It also hasn't helped that my guild leader, whom I've assumed was loaded, commented that she had never held more than 300k at once (though I'm sure she's raised much, much more in total). Suddenly I feel like a millionaire in the game--it's just that I'm not. Yet. Now I find myself on a quest to not just stop at my 700k, but stretch it out to the mythical 1 million gold mark.
I'm gonna term this behavior as the "Uncle Scrooge Effect," in honor of Uncle Scrooge from Duck Tales. He had TONS of money and never spent any of it. He didn't have money for the purpose of buying material things. No, the mere posession of large amounts of money satisfied his soul. I think I am the same way. Spending my fortune on even the spiffiest of gear wouldn't give me the ease of mind that sitting on (essentially) infinite money can (and is).
It kind of makes me wonder if the developers need to do a better job of separating me from my gold, because if I won't buy the most expensive items, then my money isn't being sunken out of the world. Castronova is a proponent of MMO's that prioritize high cash flow over hoarding fortunes. In theory this keeps inflation in check while allowing vibrant player markets to emerge. The best way to do this is to constantly be introducing new (and especially consumable) items to the world so players are always buying the next big thing. Mabinogi thus far is not enticing me to spend.
In the meantime, my friend Vampireai has made a giant with whom she wants to turn into a blacksmithing character. She's a little too weak to make mining runs in the Bangor dungeon alone, so I've been accompanying her. Since neither of us can make use of silver and gold ores, I proposed we pool our rare ores to give us better selling power in the market. Well, it worked. With larger numbers of ore, I was able to hustle them off for prices equal to the gold farmers'. I made about 40k, and her share was about 25k. She was pleased to have the cash to buy an upgraded hammer. I was pleased to have a business partner.
Have I mentioned I'm very impressed by the million gold you amassed? I'd say the reason I rarely have more than about 300K at any given time is a talent for blowing all my gold. My equipment has steadily improved since I've been playing this game, and obviously the maintenance costs thereof has gone up. I just recently added a ravenous ego weapon to the mix too. I'm continually purchasing crafting materials. It's a miracle I have any gold at all!
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