Should Auction House be Public or Guild only?

tordr86b16_ESO

They could add zone based auction houses, one auction house for each zone in the game. This way you can provide specific items to people suited for that level range...

I also agree with posters in this thread, trading in this game is punishing. The C.O.D feature they have given us is outright lame, the "postage fee" is simply based on the amount of gold you want for the item. It should be based on the value of said item multiplied by the amount you're trying to sell.

nidriks

I actually like the limited Auction House in ESO. In fact, I'd actually rather there were no Auction houses at all. I miss the old days of EQ with players lining the walls of the Commons Tunnel shouting their wares.

Auction houses take away player interraction and they result in no skill to pricing of your wares. You jump in to the AH look up the price someone else is selling an item for and use that as a guide. More often than not I'd find it all ends up being a case of who can undercut by the smallest amount. I'd put an item up for a reasonable price and someone would come on and undercut me by a gold piece, or whatever the currency may be.

Yeah, I can accept middle ground, before anyone souts at me. I'd be happy with an auction house where you can't see the price trend, but is that even possible.

I'd like to see more shouting of wares and less automatic windows. MMOs are supposed to be a social experience, not one of opening windows and searching, all by yourself.

"Selling assorted wares at torch 1"

Greydog

Vorpedagel wrote: »

No to public AH. Just stop being so lazy.

No to a global AH ..yes for greater access to a larger market. (stop being so stingy)

Botting and gold selling can't really get much worse than it is now so, again, we can safely debunk those arguments.

- You think prices are too high ..don't pay them.
- You think prices are too low ..buy everything up and set your own. (of course then you become the problem)
- You like old school trading ..go stand in the market and spam.

I don't understand what it is about mindless tedium that folks find so appealing?

StuppyJoe

I gather that "no-ah" is rather a hot button issue. On a practical front, I feel that it is killing guild functionality and I will unsubscribe before (well before) my 30 days are up. Feel free to express your superiority and ignore the problem.

Seraseth

As I posted in the inventory management thread, also applicable here

Seraseth wrote: »

sgeffre wrote: »

This is a real problem, and it's causing people to not want to play the game, myself included. You should be worried about that because the less subscribers there are, the less likely the game will continue at all.

This is also the position I find myself in. I love the core of the game. I love the questing, the combat, the skills system, gathering, crafting.

But because of a couple of major flaws in the side systems (inventory, and lack of AH) I find myself seriously considering not subscribing. It's a real shame to really enjoy the core of the game but be turned off playing by some side features.

The problem is, I want the game to succeed and improve, so I want to pay my sub and support it. But at the same time, I don't want ZOS to take my continued sub as a sign I'm happy with the game. So I really don't know if I will be subscribing after my free month is over, and that's very depressing.

rioinsigniab16_ESO

Zenimax wanted some form of "regional" economies. I get that. And I support that design decision. It's worked before but it needs the right setup to do it. ESO can do it, but the current situation is ...well....crap.

I'd therefore suggest that perhaps there should be regional economies in the form of the countries (skyrim, etc, etc). Or perhaps factional ones. Once we hit the Veteran levels we can apparently visit each faction, so that gives people the chance to "flit" between the faction AH's.

At the moment, the guild stores and the UI for them are a right royal pain in the ass (e.g. no name filtering). And I personally think a global game AH is a little *too* simplistic (I won't go into details here on that statement).

Hence, I haven't voted because none of the options are valid for me.

Seraseth

rioinsigniab16_ESO wrote: »

Zenimax wanted some form of "regional" economies. I get that. And I support that design decision. It's worked before but it needs the right setup to do it. ESO can do it, but the current situation is ...well....crap.

I'd therefore suggest that perhaps there should be regional economies in the form of the countries (skyrim, etc, etc). Or perhaps factional ones. Once we hit the Veteran levels we can apparently visit each faction, so that gives people the chance to "flit" between the faction AH's.

At the moment, the guild stores and the UI for them are a right royal pain in the ass (e.g. no name filtering). And I personally think a global game AH is a little *too* simplistic (I won't go into details here on that statement).

Hence, I haven't voted because none of the options are valid for me.

So you'd probably prefer something like #3

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/80741/poll-auction-house-guild-stores-options

(couldn't figure out how to make it an actual poll)

rioinsigniab16_ESO

Seraseth wrote: »

So you'd probably prefer something like #3

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/80741/poll-auction-house-guild-stores-options

(couldn't figure out how to make it an actual poll)

#2 or #3 is best imo.

nidriks

rioinsigniab16_ESO wrote: »

At the moment, the guild stores and the UI for them are a right royal pain in the ass (e.g. no name filtering). And I personally think a global game AH is a little *too* simplistic (I won't go into details here on that statement).

To be fair, if we all made a concious decision to go back the the methods of old, and interract with one another, then hopefully there'd be more people selling wares over chat and no need to have to use searches for what you want to buy.

I know you can't search chat for an item you want to buy, but you can advertise that you want to buy something.

I will say that perhaps the game needs a better listing of available channels (a trade channel, for instance) and this forum could do with a trade sub forum...if that would work.

Massively Multiplayer Online Games are losing part of their Massively Multiplayer all the time. The social that was once in these games gets less and less all the time. I miss the interraction of Everquest where you had to group for experience and had to talk to people to make sales. What's so bad about having to find what you want to buy by meeting people?

I remember playing Vanguard and working really hard to be the best jeweller I could. I felt a sense of achievement advertising my wares in chat and having people know my name, and asking me to make stuff, because they'd seen me selling. I don't think you get that with automated Auction Houses. Do you really take much notice of the name of the person who made the sword you just bought from a list of them?

rioinsigniab16_ESO

@nidriks I completely agree with the inclusion of a Trade Chat. I'm actually surprised it was implemented already. That is one of the "no brainers" in the MMO world. It should have been implemented without the need for someone to suggest it in the forums. To be honest, ESO took me by surprise. Because the design of the game reminds me a lot of earlier MMO's. It's just a shame that some of the little things are missing, like a trade chat channel.

I've always believed that one can go too far with "convenience". There comes a point were too much convenience in an MMO results in the depth of content being eroded away. To the point whereby there is very little depth left in the gameplay. All because of certain design decisions made by devs who really should know better.

And that, is exactly where I think certain other MMO's are at the moment (I'm looking at you SWTOR).

nidriks

Seraseth wrote: »

So you'd probably prefer something like #3

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/80741/poll-auction-house-guild-stores-options

(couldn't figure out how to make it an actual poll)

Stores is something I could handle. If I could have my own personal store, with my own personal storekeeper.

This was how SWG did things, and boy I loved that game.

Perhaps it is even the best of both worlds. You can have an AH-style window that is searchable and you clearly have the name of the seller available to you. You can browse easily and take note of who makes the stuff you want. You can then chat to them if you want something else.

Would it work in ESO? I don't know. The megaserver structure does put a cog in the works, but I am sure there is a way.

It's an idea.

rioinsigniab16_ESO

@nidriks Personal stores....forgot about those. There could be a store with an npc. You select the player name and get a list of the wares they are selling?

Wouldn't that be coming dangerously close to an AH?

Perhaps...just perhaps......*if* Zenimax included that idea in a fully in-depth housing design feature...then who knows....ESO could actually become the new home for fans of SWG, Vanguard and the like? I *really* hope that what we're seeing now isn't the fully scope of what Zenimax have in mind for the game.

Ahem, sorry about that, going off on a tangent there

nidriks

rioinsigniab16_ESO wrote: »

@nidriks Personal stores....forgot about those. There could be a store with an npc. You select the player name and get a list of the wares they are selling?

Wouldn't that be coming dangerously close to an AH?

Yeah I know what you mean, but I really liked the way it worked in SWG.

I'm rusty but this is how I remember it. There were terminals in the cities that acted as an AH, but I believe they were limited to a price. I used them to advertise that I made pets (I was a creature handler and bio-engineer...god, that game had the best design...but I digress ) and I would put samples of those pets up on those terminals without a price. Potential buyers would get a location for my store from the advert and could come and visit me.

Of course that probably won't work in ESO as the game doesn't have the player cities that SWG had. Should the game ever have housing/guild halls then it certainly could work.

Now I think about it, EQ2 had a system whereby you could visit a player's home to buy their items or play a fee and get it from the in-game AH. That would work with housing in ESO, but I'm not sure it could work without housing...unless there was a bazaar-style zone where you place sellers (EQ).

I suppose EQ's bazaar would be something to consider. People hated it at the time because it removed the Commons Tunnel (or whatever your server had for it's market lcoation), but it's better than an AH.

MercyKilling

Streega wrote: »

Global AH is a paradise for the gold-sellers,

For all that say this I reply:

Because the current system is so good at keeping them away, right?
A global AH that everyone can use is better than locking stores away behind PvP and guild membership where you can only sell to members of your guild and their associates.

rioinsigniab16_ESO

@nidriks Your memory is correct about SWG. You could preview a list of what's for sale, and even order it via the terminals. But you had to go to the actual planet to pick it up. Hence requiring some travel time. When you got to the player shop, there could be others in the same town, where you'd check out THEIR prices as well....making a note of the location of the town. So you could visit it again sometime when you want to shop. I loved that system. You are correct about EQ2's system as well.

Side note: I believe Eve Online has a similar setup in that you have to travel to the regional economy to pick up the purchase.

I think you're right though, there could be a "preview" system available in the major towns. Players could look up item prices. ALL available sales would be listed.

Factional specific economic system
The players would have to travel either to the other faction (in the case of factional AH system) or perhaps have the item delivered (e.g. if the player can't go to the other faction yet). That "delivery cost" could replace the "guild tax" that the current system has. Alternatively, if a player wanted to negate the cost, then they could go and get the item from the other economy system themselves.

Zone specific economic system
Same as above, however, there wouldn't be any factional issues. Players would either still need to travel to the "originating" zone for the item. Or opt to have it delivered in the mail (delivery cost).

Player "Shop" system
Same as above, except that players have to visit the actual player "shop" to get the item, or have it delivered at an additional cost (as per above). Such a system could be connected with player housing, and/or utilise some form of UI in the cities.

User interface
"Auction Broker" npcs could exist in the towns / cities which grant players access to a list of items being sold, where they are being sold from and the price. In the case of the first two suggestions, Auction Brokers in the "originating zones" for the sales would hold the items for sale. In the latter, there could be a servant npc that can be the "interface" for the player housing shop.


Notes
There are a number of good reasons to have "splintered" economic systems. Of course, such economies aren't as convenient as a global AH system. However, they have their benefits. One of the advantages of the above is that an optional "delivery cost" provides a good mechanism to get people to travel and so it allows for regional / factional economic systems. Something that cannot be done in a global AH. With a global AH you must pay the tax regardless.

And...if they implemented a locked dye system (once applied, can't be changed), and the ability to find rare recipes (not just the books).....NOW you're talking about a good crafting / economic system

rioinsigniab16_ESO

MercyKilling wrote: »

Streega wrote: »

Global AH is a paradise for the gold-sellers,

For all that say this I reply:

Because the current system is so good at keeping them away, right?
A global AH that everyone can use is better than locking stores away behind PvP and guild membership where you can only sell to members of your guild and their associates.

Neither situation helps with the gold selling issue. Gold sellers are even creating their own pseudo-trade guilds to entice people to join them so they can do their dastardly deeds.