Shattered Kingdoms

I honestly expected a much more summarized explanation...I probably should've known better, though....

There is an idea I've been turning around in my head lately that I've wanted to field. I think this is the time to do so. My idea is to basically create a drop system for all sentient and uber NPCs. This drop system would have a random chance to drop any item that is currently scaled up in the economy. This would be constrained by the usual limits, but basically if there's an item in the game that is valuable, NPCs and uber NPCs should occasionally drop them. If its a vial or scroll or whatever it can either be used or be sold. The selling of a valuable item will reduce its price inflation based upon demand. If its used, at least the cost didn't go up for the one drop. I've been wanting a way to formulate this idea so that Dulrik might implement it. At first I was thinking of using a completely new set of items to create this drop, but the more I think about it, this seems like the ideal thing to do with it. All items are already tracked for how much they are bought and sold. Any items in the inflated category and having available copies could be dropped randomly. The item level would have to at least be equal to the NPC.

Thoughts?

Sounds like a fun idea.

Just curious about how you'd have the item level match the NPC level? What would level 50 NPCs be dropping? Super vials? o.O

Near-godlike quality items, so yeah. At least, I think that's what he means.

Master/champ outstanding perhaps.

vet mentor superb quality, so on.

At least, that makes sense to me

Call me old-fashioned, but I've never been a fan of NPCs dropping things that they didn't have before they were alive: I don't like things that I couldn't locate before on the NPC dropping afterwards (quest objectives aside, of course). It's just odd.

Something that offsets the economy code would be nice, but maybe that just involves having the "high level" and "uber" NPCs drop more gold.

I'd also like to point out that while vials are really expensive, it's still very manageable given that the brew success rate is so high now due to a recent change.

Its fine with me if the "drop" were created when the NPC was born instead of died. Items held by some NPCs and some specific items and types of items will behave strangely when the NPC is killed. However, I think this is the ultimate response to the economy code. The NPCs instead of just hoarding gold, begin hoarding items that people want.

I see no reason to bother splitting it out when it's about the same thing: improvements that aren't going to happen anytime soon.

As for your idea, Archie, I think it is a move in the right direction (a commodity economy). I don't think it should be totally random, but instead have some kind of predictability so that 'farming' is an option for people who want to spend their time doing it.

Just to clarify, are largely talking about consummable items being 'dropped' that are currently sold by shopkeepers?

Also, with regard to driving down prices when people sell these dropped items: selling items doesn't seem to do that. It should, but it doesn't. It just drives down the price the shopkeep is willing to pay YOU for them.

Actually it does. Example
I have 5 items of x
I sell item x for 1 gold the shopkeep sells it for 5
sell 2nd x time for 9 silver 9 copper Shopkeep sells it for 4 gold 9 silver 5 copper(just an example, seeing as I don't have a log to prove, but I do notice a drop in price for the item you sell)
Also note that it doesn't affect each item the shopkeep sells only the item that you sold repeatedly will drop in price. So while you sell x item, y item will remain the same price till it is bought or y item is sold again

I say we also need to get rid of auto banking/coin destroying shop keepers. I liked killing Zioban and getting 10-20 obsidian.