In a new developer blog, Jagex Studios has proposed a financial overhaul of Old School RuneScape. The popular retro MMORPG is currently suffering from a deteriorating economy. This is because OS RuneScape lacks either a trusted item store or a gold store that would remove riches from the game. This is a problem that these latest proposals seek to address.
Well, item prices are dictated by players, and they fluctuate based on the number of coins available in the game. Essentially:
If there is more gold coming into the game than there is leaving, then we experience inflation. The value of gold falls, so items cost more to compensate.
If the demand for an item goes up, it will rise in price. If the supply of an item is higher than the demand, prices go down.
The first suggestion is that the big stock market tax. The Grand Exchange is RuneScape’s auction house where players can buy exchangeable items from each other. It is tax-free at the moment, but to help remove wealth from the game and slow inflation, we want to look at taxes on goods sold on major stock exchanges. Applying a sales tax to all transactions will significantly increase the amount of gold leaving the economy. Goods are taxed at only 2% of their value, but that is still a lot, given that some products are sold for billions of gold.
Future Plans
Speaking of OSRS gold pans, what could be better than a literal gold pot? This change will allow players to build a gold pool in the owner’s house. 47 levels of masonry, 10 intense gold, 5 gold leaves, and 5 mahogany planks are needed to build the aquarium. Buying these products would cost over a hundred million gold.
The third method that Jagex uses to remove gold is related to bank space. Banks are the primary recording method used by players in the Old School Runescape. Currently, the bank can accommodate up to 816 items. If this proposal were to be implemented, the amount would be increased by 1,200. Although it would be very expensive for the bank to acquire this additional space, as it would cost just under 900 million OSRS gold.
While implementing a golden sink in OS RuneScape is important, it means nothing without a corresponding element sink. The new system implemented in connection with the Grand Exchange Tax will force Jagex to buy goods from players itself. These goods are purchased with money collected through taxes. All products purchased in this way will be immediately removed from the game, which will reduce supply without weakening demand.
Like all major updates to Old School RuneScape, these changes are not final. A community-dictated poll is active in the game, allowing players to vote on how to implement these changes. It will only be added if at least 75% of those who voted to support the proposal. If this value is not met, the relevant proposals will be withdrawn or reformulated for a second survey in the future.