Money sinks: Does Elite need them?

[Chaffers]

You are incorrect.

 

[Lee Archer]

Money sinks, hahaha asking for them?
That is the pathetic state of gaming.

 

[GJ51]

I think it does. As some of you know, I only fly a Cobra Mk III. Yet I currently have around 55 million credits spare. With nothing to spend them on.

Guys, I want to spend money, but I've nothing to spend it on. Save perhaps PowerPlay where I could buy cargo?

What do you think on the topic of money sinks?

Better to put your money in a bank or a safe

Unless you need to launder it...

 

[Cmdr Thrudd]

I am fine with the concepts of adding docking fees and some other more realistic fees. I haven't read the lore but I often wonder if the term "credit" represents a multiples of some currency. It seems to me current costs for fuel, ship repairs and resupply are nowhere realistic. I recognize that there are many aspects of the game that are not realistic and I am not trying to inject reality into this game. I just support higher costs for these things because they seem arbitrarily low and pointless other than requiring us to press the button when we are in the station.

I've been wondering the same thing for quite a while. What does 1 credit buy an inhabitant in this game world and how does the current economy make any sense when ships cost what they do and mission payouts what they are. I even raised a suggestion in the suggestions forum for a economy re-balance as part of beyond as I'd been thinking about this quite a bit recently.

 

[relayer]

ahhhh h just a sampling...

I currently have around 55 million credits spare. With nothing to spend them on.
... Guys, I want to spend money, but I've nothing to spend it on.

What worries me about players with billions of credits, is its potential to completely undermine the C&P system.

I have 200m credits liquid atm, and a bn in assets to show for 2.5 years of play, I have never 'ground' for credits.

I am a 4x billionaire after 3+ years in the game. That's credits, mind you - I have another billion or so in hard assets. I never used exploits except for board-flipping. For the first 2-3 yrs I was less than 500mil, then I got serious about trading.

Why am I sitting on such a pile of credits? I want a Panther Clipper:

"the craft was one of the largest vessels in the spaceways in terms of trading, significantly larger than the Anaconda, and alleged to buy entire planets out of cargo."

This is the ultimate apex trader. You think that's gonna be cheap? I bet it will embarrass the Corvette or Cutter just on sticker price alone. I'm willing to wait for it.

I also put my nose to the grindstone because I wanted to be free to do anything I wanted to do without worrying about income. It's done now. I do some trade hauling in the Cutter when I need a cash infusion (like for the 500mil I just dropped in modules to pre-engineer before 3.0 to save me some steps and clean out my mats storage).

There's plenty of places to sink some serious credits in the game.

Perhaps the ability to donate cash to Minor Factions in return for reputation? There are advantages to being allied to factions you work with - something which seems overlooked at times.

If anyone needs them, it's the billionaires. Having a donation option to gain rep with a faction would be nice though.

I've certainly spend perhaps... oh... 500mil+ on b̶r̶i̶b̶i̶n̶g̶, er I mean helpfully donating to many, many minor factions to build rep on trade routes. I get those credits back on the higher pay rate missions I'm getting because of it.

I'd like a sink in my cockpit along with a stove or coffee machine. Making and drinking coffee is a very important part of space travel.

Wet bar!

[video=youtube;g6PDcBhODqo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6PDcBhODqo[/video]

 

[n13L5]

I think it does. As some of you know, I only fly a Cobra Mk III. Yet I currently have around 55 million credits spare. With nothing to spend them on.

Guys, I want to spend money, but I've nothing to spend it on. Save perhaps PowerPlay where I could buy cargo?

What do you think on the topic of money sinks?

1) Money Sinks are a way to strip players off their money without giving anything of value in return - like exorbitant repair costs (as one example).
2) Not everybody is in your position of having money to spend. Some can't fly their bigger ships, because they don't have enough for the rebuy.

:: Therefore, I'd say we do NOT need money sinks, but we need things of value to get for our money.


I do believe there are things that would qualify:

- new ships (which FD is already doing, if somewhat slow).
- New, interesting modules, with interesting new game play might qualify (which FD has been adding as well - slowly)
- Planetary player outposts (that can only be placed outside the bubble or by whatever rules FD wants to place so things don't get out of hand)
- custom cockpits like someone suggested? Well, I guess that would be something for FD's store...