Further proof that the market wards are a festival of failure.

[Dreamer]

The current market wards can be fixed - they simply suffer from the same lack of polish that we see in the rest of the game. What people want is speed and convenience, and it's much easier to streamline the current system for speed and convenience than it is to implement an entirely new system.

People don't understand that there is so much more that can be done with the current system than a traditional house. Ever notice that our retainers have levels? The system seems to be set up in such a way as to allow for further expansion. Imagine being able to sort your retainers wares into different categories for easy browsing. The current unused retainer levels could be utilized to modify transaction fees, or even make it so that your company members pay a reduced rate. Imagine being able to set your retainer up with the necessary materials and then place him or her in the Mender's Ward to offer repairs using your own DoH skillset.

Imagine that once your retainer reaches a certain level, your stalls are upgraded to full storefronts that can hold both retainers and offer better customization and name recognition services (I would love to be able to put up a giant banner in front of my stall to let everyone know that the Ardarose Bakery is open for business).

Could you do most of the above with a traditional auction house? Sure. But the market ward lends itself to these types of expansions more naturally, and it's far more likely to happen if they don't have to spend the time to create a new auction house system from scratch.

Like pretty much everything in this game, the market wards DO have potential. I'd much rather see them try their hand with something uniue and potentially more engaging than the systems we already know and are most familiar with.

[normalforce]

Joke post?

Nope. Not sure what part you were thinking of.

[Kiroh]

I agree with the sentiment of the OP, but not quite the wording. Festival implies it might actually be fun... =/

[Viridiana]

Which would make such a system useless.

I'd rather see the Amazon model implemented which is essentially what the MW's are, but it just needs more tweak and fixes to get it right.

Agreed, pretty much. Only thing is, I still think the most. . . efficient? cost effective? way to fix it is basically to let us buy from the (slightly modified) search window.

[Chezen]

In response to Dreamer's excellent post.

From the interviews on youtube and my own observations, it's been clear to me that the devs are trying to create a semi-realistic and completely immersive fantasy world. I'm not saying they have been completely successful at it so far, but some people really are too stuck on mmo fastfood to see it. There are some people who really are here to play the DoH and DoL, and, especially if what Dreamer suspects is true, the market wards are especially for them. Those of a battle nature have an expansive world (under construction) to go fight. Those of a crafting nature will have a market to use their imagination with. Is it fair to demand an AH just because it's inconvenient to you?

That being said, I understand the point everyone has about overcrowding, and I do think it's a problem. But I'm more inclined to think that they have further designs in mind to deal with that, than that that they just didn't consider it altogether.

Se is embarking into unknown territory. There is bound to be some bumps, and even major upsets along the way. But I'm along for the ride. Watching this new mmo unfold will be an adventure in itself.

[Rydin]

WOW...
Many points....

1. We really don't know what the majority wants? I see just as many people who like the market ward as those who want an AH... Polls kind of help gauge the will of the people... but then the people who are dissatisfied are far more likely to participate... So in the end.... please stop using random assumption based statements like "the majority of players" and "I speak for most people" because you dont... none of us do... I speak for me... you speak for you....

2. People talk about the market ward being inconvenient... but this is a very short sighted stance... the bigger and more important issue is if a large amount of players were to pour into the game.... Will the market wards in their current state, be able to even remotely accommodate the sudden influx of retainers? Would this influx be offset by the amount of retainers that go away when the game is no longer free to play?
500,000 players with 1 character (2 retainers) each
or under 50,000 players but with max alts and retainers (16 retainers)

3. HQ items... should be included in the search and I have to believe thats coming....

4. Mail/Delivery has been mentioned, its been on the future plans table.... They know we need it... So really not a factor unless you're impatient and you want it NOW as opposed to square working on the content that makes you even want to buy stuff.... But I know none of you would even dare working against the community like that....

5. Fine, let's talk about convenience then.... Takes a little extra to go to the actual retainer.... but with the server optimization coming, it should get faster, although, the extra time is no deal breaker, and the trade off is a unique selling environment. I do enjoy the retainer names and seeing retainers from my LS mates.... I like the personal feel of buying from a character and not a window. I wouldn't be upset or rage quit if it went menu based... but the system now has its charms

6. (and most importantly) the MW's could use a physical redesign.... I know what they were going for.... smaller wards so you can quickly find the right retainer.... I don't know what the solution would be... but it seems they could stand to be physically restructured so they don't look so fuster clucky and chaotic... The right design could reduce lag, increase ward stability and Its a great way to stay in shape

[Draco]

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...-Auction-House

56 Respondants for Time and Convenience/non auctionhouse unique features vs 4 for actual bidding/unique auction house features.

OMG 54 Responses..... wow.... i think i have to rethink my opinion... Ok, nope, my opinion still stands firm. It is pretty funny how you left out the hundreds of thousands of people that purchased the game and stopped playing, in large amount due to all the simple and consistant systems that are not represented in this MMO. Your post is about what YOU want. What YOU feel.... not what is best to bring back hundreds of thousands of people back to this game. And no, I am not saying that putting in an AH and Mog House will bring them back. However, it is a huge start to implementing systems that are just missing from this game. You add all those systems MH, AH, Chocobo, Airship, MAILBOX, along with current battle/animation changes, throw in some huge world map changes, finally release the company and player run company system, and bam... you have yourself a new MMO.

[Kiote]

My one and only problem with the Market Wards is the people who just post there retainers in a Ward and never take them out.. Half the wards are filled with empty retainers that only have 1 useless item on them. To that point I think SE need only implement a system that kicks retainers out of the Wards similar to how items were removed from the AH in XI after 7 days.

As far as mailing items to a player is concerned I feel that would take as long or longer than just entering the ward and buying the items so the argument doesn't sway me.

I agree that we need an HQ search and I am starting to favor connecting the Three City's wards simply because no one actually uses Gridania and LL on my server..

[Kiote]

OMG 54 Responses..... wow.... i think i have to rethink my opinion... Ok, nope, my opinion still stands firm. It is pretty funny how you left out the hundreds of thousands of people that purchased the game and stopped playing, in large amount due to all the simple and consistant systems that are not represented in this MMO. Your post is about what YOU want. What YOU feel.... not what is best to bring back hundreds of thousands of people back to this game. And no, I am not saying that putting in an AH and Mog House will bring them back. However, it is a huge start to implementing systems that are just missing from this game. You add all those systems MH, AH, Chocobo, Airship, MAILBOX, along with current battle/animation changes, throw in some huge world map changes, finally release the company and player run company system, and bam... you have yourself a new MMO.

I'm fairly certain most people left the game because of the UI and the lack of anything to do, but sure you can go on believing that people actually quit MMOs for lack of an Auction House.. That's realistic..

[Draco]

Everything can be manipulated. You need to think beyond manipulation and the RMT scare. You do the best with what you are given. FFXI had a great, and still has a great AH system. Yes, you can manipulate it, but do the ends justify the means?