In many ways I think looking to the real world's basics of economics would actually be a good idea. Its all about supply and demand. Demand being the most important part of that. Discovery has at times created the practical demand for a commodity, which placed a higher value on it than normal, and it fueled involvement in that situation. I believe its all about useful commodities that would be in demand because they have an actual use. I suggested we switch to using ammo in POB's every time a weapons platform would respawn. I suggested within the [suggested] battle system that each and any base siege take a repair commodity. Both examples create an ongoing regular routine consumption of the commodity, and a regular demand. It takes what we already do but kicks it into a higher gear.
As to inflation, I believe it should be accepted and managed. As valuable objects become more frequent, their values could be raised by raising the prices of the contruction materials. Play it like a real market, the Admins could adjust the prices every month and that would ultimately set the value to buildable equipment.
I will always lean in the direction of creating supply routes that are based on accepting a commodity with a purpose, which allows for a duel purpose. By that I mean, once ammo would be actually needed for POB's, once alloys would be needed to help defend threated/sieged NPC bases, we have commodities flowing that can be fought over. Pirates could actually pirate for useful stuff, factions could try to steal stuff from rivals or corporations to use for their own activities. You can aready do this in small ways, you can do that with base supply materials and things needed to build equipment. But if in both cases POB's and sieged NPC bases needed regular materials, the demand goes up, and stays up, and those willing to jump on to find a real job and go to work helping at something can do so. That always seemed quite common to find happening here when I first came here. This becomes even more likely to generate trade and activity if the supply is linked to situations with really important consequences. If an NPC base were under siege and at risk of changing to an opposing faction, people will definitely get trading to make money to help, jump directly into supplying help, or generate scidata to sell the factions involved, and thats for those not involved in fighting to attack/defend.
In regards then to a second currency, that is why I suggested Scientific Data. It could be renamed as 'Industrial Data' or whatever, but the bottom line is, if we give that a new major purpose (like being the currency to buy base sieges for OF's ), that causes it to be regularly consumed, inflation is kept in check and there is a backup currency people can use to generate/hold wealth, and buy/sell/trade with. If factions needed to use scidata to (even try to) further their agendas, there would always be people out looking to generate some, either by mining or any other ways they could come up with like mini events, or placing small amounts scidata on in game objects like wrecks. Anyone then could mine or generate the commodity and keep it to contribute to their faction, or sell it to a faction as a Freelancer or allied party. All in all, the best way to control the inflation here is create a constant need to consume, and link that to player progress. It also works that the more active players are, the higher the value of scidata would be. As things die down, the value could drop. The unique thing to scidata was its much higher price per unit.
If we made those commodities suddenly practically valuable in these ways, I think we'd simply see an influx of players online out looking to fly with a reason again, trade to get stuff they need to defend or capture a base, or help generate data to make it happen, help with supplies, help patrol the places where those commodities flow through. By creating the constant demand, it curbs activity into a self perpetuating mechanism, and everything we do causes more stuff to do, instead of always avoiding situations to avoid more action.
), that causes it to be regularly consumed, inflation is kept in check and there is a backup currency people can use to generate/hold wealth, and buy/sell/trade with. If factions needed to use scidata to (even try to) further their agendas, there would always be people out looking to generate some, either by mining or any other ways they could come up with like mini events, or placing small amounts scidata on in game objects like wrecks. Anyone then could mine or generate the commodity and keep it to contribute to their faction, or sell it to a faction as a Freelancer or allied party. All in all, the best way to control the inflation here is create a constant need to consume, and link that to player progress. It also works that the more active players are, the higher the value of scidata would be. As things die down, the value could drop. The unique thing to scidata was its much higher price per unit.