Thoughts on Trading

[Trafalgar]

Something that might make for things worth trading for:

If crops and animals were not all found in one place, and particularly if crops were only able to grow in particular climates (at least by y-coordinate if not more specific than that). With different plant species available to grow in different major towns, the towns would find themselves wanting to trade with each other on a regular basis for the plants they didn't have, if these other plants were at all useful or necessary.

For instance, spices that boost happiness (when it does something useful - right now for me it just trends downward, but I've never had tea), various kinds of fruit trees and so forth, a northern land inhabited by killer walruses instead of foxes... :3= (Okay, the last one is a bit silly)

However, there's a problem with this, and with trading over large distances in general, I think: Being sent back to the hearth-fire because of a crash, disconnection, or other such problem. IMHO it'd be better if, when you logged in, you had a choice between going back to your hearth fire or re-appearing where you logged out.

[Devour]

I'm hoping they DO eventually do this.

[Blaccy]

Its an interesting thought. I personally think this -is- a good idea, but there a couple of things I'd like to throw out as well.

For one, climate based worlds are important, but with the world being planned to go onto infinity, it'd be proven rather hard to implement. Going north constantly just to simply keep hitting ice or south constantly to keep hitting desert doesn't sound too enjoyable. (were norther temperatures always low and vice versa)

And interesting balance perhaps would be that as land is generated, certain features are generated as well -- So as someone travels, they will find something unique or uncommon out of the rest of the area or lands, making it a valuable commodity. In terms of monster proliferation, there could be auto-generated spawn points of uncommon monsters as players venture further out in the future planned infinite wilderness. And the only way to encourage further exploration is to make each commodity/uncommon spawn limited, so people will fight over it or travel further to try their luck.

Of course, this brings in more interesting ideas like the distance of travelling the farther people explore... ;P Perhaps magic would be a better topic of discussion? Seeing how hearth magic is where magic truly begins, there would be an interesting way to get travelling to trade out further to be done faster.

[Potjeh]

I don't think H&H world needs to be Earth-like. It's after all flat, so other things may be off too. For example, temperature could be cyclic. That is, you start going north and run into glaciers. After traversing the glaciers, which would require significant supplies and involve dodging polar bears and other dangers, the climate starts warming up again. This would make it hard to get to temperate bands beyond the starting one and thus allow a degree of isolation for those that seek it. It would also allow for profitable trading posts to exist in glaciers and deserts, providing supplies to those who seek to cross.

[Laremere]

I don't like the bands idea too much, but I do like the idea of large areas of a certain type, like the current sea (though possibly even larger...)

[Vattic]

Haha I know it doesn't mean much but the NPC at the in talks of the frozen north, but again as people have said here having it just get colder the further north you get until it hits a cap then nothing but ice and polar bears forever does sound a little off. The polar bears sound good though.

Large areas, really large areas certain sounds interesting, when I say large though I mean it, they would have to contain smaller pockets like forests and lakes and their own kind of plains etc.

As a poor alternative you could do it like the rings system currently set up, have a ring of desert, ring of tropical, ring of temperate ring of Arctic rinse and repeat. Would look terrible on maps though and most likely not that fantastic in game either .

[Krantarin]

I personally prefer the idea of bands. The biggest problem I see is the future "infinite world" as Blaccy mentioned... if there really is going to be an infinite world, then the idea of large areas would definitely be our best bet. I have to say, I'd rather not have this infinite world that's been spoken of.

If there was such an infinite world, carts would need to move a lot faster for trading to be viable, IMHO.

[niltrias]

I think they should just expand on their current idea....they have trees that grow MUCH faster in forests. Make a number of plants that grow more quickly in a terrain type. Then, when the map resets, make the terrain types more common to, but not unique to, different terrains.

Grapes- hills
wheat - plains
hops - forest
flax - swamp

Add more terrain types, (like hills, above), and you will see automatic specialization without making it impossible to grow anything. you can grow it where you are and take 4 times as long, or trade for it. problem solved

[Krantarin]

A bump for justice! We need something to keep communities from being self reliant. My village is getting rich in steel, and no one has anything to do because we have everything. I want to start trading again!

[theTrav]

Biomes, water tables, soil acidity, elevation, temperature and season.