Hey accivatti! Welcome to the community. Try and keep in mind that the game is in pre-pre-alpha! What we saw could have very well been just a banker placed for dev convenience. The dev team is taking the "bottom-up" approach to design meaning they focusing on the core gameplay mechanics first and then embellishing with character models, animations, NPC placement, and city layout and design, etc. at the end. Try and remember this when watching those twitch stream videos. :)
What about banks that only hold what you store at that bank? I think Black Desert Online is like that. So if you go to city A and store 50 plat and some gear and go to city B, the banker at city B doesn't have access to the items at city A.
I like the idea of it because it seems more realistic... but it does get frustrating when you have visited multiple cities and now have to figure out where you left what. I didn't stick with BDO but I think I'd find it rather tedious if I had kept playing.
Is everyone content with MMO banks functioning the way they do in games like EQ / EQ2 / WoW / most other MMOs? Are we only concerned that a bank looks like a MMO bank?
When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be about an in game bank's main purpose. I.e. holding your money, giving out loans, renting out smaller storage boxes, and being more buisnessy.
It seems like MMOs have a different idea of a bank than what a is and we don't bother questioning that. Is that because it's always been that way? How upset would you be to find out that an MMOs version of a bank was primarily for holding your money? How does the MMO bank make it's money and keep paying the guy to hold my stuff and the guards to guard the guy that holds my stuff? Are they all secretly using my stuff and drinking my ale?
Arkoll said:Are they all secretly using my stuff and drinking my ale?
Oh crap he found out!!! Run!!!
On a more serious and party pooper note: Careful with this line of thinking. There is immersion and then there is chasing away potential customers. VR cant go overboard with this stuff. Though having a bank look like a bank as Dullahan described would be cool.
Playing devils advocate here. Why cant I store something in one bank and store as much of it (for the right price) as I want? Becasue correct me If I am wrong, this is a fantasy magic world. Vaults of magical endless holdng, and magic cumminication and transference between bank branches, etc etc. Also pack animals. If Banking is too inconvenient, what is to stop me from just having multiple pack mules and summoning them to me with my gear and items?
Now I could be a bit more understanding of goods, gear, items (Maybe its too costly to teleport to another Branch). But If I have an account at the Bank of Terminus in Elf City, why couldnt I make a withdrawal from the Bank of Terminus in Dwarf City.
This has taken a really interesting direction, especially Arkoll's comments about what we've come to know MMO banks as vs. what they could potentially be. I could imagine an MMO bank which stored physical items and money, stationed with guards, equipped with loan capabilities, and be able to be robbed. All of this is very possible to incorporate, but we have to ask ourselves the golden question that developers probably ask themselves in the mirror each day - is it worth development resources to implement it? Would incorporating these more realistic banking properties enhance each players enjoyment of the game to a level in which justifies the development cost (not just monetary, time, memory, etc.)?
Maybe this is one of those development rabbit holes that MMOs can avoid by simplifying banks to just glorified storage chests as we've come to know them as. On the other hand, perhaps there are some tweaks we can implement that are definitely worth developing. Either way, I wholeheartedly agree with Arkoll in that we should definitely be questioning if the classic MMO banking system.
I would love to have an the Thronefast bank send out an NPC repossession man hunting me down because I've defaulted on a loan that I used to buy a sword. That would be really fun, but I don't know if I could justify its incorporation in the game. The notion of debt is already an exceedingly complex monster in our world. I haven't convinced myself that it would be worthwhile to include it in Pantheon.
It would also be fun to allow characters to be bandits and allow for bank raids. This would add a fun context for faction wars. A group from one faction could raid a city of an opposing faction where the sweet loot earned after a successful raid would be pillaging a nice and juicy bank. But this begs the question, how can the bank protect its clients from these sort of things without player intervention? We as players would have to act as bank guards, intelligence collectors (find out when other players were going to raid), etc. and I'm not sure that it would be as fun defending as it would be to attack.
I absolutely love this healthy discussion. Let's deconstruct what it means to have banks in MMOs and look at which feasible directions we could take them in Pantheon.
How about: Make begging a skill- and make begging in certain towns punishable- ofr if seen by certain guards.
Dragons help the newbie practicing to beg from the wrong guard! and likewise, dragone bless the NPC that rewards the newbie beggar- handsomely ( RNG?- quest lead checkpoint? Beging skill at X then begets response A)
Yes, in the future a banker would reside in a bank with guards, etc.
Yes, the intent is that banks are local, so no putting your item in bank A, crossing the ocean, going to bank B and zippy wippy your item is somehow there... doing that I think would interfere with the regional player driven economy we're intent on getting to work.
Aradune said:Yes, in the future a banker would reside in a bank with guards, etc.
Yes, the intent is that banks are local, so no putting your item in bank A, crossing the ocean, going to bank B and zippy wippy your item is somehow there... doing that I think would interfere with the regional player driven economy we're intent on getting to work.
Ok now I understand how things will be more local with some search functions and some fast travel. It is all becoming clear to me now. Hurray !
Aradune said:Yes, in the future a banker would reside in a bank with guards, etc.
Yes, the intent is that banks are local, so no putting your item in bank A, crossing the ocean, going to bank B and zippy wippy your item is somehow there... doing that I think would interfere with the regional player driven economy we're intent on getting to work.
are you considering some method for tranporting large amounts of goods? as in, a player can buy an ox and/or wagon 'mount' that has a far higher encumberance rating? seems like a kind of a neccesity if we ever choose to move mor ethan a handful of goods to a better market - and could make things quite interesting if full loot is a thing on pvp servers.
Aradune said:Yes, in the future a banker would reside in a bank with guards, etc.
Yes, the intent is that banks are local, so no putting your item in bank A, crossing the ocean, going to bank B and zippy wippy your item is somehow there... doing that I think would interfere with the regional player driven economy we're intent on getting to work.
If only EVE would adopt this idea. >.>
Honestly though, locality really makes the best sense.
Aradune said:Yes, the intent is that banks are local, so no putting your item in bank A, crossing the ocean, going to bank B and zippy wippy your item is somehow there... doing that I think would interfere with the regional player driven economy we're intent on getting to work.
(Edit: I accidently double posted again and I can't delete it. :/)
BDO has regional banking, and it works fine. I can always see what I have in a specific bank by clicking on the location on the world map. If I need something moved from one bank to another, I just pay a small fee and the items are shipped for me. The transfers aren't instant, and the delivery time and cost depends on the type of transport you choose, either by wagon or ship. Also, both transport options arent always available at every bank. If there isn't a port, then you are stuck using wagons. It takes a bit longer, but costs less.