I like the market wards

[Point_Zero]

Yeah I think the system is PERFECT the way it is

[Evangela]

I HATE IT!

[Nabiri]

Yay market wards. ^-^ I love having something unique that works as well as an auction house.
I would like to see SE do something to spread people out to the other nations though.
I think being able to instantly travel from one ward to another nation's would help somewhat. (But only being able to exit through the way you came - so no free warp to another nation, just to their wards.)

[fredtma]

They are a waist of time because no one uses them.
Everyone just searches the item they want, which is equivalent to an AH except you have to walk to your item.
I don't think anyone goes to market and browses every individual NPC

[RinL]

What features specifically from the AH that are missing from the Marketwards are you missing?

Honestly, I like the simplicity of Auction Houses over how Market Wards work.

I agree that the current system we have in place works, but I have a hard time seeing why anyone would be against simplifying the situation. I understand how the OP can sort of immerse himself/herself in the fact that he is hiring a retainer to sell his/her items, but that is not something many players take into account. For the RP minded, I can see how the system would be neat.

The thing is, the current system is a hassle. Player have to zone in and out of different areas, use the search feature multiple times to mark npcs, and search through tons of different npcs to find the best deals.

Why go through all that trouble when you could just talk to an Auctioneer that is fencing goods from across all the different cities / areas? Use one menu to search for the different items you want, and purchase the auctions you think are going for a fair price. Visit your mailbox after making your purchases, and your done!

In the end, an Auction House would make things better on a few different levels. Its faster, simpler, and it would tie all the different cities together without causing a crowding issue with retainers.

Now id like to turn the question back on you if you dont mind - What about an Auction System dont you like? Why do you prefer the Market Wards over Auction Houses?

[RinL]

If you're going to make the statement that you want an AH or that an AH is better in some way from the MWs... then you need to specify exactly what kind of AH in detail.

There are many different ways to do them, so without specifics, your statements are essentially worthless.


I also like the MWs as is. Though someone made the point that it would be nice to see the crafter's name. I would like to see them add the Retainer's sponsor (the player's name) to the Retainer window somewhere so you can contact them if you would like to have specific consignments.

Also wanted to touch on this to go along with my previous post.

In my eyes, an Auction House in FF14 could be very similar to how the World of Warcraft has theirs set up.

Each town would have a main Auction House or Hall. Players could talk with the Auctioneers there to post their goods, or use the same interface to look for items they want.

Players selling their goods would place a bid and/or buyout price for others to use.

Buyers could then search for any item they want, and then place a bid or instantly buyout the item. This is all done without zoning and looking through different NPC's.

Thats a very quick description of a possible system, but I wanted to toss it out there in case anyone had any questions

[Dreamer]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I enjoy being able to browse the markets. My normal routine is to buy the specific item (if I'm looking for something specific), then I check a few of the surrounding retainers to see what they're selling as well. People seem to be so caught up in just going through everything so quickly that they simply don't take the time to enjoy the scenery.

[RinL]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I enjoy being able to browse the markets. My normal routine is to buy the specific item (if I'm looking for something specific), then I check a few of the surrounding retainers to see what they're selling as well. People seem to be so caught up in just going through everything so quickly that they simply don't take the time to enjoy the scenery.

There is indeed a role playing quality to the retainer system Dreamer, and I agree that it is fun for some people to browse these wards as they play.

The thing is, many players like being able to quickly finish their business and continue to play with their LS members or just progress like normal. Im sure there are others like me who simply don't have the time. I personally dont feel like using the market ward system at this point because its such a hassle to pick up multiple items. Having to zone out/in of different wards and search/flag multiple retainers is a pain, and browsing for the best price is even worse.

I would prefer a system where I could simply talk to a main Auctioneer type NPC, or interact with a single screen. Search the items I want and see the prices, then purchase the items I feel are being sold at a fair price. From there you can stop by a mailbox or your mog house, then boom! All done.

I guess it just seems like a big waste of time for those who don't enjoy the aesthetic part of the situation

[Enthy]

Below is walk-through of a Buy/Sell/Trade system I'd like to see in FFXIV.

As a Buyer I'd like to...

1: Be able to run up to a Buy/Sell/Trade counter that is universal within my server (Gridania, Ul'dah, Limsa Lominsa, Ishguard, City X, City Y, City Z, combined on the server I reside on)

2: That is Conveniently placed (scattered through-out the cities. Maybe 20 counters or so per city that are about 50 yalms or so apart to prevent people from clustering in one area of the cities.)

3: Be able to navigate an organized Buy/Sell/Trade menu (Armor fitters, Lower Tailors Row, Middle Tailors Row, Upper Tailors Row, and Jewelers Row's "Crown" and "Eye wear" Should be combined into a "Gear/Armor" category with the sub categories head,body,hands,wrist,waist,legs,feet) The rest of the current menu organization is fine (tanners section, woodcutters section, etc.)

4: See the exact price of "item X" and be able to buy multiples of "item X" for "visible price" without bidding on each item or cycling through the Buy/Sell/Trade menu repeatedly for each item.

5: Obtain the item i just purchased in my inventory immediately.

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As a Seller I'd like to...

6: 1,2, and 3.

7: Be able to look up the price history of items i wish to sell via in-game Buy/Sell/trade menu (rather than look it up on YellowGremlin web site etc.)and see the exact price of other peoples posted items.

8: Be able to place a decent amount of items to sell, both single and stacked.

9: Have the items I wish to sell posted for a decent amount of time (48 real life hours or whatever SE sees fit)

10: receive the gil from my sold items upon visiting a Buy/Sell/Trade counter.

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Things in red...

The things I wrote in red could cause problems.

With everyones asking price visible, undercutting other people becomes very easy.

Without price-visibility, people are forced to spend time guessing the price causing time consuming repeated bidding.
Also without price-visibility, I don't see how I could buy multiple amounts of ore or logs etc. without having to bid on each item. I think that would leave me with no choice but to buy a full stack for a set amount.

Feel Free to post your ideas about anything in this post. ^^

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As a Trader I'd like to...

11: 1,2, and 3.

12: See Listings of what people want and what they are willing to trade to get it.
For Example:
Jane Doe wants a "Joker Hat".
Jane Doe Goes to the Buy/Sell/Trade counter.
Jane doe navigates the menu as such; "gear/armor" --> "head" --> "people looking to trade head gear" --> (listing of people that want to trade their head gear)

Jane Doe finds the section of people trying to trade their "Joker Hats".

"Joker Hat" for "Black Boots" and 30,000gil
"Joker Hat" for "Gold helm"
"Joker hat" for "Glitter Coatee"

Jane Doe has a "glitter Coattee" she is willing to trade for a "Joker hat".
Jane Doe makes trade.

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Retainer Bazzars...

I do like the idea of having a bazzar mule but i don't think our main Buy/Sell/Trade system should be set up the way it is at the moment.
I'd say combine all market wards and increase capacity (to get rid of zoning).
Increase Bazzar size (maybe to full inventory).
Allow only one retainer to bazzar at a time (to prevent retainer cluttering).
Keep the item search feature.

I know theres flaws in this section of my post, feel free to comment.

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RMT...

Unfortunately, the more convenient and functional a Buy/Sell/Trade system is, the more RMT thrive. I suggest that when it comes time for a "grand accomplishment" or something the equivalent of FFXI's Relic weapons, SE should makes accomplishing the qest require battles, guild marks, missions, and other things that do not require gil rather than a shopping frenzy that requires gil to obtain the items needed for a relic or whatever SE can think of for a "grand accomplishment".

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That's about all i can think of at the moment. Again, feel free to comment, agree, disagree, or point out flaws.

Thank You for reading~ ^ w ^)v

[Delsus]

and browsing for the best price is even worse.

Whats so bad about browsing for the best price when you get the lowest 10 prices in the search window, you look at the name of the retainer with the lowest price and the ward go to that retainer and bam your done.

I agree looking for multiple items can be a chore, but as people have already said in other forums, whats so much quicker about placing a bid for an item, waiting for the auction to end just to find you were outbit, then bid on another auction, wait for it to end then pick it up?

The alternative is ffxi's style which is blind bidding where you can be there for ages bidding 10k, 15k, 20k, 25k, 30k, then thinking that its too much so all you can do is wait around hoping another comes up or go for an alternative with the same process where as MWs show the actual prices.

The main problem is going to be how easy it is to undercut, just put your items up for a lower price which will eventually crash the market, this is the only issue that needs looking at with the MWs.