Nope. A MMO doesn't require a map either, but people would get pissed. We don't need cons or levels or item descriptions that show DPS, but people would be frustrated. Currency make things more efficient and fun. Trading 10 cats for 2 daggers would get pretty annoying after a while=)
Actually AC had third party bots that handled the trading of items for you and you could have your own point system for the seventy plus forms of currency that existed in the game -- so if you really didnt want iron stacks but really needed small shards you could set up your system skewed from the typical values. There were bots that only traded in currency where you could say trade 10 small shards for 18 sing keys or 22 sing keys for 10 small shards that played the spread.
Too much complexity as evidenced by players using bots to circumvent the barter system. Better to just have a solid currency system I say, just like in real life.
The bots didn't circumvent the barter system - they were the core of it. What they did bypass, though, was the actual personal interaction which, for many, was a big attraction of bartering in AC.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
There were a lot of bartering in older games like EverQuest but slowly games started to make items "Bind on Pick" or "Bind on Equip" and soon item trading was most of the time limited.
Currency to me is required, I went through enough diablo II trading where I would create a game looking for some particular item and 10 people would join. I would clearly state "okay guys I know what items are worth what so if you are trying to screw me out of the deal leave now... majority of the time 6 of the 8 people left. Currency allows everything to have a set value whether or not that person needs it... When a person bartering doesn't need what you have to offer, nothing will get done, but if there is an effective currency there is always an easy trade if hes willing.
How did you get 10 people to join a Diablo 2 game? Max is 8 iirc.
Doesn't mean they join all at the same time. People come and go, and ofcourse that doesn't count the lovely bot spam.
Comments
Nope. A MMO doesn't require a map either, but people would get pissed. We don't need cons or levels or item descriptions that show DPS, but people would be frustrated. Currency make things more efficient and fun. Trading 10 cats for 2 daggers would get pretty annoying after a while=)
The bots didn't circumvent the barter system - they were the core of it. What they did bypass, though, was the actual personal interaction which, for many, was a big attraction of bartering in AC.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
A Tale in the Desert doesn't have any canonical currency. Players can print their own and see if they can get anyone to accept it, though.
There were a lot of bartering in older games like EverQuest but slowly games started to make items "Bind on Pick" or "Bind on Equip" and soon item trading was most of the time limited.
Doesn't mean they join all at the same time. People come and go, and ofcourse that doesn't count the lovely bot spam.
Look at Wakfu's currency system. People have to mint there own currency, there will be none when the servers first go online.
Playing - EVE, Wurm
Retired - Final Fantasy XI, Anarchy Online, Mabinogi
Waiting - ArcheAge, Salem