Market Wards vs AH

[Xzen]

Since you've mentioned efficence, let's talk about efficence.

Market wards serve their purpose, you can get every item you need in acceptable times. Even faster the more features and search improvement are implemented, because let us say is clearly, there's NO feature included in any AH that can't be implemented in the market wards system.

Market wards are already implemented. They already have an engine, and any function that's to be added to them can be programmed on top of a solid base.

On the other hand, an AH may be (for some) somewhat faster. Maybe you gain 30 seconds with them. if you're lucky. They don't exist in the game, and they would have to be programmed in from scratch. Every single function and feature.

This game needs a lot of work, in a lot of fields. Quests, Solo content, Guild content, transportation, battle system, server-side optimization, UI optimization... I could go on for several lines.

Now, I'd much rather see them dedicate all the development resources to URGENT changes and additions listed above, improving my overall enjoyment of the game and giving me a lot more things to do, than to replace a system that's NOT broken with a completely different and new one that would make me save 30 seconds. Especially when those 30 seconds can be saved anyway by improving the existing system little by little with new features.

This is what I call efficency.

The implementation of an AH (just because some people can't fathom the sole possibility that alternative methods to the familiar ones can ultimately work just as well) would be mostly redundant.
Using precious development resources/time, in a game that requires a LOT of work (IE: a lot of resources/time) across the board, to implement a redundant system is *not* what I call efficent.

People demanding the implementation of an AH simply have no idea of the concept of "priorities" and would need a big injection of the concept of "realism".

^ This. At this point an AH will not save this game but the other features he mentioned that are more "Urgent" will. Let's patch up the holes in our ship and keep it from sinking before we worry about fixing that wobbly hand rail.

[Seif]

Just put the AH in already please. Many players are using bad gear in parties because they don't even want to go into that mess.

[Abriael]

Just put the AH in already please. Many players are using bad gear in parties because they don't even want to go into that mess.

Yep, using development resources/time in a game that needs a lot of work across the board in order to implement a redundant system is EXACTLY what the game needs right now. Rite?

[Aion]

Just put the AH in already please. Many players are using bad gear in parties because they don't even want to go into that mess.

bad gear? well almost all player around me seems using overranked gears.... i dont know how they get those beside in wards...

[Sterling]

i feel as though the market wards are fine for now.. move on with something else. like O say. content??

[Xfraze]

Why not just program something that can be done from a centralized UI element? Why waste my time with loading and walking to a person with a star over their head? I'd rather walk up to a counter, and look at a list... and make a purchase.

Would you like to know what part of an AH cannot be implemented in a Market Ward system?

Convenience.

I personally like the concept of the Market Ward, but believe it needs to be polished more. The thing I love about this game are the little things like needing to wander around and find your goods. It really gives you the feeling that you're the character (no, I don't RP). I think that was the intent of SE when they designed the system, and because of that, I think that having just a UI you browse through would ruin that. By the same token, I think some convenience should be implemented, particularly a search function when you're trying to find a particular item, and possible a new interface window you can bring up while in the Market Ward without having to talk to an NPC or wander to the exit.

So you bring up the interface, type in the name of the item you want directly (or browse as the current feature lets you), and then you get a list of people who are selling that item and what ward they are on. From there, you can wander over to them, browse their wares, buy the item, and rinse and repeat.

What's nice about this, as far I think at least, is that you get some of the convenience of an AH (particularly a more focused search feature) and for those selling items (and for those buying) you can still have little gems in your retainer's list of products to entice players to spend more (and buyers might find additional deals).

[Hooptymobile]

At a certain time (random so no-one will know when) Caravans (selling hq gear items etc). could visit nearby the 3 towns (or perhaps near one etc). The special currency can be gathered only from killing mobs in an instanced dugeon (in a certain size group ; maybe 6-12 etc ). The Caravan sells the items at the developers the control of the pricing. The item can be sold in bazaars and the Market Ward. Finally the caravan will appear 2 times a month or once every 2 months etc. This infrequency would help discourage gill sellers and give gamers a limited Auction House. Giving gamers ample time to party and do instanced runs (and this infrequency of having a vendor selling rare items) would discourage gill-sellers and give gamers high quality gear to work for.

Also every 4 to 6 months have a 2 week auction shop appear where people can sell their items.Think of this as a special event (where for a small span of time an auction shop will exist (say in the smaller towns) and the purpose will not be merely for purchasing hq gear w/ special currency. Rather this 2 week AH shop will serve for people to use an Auction House in the same manner as FFXI. On a side note: (by placing reasonable restrictions on how many items a person can sell in bulk during the 2 week auction events, this would also discourage gill sellers illegal activity as well as giving developers time and window of opportunity to catch anyone that is willing to improperly abuse the AH in favor of gil selling.

[Thinking aloud]: There must be a way to govern how often a person can sell the same item or multiples of a gathered item (like bulk weapons of high value or sets of materials in unusually large volumes repeatedly). Perhaps a limit of the items sold based on its value not valuing over a certain gil cap total value to disccourage gillselling etc. So if you have 9999crystals you cannot sell over 4 stacks of 9999 in a 24hrs period or a 48hr period (Im just making it up as i go nothing set in stone) if you do try to sell more of any item like you will be refused to be allowed to place that many of the item on the AH. It would be regulated fairly and realistically enough to give gamers a chance to utilize the AH to sell lots of there items cluttering there inventory or that they would simply like to offer, but also hinder any gill sellers attempts at abusing the 2 week Auction House event.

These are concepts ideas for a better more versatile game regarding the option of a limited Auction House , and Caravan concept (encouraging instanced runs). Please feel free to brainstorm upon my ideas or help me to get this noticed by the developers. I am not exactly a "forum-savvy" individual but I would like to offer some form of contribution to the enhancement of this amazing game. ~Hooptymobile

[Wynn]

I love the market wards in their current incarnation. I don't see the need to put in a list AH just because a bunch of Verucas are too lazy to spend the extra 30 seconds required to go pick up their item. Honestly, that's all it comes down to.

The only valid concern, to me, is the whole plus item thing. You can't currently tell what is a plus item and what is regular. I'm sure that will be addressed in short order.

[Madrox]

I don't want an AH, the Market Wards could just use a little more tweaking as it already works well.

[kukurumei]

Wards as it currently stand is a bad imitation of AH. Except with slower responses, more hassle, more lag, and generally cumbersome.

It's like Making a bad attempt at AH and then put lots of lipstick on it.

It's not making an AH for the sake of not making an AH. In the end, just throw the stupid AH up, and make wards into something useful. Waste of resources trying to balance everything from retainer crashing to graphics loading.

Any old AH can be made in a matter of days, a week if you want to put some lipstick on the GUI. It's basically a database front end with pre-made search filters. An intern can make that for sakes.

It probably takes 10 times the effort to do something to wards/retainers then it is to make an AH from scratch. Complexity for the sake of Complexity.