Brainstorming for Gold Sinks

A gold sink is a feature implemented in the game which provides a service or product to a player, but has a secondary purpose to remove gold from a server. In a trade between players, gold simply changes hands, but it still exists on the server. Gold sinks involve either an NPC or a temporary character, usually GM operated.

When too much gold exists on a server, it has a trend of making it's way into the hands of those who are already wealthy. These wealthy players in turn care less and less for costs of in game items as their capital increases and will be willing to pay more and more for goods. This creates a breeding ground for opportunists and greedy salespersons. As a result, players who are not as wealthy struggle more and more to be able to afford the items that they need, as the prices of goods will continue to rise as wealthy players acquire more gold. Inflation is an issue in all MMOs, but what makes Shaiya unique is that there is currently no effective way for this excess gold to be removed and reign in the increasing prices.

There are a few more inherent problems contributing to inflation. One is greed. One is the high demand for massively consumed items. You cannot target greed because it is a trait of an individual. You can decide to sell your goods for a fair price. You can refuse to buy goods for more than a set price. The problem is that you're just one person. There are a hundred other people selling and buying at the same time as you and if just one of them doesn't care about inflation, then your whole principle fails in practice. The highly consumable items also cannot be targeted because they have infinite demand. Flooding the system won't work because that will only make players want more, again increasing demand. Highly consumable items like Recreation Runes, Resurrection Runes, and various Lapisia will always be in high demand, regardless of the supply. I believe that while there are many factors contributing to inflation, the most effective way to curb it is to target gold sinks. The other issues would still be issues, but to a lesser extent with less gold to manipulate.

As most who are familiar with me already know, I no longer play Shaiya. However, I am still involved in the community and I still wish to see the game quality improve. Though progression may never effect me directly, I do not want to see Shaiya fail. Furthermore, successful discussion could potentially change the way both SonoV and Aeria conduct business. Seeing an idea implemented and work is what everyone wants to see, no just you as a player. Future and current projects by both companies could be affected by a positive change seen in this specific area.

What am I asking the community to do in this thread is to brainstorm for possible gold sinks that could be implemented. You're the ones who play the game. You're the ones who see what happens day to day. You're the ones that read chats to see how other players are affected by it and feel about it. I believe that it is us who have the best chance of coming up with an idea that works. What we see right now obviously doesn't work. Some may be aware of gold sinks that are applied and work on other clients of Shaiya, but would not work or are not implemented on ours. What we need is something that works on our American client. It must work for SonoV, it must work for Aeria, and it must work for the players.

A gold sink would need to accomplish the following:

Not cause profit loss for Aeria. If a gold sink were to be permanent, it would have to be so without affecting AP sales.

Not cripple newer players. A gold sink needs to target those who have a lot of gold and little to do with it, not those who have little gold and a lot to do with it.

Not require SonoV to uproot the entire coding of the game. It needs to be something added on or something slightly altered.

Be in effect at all times. It won't work if it's done as promotions or targeted at splurge spending. It has to be a regular expense for high end players.