[Poll] Should restocks in stores show which metric affects the restock?

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Should restocks in stores show which city metric affects the restock?

Poll ended at Sat Jul 01, 2017 6:57 pm

Yes
14
74%
No
5
26%
Maybe/Other - Comments below
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 19
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Kinaed
Posts: 1984
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:54 pm
Discord Handle: ParaVox3#7579

Sat Jun 24, 2017 6:57 pm

During the OOC Chat, a few players said it was immersion breaking to see which City Metric affects the restock of an object in the store.

What do you think?

Delphine
Posts: 52
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2017 3:29 pm

Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:04 pm

So, I made brief mention of this in the OOC meeting, but I'll drop it again here:

I think what metric is tied to the restock of the object (at least the ones I've seen so far) is kinda obvious. Of course the economy would need to be good to be getting in rare goods. Of course race relations would need to be solid to be getting in those rare imports. So I don't feel it's immersion breaking to just have what should be common sense written out in cyan and black.

Please note that my saying it should be common sense isn't me taking a jab at any one. It's not me being snarky. I'm just sayin'.
Player of that "soulless Vavardi girl" Caterina dul Decapua

Temi
Posts: 428
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:22 pm

Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:05 pm

As a note, here's what we're talking about:

Code: Select all

[##] [Price Qty ] Item
[ 1] [ DISPLAY  ] an exhibit for rare flower seeds [Economics/Race Relations]
[ 2] [ DISPLAY  ] a display noting pineapple and pomegrante seeds [Economics]
[ 3] [   24 --- ] a delicate dahlia tuber protected in a cloth sachet
That little tag at the end is the part in question. It's cyan in game to indicate OOC details.

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Andruid
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 11:09 am

Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:10 pm

Actually, the main argument pushed in OOC seemed to be that the labels "trivialize" the city metric system. I disagree with that, and I actually think the labels do the opposite, by giving players a clear recourse for affecting IC change and using the system in a way that is personal.

I also think that influencing a metric to try and make conditions more favorable for trade, for example, is a perfectly fine way to engage with the system.

That being said, I don't have strong feelings regarding the OOC labels. I don't think they are all that immersion breaking, TBH.

kipperialovskii
Posts: 41
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2017 11:54 am

Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:17 pm

I believe it's friendlier to newbies, and not too bad. Even the display is offered an IC reason for existence.

For example. Someone may go a sizeable chunk of their playertime without knowing the piety metric is:
+An important measure of the city's educational state (The viability of books being sold.) -Something I wasn't made aware of, until I saw the sign.
+How much the Order is trusted with upkeeping belief in the Faith.

I believe it creates more plothooks than it destroys. By allowing the player to see what's under the hood, it makes sense. Just the other day, I had noticed pubs were given moods of being cheerful and bright, despite the metric being extremely low on morale. By offering players reminders of current events, it allows them to RP it as such. It's extremely common sense for the character, but ultimately, not the player.

Knowledge needs to be given somehow. It's cyclic.

Percival
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:06 pm

Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:22 pm

Agree with Kipper.

Also it seems that the people arguing for the OOC message's removal are those with the most experience with the system. I believe it's important for all players to know this information, not just a select few, to help understand city metrics.

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Voxumo
Posts: 655
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:54 am
Location: Delta Junction, Alaska
Discord Handle: Voxumo#7925
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Sat Jun 24, 2017 10:33 pm

I voted no as I'm the one who brought it up, and at the meeting I was the only person in favor of it. Frankly I view it as petty and trivial to believe a person's sole motivation for getting involved in city metrics should be to get an item they want. It's such a childish reason. I'd much rather see a person take the time to notice "Hey, this item only restocks when this metric is high... Hmm." than having such information handed to them on a silver platter. I'm very much in favor of people having to work for information versus it being handed to them. As I said in the meeting, restocks should be a byproduct of metric swings, not the focus. Oh no, our streets are falling apart due to low infrastructure, and I am having to spend more silver on food items to restore mv, I should do my part and support improving infrastructure is a far better and valid reason than "I want that item, better support that metric just to get that item."

Would joeschmoo the farnhand be a master at economics to know this item only is available when racial tensions are High? No, he likely wouldn't. Hell this makes more sense for something to be a part of the mercantilism skill, as those are the type of people who would notice trends in trade.
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Percival
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:06 pm

Sun Jun 25, 2017 4:18 am

I think you're overthinking it. The metric is visible to give people more interactions with metrics as opposed to actively changing it to receive pineapples.

Though you'll notice that fuel prices change a lot based on race relations IRL, and there are government agencies that dedicate a lot of time to manipulate diplomacy for that reason.

EDIT: though I agree it would be better noticed as part of a mercantilism thing.

Rhothrian
Posts: 35
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:02 am

Sun Jun 25, 2017 9:18 am

I don't mind the tags at the end of the restock goods. I also think that its a good stimulus for getting involved with the city metrics system and learning how it affects things. Even if the motivation behind voting a certain way is so that you can access certain items is this any different from voting to increasing the categories important to your specific guild, organization or new asset? However, another option would be to create an in-character book on economics that explains each category in detail and how certain items might appear or disappear depending on high and low states. This way the player might have to dig or be pointed toward the information instead.

Geras
Posts: 1087
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:50 pm

Mon Jun 26, 2017 5:32 pm

May I suggest that this information not be readily displayed, but obtainable through the use of city lore and rumours? For the rumours option, I'm thinking that occaisonal rumours could be automatically generated describing how metrics are affecting certain prices, and you should be more likely to just passively overhear them if you're in a shop affected by that metric?

Probably would want to segregate those rumours from others in the list to avoid clutter though.

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