I just wanted to congratulate the admins for the way trade skills are implemented: they give a good dynamic to the economy.

When I played Achaea, half of what I earned from bashing went straight to the Forestal to replenish vials and herbs. Then, only rarely, would I require the service of a Smith to make me a new suit of armour or an Enchanter to craft me some item. And the rest -pipes, tinderboxes, empty vials- went to Rurin. Tattoos, since they are available to everyone, are always free if I provide the inks.

This is a very simple approach: Forestals get a very large part of the pie (like 95%), followed by enchanters and smiths, which get a very small one (5%). Well, my character is a monk, and maybe other classes rely more on different items, but I believe the general trend is the same.

In Lusternia, a much more balanced distribution of supply has been achieved. First, I need a jeweler to make me some jewelry to enchant; then, I must find an enchanter to enchant them. After a long bashing spree, I need a Herbalist to supply me some herbs, and an Alchemist to refill my vials. Not to forget the Smith to make my armour. Other things (pipes, empty vials, tinderboxes) I can craft them myself or get them from anyone with a high Arts skill.

I am not saying that the different trade skills are balanced in terms of profit-time or raw material (comms or herbs) availability. But what is really working is that the gold one spends is spread between different 'suppliers', which is more realistic and balanced.

Also, kudos to the Divinities for avoiding excessive price regulations (ie: Oakstone). One of the things I find most fun in this game is having to find the right supplier (knowing who sells what at a good price), etc.

That's all... what do you think?

I love Lusternian economics. I can actually make sense of them and have fun with it, as opposed to the lospsided monstrosities from the other IRE games.

I always wondered why my Cabalist couldn't pick herbs or something. And two of our tradeskils had to be purchased.

*dropkick aetolia*

Also, the Lusternian system avoids Manfred the One-Man Mercantile Empire, the guy who buys hundreds of credits to trans all the trade skills, then sells the rest to buy a shop in every city and become an economic powrhouse overnight.

That's why I created The Black Market. I'm the realm's only One Man Merchant Force.

Heh, kidding...

Somewhat.

Also, people like druids don't lose a valid combat skillset having to learn concoctions instead, making them completely crippled outside of their groves. (Of course, they have runes right now, which ain't much better than concoctions for fighting, but I'm sure that'll get changed.) Good job once again Guys and Gals.

I'm kind of disappointed with enchantments, simply because of the direction the players took the economy.. 50gp for a charge?

Edit: 35gp wuwu.

Also, for the record, I've always been against the Serenwilders having a monopoly on vials, which is one of the reasons I wanted a Glomdoring commune.

You're getting ripped off... then. Despite the agreement, not everyone enchants at 50. I do 35, and I've seen other still doing 25. There's no reason why enchanting at low prices won't be as profitable as selling herbs cheaply. It's simply that the economy needs to reach a point where more people have bracelets,necklaces, heirlooms, etc...

25gp is nutso.. 500gp cash is my payment for spending 20 power and a lot of time? I could just kill two things on astral in that time and get some exp while I'm at it.

That is another thing altogether, and I agree with you there. But we must give them time... sooner or later we will see 2 more cities, which -may- have Alchemy. And the Glomdoring commune may happen... only the Divinites know.

Luckily, they don't have the monopoly on Herbalism (unlike Achaea, in which Oakstone controlled all elixirs and herbs).

Herbalism is the most profitable trade, yet most boring. The only expense is time, and everyone needs herbs. However herbs take a lot of time to make a fair amount, most herbs other than sparkleberry and swamp herbs (horehound, myrtle, calamus) cost around 8 per. The more valuable herbs require that you either be able to handle astral (sparklberry) or have incredibly good timing and spend almost all your time sitting in the swamp, because of the incredibly restricted growth patterns of calamus, myrtle and horehound. - Suggestion: Increase the number of swampy areas, and make rooms that are overharvested regrow one of each herb that has been exterminated in it at the begginning of each new month.

Alchemy is second most profitable, because everyone also needs alchemics. The problem with Alchemy is that powerstones are expensive as hell, and that they need to pay out the nose in herbs too. However they still make the largest profit margins second to herbalists. - Suggestion: Make powerstones rechargable by jewelers at a cost to the jewelers personal power, say 1 power recharges the stone 3%, making all of these stones with 1% power left on them actually useful.

Forging is by far the coolest skill as there is a chance that with a lot of expended time, and comms, you might, just maybe create an insanely powerful weapon that could achieve world reknown. Profitwise, the margins are slim as most of the work you will do, you will make squat on, and if you try to make a profit, nobody will buy because the comms are so damn expensive. About the only people who can afford good weapons/armor, and allow the forger to make a fair profit are the herbalists mentioned above who are making a killing. The major issue with forging is the obscene inavailability and high price of steel and gems. - Suggestion: drastically increase the replenish rate of gems and steel from comm quests to village shops.

Enchantments would be quite profitable if you did not have an insane amount of people enchanting and could control the price of enchantments. If there were actual cartels for enchanting, then you MIGHT be able to make a descent profit, as the cartel could make a deal with the city to expell those caught undercutting the economy. If enchants are to thrive they are gonna need to cost 50-100 per charge. Power is expensive.
- Suggestion: Make powerstones rechargable by jewelers at a cost to the jewelers personal power, say 1 power recharges the stone 3%, making all of these stones with 1% power left on them actually useful.

Tailoring is almost useless as is, only heavy influencers need good clothing, and tailoring also lacks the cool factor of other skills. -Suggestion: Increase the village shop replenishing value of comm quests for leather, silk, etc.

Cooking could be fairly profitable, if cooks marketed their items on their stat boosting powers. - Suggestion: get the news out concerning the incredible ability of specialty foods to increase a persons constitution, etc.

Jewlery is the third most profitable skill, as jewelry is required by influencers, forgers, tailors, and enchanters. The main source of this is in cut gems for forgers and tailors. The multi cut change helped this a lot, but the availability of raw gems hindered this significantly as well as the rarity of powerstones, which could be quite profitable to jewelers if they werent so rare. Currently the jeweler has to sell at around 2K per to make a fair profit, which is prohibitive for most enchanters, resulting in usually having to trade powerstones in exchange for enchantments. -Suggestion: Increase the yeild of gem comms from village quests similarly mentioned concerning other tradeskills. Also make powerstones rechargable in some manner.

Arts are mainly a mishmash of low profit skills, however coupled with enchantments the profit margins increase significantly.

Tailoring needs a lot of work. Kind of pissed me off as a TM when jewelry and such got lil upgrades and we dont even have BOOTS. *wants to trade apron pattern for boots* Come onnnnn... Aprons??? Whos gonna wear that? I understand that since you can walk around buttnaked as a noninfluencer and nothing happens that clothes is really an rp thing right now but... Aprons?????? Unless you can like... enchant then to make your cooking better or something I really dont see the point.

aaaand.. just cause they look cool

You find me one Herbalist or Alchemist that has made 2.5k credits.



No this killed it, flooded the market, and made it so low level jewelers couldn't dream of making enough for the skill to sustain itself.

<----Akraasiel before posting

And Nepth I agree with you, we didn't need a change, you guys do.

Depends on how you look at it. I believe we jewelers now make less from it. Before, when I cut a diamond, it would sell immediately on the market for 2K. Now, I have trouble selling diamonds for 1K.

From the jeweller's point of view, the multi cut thing hurt. From the perspective of the user, it has been good, because jewels are now more commonplace and cheaper. Insted of having to sell less with high profit, now we rely on bulk sales with smaller profit.

I meant for the economy in general...and yeah, I should so become a jeweler.

Or a forger...cause forging is fun and useless!

the main problems with cooking right now is

1. food only lasts 1 month therefore unless you have a shop to store it in you cant make any meaningful quantity incase you cant sell it all.

2. theres really only two statistic altering food abilities and the one that increases constitution would be the most popular except for one thing, it requires food in the gourmet category which there are no public designs for and ive only heard about 1 private design ..

I'm working on getting at least 1 out there but the biggest trouble with designing food is noone told us what we can and cant make so its blind fumbling right now.
(note: there would have been a gourmet recipe already if whoever looks at these things hadnt downgraded that platter of sugared strawberries )