inconnue, mais quelqu'un va probablement faire de toute façon . Merci

Really enjoying this. Moar!

I'm curious about the backstory... Is the inference that Nexus Corp / CSYN went to open war against the U.N over the Novarks?

Good idea, pity it is needed. I'm in, in the event I make Alpha.

Yep - I'd start a new thread @Dygz_Briarthorn

Well met

@Benjerji - Thanks!