The following is a WiP, not actually released yet (will be very soon). I'm posting this mostly because I'm looking to get some feedback. I'm sure that this concept will not appeal to many, but I wanted to see what the reactions / thoughts / ideas were from anyone else who seems some value in what I'm doing.

If you like the idea / direction I'm moving in, but don't have any specific ideas or comments, still feel free to let me know. In the end I'm doing this because it is what I want in my New Vegas gaming experience, but I'm putting the time and effort into sharing it just to give something back to the community that I have appreciated so much -- knowing that anyone actually cares about these mods is encouragement for me to continue releasing them, rather than just keeping them to myself.

Note: Props to Darn for the some of the visual presentation of this post, as I admit to blatantly copying his style. Imitation is after all, the finest form of flattery.




Dark Uncle's "Currency Exchange Rates" v0.1 (Beta)

≈ Description:
This mod is part of a series designed to make different currencies actually meaningful within Fallout New Vegas. Other mods in the series will include special NPCs who provide different goods and services, who also value currencies differently based on the NPC (ie, you'll receive better prices/deals from an NCR faction NPC when paying with NCR Script). With vanilla Fallout New Vegas' method of currency exchange via the casinos, this would result in mostly meaningless trips to casinos to exchange monies back and forth.

The purpose of this mod is to change that, mostly by changing the act of currency exchange from a "loss-less" process to a "lossy" process -- in other words, those doing the currency exchange for you will actually expect some compensation for their trouble.


≈ General overview:
The initial implementation will simply modify the scripts that casino bankers use for alternate currency transactions. Normal vendors/merchants throughout New Vegas will still treat different currencies the same as they do now -- only NPCs added by other mods in this series will treat them differently.

While the change to casino bankers will make this mod incompatible with other mods that allow for easier exchange of large amounts and/or multi-denomination amounts, those capabilities will be integrated into this mod - hopefully eliminating the need for a separate mod.


≈ Exchange rates:
Exchange rates are based on the assumption that an NCR $100 bill is designed to be roughly equivalent in worth to 100 caps - even though its accepted value in the New Vegas area is only 40 caps. This is used to establish the generally accepted "base conversion rate" of 10 : 4. This conversion rate (for both NCR and Legion currencies) is what is represented by vendors/merchants accepting these currencies in transactions already - and that will not be changed by this mod.

As the "base" conversion rate that everyone accepts, it is... well, pretty poor - and heavily benefits the vendor, not the consumer (fitting with the complaints of the inhabitants of Sloan).

Casino bankers offer this "base" exchange rate when converting from currency to chips, but with a 10% exchange fee taken off the top.

However converting chips to currency, the casino will take their 10% exchange fee, and then exchange the remainder at the terrible rate of 6 : 10.


≈ Exchange example:
Converting $500 NCR to chips, and back to NCR script...

First transaction:
- step 1: casino takes 10% ($50)
- step 2: casino exchanges remainder at 10 : 4
- step 3: banker pays out 180 chips
(vanilla game: $500 NCR = 200 chips)

Second transaction:
- step 1: casino takes 10% exchange fee (18 chips)
- step 2: casino exchanges remainder at 6 : 10
- step 3: banker pays out $270 NCR script
(vanilla game: 180 chips = $450 NCR)


So gambling with alternate currencies will only be a little bit different in you eventually change your chips to caps, but using the casino for chips/caps to alternate currency exchange will be expensive. Even converting from NCR/Legion currency to caps, you'd be better off using your alternate currency to pay a generic vendor/merchant (same exchange rate, but no 10% fee).


≈ Future plans:
While the initial release will only impact the casino bankers, the plan in a subsequent release is to also introduce a money changer NPC. Compared to a casino:
- the money changer will still charge a 10% exchange fee
- the money changer will give more favorable exchange rates than either casinos or generic vendors/merchants
- the money changer's exchange rates will fluxuate slightly from day to day
- the money changer will have limited quantity of different currencies on hand (rather than the unlimited funds the casinos have)


≈ The rarity and value of alternate currencies:
In an attempt to keep some balance, this mod will also slightly decrease the chances of alternate currencies dropping as loot within the game.

Since you still have the ability to use alternate currencies at 10 : 4 with generic vendors/merchants, the changes here really don't do much to decrease the value of alternate currency. Finding a $100 NCR bill on a dead powder ganger, is still not that different than finding 40 caps on him. On the other hand, as other mods in this series add NPCs who will value alternate currencies well above the 10 : 4 rate, the value of alternate currencies will actually increase. Since my intent is to have this mod be the central mod for the series, and there not really being any reason (as far as I can tell) to run this mod without at least intending to run other mods in the series as they are released... this seems like the appropriate central place to make this change.


≈ Download:
(not available for download yet -- beta expected to be available on the Nexus soon)

Sounds like an interesting idea.

The idea I really like is the idea of ncr merchants treating the ncr dollar as worth more. A thought on that future expansion, perhaps adjusting only adjusting the Army merchants/doctors and followers of the Apocalypse would do. If I recall right the followers are mainly based out of NCR territory, so them shipping the cash back home for a more favorable return makes some sense. But really I'd settle for just being able to buy some darn weapons at the main military base with ncr cash at a reasonable rate.

Make some merchants only deal in one kind of currency to force the player not to run with caps. As it is even with a converter every npc demands caps for dialogue, quests, events etc so even if you have ten thousand NCR scrips the securitrons won't let you in the strip. Forcing the player to adopt other currencies in some way will make players value the other currencies and will mean they keep an even distribution for shops, characters etc. Or you could change most of the npc demands from 100 cap bribe to scripts or legion dosh but that would be alot of work for every situation this arises.

The only one type of currency would be kind of cheap imo. It'd just force the person to convert caps to cash at a casino and take a hit.

I'd rather see the exchange rate be 80% of face value of the cash. It'd make it actually worthwhile to keep.

That is kind of what I'm finding in playtesting one of the other related mods that I have right now. I'd started it out with the NPC taking NCR script only... and while it does add an extra bit of excitement/happiness to finding some as loot, it is also having that, "*sigh* Time to go exchange some money..." impact that isn't very enjoyable.


So the direction I'm leaning in right now is that while I might have some minor things here and there with some NPC's that are only one currency or another, I'm more likely to have most NPCs accept two or more currencies - just giving a substantial discount for the one they prefer. Ideally such that converting at a casino wouldn't be worth the hit, but converting at the exchange broker would be right in that area where it may or may not be worth it.

...also the idea of skill/attribute based dialogue checks that give discounts, but only in a certain kind of currency.

I was thinking about this, but was going to see if NVSE SetValue works on Caravan Money, and change the value of money based on factions. No need for trade ins... you'd just trade the money in the sell/buy window as a barter deal.

...which is not incompatible with what I'm working on, as the NPCs that I'm talking about in other mods that will value currency differently, will not be using the barter menu - at all. (Think along the lines of the Dr at the medical clinic, or other Dr's services for that matter)

edit: delete accidental double post

I've been thinking about this a bit since you posted this...

On the one hand, it really wouldn't be that much work (assuming you ignored the fact that the voice files would still say caps). Changing the Dr in the medical clinic to take NCR script instead of caps for example, would just require changing about a dozen lines of dialogue as well as writing a two different scripts and cut'n'pasting them into about 20 different places (and a third script to support the variables, but I digress).

Point being it wouldn't really be too hard to do... but in most of the cases that I can think of, it also wouldn't really make sense. I mean overall, caps -are- the primary currency in the area. Folks taking alternate currencies certainly makes sense, and some actually preferring them makes sense in some circumstances... but in many (most?) it would still make sense for caps to be the preferred.

When I was studying in NZ, there were a number of places that would take US$ as well as NZ$. Most places had different exchange rates that they would offer, but all within a reasonable amount of one another (I felt sorry for one vendor who didn't realize she was valuing US$ well over what the actual exchange rate was at the time, but anyway...) --- but I wouldn't expect to come across a vendor who was American and sending his profits to his family back home, who only wanted to accept US$ as payment...