firstly, I believe its confirmed that an established currency will be in-game at launch, and player-created currencies was talked about by SBS at one point...a Q&A but I cant remember which one.

second, I'd imagine NPCs will have intrinsic values at which they'll decide if a coin is worth the work or not...but AI has always been stupid, and I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. If anything though, they wouldn't compare it to one particular item or thing. Probably would do a quick check against the usual rate for the specific work involved, the amount accepted by other NPCs and/or players

the bartering system plan is outdated, I believe.

The implicit contract would have to be drafted by a skilled scholar who could write out the various values given to different goods. This would flatline an economy in a way that would put a stranglehold on farmers, as their tons of rice (your example) that went for a few dozen gold now go for a pittance.

With the upcoming taxes and their income slashed, farmers would be forced to go out of business or rally and try to forcefully raise the cost of their rice, breaking the law in the process. This would make for civil unrest and stirrings of discordance in the lower classes with a simple signature of the quill across a scrap of parchment.

Backing gold by a standard is something that will be difficult, as every resource is used and gathered by one group and will either be blessed or cursed by your choice. So choose wisely ...

Maybe I misunderstood the changes, but I was under the impression that a in-game currency would be established, but it would be up to the Kings to mint those coins out of the gold they mined. AKA they could have their faces on the coins but coins in general would be a set amount of gold to create. Bartering could still be a thing, but I would assume the NPC will know the relative value of each item being bartered and would consider the trade accordingly. I think i heard they would also consider their needs hierarchy as well, AKA if a town is starving for food even if the relative value of food is 3 gold they may offer 5 because they need it.

From what I understood, there would be no currency at launch, if anyone would/should have it already perhaps just the Nerran and the Hrothi as the rest are just tribal savages to be hunted for sport.

I expect if there is no currency the earliest currency will be metal ingots as they have real value and use throughout the 10 planned years of COE.

Posted By Dumont at 11:09 AM - Thu Aug 24 2017

From what I understood, there would be no currency at launch, if anyone would/should have it already perhaps just the Nerran and the Hrothi as the rest are just tribal savages to be hunted for sport.

That was my understanding as well. In one of the tribe videos I think they even spent a few minutes going over players "creating" their own currency. Their visual cues made it evident that it will be a "fun" endeavor for us. Anyways, players are crazy resourceful and I actually don't think it will take too long to create a standard currency. I'm thinking way back to Diablo and Rings of Jordan. An odd choice, but they essentially became the go to currency. Then people created ebay-esk webpages and held auctions and sales on there. Just had to meet them in game, deliver the rings, and away you went. Still would be fascinating to see it all happen in real time.

currency isn't necessarily coin or paper, it is whatever is accepted in exchange for goods or services. all the tribes will have their own form of accepted currency in game, anything player made will only be useful if the tribes are convinced to accept it's value.

There will be currency. We are stepping into a world that has had established kingdoms for centuries, not a world that starts as a blank slate.

Posted By Kaynadin at 11:47 AM - Thu Aug 24 2017

There will be currency. We are stepping into a world that has had established kingdoms for centuries, not a world that starts as a blank slate.

Unless that has changed since the Tribes II video it doesn't sound like it. See video at the 1:04:13 mark. Caspian states, "there is no central currency". Prior to that Vye chunkled about even the idea of "Elyria bucks".

Tribes Part 2

At 1:03:35 they start to answer a question about currency.

From what I take from the video is each kingdom has to set up its own currency.

At launch we will only have a barter system.

'There is no central currency' doesn't necessarily mean there is no currency. It might just mean there is no universally accepted currency. Between tribes, they might have different currencies and methods of exchange. Sort of like there's no Elyrian common tongue. You don't speak Elyrian, you speak Neran and Northerner and Tropical and Desert.

So, in other words, whereas games like WoW have universally accepted gold, CoE might have coins for Neran and Brudvir might have wooden carvings as currency?

Posted By Desophyr at 5:16 PM - Thu Aug 24 2017

So, in other words, whereas games like WoW have universally accepted gold, CoE might have coins for Neran and Brudvir might have wooden carvings as currency?

That could really make collecting taxes difficult if it's more of a larger object compared to coins. Coins still have weight and all, but nothing compared to collecting something like fertility statues. Plus the count will have to have a massive collection of storage for all that stuff.