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To keep Shards Online a fun and playable experience for years to come, it needs to have a fair and balanced economy. My focus right now for our upcoming Pre-Alpha 3 release is to perform a complete balance pass on every item in the game.
The key to an economy that feels real and dynamic, is to have all types of items, big and small, have real value. One of the goals of Shards Online is to immerse the player in the game world as much as possible. When a player goes to buy an item from a vendor, they actually browse items that are placed in the physical world. Items are not just displayed in lists like most other games, they are physical objects within the world, filling up your backpack, chests, or house. You can place them anywhere in the world, trade them, use them for crafting, sell them, etc. Every item, whether it be an apple or a house, has a value and importance in Shards Online.
The goal is to make every play style fun, rewarding, and balanced. Every job or craft that the player invests in is beneficial. For example, a warrior might make his living from of hunting monsters. A blacksmith can make his living off of crafting and selling weapons. We accomplish this by balancing the amount of income you are getting through each task against the skill level and amount of time invested. If you have a mining skill of 30, going out into the world and mining ore will net you a comparable income and experience to a player who a has a melee skill of 30 and is fighting monsters.
The economy is set up in way that allows player interaction and trade. Players are encouraged to buy and sell with other players in two ways. First, let's say you have maxed out your Apothecary skill. You will be able to craft better recipes and potions then any other NPC vendor in the game. The second reason you may want to deal with a player instead of a vendor is vendors buy at low prices and sell at high prices. That super rare sacred cactus you just found is much more valuable to players who love to cook than your average street vendor.
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