Once I started thinking about the issues brought up on inflation risks in-game, I began thinking of ways to potentially help slow it down. One of the ways I imagined was limiting supply of higher end items so they retain a higher value. Not a big dent or a creative idea, but something.
That led me to thinking about how to do that. I remember items in EQ that were only available for a limited amount of time; I'm not talking fireworks or transmog nonsense, but gear. These items retained value, not due to their amazing stats, but due to status, rarity, nostalgia. How could we potentially replicate that?
Well, since Visionary Realms is dedicated to not making zones that get ignored over time due to better or higher content elsewhere, this seems to fit their model best. This game is lore-driven by their own admission. It's a story. As time goes on, stories change. Instead of spending time building new continents and going to the moon and going to alternate planes of existence and so on, why not take what you have and just evolve the content there. Little Elsinor lost her mother when the Gadai took her hostage and she needs you to rescue her. Her mother gives you a precious heirloom, a magical earring passed down through generations. There's some content using the NPCs and mobs and places and gear available. Well, why not in a later "expansion" which should really just be considered DLC at this point, the story arcs change. The devs, instead of wasting time creating brand new dungeons and zones, returned the mother to her home, gave her pathing, and when she talks to you, she thanks you for all you've done for her family. That earring is no longer available. Instead, the devs were working on content and a new item is available, maybe the same stats, but available from "incidental" NPCs who never had a quest associated with them before, but were just an NPC living on a farm out by Demith who now has had a sack stolen from his barn by orcs that contained some precious memorabilia and is willing to give you something great for its return. On higher end items, these begin to have value outside of just their stats, but now have intrensic value, and could be part of a collection of items that are linked by a common history that some players collect because it IS a collection, which brings intrensic value to some players.
At this point, we do not needto increase the size of the gameboard, spreading players out farther and farther, but uses the utility of random NPCs who may or may not have new content with every DLC release. It keeps websites and wikis on their toes, constantly having to change their info and keeping the surprise and mystery of the game alive. I refuse to believe that changing storylines and pathing and adding to perception is harder than creating new models and terrain which still needs more storyline and quests.
This would continue to increase the database of unique items. I'm not sure nowadays if that is a great concern or if it is moot with current technology, but would help in small fashion to inflation, exploration, immersion, and cost to VR possibly. Let me know if I'm missing something.
Keep in mind that desirable items - scarce desirable items - available in the lower level zones need not be equipable gear of any type.
If we have housing - they can be decorations. Moose heads to put on the walls. Stuffed bears to put on the floor. Both perhaps requiring expensive and maybe even slow taxidermy work. Very rare drops from, you guessed it, moose and bears. An aquarium maybe even with moving fish. A burning fireplace. Endless possibilities. Houses are great for an economy - it isn't just the cost of a house it is all the incidentals.
If we have mounts - there will be an endless market for mounts that look a bit different but have no other benefit. Purely cosmetic changes. Saddles. Bridles. Again - all kinds of incidentals.
Cosmetic clothing - too obvious to need discussion.
