A game of survival, trade and exploration in the universe of Fallen London
Some thoughts on the overall echo discussion
dawest1
Posts: 3
2/9/2015
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Hello all, I'm new to the forums. I apologize if anything in this post is redundant, but I thought I'd chime in regarding the issues some players are having with earning money in the game. First, here is my position:
1. Stories do not provide enough money consistently to save up for anything other than fuel and supplies.
2. Fuel and supplies are consumed too quickly to set aside much money.
3. The few options for decent income that exist (such as the Salt Lions run) force players who want to save up into grinding behavior rather than organic play.
4. Ship upgrades are not as significant as one would expect given the time it takes to acquire them.
Second, here are my thoughts on how these concerns could be addressed going forward:
1. More Stories should provide echoes as rewards. Alternately, there could be more opportunities to select rewards.
2. Fuel and supply consumption rates should be modified by a stat. Some officers provide bonuses, but player captains have no bearing on this.
3. If the developers don't want to allow a stat to adjust consumption rates, it would be nice to have opportunities to add bonuses to officers over time, whether that's through direct purchase (using secrets as the currency) or through Stories and Events.
4. The Ironclad Will should automatically allow 50% of a captain's wealth to be passed on to the heir. The starting options that do so now would therefore provide 100% bonus wealth if combined with an Ironclad Will.
5. Opportunities to acquire boosts through Stories. This might be new equipment or special buffs. The Unterzee is full of strange magic and science, yet there doesn't seem to be any equipment outside of London.
These are just a few ideas that I think might push the game a little more towards where it should be. It's difficult to push past a certain point without upgrades, but the game's systems make it very time-consuming to save up enough money for that. To save up money requires a great deal of grinding, which undermines the game's exploratory themes. It makes the game feel more repetitive than it needs to.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
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FogChicken1
Posts: 29
2/9/2015
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In celebration of release I decided to start a new captain from scratch, giving up all legacies and starter perks from previous runs (I played a lot during Early Access).
I've made three trips out and back so far. I have purchased a better engine (the 1000 echo version) and a better deck gun (500 echoes) and have about 3000 more echoes in the bank. I've found two Neathbow items for the Curator. I have completed one of the officer quests, I'm most of the way through a couple of others and starting on a couple more. (I'd have had a second officer quest done as well, only I spent too many secrets on stat increases). I've played a lot of chess in the Principalities, dropped off several paid passengers, and various other things. I've retrieved 3 units of Strategic Information, two from the Admiralty commissions (the second sent me to the Chelonate, which took me two trips to find) and another from a port story somewhere. I have yet to run an errand for the Bruiser or the Merchant as neither have put in an appearance yet (which is a bit annoying, but I'm sure they'll turn up).
Why can I do this, when newer players are struggling to make ends meet and ending up destitute on the docks? (Note: I had the same experience with my first few captains). In nautical terms: local knowledge. I have a pretty good idea of what's out there and roughly where it all is. I leave port with a plan in mind, and I'm able to quickly adjust it based on what locations I find and in which order. I know most of the places where I can restock on cheap or free fuel/supplies (or even expensive fuel/supplies if the payoff is worth it) and I use this to extend my range, free up cargo space on the outbound trip, and access the more lucrative options in distant ports. Some of the money-making options I've discovered on previous captains turn out to be accessible quite early in the game if you know how they work, so I prioritize those on a new captain when I can. I have a good idea of where (and at what prices) most commodities are bought and sold, and I know a lot of ways to turn empty cargo space into extra income for various routes (north to south, south to north, west to east...) I know how a lot of the longer quest lines work and can assemble the prerequisites ahead of time, rather than waste trips going back to fulfill them.
Knowledge is power. Once your mental model of the world is sufficiently detailed, you'll find you don't lack for opportunities to make money. The goal of all early captains should be to improve your knowledge (in my opinion). It's still my main goal as there remains plenty I don't know about the game.
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WormApotheote
Posts: 725
2/9/2015
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Yeah i'm really confused by a lot of this because I've been swimming in cash after my first few loops.
Although i did have a friend who didn't realize they could pick up multiple port reports, or friends who take a very conservative approach to exploring, so maybe there's an issue about signposting that. (Although on the other hand, the game does say repeatedly: "Explore further out it'll give more profits" so idk)
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No, I don't pull the Eater of Names.
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