Quote Originally Posted by Betelgeuzah View Post
Isn't it obvious? The marketplace already functions almost exactly like an AH, so the people asking for 'AH' are requesting SE to do a lot more work for little gain. The AH in this game is called the Marketplace, and some people have yet to realize that. Wake up, people. What we need is a Marketplace that functions like an AH, not 'an AH'.
My point exactly. People keep saying, "But the Wards are BETTER than an AH!" when the Wards are, in their current form, fundamental Auction Houses, just bloated and unintuitive.

People keep saying "I look forward to the extra functions of wards!" or "Wards could be superior to AHs!" without elaborating. Retainers? They can be kept as mules - they're nothing more than banks or mog houses, and it could be set up easily so we could access them outside of Wards areas. What other "benefits" could we see?

Market Wards were designed to be bazaar-style shopping, with a luck-based rummage sale sort of mentality. Those wards died the second the search feature was added. People keep talking "Wards" and "AHs" but they're speaking of the *exact same thing* at this point. I repeat: Market Wards as a concept as dead. The current "Market Wards" are basic, featureless Auction Houses, and it's silly to keep talking about them as if they're some new original invention and not the same old (but tried and true AH) economic system every other MMO has.