---
# System prepended metadata

title: Fractional Withdrawal Payment System
tags: [Deprecated]

---

###### tags: `Deprecated`

Currently, ships work off of a shared bank account that just can't be drawn from. This is a bit inconvenient, but we removed individual bank accounts for a multitude of reasons. This proposed system aims to remedy the logistics of handling withdraws from multiple members of the crew without causing the issues that isolated bank accounts do.

I'm calling it the fractional withdrawal payment system, as much like banks which use a fractional reserve banking system as it serves to maximise money available to everyone, both small-ish amounts of money for personal purchases by individual crewmembers, as WELL as large amounts of money for the captain to spend on vital ship purchases.

Basically, each ship is a bank, and the ship's crewmembers each have a savings account that all of their earnings are immediately added to and can be withdrawn from.

Try not to think about the ethical problems with that, okay? I'm handwaving this all away as "people are supposed to be paid in full either before they depart for the sector or after they're done with their help so they don't leave."

## Goals

1. Allow individual members of the crew to withdraw funds for their own use, such as for small purchases at outpost vendors or trading
2. Allow the entire body of funds to be accessible to the captain for big purchases at any given time
3. Incentivise carrying hard currency on you instead of nebulous bank accounts, except for large purchases
4. Give captains the ability to "cut your pay" in extreme circumstances
5. Emphasize having cash on-hand rather than nebulous bank accounts

## Non-goals

1. Bring back IDs (or similar) being a necessary item for the economy
2. Establish a time-wage system that dumps money into a personal account whether or not you need it
3. Hinder potential RP or player economy participation

## Example

- Ship X: Max crew of 10, starts with 1000cr
- Each crewmember gets a "balance" of 1000cr/10 (starting balance divided by maximum crew)
    - They can withdraw this amount from an ATM in hard currency, but no more
    - This is subtracted from the total balance as well as their "balance"
- All money made is added proportionally to each present crewmembers' balance
    - E.g., making 100cr with 4 present crew, each would have 25cr added to their balance
- This **WILL** lead to deficits where there's not enough in the total bank balance to meet all crewmembers' individual balances, but this is fine, not everyone needs their full balance ready at any given time
    - It's not a perfect system. It's not supposed to be.
- If someone desposits money directly into an ATM, that gets added to the ship account and ONLY their own balance, so that they don't lose any money they're adding back in

## Changes needed

- Fractional withdrawal system implementation into the bank accounts system
- ATMs, definitely on outposts, maybe on ships?
- Make people start with wallets or other money carrying devices with a small amount of cash
- Make sure vending machines and the like accept paper money

## Alternatives

- Individual bank accounts that get paid into every X minutes
- Individual bank accounts that get paid whenever money is made for the ship account
- Ship bank account by itself, but everyone can withdraw all they need from it without restriction
- Ship bank account by itself, but the captain is the only one who can withdraw and everyone has to ask them for money
