In response to GokuDBZ3128
The beginning, when you are gathering money for your character, will not be a fun task. Once you have gathered enough money, you will start to enjoy the game more and also give yourself a pat on the back from all of the hard work you have done.

You know you can get the same experiance working at Burger King. You repeat the same set of menial simple tasks over and over again and eventually you get a small reward for all your "hard" work. Only with the Burger King example your eventual small reward actually contains value.

What exactly do you think the point of a game is? I know if I'm not having fun with a game I don't play it. This is especially important in the beggining because this is when I make my first impression of the game. You certainly don't want to give off the impression that your game is a lot of boring work compensated by small rewards.
In response to Jamesburrow
Heh, alot of previous ideas that have been mentioned have sounded good, Spuzzum made some really good ideas. You could try avoiding mass-rich players though... Try adding in disasters, like wrinkels in the economy, that the government smashes. Thus, causing your buisness you become demolished. Or weather conditions, robbers to your account, mob threats, IRS, the list goes on. Just have fun with the projec!

~ Super Squirrel
In response to Theodis
Theodis wrote:
You know you can get the same experiance working at Burger King.

I got a good laugh from that. =P

Theodis wrote:
Only with the Burger King example your eventual small reward actually contains value.

Well, then what do you suggest Leftley does with the game, Theodis? You most certainly blew my idea into the water, so I figured you had something in mind (the least you could have done was mentioned your idea, if you had one, which you most probably did after how this statement was written). This may sound like an insult, but it is not. I am just curious....
In response to GokuDBZ3128
Well, then what do you suggest Leftley does with the game, Theodis?

It's a nasty balance issue I don't have a solution to which is why I didn't reply with one at the time.

You most certainly blew my idea into the water

Your idea was the problem he was trying to avoid for the reasons I replyed to your post.

I am just curious....

As am I as you aren't the first to claim that games should be work :P.
Delete the give cash verb? O.o
In response to Spuzzum
What ive read so far, really makes me think of Harvest Moon - Trinity Ranch ;p
I'm surprised nobody suggested the idea I have, though Wizkidd came close.

Loans are the answer. Give new players what they need, but consider it a loan that needs to be payed back. When someone gives money away, if it is money on loan transfer the debt with it. Transfering money from new players in this way might be beneficial; but it would at least be not nearly as much so, as it is not free money.

To take it a bit further, perhaps advertising could be included. If your establishment is not as well known, you will not get as many customers. Thus transfering a million dollars worth of loan over from new characters only leaves you in an unpayable mess, as you aren't getting the customers needed to pay off the massive debt.
In response to Loduwijk
Yeah but if you need to pay back some debt you just generate more money.
Also I'm sure money laundering wouldn't be too hard, unless you transfer the debt to anyone who accepts the money, including shops.
For example. A player takes out a huge loan, buys a small shop, then starts making new characters with huge loans and buying extremely over-priced junk. The players money is now clean.
Give em something of value, which cannot be used to earn money, and cannot be spent, cannot be sold, but can be used to borrow money.

Gold comes to mind, actual gold bullon ingots. they reside in a central bank, and the player has title to them, but they are not acceptable as currency, but any bank will loan money against them. Failure to pay loans causes loss of title to that gold, equal in value to the payment.
In response to ThreeFingerPete
So they borrow money, give money to new character, and not pay it back? Sounds like free money to me!
Well, you could create a "Newbie Economy" which is seperate from the actual economy. The NE would encompass all that would be required to start a business, but would not be compatible with the existing economy. The newbie players could buy supplies, land, hire NPCs, etc... but would be opperating just outside the system. When they have their business up and running, have an Admin approve their character, which would upgrade their account to use the main economy, transfering all their wealth and resources from the NE to the main economy.

The Newbie money and resources should be non-transferable, except within the framework of the NE. They can buy from and sell to appointed NPCs setup to deal only with the NE. They can sell their wares in the main economy once thier business is operational, but won't be able to buy or trade in that economy until approved by an Admin who should be able to track their Newbie Money from the start. Cheaters would be ousted before they had any real ill-effect on the game, and the approval time could be a bit more lax with a setup like this. The players can still get into the game and progress, even working their way into the main economy somewhat while waiting to be approved.

The cheater wouldn't be able to give his Newbie Monies away, or any of the resources purchased with them. They also wouldn't be able to accept real money or resources except through thier business in the form of sales. This would be like giving them a huge jumpstart into the game without actually giving them anything of real value. It's value only becomes valid once they are approved.

~X
In response to Artekia
Artekia wrote:
So they borrow money, give money to new character, and not pay it back? Sounds like free money to me!

Nope! Not quite! More like a pawn shop. They'd have to pay it back too. It would be like double mortgaging your house to start a business. You cannot use the house as supplies, but someone will lend you money against it.

Anyway, I like Xooxers next suggestion better.
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