Currencies?

In the new Knytt game, you sometime have to pay to get access to new areas. Now, I'm thinking that there will be two or three different types of currencies in the game. The currencies are however of completely different types, and each NPC will only accept one type. They do not necessarly need to be actual money at all, just some item you can carry a lot of that have some kind of value.

The first type is not very valuable and found at various places in the game world (they're not very hard to reach). You can't use it to buy yourself into any key areas related to completing the game, but you can ues it to get access to areas where you can obtain the two other currencies or just open some shortcuts. The second type is given by NPC's when you complete a quest, and the third type is found at hard to reach places in the game world.

What do you think the currencies should be called, and what should they be? I only imagine one of them being actual money.

Copper, silver, gold seems like basic money that could be used.

Certain types of tree leaves, sheets of music (to trade to a composer for other things) and trading cards of some sort also comes in mind.

I'll post more if I think of them.

I thought about gold, silver and copper too, but that sounded a bit too common, and those three don't differ enough, so that characters would accept copper but not gold, for instance. But one of these could be used as the higher level currency, perhaps.

I'm thinking acorn or other types of nuts for the lower level currency, feels like it would be something easy to carry around as if it were money, and you just had to search for the right trees.

Some kind of semi-rare gems, maybe you even would need a specific tool (like a pickaxe) in order to obtain them.

I would rather not have actual money in it, though, for me it feels like it wouldn't fit the Knytt universe.

Basically, they can not be exchangeable. Copper, silver, and gold sounds like three different values of the same currency.

I agree it shouldn't be human money because that doen't fit in the knytt universe. I'm not against the concept of "money" as in an item that doesn't have an actual value in itself but is given a value so that it can be used for trade. Sort of like bottle caps in Fallout. For the second currency, which NPC's will give you, even something constructed or processed can work.

However, I can not design specific areas for these items to appear in, because the world is almost done and I don't want to change it like crazy. I can not do a specific type of tree, or something that require a pickaxe. They have to work in a lot of different environments in the world the way it look now.

Gems is a good idea, since I can see why they would be at various locations in the caves that the game takes place in. Perhaps they can be the third currency.

I love the idea of currencies, and agree that gems should represent the most valuable of the three.  Maybe you could use pebbles as the most common?  It really depends on the environments you've chosen.

One thing I do suggest however is if you're going to have three different types, it would make sense NOT to have sub-divisions within those (for example, rubies/emeralds/sapphires) as I think it may make the idea of trading in different currencies with different NPCs unnecessarily complicated.

Exactly, no sub-divisions. The currencies are not exchangeable and different NPC's are only interested in a certain currency. By that reason, it's not possible with sub-divisions at all.

The environments can vary, but it always takes place in underground caves, which is why gems will always work. Stuff grows everywhere in the world too, so plants or flowers will always work. I'm either looking for something that will work in caves or not be that connected to any type of environment. When it comes to the second currency that's never found in the landscape but only given by NPC's, that can be absolutely anything.

I like the idea of it being some kind of plant, but if that doesn't work because the plant wouldn't grow in all the different environments, what about some kind of mushroom instead?  Maybe it would seem less weird for the same little type of mushroom to pop up everywhere than for a certain kind of plant.

+1 for mushrooms (as the common currency), that would work brilliantly.  If you don't want mushrooms Nifflas, how about stones instead?  Also, how about beads as the other type?

Regarding the names, they would either have to pertain to the name of the universe in which the game is set OR be entirely made-up words.  Such as Shen, Malgrai or Flectars!  Of course you could just call them stones, beads and gems for example.

Haha, I would probably be accused for of drug liberal if you trade with mushrooms in the new Knytt game

Perhaps flowers!

first thing I thought of at reading the first lines of the thread was "paper clips", but that's just because I should really sleep.. it's just something silly that reminds me of something the characters from (for example) WaDF would do.
or some origami figures.
and I do like mushrooms, and not at all for the drug aspect. but acorns is nice too, they could just have gotten underground via a squirrel. although if you have acorn photos as background objects, that'd be weird...but on the other hand you also have mushrooms and flowers...
sleep->

Haha, true! I guess if I give the flowers a name it'll make sense. Then it's a special kind of flower that's really small

I guess completely made up objects can work too. Just weird names and an image of something nobody really can figure out what it is.

There are tons of edible mushrooms in the world that are just food, not drugs.    Besides, it's not as if your previous games haven't had mushroom imagery already (this one too, judging from the screenshots.)

I also like the idea of beads mentioned above.  I just think the currencies should be something not seen in tons of other games (such as gems, gold, etc.)

Also, Nintendo has had characters eating mushrooms (which happen to look just like amanitas, a known psychoactive) for years, and I don't think they've suffered much from it.

That's true, it's just that it becomes very different when used in dialogue, in particular when related to trading and money.

Perhaps you're right though.

How about shelves or necklaces or a necklace made out of shelves? Given that it takes fabrication to be made (given its a necklace) it can be the mid one. In fact, it can be a necklace with anything on it, like stones, pebbles, shelves, or even a simple piece of paper/metal/plastic/etc with some weird sign on it.

EDIT: I ment shells, not shelves. x) tnx Ponto