How will money making work?

I saw that it said eventually you could make a space zoo or cut a shortcut through a mountain and charge people.

Was just curious how this would work? Do players get more than 1 beacon to use and also does it work by making it so no one can walk through a beacon unless they pay

Otherwise ideas such as the shortcut would surely never work?

As far as I know, you will be able to prohibit door access via beacons, so a shortcut with a toll may actually work. I see the problem more in the automation part. You would need a way to let people buy a “ticket” without you being there, otherwise the shortcut would only be available when you are online AND willing to stand around at the door. Which sounds like what a new guy at a powerful guild may be forced to do.

Currently, I think money is mostly supposed to be made by selling blocks or equipment.

Surely the ticket part would be relatively easy

It is nothing I could imagine with the currently announced features, but something that should not be too hard to implement, depending on the internals of the beacon system. However, you would also need a way to automatically close the doors to prevent people from leaving them open.If there is going to be a logic/circuit/mechanics feature that should not be too hard. You might need a lot of beacon plots to prevent players from carving a new shortcut right next to yours, though.

Just found out there are gona be keys, so you could also sell those. But you would still need automatic closing.

I may be wrong with this, but I think the system you’re thinking of is supposed to be bound to beacons, not doors. So there’s no need to stand by the entrance to anywhere, no need for tickets, etc. People just pay the beacon’s fee when they cross into the beacon area.

That would of course also be possible, I was thinking along the lines of “what is possible with the already announced features”.

Expanding the beacons to have a “pay to enter” could also add another form of revenue: sight seeing. Seeing the awesome tree city from afar is free, but entering will cost.