I stayed up late last night examining the game’s coding and figuring out how it all factors into the actual gameplay. As I suspected, there is a lot of complex mathematical equations employed within the game files that very sophisticated for what was originally a Flash game from 2014. The equations in question are the kind found among those with an engineering or science background as opposed to one involving computer programming. Calculus and trigonometric equations galore.

The fact that they existed within the game files directly supports the assertion that I had made in that review I posted yesterday. Basically, the game is lasting testament to what Adobe Flash was capable of achieving with the right technical knowledge and funding back in the day. It is a shame that Adobe Flash had to be discontinued.

Anyway, I also decided to look through the economic mechanics that go in the game’s economy. The in-game economy functions on a general understanding of the Incentives of Supply and Demand that can be manipulated by both the player and living NPCs such as the various caravans roaming between settlements. Although one would be forgiven for naively assuming that the Prices truly float, this is not the case as the player can directly impact the Prices along the lines of the Intents of Command and Obedience like in the Work-Standard.

I do find it odd that nowhere in the literature is the name of the currency given, despite there being an actual symbol that appears in-game. It appears to be a stylized “QT,” which I presume to be short for “Qubba Tokens” or something to that effect. There is Gold that can be collected from certain enemies and a large amount of which can be obtained through a sidequest, but it is illogical to assume that the currency is backed by the Gold Standard for reasons that I am about to explain.

Suppose for a moment that we have a certain product worth “25 QT” at one settlement. The player buys it at that price, only to find out that it is worth “14.20 QT” at another settlement. Going by the game’s Industries System and the Work-Standard’s Work Theory of Money (WTM), the Prices are only low because the Quality of the product surpasses the Frequency for that product. In other words, massive amounts of that product are being produced to the point that the Price fell within a matter of months because there are very few applications that rely on it.

Now, what if the player decides to acquire the associated Industry and decide to shrink the Scale and Density of the production process? The Price rapidly skyrockets because the Frequency for the product now surpasses its Quality. Now, that product is worth 41,000 QT in one settlement and even as high as 600,000 QT in another. Not enough of the product is being produced for everyone trying to purchase it, resulting in the Prices being higher as a result. As long as the player commands Arbeit and Geld by the late game, they can always manipulate the Prices on a Command and Obedience basis rather than the Supply and Demand one that they had grown accustomed to throughout the early-to-mid game. This can be done by altering the Scale and Density of the production process.

Talk about gameplay logic for a “simulation.”

Categories: Blog Post

Tags: Economics, Finance, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Socialist Finance, Third Place, Work-Standard