Digital Anarchist
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Posted - 2007.06.08 14:36:00 -
[1]
Some people have suggested CCP introduce a tax that rises and falls with traffic and market activity. While it may achieve the purpose of clearing up traffic (and server load), it's still an undesireable alternative.
We just have to see this from the perspective of human action. Man acts to further a goal. The reason he has chosen to act in a certain way (and not another) is that he prefers that course of action. In other words, even though Jita is laggy, people still prefer to go there. Therefore, people who go there value laggy Jita more than no Jita at all.
(Naturally, the greater the lag, the greater the disincentive to go and trade there.)
We are set with a problem, would people value a no-tax laggy Jita less than a no-lag, but expensive Jita? What is the right ballance between lag and taxes?
Naturally, there are server loads, and these are costs on the side of CCP. So an absolute maximum of traffic can be determined.
Now, it may be possible to create a mechanical system that adjusts taxes dynamically to control traffic. But this will be inherently flawed as one cannot know what the good balance between lag and cost. So why not let the market decide that too?
Put the NPC companies up for sale to players (by stock purchases). Let player corps handle empire trading taxes and let them compete for customers too. If there is a lot of traffic, station owners will tend to raise trade taxes. Too steep a rise, and they will find themselves without customers.
The advantage of player-driven taxes vs. a mechanical or developer-driven tax system is that players have a financial incentive to figure out the better ballance. True, developers may impose caps on traffic (to ease server loads), but this adjustment can be performed by the players also.
This can not only ease congestion, but it will also add a new layer to the game, with players directly involved in the affairs of empire space.
Equally so, station owners will have an incentive to secure their region of space (especially if it's low sec) to further benefit trade.
So what do you think? Am I too far off the mark?
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