What Trade System Would You Prefer?

Runefang

Guild Traders

I love the guild trader system.

However as an ex-Xbox player I always have to point out how much worse it is over there without addons. A UI upgrade is mandatory there to make the system work better.

knaveofengland

Jarryzzt wrote: »

Very simple. EVE.

I want this to be like EVE. With an EVE-like interface. And all the data-mining trimmings.

Not just because "I wanna", but because these censored double-censored triple-censored but a dog and a deranged macaque are involved fine game designers at ZOS took the first baby step in that direction - tying each item listing to a specific physical location in the world - and then stopped. Resulting in a stupefyingly non-user friendly system, not helped by the cross-platform aspect (i.e. no "word search" box because consoles).

EVE shows you how tying items to physical locations can still work beautifully, and it starts with the interface, which, among many, many other things, lets you browse and trade all listings for a given item across the entire sector (somewhat modified by trading skills if you are a seller), though you still have to go to the physical location to pick up your purchases. [Which is the right way to do physical location systems, in my opinion, whereas ESO has it precisely backwards.] Not to mention the seamless incorporation of TTC and MM-type functionality (and more besides) without any add-ons.

---

Of course, this isn't going to happen, because ponies. Actually, because it would completely revamp the current trading guild system, where you sink in-game gold to bid (weekly!) for prime retail locations (where your listings might actually be seen). In fact, this is a much deeper issue if you think about it - the only way that the gold-sink bidding-for-prime-locations works is if you have substantial information assymetry, i.e. cannot see all the listings at once. So what ZOS really needs to do is think about how to restructure the trading guild system from the ground up - for example, adapt a monthly "corporation fee" system from EVE (but somehow tiered or scalable to prevent the largest guilds from becoming gazillionaires), play around with tiered commissions/sales taxes, introduce some other thing for high-end guilds to sink their profits into. Then you can start layering in a global view, whether a classic auction system (LOTRO, TOR, many others), or some *** child of EVE, or...I actually do not know of very many other ways of doing it, because most people did not go the ZOS route and did not try to reinvent-the-bicycle-because-ponies.

Rant mode - disengaged.

would say as you do copy eve online system or even some of it and everyone would be a happy bunny eve been going years and no complaints , so please look at eve online system .

just ask any eve online player

Korah_Eaglecry

I have a better idea! (post your idea in the comments)

This has got to be the first time Ive seen a poll about this actually swing in the favor of a Auction House here on these forums.

Personally I would love to see an AH, but I dont think we are going to see one no matter how much or how often this topic comes up. I do think a Regional Auction House would probably be more beneficial to the game and would at least give Trade Guilds an opportunity to survive.

Either that or pull Guild Traders back to the major cities, removing any that might be laying out in the middle of no where or areas where players dont often venture. Allow multiple Guilds to win bids on a specific Guild Trader and turn that Guild Trader into a bit of a super-store full of multiple Guild listings. This would reduce travel time for customers, allow Trade Guilds to exist and possibly even out the wealth to other guilds that cant earn enough to compete with the Mega-Trade Guilds, due to placement of outlyer Guild Traders, that dominate the primary Guild Traders in major hubs.

Rouven

Global Auction House

Jarryzzt wrote: »

(...)

EVE shows you how tying items to physical locations can still work beautifully, and it starts with the interface, which, among many, many other things, lets you browse and trade all listings for a given item across the entire sector (somewhat modified by trading skills if you are a seller), though you still have to go to the physical location to pick up your purchases. (...)

This is a nice idea, yes. Indeed a part of trade is to bridge distance. Alas ESO has something that EVE does not have. Wayshrines. There is no distance because you can be everywhere in the blink of a loading screen. Also there is no risk in PvE as we have no PvP in the open world. I guess you could make deliveries to Cyrodill.

badmojo

I have a better idea! (post your idea in the comments)

Designate a zone in each of the three alliance capitals cities as a marketplace. Inside the marketplace zone you can enable vendor mode that pulls up a screen like listing items on guild trader where you pick the items you want to sell and set a price. Then you can /yell what you are selling and players come up and press a button to see your listing and purchase.

The idea is to basically turn you into a guildless trader. People would be motivated to set prices lower than guild traders so they dont have to stand around all day waiting for a buyer.

Perhaps vendor stalls could also be rented in this area for 8hr chunks. You rent the stall, set your items and then when you log off your character would be standing in the stall for the next 8hrs. Leaving the market area would forfeit your rental and open up the stall for someone else to use. Imagine a large marketplace with 50 stalls. Apply a 4hr cooldown after rental so people cant 'own' the best spots. Maybe charging more for stalls up front and cheaper in the back.

The point would be to allow a solo player to go farm items and run to the market and either stand around trying to sell their wares or rent a stall and log off for the night.

Guild traders would still be a better option because you wouldnt need to have the items in your inventory and you wouldnt have to rent another stall every 12hrs, and guild traders would have 0 downtime while stalls would have at least a 4hr down time twice a day.

1 stall rental per account to ensure players arent setting up all 14 characters as part of a daily routine.

jssriot

Guild Traders

There are so many dumb replies in the thread, jc

Look, the current system could be improved, yes. But all you whining about how it's soooooo unfair you have to travel aaaaaaall over the place to get the "best" price are so full of it, i don't even know where to begin. But here's one piece of info:

There's one city that's popular for its guild traders, or at least that's what eveyone swears by. The traders are right by the wayshrine, it's a city with a lot of player traffic, etc. etc.. I was in a trade guild that got a spot there for a few weeks. I'm a decent seller, I may not to be he top seller around but I sell a fairly good amount of stuff week to week. But while my guild was in this city, my sales bottomed. We might have well been in a dlc outlaw refuge. I probably would have sold more.

I always wondered why I had such a bad experience in the supposedly great trading location. I figure it was me, that my listings and prices needed to be more appealing.

A couple of other trade guilds later, I finally learned the secret: the officers in one of these guild had a ton of insider info, including on how certain other trade guilds bid and why they were bidding for this or that spot. Turns out, in this supposedly awesome location, only one of the multiple guild traders there gets consistently high traffic. And it's not because of prices or listings. It's because it's the one nearest tot he wayshrine. People tp in, run up to the first trader they get to, buy what they need, and leave. They don't shop around. They don't even bother to go to the trader second closest to the wayshrine to compare prices. They just pay whatever and get their stuff and go. This is reflected in the bids for these spots, and why there were bid wars over this one spot and not really over any of the others that were just a few meters away.

And that's just one insider story that shows how dumb these complaints are. Players really aren't looking for the best price. They literally don't care and they literally don't want to know if the trader literally 2 meters away has a literally better price. So stop it already with any claims the an AH would make pricing fairer (and it wouldn't but that's another story altogether). Players really don't care about prices. They like the impression they are getting a fair price, but really they are looking for convenience, period. Because they are lazy af. This is what I think whenever i hear some player saying they only go to X city because their "favorite" traders are there. Unless they are a member of a guild there and thus have some stake or loyalty in buying for that store specifically, they're just being lazy--they picked a few or maybe just one or two traders, deemed them "favorites" for some unsubstantial reason and now, out of sheer brainless habit, go there all the time so they don't have to exert the energy to virtually trot their toon all the effing way over to the trader on the other side of the freaking walkway.

And ZOS knows this. Which is why they let you have all your add-ons and let TTC have a whole website that works like on off-site AH and let trade guilds get into ugly bid wars over a few choice spots and let small guilds rent unbidded traders for cheap. Because we're fighting against something ZOS did not write into the code: you people's effing laziness. And if we had an in-game AH, what do you think would run it? Yep, you people's effing laziness. Just centralized. If that sounds like a bad idea that maybe some savvy and not so legit people might exploit pretty easily, then congratz, you're more sentient than most of the responders here.

Marginis

Mobile Auction Horse

I like the idea of an auction horse.

agegarton

Guild Traders

code65536 wrote: »

I'm kinda torn.

There are people for whom the economic game is interesting. I used to be one of these people (I no longer am, though), and I've met a lot of people like this. These are the kinds of people who would play games in the economic simulation genre. A central auction house is very utilitarian, which is good for people who just want to buy or sell something and be done with it. But it's boring and doesn't offer any sort of play for people who like economic games.

So it comes down to your mindset. Is in-game trading just a tool to help you get what you want? Or is it more than that--a game in and of itself to be played? As someone who used to fall in that category and who knows many people who do, I appreciate that depth that the guild trader system adds, even if it comes at the cost of convenience for people who just want to get a transaction done and over with.

On the other hand, I am a trade guild GM, and running a trade guild is stressful--I know a number of trade guild GMs who have stepped down or even left the game entirely because of it. And I dread Sunday nights. So a part of me wants to see the system abolished. Or at least reworked so that it can retain the flavor, but without the punishing stress of the current bidding system.

Totally agree. The system for the buyer and seller is pretty good in my opinion. What could use some thought is the guild trader bidding process, which is hard going! I am also in favour of a system that would enable infrequent traders to sell items without having to join a “trade guild” - perhaps something could also be helpful for smaller trade guilds which miss their bid for the week.

knaveofengland

best system ther is in any mmo is eve online period , if eso had thiers then all would be happy it create more content , the system we have is workable , i say why have workable when you can have perfection

twnhny

Guild Traders

Stop this madness. The current system is fine as is. It is considered a critical point for someone to choose ESO than someting else. It is unique and it is what makes trading in the game fun.

Don't make it global auction please. It will destroy so many lives. Honestly, I know people that spend 2-3 hours a day to roam around guild traders across Tamriel, now what good would it be for them if they could just visit a single auction house and just see the lowest prices. Just don't. Auction will be the un-healthiest thing that ever happened to ESO if implemented.

Tasear

Guild Traders

Flaminir wrote: »

Get a big stick?

EasyTiger

Global Auction House

The guild trading system is a pain-in-the-a and I believe puts people off the game - it also makes coming back to the game after a break a pain, knowing you have to find trading guilds etc just to sell stuff.

Please give us a global auction house!

Fermian

I have a better idea! (post your idea in the comments)

Zone auction houses, where the fees are linked to the usage. The most used traders have the higest fee.

DieAlteHexe

I have a better idea! (post your idea in the comments)

Guild traders are fine but the lack of ability to search really needs to be addressed.

Azurya

Guild Traders

once again an auctions house doesn´t work in eso
we have here a Megaserver, with millions of accounts on it
with an auctionshouse that can not function, too many products and to many buyers/sellers in one system

it will not function

Cously

Global Auction House

I prefer global auction systems. Everyone can buy and sell. There is an ever updated list on all goods and it saves a lot of time for people who well lacks time. Flipping occurs on any system anyways so it is irrelevant. All things considered, trading guilds are very nice communities and offers raffles and so on, not sure if I'm ready for seeing them gone but I can see both sides of the argument.

Sauce_Revolution

Guild Traders

I like the guild trader concept but I think there should be a way to sell without being in a guild.

Maybe you can sell at a guild's trader if you're not a member but you can only list one item at a time and the guild takes a larger than normal cut? That way it's still better to sell through a guild properly.

blacksghost

The guild trader system as stands with the addition of a global pricing system. Not the limited data collection thing that is MM.

Let traders be instanced so that every guild wanting a trader has one