Albion Online: the Economy and Inflation

Hi, there is a problem in Albion Online that, I believe, if allowed to spill into the live version of the game will corrode the ability for casual and new players to compete with hardcore and established players over time. The problem is inflation, and the inability for people that do not play as much, or who have just started to play, to compete with players that play an abundant of hours each day. The gap between players will discourage existing casual players to compete, and cause brand new players to become so overwhelmed at the start of the game and feel increasingly more hopeless the more they play.

 

My solution to the problem is a two step process:

 

Tax System for the Auction House and the Gold market:

 

Make a two sided tax system for the Auction House and Gold Market. This will be a system that will tax the seller and buyer equally, removing a vast amount of albion online silver from the game with each transaction.

 

For example, when you go to sell Gold there will be a 10% tax on the amount of Silver you receive, and when you buy gold there will be an additional 10% tax on the Silver you spend to buy the Gold.

 

In practice it would look like this:

 

    Player 1 puts up 100 Gold for 500 Silver per Gold, and will receive 45,000 Silver after tax

 

    Player 2 buys Player 1's 100 Gold at 500 Silver per Gold, and spends 55,000 Silver after tax.

 

    The system removes 10,000 Silver from the game, slowing down inflation.

 

This will look more impressive the more Albion Online Gold is exchanged; One Month's Subscription at 2500 Gold will remove ~250,000 Silver from the game.

 

Remove Repairing Items, and Increase the Amount of Durability Lost When Knocked Down:

 

Removing the ability to repair items will have a drastic effect on top tier items, as they will cost a lot more to make. This will add a risk vs reward system to the tier system, and stimulate the market.

 

    Remove repair stations from the game - Making losing durability mean more to the player, and make them use their top tier gear more effectively.

 

    Increase the amount of durability lost on knockdown to 40% in PvE, and 100% in PvP - this will add a risk to running more expensive gear, while maintaining     the potential reward of being able to handle stronger mobs and being stronger in PvP. (Also fixing the problem in PvP where if you knock someone down they     are just able to get up and rejoin the fight.)

 

These two changes will:

 

    Stem Inflation, and create a level playing field from the moment you start the game.

    Close the gab between new and existing players by making it more economical to run lower tier gear.

    Stimulate the market by driving demand for more products, as more items will be destroyed in combat.

    Create a sense of pride and accomplishment in having high tier gear, and making it much more valuable.

- See more at: http://www.aosilver.com/albion-online/news/albion-online--the-economy-and-inflation#sthash.2HtFyVJj.dpuf