Explore Ecotale plugin ecosystem integration for economy module

[derrickmehaffy]

Feature Description

Explore deeper integrations with the Ecotale plugin ecosystem for HyperFactions economy features. These would be optional integrations for server owners who want to enable an advanced economy module.

Note: Basic economy integration is already available via VaultUnlocked. This proposal is for deeper, faction-specific economy features.

Ecotale Plugins to Explore

Plugin	CurseForge	Potential Integration
Ecotale (Core)	Link	Main economy mod - base dependency
Ecotale Marketplace	Link	Faction marketplaces
Ecotale Jobs	Link	Faction guilds / jobs system
Ecotale Coins	Link	Physical currency for raids/wars

Proposed Integrations

1. Faction Marketplaces (Ecotale Marketplace)

• Factions could have their own marketplace stalls/shops
• Territory-based market access (only accessible in faction territory?)
• Faction taxes on marketplace transactions
• Alliance trade agreements / discounts

2. Faction Guilds / Jobs (Ecotale Jobs)

• Create faction-specific jobs ("Mine for [Faction Name]", "Guard duty", etc.)
• Jobs that can be posted for your own faction members
• Jobs that can be posted for other factions (mercenary work, resource gathering)
• Faction reputation system based on completed jobs

3. Physical Currency Rewards (Ecotale Coins)

• War/raid rewards paid in physical currency (lootable)
• Faction treasury stored as physical coins (raidable?)
• Bounty system using physical currency
• Makes raiding more rewarding and risky

Implementation Approach

1. Research Phase

   • Contact Ecotale maintainer about API availability
   • Review Ecotale documentation (if available)
   • Decompile and analyze Ecotale plugins for integration points
     • Dev provided permission for all mods except marketplace strictly for LEARNING and STUDY only, need their express permission to use or copy any code, logic, or UI information. Permission was given on 2025/02/04 via discord dm
   • Determine if soft-dependency approach is feasible

2. Design Phase

   • Design economy module config structure
   • Plan which features require which Ecotale plugins
   • Design graceful degradation when plugins are missing

3. Implementation Phase

   • Create EcotaleIntegration class (reflection-based soft dependency)
   • Implement marketplace hooks
   • Implement jobs hooks
   • Implement physical currency hooks

Configuration (Proposed)

{
  "economy": {
    "enabled": false,
    "provider": "vaultunlocked",
    "ecotale": {
      "enabled": false,
      "marketplace": {
        "enabled": false,
        "factionStalls": true,
        "taxRate": 0.05
      },
      "jobs": {
        "enabled": false,
        "factionGuilds": true
      },
      "physicalCurrency": {
        "enabled": false,
        "raidRewards": true,
        "factionTreasury": false
      }
    }
  }
}

Dependencies

• Required: VaultUnlocked (for basic economy)
• Optional: Ecotale (core)
• Optional: Ecotale Marketplace
• Optional: Ecotale Jobs
• Optional: Ecotale Coins

Open Questions

• Does Ecotale have a public API?
• Is the maintainer open to integration/collaboration?
• What events/hooks does Ecotale expose?
• License compatibility?

Priority

Low - This is exploratory for future versions. Current VaultUnlocked integration covers basic economy needs.

Related

• VaultUnlocked integration (existing)
• Future war/raid mechanics
• Faction permissions system

[derrickmehaffy]

Update: NPC Integration Path

The Ecotale developer has indicated no short-term plans for NPC capability. They suggested exploring community NPC mods instead.

Created #21 to track NPC-specific integration research with:

• NPC Dialog + NPC Quests Maker
• NPC Dialog

This issue remains open for broader Ecotale economy/shop integrations.