Here is my gold sink idea. What's yours?

[Jynxx]

Obviously the amount of gold in the game is beyond ridiculous. I think the devs were on the right track with the Magincia lottery - it removed alot of cash and it was a fun reward, even if people didn't take advantage of it.

But...More needs to be done to remove gold from the game.


My idea comes from the popularity of dyes. The Brit cleanup dyes have been a huge success and people are always looking forward to the next set of colors. It also creates a collector's market when a color gets retired.

So my gold sink idea, for the low price of 1 billion gold....



You get to dye one item the highly desired neon blue.


Now people may say a billion is excessive, but take a look at the trade forums. Billions gets thrown around like nothing on a pretty regular occurrence. Blame it on lack of gold sinks or duping, there's just too much money in the game.

Others may complain that the color is an eyesore, but take a walk around Atlantic or other popular shards. Over the years the pickaxe, long pants, bandana and spellbook have been duped so much they're commonplace. (Which is sad, I remember when they were tucked away or shown briefly to friends for fear of a GM showing up) And even though they're common, people still love this color.


So that's my idea. What's yours?

 

[Shakkara]

Somekind of lottery for 20 million a time, which can give some unique decorative items, consumable items or wearables with stats matching existing popular arties/replicas, but with fancy name/color/appearance.
The lottery can be as simple as "give gold, get random item" or as part of a key system for a boss or other activity that drops items like these (key being 100 mil, 5 people can join in).

Example Top Prizes:
* New version of the Lieutenant of the Royal Brit Guard Sash
* New version of Obi di Ense (using new type of belt)
* Charger of the Fallen with fancy color

Examples of other nice wearables:
* New version of the Conjurer's Garb (using arcane robe artwork)
* New version of the Ranger's Cloak of Augmentation (using new cloak artwork)
* New version of Tangle (using something that doesnt look like a silly apron)
* New version of Mace and Shield glasses (using dragon helm artwork)
* New version of Hephaestus (using virtue shield artwork)
* New version of Soles of Providence (using thigh boots artwork)

Examples of consumables
* Whetstone Item which is used on a weapon and converts up to 20 points from a random damage type to another specific damage type (Whestone of Poison: 60 physical, 30 fire, 10 energy weapon -> 40 physical, 30 fire, 20 poison, 10 energy OR 60 physical, 20 fire, 20 poison, etc)
* Consumable item removing -100 luck property off an item from new loot system
* Item bless deed

Examples of shiny deco items
* Cool statues such as the medusa statue
* Some new trees
* Bookcase variants
* Other themed shelves similar to bookcases (blacksmith shelf, tinkerer shelf, alchemist shelf, etc)
* Canopy Bed
* Tilable fancy table that leaves no gaps between the tiles, similar to granite tables, but now made of single tiles that can be collected
* Shiny trinkets (small box with gemstones, ornate grail cup, crystal decanter, etc)

Example filler stuff (Bad luck try again):
* Original Tokuno dyes
* Runic Tools
* 120 powerscrolls
* Heritage tokens derp

 

[Goodmann]

1. 1 Charge Dye Tub (any color 0-9999) 100 million Gold
2. The ability to Stain/Paint Castles/Keeps (nothing neon)
3. The ability to add a second house to an account 1 Billion Gold
4. Pet Dyes (has to be perm none of the 2 week crap then goes away) 100m
5. Remove Cursed tag off items 100m per

 

[Maleachi]

I am all for a good gold sink idea, but there's always the other side of the same coin.

What you are suggesting only affects the rich and famous in UO. Don't forget that, like real life, it is easier for the richest to get richer wheras the "poor" might struggle in UO.
Not everyone has billions, 100's of millions or even a dozen, so whilst everyone pays the same amount of real life gold per month, the rich can become even more "elite" because they amassed a fortune, one way or another.

I am a capitalist pur sang, but I doubt this will be applauded by all but the richest.

 

[Gameboy]

I do not have enough gold to sink I have about 800,000 gold.

 

[Thrakkar]

As long as there's scripting and duping, no economy will work, regardless of how many goldsinks there are.

 

[DerekL]

I am all for a good gold sink idea, but there's always the other side of the same coin.

What you are suggesting only affects the rich and famous in UO. Don't forget that, like real life, it is easier for the richest to get richer wheras the "poor" might struggle in UO.
Not everyone has billions, 100's of millions or even a dozen, so whilst everyone pays the same amount of real life gold per month, the rich can become even more "elite" because they amassed a fortune, one way or another.

And there's a third side to that coin too... gold sinks don't work.

Seriously, they don't. There's been tons of sinks introduced over the years with pretty much zero effect, inflation continues without pausing a beat. Part of this is that it's very hard (virtually impossible) to come up with a gold sink attractive to a large number of people. Part of it that when confronted with a sink, people will just farm until they can afford the sink de jour.

Between dupes and years of gold entering the economy like a fountain via normal means... even billion-gold-a-pop sinks are like trying to empty the ocean with a sieve.

 

[Maximus of Lck]

A better gold sink would to be to reduce the drop rate of gold by 99%. There's no reason a mongbat is carrying 34 gold with it. 1-2 gold would be more appropriate. A faery dragon can be killed in 2-3 hits, and usually drops between 1400-1800 gold. Why does a creature so easy to kill drop that much gold? Where does the faery dragon world get all this gold from? A mongbat can be killed in 1 hit so a creature that is 2x is hard should drop 2-4 gold, not 1800.

I'd prefer they actually totally remove gold drops from monsters completely. You want gold go sell resources/fur/meat to the npcs like you were a noob in '97 again.

 

[SoulWeaver]

A better gold sink would to be to reduce the drop rate of gold by 99%. There's no reason a mongbat is carrying 34 gold with it. 1-2 gold would be more appropriate. A faery dragon can be killed in 2-3 hits, and usually drops between 1400-1800 gold. Why does a creature so easy to kill drop that much gold? Where does the faery dragon world get all this gold from? A mongbat can be killed in 1 hit so a creature that is 2x is hard should drop 2-4 gold, not 1800.

I'd prefer they actually totally remove gold drops from monsters completely. You want gold go sell resources/fur/meat to the npcs like you were a noob in '97 again.

Problem with that is new players wont be able to get as wealthy as everyone else to buy the necessary gear to compete in the game. Compared to every one else.


A gold sink is defintily needed I think the clean up rewards is key for it. Make the gold to point ratio higher and people will donate gold to get the new items. Add new dyes, newer deco stuff, hell add animal dyes, i dont think theirs anything wrong with people being able to dye their ponys shadow black or like the guy said above add glacial colors, make them cost a decent amount. Yes it effects mainly the wealthy, thats the point the wealthy have gold let them get rid of the gold creating a more equal economy in the game so the rich arent so rich. Have other colors that are on the cheaper side for the not so rich. Rich people will always have the best stuff in game, best gear, best rares, just like real life. Some people make 20 thousand a year some 50 thousand some 100 thousand and some make millions and drive a dodge viper, have a private jet, live in a mansion etc etc... Thats the way economys work unfortunetly.

 

[DerekL]

Yes it effects mainly the wealthy, thats the point the wealthy have gold let them get rid of the gold creating a more equal economy in the game so the rich arent so rich.

The economy will never actually be equal because people forget there are three currencies in the game... gold, *real life dollars* (and not just at unmentionable third party sites - EA sells stuff too) and *time* (I.E. account age *and* number of hours played per week). Any (largely theoretical) "balance" or "equality" would erode within days, and be utterly gone within weeks... leading to a never ending spiral of "lather, rinse, repeat" fixes that actually fix nothing.

Oh. Wait. That's exactly the situation we are in *now*, and have been ever since I started playing a decade ago.