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DF Suggestions / Re: Random Dwarf Economy Thought and Ideas
« on: July 15, 2014, 11:38:31 am »
All these ideas are overly complicated and really miss the point. Why do we need an economy at all? As they are depicted at the moment, the economic system of pure 'Communism' that they operate under fits their apparant nature of dwarves as depicted in-game rather nicely. All dwarves are happy to work for it's intrinsic value, so therefore there is no need to pay any dwarves, thus 'economics' (really Capitalism/Feudalism) is rather redundant and simply creates the same problems that it does in real life with no actual value added. That was why it was abolished and the original system was really an artificial development implemented arbiterily by you advancing to baron level.
Before we implement a system of non-communist economics, we need to change the basic motivation of dwarves so that there is any drawbacks to the present communist system.
The best way to do this is to have dwarves work according to need rather than greed. As your stronghold gets richer in material good relative to population, the motivation of your dwarves to work rather than drink and play goes down. This means that the game essentially caps the wealth of Communist dwarf strongholds (what we have at the moment) because nobody can be bothered to produce 'unneccesery' wealth.
By paying your dwarves to work you break through this ceiling so that they will produce your stronghold more wealth than it immediately needs, which can then be traded away or stored for later use. The value of the coins is determined by the total number of things that are for sale, things are 'bought' from your dwarves (moneterising said labour) and things can be sold or given away whether they were produced for free or not. If you give people coins that cannot buy anything, then dwarves are no more motivated by it than they are by default.
Dwarves are unhappy obviously if there are things they want that they cannot afford to buy, especially if those things are basic food and bedding. Different races could work according to a different logic.
Dwarves- No idleness by default, acquire idleness due to stronghold wealth. Can be motivated by being paid.
Elves- Fairly idle by default, acquire additional idleness due to stronghold wealth. Cannot be motivated by being paid.
Humans- Fairly idle by default. Can be motivated by being paid.
Goblins- Fairly idle by default. Cannot be motivated by being paid. Can be motivated by goblin taskmasters.
Kobolds- Fairly idle by default. Cannot be motivated to work harder in any way by anything.
Before we implement a system of non-communist economics, we need to change the basic motivation of dwarves so that there is any drawbacks to the present communist system.
The best way to do this is to have dwarves work according to need rather than greed. As your stronghold gets richer in material good relative to population, the motivation of your dwarves to work rather than drink and play goes down. This means that the game essentially caps the wealth of Communist dwarf strongholds (what we have at the moment) because nobody can be bothered to produce 'unneccesery' wealth.
By paying your dwarves to work you break through this ceiling so that they will produce your stronghold more wealth than it immediately needs, which can then be traded away or stored for later use. The value of the coins is determined by the total number of things that are for sale, things are 'bought' from your dwarves (moneterising said labour) and things can be sold or given away whether they were produced for free or not. If you give people coins that cannot buy anything, then dwarves are no more motivated by it than they are by default.
Dwarves are unhappy obviously if there are things they want that they cannot afford to buy, especially if those things are basic food and bedding. Different races could work according to a different logic.
Dwarves- No idleness by default, acquire idleness due to stronghold wealth. Can be motivated by being paid.
Elves- Fairly idle by default, acquire additional idleness due to stronghold wealth. Cannot be motivated by being paid.
Humans- Fairly idle by default. Can be motivated by being paid.
Goblins- Fairly idle by default. Cannot be motivated by being paid. Can be motivated by goblin taskmasters.
Kobolds- Fairly idle by default. Cannot be motivated to work harder in any way by anything.