We should all support the existence of in-game billionaires: Those who by some twist of fate or quirk of birth, have found themselves with wealth they neither earned nor deserved.
Because is this not the true nature of the Elite galaxy? To find yourself under the yoke of a cruel system, striving against those who were born into wealth? The Senators Patreus and Torval have wealth that far outstrips even these bilionaires, such that they can afford multiple capital ships, and yet players have not argued they should not exist. Various system authorities have wealth that surely outstrips any individual player, even now.
It's certainly realistic - how many of our current wealthy are wealthy solely by virtue of being born into it or having it left to them by a deceased relative? Do we not have lottery winners even now, whether by a real lottery or an accident of birth?
These billionaires can make the galaxy a better, more interesting place, and are an unequivocal force of good for the game for the following reasons:
- They introduce player-based "powerbrokers" who can use their wealth to shift situations, but in a way that isn't limited to the hard-ass no-life folks that would ever get this money normally. This introduces all sorts of interesting drama and dynamics!
- They are more likely to be less responsible with their wealth, since they didn't earn it. They might do and agree to all sorts of crazy things! Perhaps they'll offer to pilot an orca through an asteroid field with a hold full of platinum, in a massive game of hide and seek, and the first player to find them and "tag" them with a laser beam gets a hold full of plat dumped for their efforts! This actually has great potential to make the game more fun for a lot of players!
- They can play the role of player villains - become the evil that others must vanquish. Earn reputations for helping out the most despicable groups, and equipping others to dominate combat zones. If I know anything of the player base, they'd relish the opportunity to fight such a well-endowed and easy to hate opponent! Do people not get excited when a capital ship jumps into a combat zone, because it's an opponent worth beating? It's the same thing writ large.
- Irresponsible playboys, and all that entails!
- Creating missions for other players to complete and rewarding them appropriately!
- It's only temporary. The more they do, the less they'll have, and they won't be billionaires forever!
- It's limited. No matter what they do, they'll only be able to pilot one ship at a time.
As such, I'd like to make a proposal.
We need more in game billionaires of the type who rather explicitly do not deserve their wealth - the deserving tend to be boring, frugal, and too greedy to ever really make things more fun for other players. But the undeserved billionaire? That's a wildcard with the potential for incredible fun!
So I say we should make this a regular thing. Every month, Frontier should send three messages to three different players. One, a circumstance of birth gives them several billion (new players only). Another, a distant and now deceased relative has given them the same. And finally, they win the Bank of Zaonce official lottery. Because the BoZ cares about it's customers.
The players, of course, can refuse, but a few of them won't and will instead choose to be powerful, influential, hilariously undeserving and simultaneously incredibly fun forces for interestingness in the galaxy.
Who's with me?
Because is this not the true nature of the Elite galaxy? To find yourself under the yoke of a cruel system, striving against those who were born into wealth? The Senators Patreus and Torval have wealth that far outstrips even these bilionaires, such that they can afford multiple capital ships, and yet players have not argued they should not exist. Various system authorities have wealth that surely outstrips any individual player, even now.
It's certainly realistic - how many of our current wealthy are wealthy solely by virtue of being born into it or having it left to them by a deceased relative? Do we not have lottery winners even now, whether by a real lottery or an accident of birth?
These billionaires can make the galaxy a better, more interesting place, and are an unequivocal force of good for the game for the following reasons:
- They introduce player-based "powerbrokers" who can use their wealth to shift situations, but in a way that isn't limited to the hard-ass no-life folks that would ever get this money normally. This introduces all sorts of interesting drama and dynamics!
- They are more likely to be less responsible with their wealth, since they didn't earn it. They might do and agree to all sorts of crazy things! Perhaps they'll offer to pilot an orca through an asteroid field with a hold full of platinum, in a massive game of hide and seek, and the first player to find them and "tag" them with a laser beam gets a hold full of plat dumped for their efforts! This actually has great potential to make the game more fun for a lot of players!
- They can play the role of player villains - become the evil that others must vanquish. Earn reputations for helping out the most despicable groups, and equipping others to dominate combat zones. If I know anything of the player base, they'd relish the opportunity to fight such a well-endowed and easy to hate opponent! Do people not get excited when a capital ship jumps into a combat zone, because it's an opponent worth beating? It's the same thing writ large.
- Irresponsible playboys, and all that entails!
- Creating missions for other players to complete and rewarding them appropriately!
- It's only temporary. The more they do, the less they'll have, and they won't be billionaires forever!
- It's limited. No matter what they do, they'll only be able to pilot one ship at a time.
As such, I'd like to make a proposal.
We need more in game billionaires of the type who rather explicitly do not deserve their wealth - the deserving tend to be boring, frugal, and too greedy to ever really make things more fun for other players. But the undeserved billionaire? That's a wildcard with the potential for incredible fun!
So I say we should make this a regular thing. Every month, Frontier should send three messages to three different players. One, a circumstance of birth gives them several billion (new players only). Another, a distant and now deceased relative has given them the same. And finally, they win the Bank of Zaonce official lottery. Because the BoZ cares about it's customers.
The players, of course, can refuse, but a few of them won't and will instead choose to be powerful, influential, hilariously undeserving and simultaneously incredibly fun forces for interestingness in the galaxy.
Who's with me?
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