A massively multiplayer text-based industrial game where players produce raw materials/parts/products that other players can use to produce theirs. A player can gradually scale up from a one person production (clicker based production) to a fully automated factory. On the screen is just blocks of tables with ever changing numbers (e.g production rate, wear and tear of parts, etc), and the goal is to optimize your bank account balance (no stocks/fund raising mechanics). There can also be an internal IRC where people can negotiate and collaborate. Parts that are not produced by any player yet can be produced by an AI until someone comes along to replace it.
I'm surprised nothing like this exists, I've thought about making something like this, but I think one challenge is it's really hard to bootstrap an economy without some other gameplay element other than trading. Otherwise, How do you determine the value of items?
In one of the versions of this game I thought it would be interesting to have a cutthroat stock market involved. I'm not sure how the mechanics would have to work but you could use the stock market mechanics to lift and destroy other companies.
I think price discovery of materials can happen organically by ascribing some purchasing power, desire for end products, and usage rate to an AI-driven consumer.
We could start from a small industry, e.g logging, then gradually introduce downstream products and AI consumers.
Stock market could certainly be introduced later, but I don't think it's necessary for first version.
