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Developing credit system.

CynicSyndrome

Towns Guard
Xy$
0.36
I have built a way for players to borrow money until they reach their credit limit. I'm looking for a way to penalize players who do not make payments on their loan. Any practical suggestions?
 

MinisterJay

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Is it like 'real world', where the penalty occurs if payment not received by particular time period?

It would be convenient if the place that lends is also the same place as the place where supplies are bought and sold. The player could borrow set amount. Go to the quest/event, and then when they come back to buy/sell their goods, the loan would come due, and if they did not pay, a late fee could be imposed. With each time coming back the late fee increases. If it goes over the limit, they cannot buy or sell at this market nor at any of its sister branches.

I was a District Manager for a personal financial analysis company for over five years. This system peaked my curiosity. I also tutor MBA students. :)
 
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CynicSyndrome

Towns Guard
Xy$
0.36
I like your idea. What I have done so far is create an ATM event that can copied endlessly without any changes. Offering the standard six choices laid out in 1. Check Bank Balance 2. Withdraw 3. Deposit 4. Check Debt Balance 5. Borrow 6. Pay. I have placed ATMs at convenient locations never too far from a store. That said, I have considered the idea of allowing players to purchase items directly with credit rather than borrowing from the ATM. But even still I have no idea yet on how to impose a time limit for repayment. it could be, as you said, that instead of a time limit, the quest events could be the trigger for forcing a payment. Still toying with lots of ideas, always open to more suggestions.
 

CynicSyndrome

Towns Guard
Xy$
0.36
the story is not exactly defined but is obviously modern day to have ATMs. It will have Sci-Fi elements, and fantasy elements. This will be my first game and I'm stil learning. So i'm focusing on creating detailed maps and neutral events so I can see what's possible and get some ideas on where exactly I want to push the story. my goal is to make it as interactive as possible as I've not seen many like that.
 

MinisterJay

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
If they need the funds from the ATM, then they probably need it for an item or service. Once they have desired or service, which is probably needed for a quest, a control switch could be put on for quest completion. If quest was properly completed, the person may have the funds to repay the loan.

Another option is to have an event that has a timer, and the repayment has to be made in a certain amount of real time or there is interest fees or late payment fees. Another factor is if you are using a days of the week, or other time like options.
 

CynicSyndrome

Towns Guard
Xy$
0.36
I'm toying with the idea of jail as a penalty to not paying eventually. it would be hilarious. there could even be other offenses that land you in jail. I love the idea that if you are sent to jail only the party leader goes to jail, and the rest continue. they can pay his/her fines and release them, or go on without them for a while. of course being short one party member would make the battles a lot harder, and (also hilarious) you could end up with more than one follower in jail. It could also be woven into the story. like what if the entire party needs to be in jail in order to get passed a certain quest? there could be some inmate/boss that yields an item or a favor, as an in to the next step. lol I love it.
 

Micro

Dragon Goddess
oh my god this reminds me a bit of Tales of Xillia 2 ;_; just please don't make the debt system that crippling! hopefully the credit system won't be extremely necessary and mostly just for people looking to beef up their early game or something.

hmmm, my suggestion would be... thinking of something like Skyrim, maybe certain establishments won't like you (shops, inns, etc) and some quests will be barred or you'll be attacked or kicked out of town based on how much debt you're in/how many payments you've missed.

a fun thing for this would be to open another questline if you're in debt for something like the Thieves' Guild who could pay your debts for you in exchange for hunting rare monsters and such. so a player in debt would meet a mysterious guy at night/outside town who has heard of their debts and wants to help, for a favor...

the higher your debt, the more difficult the favors will become. but you could also develop this mysterious guild in many interesting ways! it would be a great way to make a captivating sidestory.
 

CynicSyndrome

Towns Guard
Xy$
0.36
I like that idea. its' little similar to what I was saying about the inmate/boss who yields you a favor to advance your quest. the favor could be putting you in contact with the guild.
 
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