Breath of the Wild How Can Zelda Wii U Improve The "Rupee System"?

[Justac00lguy]

I don't think you understand what I mean. We can trade in treasures for rupees. We've been able to do this ever since Phantom Hourglass.

Like I said in the original description of the thread...Still the emphasis is very little, a good idea at best but to make Rupees a more stand out feature I just suggested a major change relating to how Skyrim and Fallout have used their trading systems to amazing effect. Actually so much that I find the whole trading and currency aspects in them games to be one of the most appealing features! Tbh I have never seen trading or Rupees to be a definitive feature in a Zelda game..not saying Rupees should become one of the main aspects but they could certainly become a lot more useful.

 

[JuicieJ]

Tbh I have never seen trading or Rupees to be a definitive feature in a Zelda game..not saying Rupees should become one of the main aspects but they could certainly become a lot more useful.

Not sure why. Both have been steadily improving since Phantom Hourglass, with Skyward Sword being the peak (so far). I noticed them right off the bat, to which I was ecstatic, since rupee use had been one of my biggest gripes with the series ever since I was first inaugurated with Ocarina of Time.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Not sure why. Both have been steadily improving since Phantom Hourglass, with Skyward Sword being the peak (so far). I noticed them right off the bat, to which I was ecstatic, since rupee use had been one of my biggest gripes with the series ever since I was first inaugurated with Ocarina of Time.

Indeed it was a step in the right direction but I still think Nintendo could come up with new features and new uses for Rupees as to why I made this thread but if your view is that we don't need a huge improvement just minor changes on the formula seen in Skyward Sword then I respect that.

 

[Deeds]

There's always going to be a fineline between classic zelda and classic RPG's. I'd prefer more RPG elements, so I'd really like a lot of variation in shops and a rarity of rupees, or they're either extremely common.

 

[Networker1]

We've been able to do this ever since Phantom Hourglass.

I recall being able to sell things to Beetle in WW, plus there was the bomb buy-back program in TP... but I don't think the latter counts. XD

 

[SuitedRoots]

Something that has really bugged me in the past few games (TT and SS) is the way the game tends to stop and do through the "item get" sequence when each time you get a Blues Rupee or above. It may be just the first high rupee you get in the area for that visit. But, it is still annoying...

 

[The Wanderer]

First of all, bring back the bank from Majora's Mask. Why it was removed, I don't know.

Skyward Sword, as JuicieJ has mentioned, was probably the best example of money management in Zelda. You weren't forced to spend much money to enjoy the game properly, but you still had plenty of incentive to spend it, and as not everything was cheap, it felt more rewarding. Contrary to his beliefs, however, I think there's actually quite a bit of room for improvement with the rupee system in Zelda. I can usually fully upgrade all of my items by the end of Skyward Sword, leaving little to do afterwards. So the issue is not so much resource management now as it is longevity. Skyward Sword nailed management pretty well, but it doesn't always last long.

An easy way to fix this is to create numerous ways to spend infinite amounts of money and get at least personal pleasure from it. A house, for instance. Link can buy a house and then decorate and build off of it to his heart's content, using his newfound money to expand it. Considering the Wii U has its own little "Achievement" system, doing various things with the house can unlock small rewards. One of my biggest suggestions is a "Forge" system where you can actually make your own weapons from scratch. If enemies were stepped up in difficulty and variety, players could mess around with various weapon designs and see which ones work best for each group of enemies. Then you've got a bunch of other smaller ways to spend rupees, like sending them as a gift to newbie players or using them to give power to a certain weapon. There are all kinds of ways to increase the longevity of the rupee system, and I believe Zelda should work on this next in terms of economy.

 

[sailormars109]

There isn't a limit in Phantom Hourglass or Spirit Tracks from what I know. I have a lot of rupees in those games.

Also, I didn't know there was something wrong with the rupee system. I always thought it worked well. But, since there is this supposed 'proble' with how the rupee system works. It's not like your main focus in the game is earining and spending money. The main focus of the game is saving Hyrule and Zelda (or in Spirit Tracks's case, saving Zelda's body).

 

[bspurka]

I came up with this col idea last fall about how they can improve the rupee system. Say your wallet can only carry 200 rupees (Rupees of different colors have different values) You can fill your Wallet with not just 200$ of a total amount, you can carry 200 actual rupees. So lets pretend I have 200 rupees total, I have 199 green rupees & 1 blue rupee. My total doesnt exceeds the 200 rupee limit, and I still have 204 total. You can manage your money also, say you want to drop a green rupee(1) for a blue rupee(5) you can remove it from your wallet and replace it with the blue one.

 

[JuicieJ]

First of all, bring back the bank from Majora's Mask. Why it was removed, I don't know.

Because it would break the currency system. In Majora's Mask, we lost our rupees after playing the Song of Time, so the only way to keep them was to store them in the bank. Nothing like that ever happens in any other Zelda game, so having a bank would allow us to have an endless supply of rupees, preventing any possible chance of having a proper use of rupees.

 

[Ventus]

so having a bank would allow us to have an endless supply of rupees, preventing any possible chance of having a proper use of rupees.

That doesn't make any sense at all. In the real world, a bank allows you to store your money ceaselessly. I've seen people amass $2000 (literally), and they're only 15 years old [aka brats who get life fed to them]. Putting food, a home, and common appliances aside, there is still a myriad of things to spend money on. Common attractions, new blankets, toys, combat essentials, et cetera. If I can amass money in the real world and still do stuff with it, there is no reason why I couldn't do the same in a video game, especially the esteemed Zelda.

 

[JuicieJ]

That doesn't make any sense at all. In the real world, a bank allows you to store your money ceaselessly. I've seen people amass $2000 (literally), and they're only 15 years old [aka brats who get life fed to them]. Putting food, a home, and common appliances aside, there is still a myriad of things to spend money on. Common attractions, new blankets, toys, combat essentials, et cetera. If I can amass money in the real world and still do stuff with it, there is no reason why I couldn't do the same in a video game, especially the esteemed Zelda.

It makes complete sense. In real life, you can't take a sword, go cut patches of grass and get limitless money from it. Having a limit on how much rupees we can carry balances that out. There's no way we would ever have to worry about not having enough to buy something if we could stash endless amounts of rupees in a bank. There'd be no resource management involved. Again, it worked for Majora's Mask because of the time mechanic. It wouldn't work for any other title.

 

[Ventus]

It makes complete sense. In real life, you can't take a sword, go cut patches of grass and get limitless money from it.

My uncle and my older brother mow lawns all the time. For a $30 price per lawn, sometimes even $60 if the lawn was especially big.

There's no way we would ever have to worry about not having enough to buy something if we could stash endless amounts of rupees in a bank. There'd be no resource management involved.

Same concept about being rich in the real world, is it not? If you're rich, there's never a moment where you have to worry about being penniless to get that Gatorade, or to buy your favorite new console. Concept extends to video games - storing your money away periodically will cause you to be rich, and in turn for your efforts, you can buy practically everything your heart may so desire. There's this fantastic way game developers get around this "I'm rich so I'll never be poor" concept: moneysinks. Think about the Flippers in ALttP, only much more varying and much more expensive. Besides, banks are optional both in the real world as well as in video games. If I recall correctly, something optional should not be complained about, right? Especially if it helps the player.

 

[JuicieJ]

My uncle and my older brother mow lawns all the time. For a $30 price per lawn, sometimes even $60 if the lawn was especially big.

:facepalm:

Grass in Zelda is endless. When you cut it, you can leave the area, come back and it will be there again. You have to wait a while in real life, and even then, grass only grows in certain seasons.

Same concept about being rich in the real world, is it not? If you're rich, there's never a moment where you have to worry about being penniless to get that Gatorade, or to buy your favorite new console. Concept extends to video games - storing your money away periodically will cause you to be rich, and in turn for your efforts, you can buy practically everything your heart may so desire. There's this fantastic way game developers get around this "I'm rich so I'll never be poor" concept: moneysinks. Think about the Flippers in ALttP, only much more varying and much more expensive. Besides, banks are optional both in the real world as well as in video games. If I recall correctly, something optional should not be complained about, right? Especially if it helps the player. (inb4 wrong)

Something optional shouldn't be complained about if it doesn't affect the core mechanics of the game. Rupee use is a core mechanic. This core mechanic is based around having a limited carrying capacity. Having a bank would break the concept behind that. Having money sinks wouldn't make a difference, either. Money sinks are only effective when you have a limited supply of currency. That would be a non-factor with a bank.

Forcing us to buy expensive items like ALttP did is also a cheap way of making us use rupees. It forces us to gather a large amount whether we want to or not, which is bad design. The way Skyward Sword handled money sinks is the way to go about it. Things like extra containers, shield repairs, and upgrades. Spending money on these things is beneficial, but not mandatory, meaning its wise to do, but not forced (one of the many ways SS fixed Zelda's terrible use of rupees).

 

[The Wanderer]

I've been away for too long.

I definitely understand where you're coming from, JuicieJ. Part of an adventure game's appeal is being able to handle your resources wisely; misuse them, and you suffer for it. However, part of Zelda's appeal has always been to drop yourself into the game world as easily and enjoyably as possible. There are banks in real life, and there was always at least a way to store your money in the Middle Ages, even if it was in a wooden box. Not everything in Zelda has to be perfectly realistic, but denying players a very tangible convenience seems to be a bad way to go about unrealism (which isn't a word, but maybe it should be).

To reiterate my earlier point, one of Zelda's biggest economic problems is longevity. The money sinks in Skyward Sword were a good place to start, but I'm still able to buy and upgrade most of my stuff by the end of the game, leaving little to spend my money on for leisure at the end of it. Consequently, there is nothing more to spend my money on, so any attempt at playing the save file afterwards results in me steadily gaining more and more money with nothing to spend it on and nowhere to store it. It's a hamper on the game's replay value.

Which is why Zelda could really use more substantial longevity, and through that, a bank to accommodate it. It's a nice feeling when you start from nothing and build yourself a small empire. I've already mentioned the infinite money sinks, so if Zelda keeps something like this up, "being rich" shouldn't affect the gameplay negatively at all because you'd constantly have good reason to go out and spend your dough. I've actually talked about a sort of alternate "survival mode" in another thread which could make good use of resource management, so if players are still looking for a primal challenge that doesn't involve a bank, they can fall on that. Give me a moment and I'll post the link to it, and maybe I'll even start a thread of my own over it.

EDIT: Here it is. Should be the twelfth post or so.