Hey guys!
I'm working on making a pen and paper rule set for a sort of stand-alone separate game mode for ATS that will allow people who want to use it to bid on cargos trying to win contracts from the in-game companies. There is a reputation system, and based on how the player drives and the delivery condition of the cargo, said companies may choose to contract with or not contract with the player again. This is of course, all pen and paper, but I'm essentially trying to add an additional bit of realism to ATS by using this system and then using the self-imposed limitations in game...Imagine an owner/operator RPG I guess. Except, that I'd like it to be influenced by the actions of other players as well. It's very hard to explain the concept, and hopefully if I can establish an easy to understand ruleset that will allow everyone the same balanced opportunities, then I can post about it here and see if people would like to start using it. Again, I stress that this is PEN AND PAPER...which means your in-game currency, earnings, ect ect would not matter...it would be what is established in the paper system, where data will have to be manually kept...then using an honor system, and screenshots of the delivery screen, the player would collate that data and apply it to the on paper economy....sort of complex and only for those deeply interested in more challenge I guess. Much like a VTC but focusing on the struggles of being an Owner Operator with a loan to repay.
In order for the system to work, as I create it, I need to understand more about ATS's economy. I'm sadly under knowledged about it. I just need to know if there is a predictable pattern to how cargo is generated for the player in-game. So for example, is the job list refreshed with a random selection, or do the same jobs always appear? My guess is that it is random and based on the skill points the player has spent.
If the cargo is always the same, this will be much easier to allow players to bid on jobs between each other. Essentially the system will make your in-game actions affect your choices in the future. If you take a job with Plaster and Sons to deliver an excavator to Coastline Mining and abandon it, or deliver it with 75% damage, Plaster and Sons and Coastline Mining will be less likely to accept your bids or outright refuse to contract with you for several in-game weeks or maybe even months. Lose too much reputation and only Wallbert will offer you jobs until you can rebuild your rep with the other companies. Build this rep by delivering jobs on time in Excellent Condition. Get too many tickets in an in-game month and you can expect to have your license suspended for a few days losing you money and putting you behind on loan repayments, ect ect. Basically I wanted to tack on more realistic elements than what is currently offered in the core game.
Google searches has offered up very little about how ATS's economy works in the game, but this information is vital for me to determine how my idea could be implemented, if at all. Thanks in advance to anyone who knows!
I'm working on making a pen and paper rule set for a sort of stand-alone separate game mode for ATS that will allow people who want to use it to bid on cargos trying to win contracts from the in-game companies. There is a reputation system, and based on how the player drives and the delivery condition of the cargo, said companies may choose to contract with or not contract with the player again. This is of course, all pen and paper, but I'm essentially trying to add an additional bit of realism to ATS by using this system and then using the self-imposed limitations in game...Imagine an owner/operator RPG I guess. Except, that I'd like it to be influenced by the actions of other players as well. It's very hard to explain the concept, and hopefully if I can establish an easy to understand ruleset that will allow everyone the same balanced opportunities, then I can post about it here and see if people would like to start using it. Again, I stress that this is PEN AND PAPER...which means your in-game currency, earnings, ect ect would not matter...it would be what is established in the paper system, where data will have to be manually kept...then using an honor system, and screenshots of the delivery screen, the player would collate that data and apply it to the on paper economy....sort of complex and only for those deeply interested in more challenge I guess. Much like a VTC but focusing on the struggles of being an Owner Operator with a loan to repay.
In order for the system to work, as I create it, I need to understand more about ATS's economy. I'm sadly under knowledged about it. I just need to know if there is a predictable pattern to how cargo is generated for the player in-game. So for example, is the job list refreshed with a random selection, or do the same jobs always appear? My guess is that it is random and based on the skill points the player has spent.
If the cargo is always the same, this will be much easier to allow players to bid on jobs between each other. Essentially the system will make your in-game actions affect your choices in the future. If you take a job with Plaster and Sons to deliver an excavator to Coastline Mining and abandon it, or deliver it with 75% damage, Plaster and Sons and Coastline Mining will be less likely to accept your bids or outright refuse to contract with you for several in-game weeks or maybe even months. Lose too much reputation and only Wallbert will offer you jobs until you can rebuild your rep with the other companies. Build this rep by delivering jobs on time in Excellent Condition. Get too many tickets in an in-game month and you can expect to have your license suspended for a few days losing you money and putting you behind on loan repayments, ect ect. Basically I wanted to tack on more realistic elements than what is currently offered in the core game.
Google searches has offered up very little about how ATS's economy works in the game, but this information is vital for me to determine how my idea could be implemented, if at all. Thanks in advance to anyone who knows!