Key Takeaways
- Trading in ARC Raiders focuses on simple direct exchanges rather than complex systems like auction houses.
- The developers aim to make trading feel more natural and personal, enhancing player interactions.
- An auction-house-type system was dropped due to risks of turning the game into a currency-driven market.
- Prioritizing currency led to players losing interest in exploration and item discovery.
- The game will continue to emphasize exploration and meaningful item discovery, with new maps being added for players to explore.
ARC Raiders emphasizes loots, items, and scavenging, so it's not surprising that trading and item exchange are hot topics among players. However, the game developers have stated that some trading concepts were considered internally but ultimately discarded due to potential risks to the game's core design.
Insights from the Design Team
In a recent chat with GamesRadar, Virgil Watkins, the design lead for ARC Raiders, shared that the team has carefully thought about how trading should work within the game. He pointed out that the discussions about trading often reflect what players enjoy personally, not a plan from developers to introduce complex systems like a full auction house. Currently, the focus is more on social interactions through simple direct exchanges rather than intricate market mechanics.
A More Personal Touch
Watkins noted that the goal is to make trading feel more natural and personal. While dropping items on the ground can technically work, the team is looking for ways to enhance that experience. One idea they found interesting was letting players physically present an item for another player to take. This may seem like a small change, but it could make trading more intentional and rewarding rather than just a workaround.
Why Auction Houses Were Dropped
When asked about the potential for an auction-house-type system, Watkins was clear about the team's decision to steer clear of it. He referred to systems where players list items and set prices as "very risky territory." The primary worry is that such a system could detract from one of the game's key elements: venturing into dangerous areas, exploring maps, and searching for important items.
Watkins revealed that they had even experimented with building such a system earlier in development. However, they soon discovered it led to significant issues. Rather than caring about how or where items were found, players began to prioritize currency. They became fixated on collecting items that had the highest value, converting everything into coins, and then simply purchasing whatever gear they desired. This shift took away the emotional satisfaction of exploration.
"We put a lot of very, very deliberate effort into making the game about the items," he said. "We had previously explored and even partially constructed a trading system similar to an auction house. But what it ended up doing is it turned the game into just being about coins. Players would focus on finding items worth the most, changing them in for coins, and then buying whatever they wanted. This diminished the excitement of exploring the right locations and searching containers, or the joy of finally finding something they needed to progress."
Because of these insights, the developers have opted to eliminate the auction-style trading system. For now, ARC Raiders will continue with straightforward trading that encourages exploration, risk, and meaningful item discovery, rather than shifting the game into a currency-driven market. The developers also recently confirmed the addition of several new maps this year, offering players plenty of new areas to explore.
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