Another item on the long list of econ problems with WNO was the utter lack of income for the individual. In order for a single person to earn any money, he or she had two options: Join the military or sign on with a company. Sometimes, character concepts did not really allow for the desire to join any kind of organization such as Starfleet or a small trade corporation. In designing Economy 3.0, we're trying to make it possible for someone to start out on their own and build up some wealth to snowball it into a private enterprise. In part three, we will read about Occupations and Income.
III. Occupations and Income
When we sat down to design the occupational income system, we wanted to provide a small stream of income for the individual, in case they wanted to go it alone rather than applying for a berth on a transport or a freighter. In doing so, we also wanted to give role-play opportunities to people wandering around the space stations they might be logging in to, or visiting while awaiting a shipment of goods. If we offered not only the opportunity for income but also incentive to stick around and role-play, it's a win-win situation for everyone. So, as with shipping and trade contracts, so enters the jobs system.
Jobs will be divided into various fields:
- Service: Food and Drink (Barkeeps and Waiters), Maintenance (Custodial, Handy(wo)man), etc.
- Professional: Pilot, Security, Secretary, etc.
- Technical: Engineer, Medical Doctor, etc.
Our example player, Mister White, takes a job on Deep Space Nine as a Barkeep from the Jobs console located on the promenade. He accepts the job as a limited contract for six months at 15,000 credits. Every time the econ cycle occurs, he gets a portion of the total, like a paycheck every week or so. White can opt to keep a portion of his paycheck for savings or spend it all frivolously in a casino (that's a later part). The point is that in order to keep getting paid, he has to spend time in the room known as his 'work area.' White cannot pick up a contract, go on a shuttle to another planet and then carry another job; the system won't allow a person to have two jobs. If White doesn't show up for work, he gets let go and the system will inform him by mail. While he works, he will provide an IC service as well as an OOC service by populating the station as a resident. If after the contract expires satisfactorily, White may be given an option to accept another six-month contract for more pay, or a longer contract for the same pay. This is the 'raise' part of the jobs system.
White might work for an IC year or two, saving up enough money to get himself a shuttle. Once he's spaceborne, he can use what he has left to transport some small frieght or maybe ferry some people around for pay. In either case, White graduates from one level of economy stability to the next.
The Jobs system will also allow player-owned companies to post job listings on space stations, and using the new SubOrg Feature, allows for an actual automated payroll system. No stress, no mess. Paygrades, bonuses, and other kinds of compensation features are also available. If White wanted to sign on with the Second Star Freight Company, and they had a listing on Deep Space Nine for a pilot, given that he has the pilot skill, he could apply with a pre-written resume and message to the company owner(s) or designated contact person. Communication within the economy system improves relations as the system gets more verbose with what it does overall.
Another form of income that is still on the drawing board deals with individual crafts. With enough skill ranks in an art, it would be possible to take raw or refined materials to make a product and sell it within the market on a station. Clothiers, jewelers, toymakers, and other kinds of occupations are available, and with a healthy population in a certain area, the profit margin could be pretty high. This is entirely dependant on the game's population being high enough to support this kind of free-form occupation. It may add to the spice of a station if a person wanted to persue a less-involved character concept, but the need for an income is going to become very apparent when we cover part four.
Part Four will provide an overview of the dreaded Resource Round.
