Deal with Ghost Traders

Gaangreen

One explanation if you dont know what it is:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/396779/what-to-do-about-ghost-traders

How come ZOS has never addressed this problem? Its a clear exploit to the trading system and ruins the integrity of the bidding system.
On PS4 NA there is a whole network of guild traders orchestrated by basically one person telling their group where to bid. They can still keep their network on discord or wherever and not bid against one another, but they should still risk being outbid by an outsider just like anyone else without a backup plan. Thats the game and its true intent. If the developers cant give us that fairness, we are owed a better trading system.

The whole scheme has caused a inflation of trader bids, caused a ton of corruption, made a lot of small guilds have a hard time even getting the cheapest of small/mid city traders. And so much more.

I honestly think it could be a simple coding fix by doing the following:
Each trader has a variable set to true right after trader change if it was bid anytime during the week. That variable would reset to false on Friday(2 days before change over, so guilds can bid)
If that trader has been bought that week, its set to true til Friday.

If trader has been bought, also bid and hire would be disabled if for any reason that trader no longer has a guild to represent.

Please pass this on to someone who can do something about this exploit @ZOS_GinaBruno

Mr_Walker

Simplest solution to this is to unilaterally disband the ghost trader and the parent trader involved, with the immediate deletion of all gold/items in guild bank.

DreadKnight

It's becoming a problem on Xbox too - Traders that don't sell anything taking top trader spots, but for what? why do they do it? what do they gain? I can only reason that there are some pretty sick people in the game that resort to such idiotic actions.

Gaangreen

Lol that would be ok too, but im sure that would take a lot of investigation and other footwork. Fixing the exploit would be a good first step. And dealing with the economy would hopefully just slowly work itself out. @Mr_Walker

Mr_Walker

Gaangreen wrote: »

Lol that would be ok too, but im sure that would take a lot of investigation and other footwork. Fixing the exploit would be a good first step. And dealing with the economy would hopefully just slowly work itself out. @Mr_Walker

True, it MIGHT slowly work itself out, but I prefer people crying tears of blood because they just got spanked hard for exploiting the system.

Gaangreen

@DreadKnight on ps4 they do it for profit and control of who has the best spots. Usually most people only shop the fist 2-3 traders in some of thr cities. Say if they buy a trader for 1 million, a guild that didnt win will be desperate and they can charge 2 million. Numbers are made up but the idea is there.

In a very distant second, someone else wont be able to buy that trader. But that is hardly their end goal. They dont make money that way. They would rather have someone under their thumb.

Gaangreen

Me too @Mr_Walker me too. I have heard one of the leaders running this racquet. This is their life and it would crush them in the best way losing it all

Mr_Walker

When you say that it's actually kind of sad gaangreen.

Gaangreen

Lol, you dont know how cruel and exploitive this person is. A true sociopath

linlilia

Easier solution: Each guild can only have 1 named trader a week in non-pvp zones.........So if they try to go to a different trader they get blocked............

kypranb14_ESO

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but... After reading what a ghost trader is, it sounds like fair play to me.

Gaangreen

@linlilia a ghost guild doesnt care if thry get another trader in the week, they have nothing to sell. A large guild wont have a trader to begin with and are buying because they lost their bid.

@kypranb14_ESO how is it fair when they are using an exploit to their advantage? Traders are available to be bid on during the week. If you fail, you dont get a trader. The game wasn’t designed for backup plans or you would have a 1st option bid, 2nd option 3rd etc.

kypranb14_ESO

@Gaangreen Explain to me how this is an exploit? I'm not trying to be an ass, but calling this an exploit seems like calling LA weaving an exploit. Unless I'm missing something.

Gaangreen

@kypranb14_ESO Once a trader has been hired for the week, it should be that guilds for the entire week or there would be an option to release him from your service. The gm or officers do not have that option. By some other means, these people are abusing the game code for their advantage.

kypranb14_ESO

Gaangreen wrote: »

@kypranb14_ESO Once a trader has been hired for the week, it should be that guilds for the entire week or there would be an option to release him from your service. The gm or officers do not have that option. By some other means, these people are abusing the game code for their advantage.

Ok, now I understand. It makes sense now.

Gaangreen

If what I proposed cant be done, upon the ghost guilds disbanding...the next logical option should be to be award it to the next highest bidder.