2008.May.11, 09:46 PM
Lately I've had more and more players asking if they could start over again. Regardless of a player's reason, restarting currently is not an option... but if a balanced system is implemented then it COULD be one.
Reasons
1.) They just want a fresh start.
2.) They want to "fix" a mistake.
3.) They want to run and hide from a stronger player they upset.
4.) The journey is more fun for them than the destination (they are, ahem, bored being powerful).
Issues
1.) Players hiding wealth with friends or in gangs to be given back after restarting.
2.) Keeping the same friends while expecting to be able to "hide" from enemies.
3.) Multiple account issues.
4.) Do donations transfer over?
Solutions
Hiding wealth will always be a concern. Players will want to get a "head-start" on the new account. They will call upon their gangmates or their friends to hold their current accounts wealth until they make the new account. In order to get around this issue, players will have to buy their ticket to a restart based on how much money they generated in-game. This is probably the only way to avoid the hiding of money. If this isn't taken into account, the difference between a multi and a restart will be hard to determine.
Referrals will be another issue. If you are giving up your account, your referrals will not go with you. A new "registration" system would be needed for restarting players, and being another player's referral would not even be an option. If this doesn't happen I can see referrals being used as some sort of "currency" as players start over and get referral bonuses sent to them from their "new" referral. The referral system is intended to help get more players to the game, not as a way to trade free credits for favors. If you already are playing and you restart with a new account, then you aren't really someone's referral.
The original account will be frozen and kept out of the retirement district. Any current donator days will be transferred over. Nothing else would be. If this is a "rebirth" system, then perhaps some things would get bonuses if a certain level was reached, but as of this writing it's not under consideration.
Donations will not be transferred over 100%, nor will they get everything at once. Credits used for cash will be lost, unless a player can pay them back. Of course the credit office will want some sort of conversion rate in their favor. Credits used on refreshes, jail-breaks, or already-used donator days will not be transferred. Credits spent on stats will transfer over, but again not at a 100% rate. At the moment I am not quite sure what the conversion rate would be, but it would be lower than 90% and higher than 25%. Receiving these credits will happen after a player reaches level 5, and would get 10% of the total given to them each level for the next 10 levels.
How would one "pay" to get a restart? I'd have to implement a restart system where a player could see how much it would cost and the new account is generated automatically. Registering another account the normal way would not be the proper way.
Let's take an example...
Assume a level 37 player who has amassed 100,000 credits through donations wants a new beginning. He upset a couple of people who now throttle him every day, plus he screwed up on cyberware by buying the cheap stuff.
He has spent 50,000 credits on endurance and intelligence, 40,000 credits on cash, and the rest on energy refreshes. He has generated $18 million in crime cash since he began. He owns a $20-mil house and has $2-mil in equipment.
$8-mil CAN be repaid for credit's spent on cash. Let's assume you get to keep 90% of the credits purchased back. Our player decides to pay back all of this (+36,000 credits). This takes the funds out of the economy minus some interest while letting the new account benefit almost fully from cash. The end result is the economy stays the same.
Let's also assume 50% of all credits spent on stats are gained back as well (+25,000 credits). Consider this a "rebirth" where you start over with some of your benefits, but since you are foregoing your old life you need to take some sort of hit. Since the stats are converted to credits, you get to use them more wisely.
He's generated $18 million in crime cash. Subtracting all the cash spent on stims, food, jail bail, school, travel, and market fees he's generated $12-mil to the AL economy. Assume this $12-mil is his cost to restart. Starting at level 5 he will get 6,100 credits added to his account for each level he achieves for the next 10 levels.
Now I already know there are going to be disagreements on the donations. Some will say, "It's my money, I should be able to do with it what I want", while others will agree there needs to be some sort of cost. Some credits used already gave a benefit (such as refreshes) and are considered unrecoverable. Some credits used can be recovered IF the player takes their effects OUT of the economy by buying them back (credits used on housing costs for example). Other credits were locked up in stats, which should always be recovered, but also with a cost.
Err and I will be going over the potential effects of a "restart" system. I want everyone's thoughts though.
For those who think this is a way to hide from your enemies while conversing with your current friends, if word gets out you are now meat. Your old enemy will continue to beat down on you. The chances of your old enemies finding out who you were if you tell 1 person are 100%. Trust me, sooner or later they will know who you were.
Reasons
1.) They just want a fresh start.
2.) They want to "fix" a mistake.
3.) They want to run and hide from a stronger player they upset.
4.) The journey is more fun for them than the destination (they are, ahem, bored being powerful).
Issues
1.) Players hiding wealth with friends or in gangs to be given back after restarting.
2.) Keeping the same friends while expecting to be able to "hide" from enemies.
3.) Multiple account issues.
4.) Do donations transfer over?
Solutions
Hiding wealth will always be a concern. Players will want to get a "head-start" on the new account. They will call upon their gangmates or their friends to hold their current accounts wealth until they make the new account. In order to get around this issue, players will have to buy their ticket to a restart based on how much money they generated in-game. This is probably the only way to avoid the hiding of money. If this isn't taken into account, the difference between a multi and a restart will be hard to determine.
Referrals will be another issue. If you are giving up your account, your referrals will not go with you. A new "registration" system would be needed for restarting players, and being another player's referral would not even be an option. If this doesn't happen I can see referrals being used as some sort of "currency" as players start over and get referral bonuses sent to them from their "new" referral. The referral system is intended to help get more players to the game, not as a way to trade free credits for favors. If you already are playing and you restart with a new account, then you aren't really someone's referral.
The original account will be frozen and kept out of the retirement district. Any current donator days will be transferred over. Nothing else would be. If this is a "rebirth" system, then perhaps some things would get bonuses if a certain level was reached, but as of this writing it's not under consideration.
Donations will not be transferred over 100%, nor will they get everything at once. Credits used for cash will be lost, unless a player can pay them back. Of course the credit office will want some sort of conversion rate in their favor. Credits used on refreshes, jail-breaks, or already-used donator days will not be transferred. Credits spent on stats will transfer over, but again not at a 100% rate. At the moment I am not quite sure what the conversion rate would be, but it would be lower than 90% and higher than 25%. Receiving these credits will happen after a player reaches level 5, and would get 10% of the total given to them each level for the next 10 levels.
How would one "pay" to get a restart? I'd have to implement a restart system where a player could see how much it would cost and the new account is generated automatically. Registering another account the normal way would not be the proper way.
Let's take an example...
Assume a level 37 player who has amassed 100,000 credits through donations wants a new beginning. He upset a couple of people who now throttle him every day, plus he screwed up on cyberware by buying the cheap stuff.
He has spent 50,000 credits on endurance and intelligence, 40,000 credits on cash, and the rest on energy refreshes. He has generated $18 million in crime cash since he began. He owns a $20-mil house and has $2-mil in equipment.
$8-mil CAN be repaid for credit's spent on cash. Let's assume you get to keep 90% of the credits purchased back. Our player decides to pay back all of this (+36,000 credits). This takes the funds out of the economy minus some interest while letting the new account benefit almost fully from cash. The end result is the economy stays the same.
Let's also assume 50% of all credits spent on stats are gained back as well (+25,000 credits). Consider this a "rebirth" where you start over with some of your benefits, but since you are foregoing your old life you need to take some sort of hit. Since the stats are converted to credits, you get to use them more wisely.
He's generated $18 million in crime cash. Subtracting all the cash spent on stims, food, jail bail, school, travel, and market fees he's generated $12-mil to the AL economy. Assume this $12-mil is his cost to restart. Starting at level 5 he will get 6,100 credits added to his account for each level he achieves for the next 10 levels.
Now I already know there are going to be disagreements on the donations. Some will say, "It's my money, I should be able to do with it what I want", while others will agree there needs to be some sort of cost. Some credits used already gave a benefit (such as refreshes) and are considered unrecoverable. Some credits used can be recovered IF the player takes their effects OUT of the economy by buying them back (credits used on housing costs for example). Other credits were locked up in stats, which should always be recovered, but also with a cost.
Err and I will be going over the potential effects of a "restart" system. I want everyone's thoughts though.
For those who think this is a way to hide from your enemies while conversing with your current friends, if word gets out you are now meat. Your old enemy will continue to beat down on you. The chances of your old enemies finding out who you were if you tell 1 person are 100%. Trust me, sooner or later they will know who you were.
![[Image: screwy.gif]](http://www.vwvortex.com/zeroforum_graphics/screwy.gif)
.. . . can i have your donator days?