I'm looking for financial advice.

[SecretPizzaMan]

So I was thinking, currency is one of those things in real life that's like super popular and everyone has it, had it, wants it or needs it. Why don't I bring the gloriousness of commerce into one of my worlds. 

Of course, problems arisen when I was thinking of what item I should use as currency, so I'd like some help creating the root of all evil.

Some guidelines:

• You must be able to carry the item in your inventory. 
• You shouldn't be able to craft the item.
• The supply for this item must either be very limited or can't be increased, and for what I mean by supply: A single pig hut supplies 1 pig, you can build more pig huts to increase the supply of pigs and you can destroy pig huts to decrease the supply of pigs. Now substitute the pig for a item and the pig hut as the source for this item.
• The item is not too plentiful.
• The item can't deteriorate or be destroyed over time. 
• The item is either very rarely or not necessary for crafting, cooking, fuel, fighting, gathering and boss summoning.

Basically: If I was going to use a item in the game as currency, what should it be.

 

[Tranoze]

 or 

[mr. brj]

Berry bushes maybe? That sounds like a silly option but I can't think of any other resources that aren't too desirable in the long run and that aren't abusable by any regeneration mechanic.

[Mike23Ua]

You want the root of all evil? Use Pearls message bottle jars as your currency.

Why? To Force the players out into the oceans in DSTs “much to be desired” boating content.

You counter Evil with Evil.. Your Welcome.

[dzzydzzy]

Of the objects that are truly non renewable (which there are very few of in DST) spiky bushes seem to have the least amount of utility. Other plants could be used if one turns off natural generation. 

There are certain other items that are technically renewable but not incredibly fast. I personally like the idea of Fireflies being used as the currency (They do regenerate 3 from oasis after each summer). This needs to be tested if a Wicker were to cause it to rain in summer, catch the flies at night time, and then turn the rain off, I don't know if they regenerate when the sandstorm starts again (the oasis pool drains when the sandstorm is off). If this is the case probs not the way to go. Mandrakes too although they're perhaps too limited for a global economy.

You could also do some meddling perhaps when kicking off the world in order to widen your scope of options. For example, you could make the currency beefalo wool and then kill all beefs in the world. Or make it pig skin, and then hammer all pig houses (these wouldn't work because of decon duping but this same logic could apply to other resources).

[ArubaroBeefalo]

the gold item from the events? cant remember the name

just dont turn on year of the kitcoon so your world doesnt rise their inflation like in venezuela

(srly, that event needs a rebalance just for the sake of not needing to pickup 1M bundles from catcoons)

edit. if you want a limited item that cant be reproduced maybe you could use anenemies

[dzzydzzy]

18 minutes ago, dzzydzzy said:

This needs to be tested if a Wicker were to cause it to rain in summer, catch the flies at night time, and then turn the rain off, I don't know if they regenerate when the sandstorm starts again (the oasis pool drains when the sandstorm is off).

Just tested, they do respawn.

[Hornete]

25 minutes ago, dzzydzzy said:

Just tested, they do respawn.

Fireflies also regenerate in the Waterlogged biomes every day or so.

[ArubaroBeefalo]

fossils

[ButterStuffed]

Salt could work.

According to Seasalt.com Salt crystals were historically used as currency at some point in time because it's production was legally limited. In Don't Starve, salt is limited and stable because it grows back so slowly and isn't regularly consumed.

• The salt box - Doesn't consume salt beyond the initial creation.
• Seasoning salt - Warly, can be consumed fairly quickly if they choose to do so, but is not at all necessary for his abilities to work at high levels.
• Collected dust - Requires a blueprint to even make, and is hardly ever used since it produces so little. The Thulecite fragments made from this could potentially work as a larger form of currency since it is similarly limited.
• Refreshing raw ingredients - Not worth doing most of the time, and from what I can tell, most people don't even know it can do that.

Salt also stacks up to 40, which makes it lightweight for the purposes of currency.

[Yuuko]

Mandrakes and fossils come to mind for me.  Always sucks being limited by those.

Wait, did mandrakes ever get added to world regrowth?

[Lokena]

16 minutes ago, Shosuko said:

Wait, did mandrakes ever get added to world regrowth?

I don't think so, but they can be slowly obtained as Klaus sack loot.

[DajeKotlyar]

Volt goat horns

[BezKa]

The turf from the Archives.

[DajeKotlyar]

Tentacle spots.

Pig skins

Marble

Wires (I mean trinket)

Feathers (maybe different color have different value like black = 1, red = 2, white = 5, yellow = 10)

[Canis]

Bone shards, with the caviat that if you die, you're banned (the funeral was too expensive)

[Evelo]

Phlem or Steel Wool
- Can carry in inventory, stacks to 40
- Cannot Craft
- Only get 1-2/2-3 per Ewecus which already has a 33% chance of occuring by day 100 (can be decreased if desired on server settings at any point to halt inflation)
- Edible/Only usable in crafting Beefalo products
- Never Decays.

[DarkPulse91]

I mean, the empty bottles from the ocean are literally a currency already.

It ticks all the boxes really:
-You can carry it
-You cant craft it
-There is a constant, yet slow, supply that requires effort from the player, effort that most players dont want to do
-Its not too plentiful, it takes a while to get a lot
-It doesnt have freshness or durability.
And
-its only purpose in game (other than 1 recipe) is literally as a currency for one NPC

I myself have actually used the bottles as actual currency in worlds ive played on with other people who sailed with me. Buying stuff off of eachother for bottles.
 

[Dragonboooorn]

Pig skins because pigs are extinct on public servers all the time

[Cheggf]

Gems pile up over time, have various levels of usefulness, and could act as different denominations.

[Owlrust]

A bit out there, but what about using rare slingshot ammo such as cursed rounds? So long as no one plays Walter it should be okay. 

 

[SuperDonuts]

17 hours ago, SecretPizzaMan said:

The item can't deteriorate or be destroyed over time. 

Ever heard about inflation?

Joke aside, I would suggest Phlegm, it matches all your requirement.

[Mr Giggio]

Yellow/green/orange gems I guess?

[GenomeSquirrel]

On 2/9/2023 at 2:07 PM, SecretPizzaMan said:

 

• The supply for this item must either be very limited or can't be increased, and for what I mean by supply: A single pig hut supplies 1 pig, you can build more pig huts to increase the supply of pigs and you can destroy pig huts to decrease the supply of pigs. Now substitute the pig for a item and the pig hut as the source for this item.

 

this is the opposite of what you should want for a currency, unless you want your economy to grind to a halt or be outright bypassed

[Capybara007]

use thulecite as currency and dont allow fw to be killed