So we've got Caps, NCR Dollars, pre-war money, and Legion Denarii.

When I first found out there were 4 currencies I immediately assumed that each would be more vauluable in a certain location. Basically a very simple exchange rate. But it's not.

I thought it would work like this:
Caps would be a standard 1:1 everywhere you go.
NCR dollars would be worth 50% (1.5:1) more when trading with NCR positive dealers but 50%(1:1.5) less when trading with neutral dealers, and wouldn't be accepted at all by Legion supporters. The opposite would apply to legion denarii.
Honestly, I don't think pre-war money should be worth anything, unless it was to trade to someone specific who colledted it or recycles it...

Now unless I've missed something isn't it all pretty much the same everywhere?

If so why did they bother with it? I would really like it if currencies could be more complicated.

IT would be REALLY sweet if barter would have an affect on currency:
Less than 25 barter you exchange rates would be at 2:1 (Thats 1 cap for 2 denarii, or dollar) depending on the dealer's affiliation
at 25 barter it would be 1.75:1
at 50 barter it would be 1.5:1
at 75 barter it would be 1.25: 1
at 100 barter it would be at 1:1, but you could now exchange NCR Dollars and Legion denarii with people who wouldn't have accepted the opposite currency before. So with 100 barter you'd be able to trade Legion denarii at even a place like camp maccaran.

This really wouldn't be hard to implement and it would really add some interesting effects to leveling barter and whatnot.

I don't think you understand how exchange rates work, prices in NCR would be inflated due to the NCR/cap exchange rate. So no matter where you go, their money is barely fit to wipe your ass, the Legion, it's money being made of Gold,and assumedly, silver. The value of the Denarius will expectedly be worth more.

I agree.

The currencies are a bit downplayed - from what I was lead to believe prerelease - with the NCR dollars and Legion coins being just another weighless loot like the prewarmoney.

I've wondered this myself. It feels like (yet another) idea that looked good on paper, sounded great in the massive hype buildup, and fell flat in actual use. Only thing I can see that it really does is clutter up your inventory, and make for some slight variety in the appearance of Caravan betting screens.

Much ado about nothing, basically.

Why do people do this. Yes broah, I understand how it works. THe point is there isn't ANY sort of exchange rate in-game. I suggested one that I think would be simple and work well - it's better than NOTHIGN right?

If you have a better idea, I truly would like to hear it.

With two major invaders it would make sense that two new currencies would be introduced in the land. However, more use for the Currencies should have been in the game. I can't spend non cap money anywhere but a casino for most of the game.

There is a mechanism in the end game where the currencies have more use, but Caps will always prevail.

Being able to Barter with the non cap currency should have been included in the game. Maybe some merchants would not take the non caps, maybe some would give you less for the non cap currency, but it should still be usefull outside the casinos for most of the games.

Yeah, I was also expecting varying exchange rates depending on the faction affiliation of the vendor. Pretty disappointing that the new currencies are really just a few more types of Pre-War Money--junk items that have some trade-in value, but aren't really currency.

I thought I read that there was somewhere you could get a much better exchange than vendors offer on the Legion coins. In fact, I've been holding onto my NCR and Legion currency, waiting to find someone who will give a better price for them.

You can barter with non cap money. "Sell" your $100 NCR on the left of the barter screen and make your purchases on the right, click accept - well done, you have just paid for your goods with $NCR.

Yeah i thot the same thing when i first got NCR and Legion money. i was thinking i NCR money would be worth more or at leat just the same in a NCR area and same with the legion. so i had tons of the stuff hope it would come in use NOP never did only good for some chips. kinda sad but i don't thinks its a huge deal

Yeah, but it all seems disconnected. Caps aren't in your inventory (they should be) when you're trading. Legion and NCR money feels like another trade good with a set price. There could be so much more involved with this.

That is true, but it is not treating the currency like currency at that point, more like random junk that you have to trade. To that end, this makes Pre-War money have monetary value, which we all know it does not.

If anyone makes a mod that redesigns currency in the game... please consider (or perhaps make optional), the removal of caps altogether (as they really should not be in use at this point ~regardless of improvised explanations).

Toss another log on the "Huh? What happened to this feature?" pile. When I started picking up NCR dollars I immediately assumed that I would meet NCR-allied traders who would deal with it at face value. But nobody does. It was very disappointing. Some interesting dynamics could have been done with this, like NCR money gradually becoming worth more as you patch up the NCR presence in the region and they get stronger. More peace = more traders = stronger economy. Or maybe if you are stopped by Legion patrols and you have any NCR money on you they will take it away and burn it (or even beat you down, if you have a really large amount on you). Vice-versa for the Legion. Heck, it would have been nice to see the Legion more developed all around; the positive benefits of their society are not emphasized enough, all you hear about is the slavery and barbarism.

I love the new currencies, I think it gives the game alot of flavor

I collected bottle caps and pre-war money in FO3, in NV I collect the new currencies too.

When I found my first legion aureus my face was like oo:

I know you don't want an explanations but here's mine.

NCR and Legion don't have complete control and they are trying to force their currency as a form of power. That's what money is, that's why famous politician's faces are on coins and dollar bills. It's ancient.

Anyway, the reason there is still caps is because neither of those groups has complete control yet even in their own areas. Most merchants are still independent and the established medium of trade is bottle caps.


If you want an intersting real life history example... when europeans came to trade with africa between about 1500-1800ish the natives there held cowry shells in great importance. It would be almost worthless anywhere else but to them it was an established "currency".

A brief explanation here:
http://www.nbbmuseum.be/2007/01/cowry-shells.htm

http://www.nbbmuseum.be/2007/01/cowry-shells.htm

I really don't remember "hyping" alternate currency, though the subject was certainly a very hot topic on the forums and folks speculated (lol) about it a lot.

Unlike Pre-War money, Legion Money and NCR Money are not affected by the Barter skill. I.e. $5 NCR is always worth 2 caps and a Legion Aureus is always worth 100 caps. I don't think I ever suggested some Bardi-esque currency inflation/speculation gameplay, just that the different factions had different forms of currency and that each was "backed" differently: caps are water-backed by Hub merchants due to the decline of the inflated NCR fiat currency and Legion money is not "backed" at all, but of value due to the use of commodity rare metals. The currencies are there for flavor and to reflect something larger about the societies that use them.

I definitely agree that there should be more use for the currencies. 60 hours in and just a couple of quests from finishing the main storyline, I haven't found a single use for my NCR money or Legion Denarii except exchanging at the casinos. Not one.

Thanks, Sawyer. I assumed they were part of a cut sub-system. But flavor works.

gotta remember that the legion coins are used as a material in coinshot

Indeed. :hubbahubba:


Still, I'd think various factions would have different perceptions of value for currency. Especially the BoS - why would they even accept legion or NCR money?

Yeah, I'd noticed. Sort of contributes to it being "just faction-specific clutter" or "Pre-War Currency v2.0" IMO.

:shrug:

The BoS still engage in trade with the outside world.

With the BoS being at war the the NCR, I can't imagine that they would accept NCR money. It would basically be worthless paper to them.

I actually really liked the currency.

I think that the COMMUNITY overhyped the currency issue... what with their wily, curious ways.

I never cared much about it, other than that it was interesting to see. I don't feel it NEEDS to complicate the system. But if someone makes an awesome mod that makes a complex system -for- it? Maybe I'd give it a try too...

:shrug:

Here is the thing though... Fallout used a wooden table as the barter menu. You placed what you had on the table, and placed what you wanted (of theirs) next to it, and asked if they would trade (by clicking the button). If the values were equal or better (in their favor) they would trade. Caps were the equalizer, not the a real point of the trade.

In Fallout 2 no one accepted bottle caps at all for anything... you could find 10,000 caps in a sack, but it was of no value to anyone.