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entire new shopping mod using game features


NOYB1971

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Hi all;

 

First of all, I am not a modder at all. As it is I never considered being because of lack of time. Yet I really enjoy all the great works that all modder are producing and sharing on the Nexus. A BIG THANKS TO YOU ALL MODDERS.

 

This being said, I came with an idea, not knowing if it is even possible to create as it seems to me quite complex. I tried to come with ideas that are lore friendly.

 

MAKING A SHOP MANAGEMENT MOD for skyrim.

 

Let me explain...

 

1. The main idea

It would start early in the game as a simple abode in the open country side. Something nobody would really notice. This place would be big enough to hold a small leaving area, and a separate room for the shop. Something really cheap (the idea is to make it better and bigger over the long term). In there, you could basically sell whatever you find during your quest, whatever you craft from the alchemy lab, the forge or the enchanting altar. The number of item to be available for sale should be limited, but could be increased over time. As you are early in the game, the item you will sell will also be of limited quality.

At this stage you should be able to hire a shopkeeper to run the place for you, who would get a percentage on sales. The idea is to not stay around until someone shows up to buy.

 

Later, as you become more powerful you can expand your building with more rooms, better objects, better living quarters. But, as your shop gets bigger and better, it may attract attention from people who are more interested in stealing than buying, and the bigger your shop the more powerful they are. Leading you to hire guards, with the need of expanding your living quarters for those guards.

 

Alongside with its growth, your shop will develop its reputation, attracting merchant that in the first place would not pay attention, like Khajiit caravan for example and richer client.The overall concept, is of course to make money, but with a hint of management (meaning, if your sales are bad, your "people" will cost you a lot). The growth of it should be parallel with your character's power.

 

2. The main features

Definitely one of the thing to consider is the ability to choose to accept stolen good or not in your shop. This is assuming that your shop might be regularly visited by local guard to insure you respect the law. The finding would lead to a penalty equal to the complete loos of all the item in the shop... or part of it.

 

Another feature would be to implement what I mentionned earlier, a reputation ladder. I imagine ten (or more!) levels of reputation gained on the average quality of the items you sell, the quantity and variety offered, your price policy (and others?). Each level give some extra points in your speech skill, an access to better clients, but also the growing attention from the local thieves and bandits (everything has a price!). Each new level also grants you access to new option for your shop, allowing you to expand it, protect it (defensive mechanism, better locks, guard dogs, etc.) or hire new personnel to protect it or run it for longer time (your shopkeeper will not work 24/7, are you a slaver or what? ;-) ). The level of reputation should remain fluctuant all the time, as some of your choices can improve it, but some other can reduce it (see below for more details).

 

Another feature would be to be able to set the amount of "commission" your personnel will get, based on a percentage of sales. That way you can keep your budget tight. Of course the better the cut, the more efficient they'll be (logic!). Eventually, if you're too greedy, they would become unsatisfied, ruthless with clients (lowering your reputation), and would leave you in the end with the shop empty!!

Imagine if you loose reputation, you have some quality items, but nobody to buy because your rep level attracts clients with not sufficient purchasing power.

 

Another way to loose reputation would to not being able to upgrade your item, to cater to the needs of a hire category of clients. Also, lacking protection will keep your clients away if your area is too dangerous. You could imagine the ability to bribe the Jarl for increasing the patrol in the area. You could also imagine the setting of side tasks, like a bandit camp setting nearby your shop that you would basically have to clean up.

 

Another feature would be to be able to go to mines or other shops to order shipments of goods to increase the quantity of goods you offer, or this could be managed through a logistic specialist (another employee accessible only at higher level of reputation). At some point, even if you are a very talented adventurer, you should not be able to provide sufficient material for runnig the shop properly. I hardly beleive that you would spend all the game just mining, crafting, gathering just to be able to "feed" your shop. Your intervention should be kept only to the bringing of the best rare or unique items.

 

Also the shop could receive, special order for favored guests, vey specific and detailed (An example: a Daedra dagger imbued with the power of strong fire - min specs 30 pts). Of course the reward woud be in relation with the order. the more exceptionnal the better the reward (not only movetary but also in term of reputation). Moreover some could be time constrained, increasing even more the reward, but also the loss od reputation if you fail. The player should be free to accept the offer or not, at his own risk.

 

3. Components

Here is some of the idea I have for the shop extension (based on the Hearthfire DLC concept):

- A main shop hall (early stage)

- Shop alchemy extension

- Shop Armory extension

- Shop general store extension (food, jewelry, ore, etc...)

- Living quarters (a bed, a fire and pot a cupboard for early stage)

- Living quarters guards

- Living quarters specialists (logistic specialist, negotiator, etc...)

- Crafting hall: forge

- Crafting hall: alchemy lab

- Crafting hall: crafting altar

 

For the possible NPC or creatures:

- Shopkeepers

- Guards swordsman

- Fighting wizards (can place defensive runes)

- Negotiator (improve price from suppliers)

- Logistic specialist (implement regular supply from different mines and shops)

- Guard dogs or other tamed animals

- Dragon guard (hey! Why not? He's just a relative! can help after all!)

- Thralls

- Horses (improve logistic specialist and negotiator speed - yeah, phone does not exist yet!)

- Cart (improve good transfer)

 

Reputation level and implication (to be debated!)

Level 0 - this is where you start. you client purchasing power is limited to maximum 50 septims (I know! Not very encouraging!)

Level 1 - Unkown shop (grant 1 skill level to speech, clients purchasing ability goes up to 100. You also get 1% chance to be attacked by bandits (5 to 10% of your goods stolen - 1 guy)

Level 2 - Humble shop (grants 2 skill level to speech, clients purchgasing power goes up to 200. Your desirability for thief also goes up to 5% (still one guy)

Level 3 - Noticeable shop (grants 3 skill level to speech, clients are now up to 400. Thieves attention goes up to 10% (still one guy)

Level 4 - Descent shop (speech +4, clients up to 700. Thieves attention remains 10% but now (10 to 25% of your shop content is stolen - 2 guys)

Level 5 - Good shop (speech +5 - clients up to 1,100 - thieves up to 20% (2 guys)

Level 6 - reputable shop (speech +6 - clients up to 1,600 - thieves remains at 20% (15 to 30% of your shop content stolen - 3 guys)

Level 7 - renown shop (speech +7 - clients up to 2,200 - thieves up to 25% (3 guys)

Level 8 - Small market (speech +8 - clients up to 2,900 - thieves remain at 25% (20 to 40% of your shop content stolen - 4 guys)

Level 9 - Great market (speech +9 - clients up to 4,000 - Thieves up to 30% (4 guys)

Level 10 - THE shop! (I know it sucks! I am short of a cool name here!) (speech +10 - clients have no limits - thieves up to 50% (the totality of your shop can be stolen)

 

The speech skill increases are treated as enchantement on weapons. They improve your overall ability to speak and interact but does not grant you the ability to acces new perks, just like enchantments. That way, it may go up and down as your reputation fluctuates.

Also here I did not treat the access granted to the assets mentioned above for each level. To be developped later if anybody wants.

 

At this stage I got other ideas, but I am interested in your feedback and to be told by comptetent people about the feasibility of such a project. The fact is I can built probability tables and "business" models. I do not know if it would ever be useful in the creation of such a mod. I really have no idea. I wish my competences would be good enough, so I could work on it myself or just know it is not possible. Yet from the wonderful mods That are available on the nexus, I got a feeling that it might be.

 

I leave it now to your comments. Thanx for taking the time to read it.

 

Enjoy your game

 

Cheers

 

Noyb

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