why not coins?

Sander said:
No, there wouldn't. Gold is a currency as well, it has no intrinsic value since it is a useless metal. Unlike iron, for instance, from which you can make lots of tools and copper, which is used in electrical circuits.
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I do agree that gold is a generally pretty useless mineral,it does have its use within electrics,for contact surfaces,since it doesn't corrode like copper does.(a very small use for it,yes,but not completely useless)
 
As well gold is used in the construction of very complex circuits. I dont rightly know why, but take a look at some expencive circuit boards.
 
Argonnot said:
As well gold is used in the construction of very complex circuits. I dont rightly know why, but take a look at some expencive circuit boards.
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Irrelevant, Fallout didn't have transistors, which are a prerequisite for any complex circuit board.

And it's used because it's a pure metal and has the (somewhat unproven) reputation of tainting data transfer less. For instance, insanely expensive speaker cables are gold plated.
 
Ah i see, I fogot the fallout universe still used vacume tubes. Then the only value of gold is to make coins and give redding some small ammount of significance...
 
It could be a presige thing - maybe using golden coins instead of bottle caps was a symbol of rebirth of civilisation. Also, I think that bottle caps would simply fall apart after a few decades of being used as currency.
 
Sorrow said:
It could be a presige thing - maybe using golden coins instead of bottle caps was a symbol of rebirth of civilisation. Also, I think that bottle caps would simply fall apart after a few decades of being used as currency.
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They hadn't fallen apart after 80 years, why would they then?
 
There are no bottle caps in Fallout 2... So they must have felt apart... :scratch: Ok, there are some thousands of them, but only as junk, not as money... Or am I missing some hidden facto here?
 
But really, Sander, even though it doesn't make sense to you that they have started to use "real coins" instead of bottle caps in Fallout universe after the first Fallout, it doesn't mean they haven't done so. And I don't have a straight answer for the question why they have done so. Why they have started to dig up gold and abandon the use of old bottle caps.

Like Sorrow mentioned, I think it is a symbol of the rebirth of civilization. Many things in Wasteland have changed in between Fallout and Fallout 2. The society has become more organized. Power, money and politics have become more important. It's not just about your own survival anymore.
 
Angrim said:
But really, Sander, even though it doesn't make sense to you that they have started to use "real coins" instead of bottle caps in Fallout universe after the first Fallout, it doesn't mean they haven't done so. And I don't have a straight answer for the question why they have done so. Why they have started to dig up gold and abandon the use of old bottle caps.
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Creative license.
Sucky creative license. Like New Reno.
 
But the Hub isn't in Fallout II, so who would back the caps?

Also where exactly does someone say that the Hub is the place that backs caps? I don't remember ever reading that, I just kinda took it for granted.
 
VirtualAlex said:
But the Hub isn't in Fallout II, so who would back the caps?

Also where exactly does someone say that the Hub is the place that backs caps? I don't remember ever reading that, I just kinda took it for granted.
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I'm not certain where it was explained, but I'm pretty sure the Water Merchants established it, since they controlled the water.
 
VirtualAlex said:
But the Hub isn't in Fallout II, so who would back the caps?
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In fact, the Hub collapsed, so it makes sense that the caps would "collapse" and a new economic power (NCR) would reform with a new tender (gold? coins).

Still sucks, though. Hub caps 4ever.

VirtualAlex said:
Also where exactly does someone say that the Hub is the place that backs caps? I don't remember ever reading that, I just kinda took it for granted.
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Katrina can tell you when you enter Shady Sands:

{139}{}{Bartering is the exchange of goods. You give me some items, and I give you items in trade. Since you initiated the barter,
I will let you pick and choose what you want. But the deal must be one that I think I will like, so you will probably want to give me more valuable goods that you don't need in exchange for less expensive things that you want. And if you don't have enough items to trade, there are always caps. Bottle caps are the only common money found out here. The caps are backed by the merchants of the Hub, so you can trade them anywhere.}

The logic being 1) the amount of bottle caps is limited and 2) the technology to produce and paint bottle caps is lost
 
Sander said:
The only value gold has is the value economic societies put in it.
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No, it's value in the end really is it's looks, plus other things, meaning that when you'll put a high karat ring to your wives finger, you'll just might get to her pants.
 
Gold has been attractive since it's discovery for ornamentation value, but needs a wealthy upper class to appreciate it. When you are scrounging to fill your belly, it's pretty useless.

So to summarize:
If you are developing some kind of Fallout game, and you decide to have "money" of some kind, you need to specify who the backer is - some credible institution, town, group, etc. The currency has to be limited in supply (difficult or impossible to reproduce).

Barter should remain be the primary form of exchange (ala Black Jack Fairgrounds :) ) with small inherently valuable items (e.g. bullets) used for "change".
 
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