Brainstorm with me.
This post will be long since I put a lot of time and thought into it.
This modpack idea is strictly focused on multiplayer.
I had an urge to try and create some kind of balanced economy driven modpack for a long time. This modpack would stay true to vanilla in some regards but add more depth. So this basically means no tech mods. I know, sadface.
It also means there needs to be a lot of server plugins, such as economy, shops, towny etc.
Automation
To create a balanced economy where there is a NEED to buy from eachother it basically means NO AUTOMATION at all. Which hurts a bit. I am a big fan of tech mods and automation and I really hate crafting 10 steps and manual mining. But obviously there are people who enjoy it. My challenge is to create a balanced virtual economy within Minecraft, which is really hard. Removing automation is a must. Because it is what makes people "rich" and take care of themselves. This is what I want to try and avoid. Having no automation, you need to choose a path on what to play and what to focus on.
Teleportation
Removing the laziness of teleportation would create a need for a working rail network. To compensate for this if you use mo creatures you eventually get flying horses and wyverns too. I am considering using Flans mod Ye Olde content pack to add the two basic biplanes too as an option.
The only teleportation I would consider is fixed portals at set locations throughout the world from spawn.
Mods
The base mods for my modpack idea are:
- Metallurgy / Tinkers Construct
This creates the need for more type of metals and deeper progression into "blacksmithing".
- Mo Creatures
The need for animals and pets creates a profession, such as "tamers".
- Growthcraft/Harvestcraft
More farming opportunities.
- Mariculture
To add depth to the sea and more water content, which I think is lacking BIG TIME in Minecraft.
- Hunger overhaul
To make the need for food higher.
- Forestry
Creates a profession for beekeeping. Some say bees are OP at the end-game which is true. But since automation is removed I don't think bees will be an issue.
- Railcraft
With the removal of teleportation it creates the need of a working railway system. People could pay to have a station next to their home. And the railway company can make money selling tickets, this creates an additional money sink and income for this profession.
- Flans mod Ye Old content pack
This pack adds two basic bi-planes, one and two seater. I have not tested the balance of this mod, but you could tweak it to have planes be harder to make, so there is an urge for a plane manufacturing profession and sales of planes.
Professions
- Blacksmith
The blacksmith would focus on metallurgy, create armor and equipment or others. This will probably be the most sought after profession in this modpack.
- Animal tamer
Tames and breeds animals. Will probably be the second most common profession since people would play this to have pets and enjoy the breeding. Since teleportation is removed it creates the need for flying horses and wyverns on the market.
- Farmer
Grows different types of food and potions. This is the hardest profession to balance to avoid everyone to be their own farmer.
- Marine biologist
This guy would focus a lot on the marine life. With the mariculture mod it adds reefs, ores and other things to the sea. Making a dependency between the blacksmith and this profession would create a need for it to exist.
- Bee keeper
If you love working with bees even without automation this would be a great profession since the end game would create profitable items to sell.
- Merchant
The classic buy low/sell high profession. Travels the world for deals and trade himself to riches.
- Miner
Some hate mining, some don't. If you love it you could sell ores to blacksmiths if they do not mine themselves. And in return get money to buy more tools.
- Plane manufacturer
If flanes bi-plane mod is included you could manufacture planes for people.
- Architect
Love building more than anything? If you are good you would probably be hired for work. Could be a viable profession.
- Worker
You could possibly work for other people who need help getting specific items, or chores with taking care of the farm etc.
Challenges
The biggest challenge I faced is how to create a NEED for other professions, such as farming. In vanilla when you create your own farm you can live of carrots 24/7 and you will never have to buy any farming products. This puts farmers very low on the list of professions people want to play. Some may play it just for fun.
The most desired profession would of course be the blacksmith or the tamer. Since ingots are used for basically everything, and people would want pets. This comes to no surprise if you compare it to real life however. The richest people back in the medieval times (if you do not count royals) were blacksmiths and merchants I believe.
So how do we add a NEED for farmers to exist? Or people working with marine life. Maybe some ores should spawn just under water? So it creates a need for divers to exist and venture down for much needed ores.
How do you create the need to go beyond diamond tools? Metallurgy for example has like 50 levels deep of tools.
Money balancing
Probably the hardest part of any virtual economy in any game.
The only way to make money would be trading between players. But how does money get created from the beginning? Looking at MMOs you get money from grinding mobs and selling things to shops. Maybe there could be public NPC merchants that exist in a market, where you can sell MID-GAME items to earn money. So you will basically run without any money early-game until you choose a path and master it. And end-game items do not sell to NPCs at all and will only be player driven.
But this could also create the stagnation of end-game items if everyone focus on selling mid-game items to make money.
Perhaps a public bank, where everyone goes into debt and starts with a loan?
Money sinks
Taxes are in the real world for a reason, wether we like it or not.
- Sales tax
- Income tax
- Towny plots tax
- Railway tickets
Player shops
Player will be able to create shops at their home.
To PVP or not PVP
This idea is very focused on a NO PVP environment. But perhaps you could add factions as an additional money sink and draw more players.
And for those people who do not want to PVP, you must be in a faction to be able to attack people?
This would also create a need for new armor, weapon, potions etc. for the PVP focused players who will lose items when they die.
But how would a strict PVP player and factions make money?
Perhaps you could sell player heads for money? As some kind of bounty system.
Conclusions
So if you actually bothered to read all this you will realize that it is no easy task to create a balanced, fun to play and working economy with modpacks.
As you see I steered clear from "magic". Mostly because I am not a fan of it and often it becomes overpowered in the end.
If you have additional mods or ideas on how to make this work in reality feel free to chime in.
This post will be long since I put a lot of time and thought into it.
This modpack idea is strictly focused on multiplayer.
I had an urge to try and create some kind of balanced economy driven modpack for a long time. This modpack would stay true to vanilla in some regards but add more depth. So this basically means no tech mods. I know, sadface.
It also means there needs to be a lot of server plugins, such as economy, shops, towny etc.
Automation
To create a balanced economy where there is a NEED to buy from eachother it basically means NO AUTOMATION at all. Which hurts a bit. I am a big fan of tech mods and automation and I really hate crafting 10 steps and manual mining. But obviously there are people who enjoy it. My challenge is to create a balanced virtual economy within Minecraft, which is really hard. Removing automation is a must. Because it is what makes people "rich" and take care of themselves. This is what I want to try and avoid. Having no automation, you need to choose a path on what to play and what to focus on.
Teleportation
Removing the laziness of teleportation would create a need for a working rail network. To compensate for this if you use mo creatures you eventually get flying horses and wyverns too. I am considering using Flans mod Ye Olde content pack to add the two basic biplanes too as an option.
The only teleportation I would consider is fixed portals at set locations throughout the world from spawn.
Mods
The base mods for my modpack idea are:
- Metallurgy / Tinkers Construct
This creates the need for more type of metals and deeper progression into "blacksmithing".
- Mo Creatures
The need for animals and pets creates a profession, such as "tamers".
- Growthcraft/Harvestcraft
More farming opportunities.
- Mariculture
To add depth to the sea and more water content, which I think is lacking BIG TIME in Minecraft.
- Hunger overhaul
To make the need for food higher.
- Forestry
Creates a profession for beekeeping. Some say bees are OP at the end-game which is true. But since automation is removed I don't think bees will be an issue.
- Railcraft
With the removal of teleportation it creates the need of a working railway system. People could pay to have a station next to their home. And the railway company can make money selling tickets, this creates an additional money sink and income for this profession.
- Flans mod Ye Old content pack
This pack adds two basic bi-planes, one and two seater. I have not tested the balance of this mod, but you could tweak it to have planes be harder to make, so there is an urge for a plane manufacturing profession and sales of planes.
Professions
- Blacksmith
The blacksmith would focus on metallurgy, create armor and equipment or others. This will probably be the most sought after profession in this modpack.
- Animal tamer
Tames and breeds animals. Will probably be the second most common profession since people would play this to have pets and enjoy the breeding. Since teleportation is removed it creates the need for flying horses and wyverns on the market.
- Farmer
Grows different types of food and potions. This is the hardest profession to balance to avoid everyone to be their own farmer.
- Marine biologist
This guy would focus a lot on the marine life. With the mariculture mod it adds reefs, ores and other things to the sea. Making a dependency between the blacksmith and this profession would create a need for it to exist.
- Bee keeper
If you love working with bees even without automation this would be a great profession since the end game would create profitable items to sell.
- Merchant
The classic buy low/sell high profession. Travels the world for deals and trade himself to riches.
- Miner
Some hate mining, some don't. If you love it you could sell ores to blacksmiths if they do not mine themselves. And in return get money to buy more tools.
- Plane manufacturer
If flanes bi-plane mod is included you could manufacture planes for people.
- Architect
Love building more than anything? If you are good you would probably be hired for work. Could be a viable profession.
- Worker
You could possibly work for other people who need help getting specific items, or chores with taking care of the farm etc.
Challenges
The biggest challenge I faced is how to create a NEED for other professions, such as farming. In vanilla when you create your own farm you can live of carrots 24/7 and you will never have to buy any farming products. This puts farmers very low on the list of professions people want to play. Some may play it just for fun.
The most desired profession would of course be the blacksmith or the tamer. Since ingots are used for basically everything, and people would want pets. This comes to no surprise if you compare it to real life however. The richest people back in the medieval times (if you do not count royals) were blacksmiths and merchants I believe.
So how do we add a NEED for farmers to exist? Or people working with marine life. Maybe some ores should spawn just under water? So it creates a need for divers to exist and venture down for much needed ores.
How do you create the need to go beyond diamond tools? Metallurgy for example has like 50 levels deep of tools.
Money balancing
Probably the hardest part of any virtual economy in any game.
The only way to make money would be trading between players. But how does money get created from the beginning? Looking at MMOs you get money from grinding mobs and selling things to shops. Maybe there could be public NPC merchants that exist in a market, where you can sell MID-GAME items to earn money. So you will basically run without any money early-game until you choose a path and master it. And end-game items do not sell to NPCs at all and will only be player driven.
But this could also create the stagnation of end-game items if everyone focus on selling mid-game items to make money.
Perhaps a public bank, where everyone goes into debt and starts with a loan?
Money sinks
Taxes are in the real world for a reason, wether we like it or not.
- Sales tax
- Income tax
- Towny plots tax
- Railway tickets
Player shops
Player will be able to create shops at their home.
To PVP or not PVP
This idea is very focused on a NO PVP environment. But perhaps you could add factions as an additional money sink and draw more players.
And for those people who do not want to PVP, you must be in a faction to be able to attack people?
This would also create a need for new armor, weapon, potions etc. for the PVP focused players who will lose items when they die.
But how would a strict PVP player and factions make money?
Perhaps you could sell player heads for money? As some kind of bounty system.
Conclusions
So if you actually bothered to read all this you will realize that it is no easy task to create a balanced, fun to play and working economy with modpacks.
As you see I steered clear from "magic". Mostly because I am not a fan of it and often it becomes overpowered in the end.
If you have additional mods or ideas on how to make this work in reality feel free to chime in.
