Simulated ChestShop - Revision history

VxMac: Add sale notification + bedrock support sections

2026-05-29T03:11:21Z

Add sale notification + bedrock support sections

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:11, 29 May 2026
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	== Purpose ==		== Purpose ==

	At low player counts, player shops can sit idle for hours. This discourages players from setting up shops, which weakens the [[Economy\|player-driven economy]]. The Simulated ChestShop solves this by having a server-managed bank account (CentralBank) purchase items from player shops at fair market prices.		At low player counts, player shops can sit idle for hours. This discourages players from setting up shops, which weakens the [[Economy\|player-driven economy]]. The Simulated ChestShop solves this by having a server-managed bank account (CentralBank) purchase items from player shops at fair market prices.

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	== Custom development ==		== Custom development ==

	The Simulated ChestShop was purpose-built as a Skript plugin (sim-chestshop.sk) rather than using an existing solution. This allows deep integration with the server's other custom systems:		The Simulated ChestShop was purpose-built as a Skript plugin (sim-chestshop.sk) rather than using an existing solution. This allows deep integration with the server's other custom systems:

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	== How it works ==		== How it works ==

	# The system maintains a shopping list of approximately 130 common items with internal maximum buy prices.		# The system maintains a shopping list of approximately 130 common items with internal maximum buy prices.
	# Every few minutes, it scans active player [[ChestShop]] signs for eligible items.		# Every few minutes, it scans active player [[ChestShop]] signs for eligible items.
	# If a shop sells an item on the list at or below the max price, the system may purchase.		# If a shop sells an item on the list at or below the max price, the system may purchase.
	# The shop owner receives payment to their balance, identical to a normal sale.		# The shop owner receives payment to their balance, identical to a normal sale.
			# If the shop owner is online, the system sends a chat notification: ''+$X sale: <buyer> bought Yx <item> from your shop.''
	# Purchased items are removed from the chest (the bank does not stockpile).		# Purchased items are removed from the chest (the bank does not stockpile).

	From the shop owner's perspective, the transaction looks identical to a real player purchase.		From the shop owner's perspective, the transaction looks identical to a real player purchase.

			== Sale notifications ==

			When a simulated buyer purchases from a player's shop, the shop owner receives a chat message identifying the buyer persona, item, quantity, and payment amount. The notification only fires if the seller is online at the moment of sale; offline sellers see no notification but their balance reflects the sale on next login.

			The notification was added on 2026-05-28 in response to player feedback that sim shop sales were silently increasing balances without indication of source.

			== Bedrock shop owners ==

			The system supports player shops owned by Bedrock Edition players. Floodgate's bedrock-prefix (<code>.</code>) is preserved on the sign and routed through the system's UUID resolver, which looks up the player's full Bedrock IGN even when the shop sign truncates names longer than 15 characters.

	== What the system buys ==		== What the system buys ==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
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	=== Items the system will NOT buy ===		=== Items the system will NOT buy ===
	Beacons, totems of undying, ender pearls, shulker boxes, elytra, mob spawners, and other high-value or exploit-prone items.
			Beacons, totems of undying, ender pearls, shulker boxes, elytra, mob spawners, and other high-value or exploit-prone items are excluded from the sim shop's purchase list. Players can still sell these to the [[Admin shop]] at a floor price.

	== Demand controls ==		== Demand controls ==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
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	== Economy integration ==		== Economy integration ==

	The system is tightly integrated with the server's custom economic infrastructure:		The system is tightly integrated with the server's custom economic infrastructure:

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	== Visibility ==		== Visibility ==
	The system is intentionally invisible to players:
			The system is intentionally invisible to players except for the sale notification described above:

	* No command reveals bank buy prices or the shopping list.		* No command reveals bank buy prices or the shopping list.
	* The [[Economy\|/market command]] shows real player data only.		* The [[Economy\|/market command]] shows real player data only.
	* Shop owners cannot distinguish simulated purchases from real ones.		* Shop owners cannot distinguish simulated purchases from real ones in the transaction log.

	== Admin commands ==		== Admin commands ==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
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	== See also ==		== See also ==

	* [[Consumer Price Index]] — the price index (excludes simulated trades)		* [[Consumer Price Index]] — the price index (excludes simulated trades)
	* [[Monetary policy engine]] — the inflation management system		* [[Monetary policy engine]] — the inflation management system
			* [[Item worth]] — the unified pricing engine used by tooltips
	* [[Economy]] — how money flows through the server		* [[Economy]] — how money flows through the server
	* [[ChestShop]] — how to create player shops		* [[ChestShop]] — how to create player shops

Maintenance script: Note custom-built plugin + link to engine pages

2026-05-27T15:19:45Z

Note custom-built plugin + link to engine pages

Show changes

Maintenance script: Initial content

2026-05-27T15:06:41Z

Initial content

New page

The '''Simulated ChestShop''' system is an automated market activity engine on Prosperity SMP. It creates background buying activity at player-owned [[ChestShop]] signs, ensuring that shops see regular traffic even during low-population hours. The system is designed to be invisible to players — it behaves like a normal customer.

== Purpose ==
At low player counts, player shops can sit idle for hours with no buyers. This discourages players from setting up shops, which weakens the [[Economy|player-driven economy]]. The Simulated ChestShop solves this by having a server-managed bank account (CentralBank) purchase items from player shops at fair market prices.

The system does '''not''' sell items to players. It only buys. This makes it a pure money faucet into player hands, funded by the CentralBank reserve.

== How it works ==
# The system maintains a shopping list of common items it is willing to buy.
# Every few minutes, it scans active player [[ChestShop]] signs for eligible items.
# If a shop is selling an item on the shopping list at a reasonable price, the system may purchase from it.
# The shop owner receives payment to their balance, just like a normal sale.
# The purchased items are removed from the chest (the bank does not stockpile).

From the shop owner's perspective, the transaction looks identical to a real player purchase. The system uses randomized persona names in logs to avoid easy identification.

== What the system buys ==
The shopping list includes common economy staples:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Category !! Example items
|-
| Mining || Cobblestone, stone, deepslate, iron ingot, gold ingot, diamond, coal, redstone, lapis lazuli, copper ingot
|-
| Wood || Oak log, spruce log, birch log, planks
|-
| Farming || Wheat, carrots, potatoes, sugar cane, melon, pumpkin
|-
| Food || Cooked beef, cooked chicken, bread
|-
| Building || Glass, bricks, sand, gravel
|}

Each item has a maximum buy price based on the server's market data. The system will not overpay — if a shop prices above the fair range, the system skips it.

== Demand governor ==
The system has built-in controls to prevent it from dominating the market:

; Daily spending cap
: The bank has a maximum daily spend limit across all purchases. Once the cap is reached, the system pauses until the next day.

; Per-shop cooldowns
: After buying from a shop, the system waits before buying from the same shop again.

; Per-owner caps
: No single shop owner receives more than a set percentage of the daily budget.

; Intensity profiles
: Activity levels adjust based on time of day and player count. During peak hours with many real buyers, the system backs off. During off-peak hours, it increases activity to keep the market moving.

== Relationship to the economy ==
Simulated ChestShop activity is tracked separately from real player-to-player trades in the server's economic monitoring systems:

* Simulated transactions are marked with a <code>simulated: true</code> flag in the transaction log.
* The [[Economy|CPI (Consumer Price Index)]] calculation '''excludes''' simulated transactions. CPI reflects real player-to-player prices only.
* The [[Economy|monetary policy engine]] classifies bank-to-player payouts as transfers from the public reserve, not new money creation. The money was already created when an admin funded the CentralBank.

This separation prevents a feedback loop where the bank's buying activity inflates the CPI, which then causes the bank to buy at higher prices.

== Visibility ==
The system is intentionally invisible to players:

* No public <code>/market</code> command reveals the bank's exact buy prices or shopping list.
* Transaction log entries use randomized persona names.
* The [[Economy|/market command]] shows real player-to-player CPI data only, not bank activity.
* Shop owners see normal sale notifications — they cannot distinguish a simulated purchase from a real one.

Admins can monitor and configure the system through the <code>/simshop</code> command (staff only).

== Admin commands ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Command !! Description
|-
| <code>/simshop status</code> || View bank balance, daily spend, and pause state
|-
| <code>/simshop pause</code> || Temporarily pause all activity
|-
| <code>/simshop resume</code> || Resume activity
|-
| <code>/simshop refill <amount></code> || Add funds to the CentralBank
|}

These commands require staff permissions and are not available to regular players.

== See also ==
* [[Economy]] — how the economy works, including money flow and inflation
* [[ChestShop]] — how to create player shops
* [[Admin shop]] — the server-run shop (separate system)
* [[Trading]] — trading methods and price discovery
* [[Getting started]] — includes shop setup guide

[[Category:Plugins]]