Why further enhancements to market wards?

[Chocobits]

So with the most recent letter from the producer, came anouncement of further improvements to the market wards. I still do not understand why it is necessary to improve a failing system and a system that ( according to industry standards ) noon wants. Why not take that manpower and create an AH system that is linked between all the cities so that we can finally scrap the market ward system. I understand that some players have grown accustomed to the wards and have learned to go about day to day business as usual with that in place. However, if this game ever plans to release on PS3 and plans to increase its numbers, market wards are only going to continue to be an issue due to the rapid increase in population. I also read the entire list and saw that there was no mention of a Mailbox or Mog House anywhere on the list. I am truly enjoying the recent and upcomming changes to the game, but still am not seeing any of the "big things" that made up the great FFXI infrastructure, comming to life in FFXIV. I know battle systems and armory systems take priority, but I wish that the dev's would announce plans for Mog House, Mailbox, and AH for the future. Alot of players have given up asking for these things, but I have played many MMO's and I do not ever see FFXIV growing to any form of population that can bring in decent revenue without them.

This is the current process of purchasing and equipping an entire set of gear using the FFXIV Market Ward system

Walk up to Wards
Select Item Search Counter
Select desired ward
Select desired catergory
Find Item
Select Item
Hit "Yes" button at bottom to track item
Select Market Wards
Select desired ward
Wait for loading screen
Run to desired retainer and select
Purchase desired item from retainer
Run back to the Market Ward window

Rinse and repeat about 5-10 times until you have a complete set of gear

Except it's more like a quest, so here's a quest write up. This applies to Ul'dah specifically but I'll make a quest write up for the other cities eventually.

Retention to Detail (Ul'dah)

Retainer Quest

Issuing NPC: Thaisie
Ul'dah (6-4, Inside the Adventurer's Guild)

Required Class: Any
Minimum Rank: 1
Previous Quest: N/A

Type: Market Ward
Unlocks: Ability to Sell
Rewards:
Appreciation for a real economy system present in other MMOs

Walkthrough:

Speak with Thaisie to hire your retainer. You'll be presented several frivilous race and feature options. Just rapidly pick something with strange colored skin and big boobs.

After selecting your Retainer's appearance, choose a ridiculous innuendo for a name (I chose "Fell Cleavage").

Walk all the way across town to the Market Wards.

To Purchase Items

Select Item Search Counter
Select the ward you *THINK* the item you're looking for would probably be in.
Search dozens of subcategories and hope you luck out finding the right one for the item(s) you're looking for.

IF by some miracle, you find the item you're looking for:

Select the item
Hit "Yes" button at bottom to track item
Remember the location of the cheapest vendor for that item!
Select Market Wards
Select desired ward
Wait for loading screen
Be assaulted with the worst elevator music ever invented
Wade through lag, running to the desired retainer
Target and speak to them
Purchase desired item from retainer
Wade through lag and run back to the Market Ward window
Rinse and Repeat several dozen times.

To Sell Items
Select Market Ward
Be assaulted with the worst elevator music ever invented
Choose any random ward you think best applies to the item(s) you're selling, the actual ward you choose has no bearing whatsoever
Wait for loading screen
Wade through lag and use the awkward menu to summon your Retainer
Target and speak to your Retainer
Trade the items to your retainer, individually or in quantities
Allow the server several seconds between each trade to catch up to what you're doing
Go into the Retainer's Bazaar submenu
Select an item, choose how many of that item you would like to sell, and the price
Close the menu, and the Retainer will give you a smart alecky comment. Every time..
Wade through lag and run back to the Market Ward window

To check your sales, repeat the above, wade through lag, speak to your Retainer, select the Currency submenu and see if there's anything there. If so, you can transfer it to your inventory