Question

I am working on developing a web-based RPG and I am trying to figure out a way to make a job system that doesn't take virtual money out of the system, but rather exchanges it from one user to another more like in real life. I want one user to be able to hire another user, so that both profit in some way. Has this been done before, and does anyone have any ideas how this could be accomplished if not?

Answer 1

I have seen this in Eternal Lands. Basically players could craft weapons, but for that they needed lots of resources. Gathering them was so time-consuming that it was much better to hire low-level players to get them. And the low-level players gained more, because they earned both money and experience.

Lots of interesting ideas and insights were presented by EL developers on http://eternal-lands.blogspot.com/; economy-related things are well described in the last two posts of http://eternal-lands.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html.

(well, I liked the fact that the game was very interesting even when playing a non-fighting character -- trader/manufacturer; the economy was developed so well it was fun to simply trade things).

Answer 2

The key part of your system would be in creating a crafting system which can generate higher or lower quality items based off of skill, resource and time.

Take Star Wars Galaxies into account (probably one of the best crafting systems i've seen so far out of any MMORPG).

There were various types of resources including organic bone, meat, metallic metals, gemstone, liquid, gas, petrochems...good god they had a ton). Each resource had a number of different ratings. These ratings would determine what items would be best suited for them.

Metals would have hardness, malleability and dozens of other possible ratings. Each rating would affect different types of items as well as components of items (which would in turn affect the final products). I remember a specific type of weapon (a sword, yes they had swords in a Star Wars game...it was great!) which would have a greater capability of damage if you ensured you had a high hardness metal during the crafting process. To make the sword you required various other subcomponents, and not all of the components were craftable by your character's crafting skill, so you ahd a light dependancy on others.

It made for an interesting crafting and hunter/gatherer dynamic as each animal or resource hunter would have to find the best places with the best drops and know what they're hunting for. Lower class hunters could guarantee a high quantity of lower or simply average resources with several very skilled hunters who tailor to specific crafters.

I made a great living finding and harvesting huge veins of metal and organic resources in trade for items which I well couldn't afford (find the right weapons crafter and supply him with the right resources and he'd take care of you buy giving you a few blasters from his first load of high quality crafted items).

Deciding exactly what kind of interacting system you'd put into place, as well as who and what can make a greater or better than average creation method will make a major difference in your overall result.

Pull it off and you end up with a very rewarding system.

Now keep in mind, a large disadvantage of this system is that if you don't put hard caps on your maximum numbers which can be crafted via these "high quality" resources you'll end up making everything topheavy.

Part of SWG's downfall (at least to me) was the discovery of superhigh number doctor's buffs which completely broke the system (you could get a doc buff, and basically play in god mode with no drawbacks)

Where a simple normal buff should have given you maybe 1000-2000 extra health, the superbuffs (which later became the ONLY buffs people would buy) would give +100,000. so it then broke the dynamic of the game.

er...hope what i'm discussing helped (sorry I haven't had time to proof it)