Universal Value (Design Doc)

[Omega Haxors]

Universal Value is designed to replicate the gameplay of Equivalent Exchange 2 (Project E) from Minecraft, and the Grand Exchange from Runescape.

Every single item in the game is given a value, which can then be used to freely transmute between any other item which have been 'unlocked'
You can unlock items in the Catalogue by researching them (destroying them) which allows everyone to infinitely replicate the item forever.

Replicating an item costs Universal Value. Every time you withdraw, the item's price increases by an exponentially increasing amount.
At first, it will only increase by a small bit, but every time you repeat a transaction, the price will increase more and more until it reaches infinity.
Likewise, every time you deposit an item, the inverse will happen: the amount being given to you decreasing more and more until it reaches 0.
As you've no doubt figured out, you gain Universal Value based on the value of the item by destroying the item and sinking it from the game.

Furthermore, there is an energy tax to using the system. Transactions cost either physical energy provided by the player, or via a shaft node.
The more energy you provide, the faster you will complete the transaction. Transactions can be cancelled at any time, giving a full UV/Item refund.
Transaction cost will also increase if you're driving the price away from its normal value, and will decrease if you're helping restore it to normal.

The goal of Universal Value is to create a healthy in-game economy where players are rewarded for engaging with game's more obscure mechanics.
By boiling down all item interactions into their rawest form, problems with game design will become very apparent, which will make balancing a lot easier.
Hopefully emergent gameplay will result from using the system, which will open up possibilities not seen in the main game.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Omega Haxors