Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Goonswarm's 'Burn Jita' campaign has brought attention to the fact that despite CCP's somewhat tepid efforts at fostering a decentralized global market (query whether this would even be a desirable thing), Eve, like most other MMOs, has a handful of trade hubs where much of the game's trading occurs.

CCP can solve this problem through taxes. The mechanic would be similar to increased rental rates for highly used factory and research slots. The more trading that goes on, the higher the tax rate would be.

More specifically, in order to avoid having a handful of nearby systems become new trade hubs, the tax should work something like this example (note, the tax rates I propose below are only to illustrate, CCP's economists should figure out what the appropriate numbers should be; I am only proposing the concept):

For every 100 bil in buy/sell orders that are fulfilled at 4-4 Caldari Navy Assembly Plant in Jita, the tax rate rises 4% in that station, 3% in that system (Jita), 2% in that constellation (Kimotoro), and 1% in that region (The Forge).

If CCP so chooses, there could be an additional dimension to this to encourage players to venture out into low-sec. The security status of the system could act as a modifier to the higher taxes that would be potentially imposed so that, for example, a 1.0 system recognizes 100% of the above relevant tax increases, a 0.9 system 90%, a 0.8 system 80%, and so forth. 0.0 could be completely exempted if CCP so chooses.

Finally, if we keep using the above example, if 4-4 has seen 400 billion in trade, if after a set amount of time (such as, for example, every downtime) if 400 billion in trade has not occurred, the tax rate reverts to what it should be based on the amount of trade that has taken place the previous day. So for example, if the tax rate reaches the 400 bil level, but during day 2 only 200 bil in trade occurs, then at the start of day 3 (after downtime ends), the tax rate is as if 200 bil in trade has occurred.

How to protect your 90 day sell order from a very high tax rate that occurs on day 56? CCP can include an option when creating orders to automatically kill the order if the effective tax rate for you (based on the real tax rate and your skills) hits a certain threshold.

Why would this be a good solution? Mainly because it would be effective (Jita's tax would be astronomical very quickly) and because it is self-executing (if some random system in Devoid saw massive amounts of trade tomorrow, CCP would not have to do anything additional such as move around some stargates, etc., to counter the rise of the new trade hub. From a technical point of view, I think it also wouldn't be too hard on the server, as CCP already collects data on its trade volume, and a shift in tax rates would only occur periodically, not constantly.

These changes would (1) discourage people to trade in trade hubs as it will be more expensive for them, (2) encourage people to more quickly move out of hi-sec, (3) give greater importance to trading skills.

Thoughts?

I see the logic in the proposed concept, however once crucial thing is that this would split / devide people and the trade communities. This game as one of the best social communities and we should be fighting to keep it, not scatter it.

I believe your intentions are good and meaningful, but i dont think this is the right solution.

this^
and Dodixie > Jita

I'm going to have to agree here. It's a spaceju-fu solution to a non-existent problem.

CCP has killed off a lot of bot users, and that included a lot of market bots, which makes a smaller hub with less thorough coverage of "professional traders" nicer to work in as a manufacturer.

When stuff was badly botted, it didn't matter so much where you were, because your order was going to get 0.01d in 2 minutes time, might as well be jita with bigger volume.

They don't exist. Get your ass out of highsec and....no trade hubs. BAM! Headshot to the knee, you are still clueless.

Try this...fit your most expensive ship with high end faction and officer mods...now warp to 15km every jump and slowboat to the gate...again, again, and again until you lose it by traveling in lowsec or null in your quest to find the best price. Rinse and Repeat...then that nostalgic feeling of something so far away will slap you in the face...that is the convience of a trade hub. Its all right there in one spot and you don't have to traisp across the universe looking for it...and that feeling wears off really ******* fast unless you are totally naive as you seem to let on. You don't have to get it at a trade hub, but its there for a very basic human reason...its convient and not much different then liquor store thats around the ******* block your home...its more expensive then a super store so you go to the super store instead and end up getting 3 liters of boxed wine, some non-**** stained boxers incase you get lucky with a girl this week, and pick up a new edition of Cosmo when the only thring you really wanted was a candy bar. THATS CONVIENCE in a nutshell and you don't need to raise taxes.

I'm sorry, but why should I spend all day flying around highsec to gather up a handful of ships without getting gouged on tax and mods every time I want to do something? I don't play this game to wander around shopping. I suppose it'd be a nice buff for red frog, but other than that, it would do nothing but annoy people.

It would raise the value of all fitted ships, not only in the isk sense, but also in the temporal sense. Losing a ship would, like in the past, be a big deal. When Eve first came out, one of the reasons it was seen as particularly enticing was the massive consequences that followed death. Losing your ship and possibly your pod in Eve was a lot different than having to resurrect at the graveyard in WoW, or towing your ship in Earth and Beyond; death in Eve exacted a much greater price on the player.

This has changed over the years. One reason is that it is a lot more easy to get isk now then it was in the past. Another reason is that trade hubs allow you to buy and fit ships much more efficiently than in the past. Essentially, the point of this is that if you are careless with your drake and it gets popped, knowing the only thing standing between you and a new drake is not 60 mil, but rather, having to go looking for fairly priced mods, or in the alternative, paying 100 mil at a trade hub, you will treat your ship with the same level of care as a new player treats their first battleship, at a time when it didn't take two weeks to get into one.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA you're killing me, literally. CHEAPEST? obviously you've enver LEFT jita, as lowsec adjacent and other not so traveled systems can be as low as 40% of jita rpice, thats how i sued to make money hauling large quantities of minerals TO jita.

the GOOD thing about trade hubs si that YOU CAN guarantee that almost anything will be for sale there, BUT there is more amrket manipulation and competition, you know, like the real world?
if you would take the time to look around a bit, check other markets, you can usually find waht you wnt cheap, and for all else there is CONTRACTS>

also, arbitrary mechanics to shape the ebahvious of players is bad, m'kay?

This is actually how I make most of my money these days. That is why I qualified what I said with 'among the cheapest'. I can tell you with much experience that if you are looking at items worth 150m+, you are on average going to find something in an outer empire region that is significantly cheaper in maybe 1/80 or 1/100 of searches you do (an individual search being every time you check, for example, rokh or maelstrom in a different region).