Market Wards, enough is enough

[Amineri]

you guys really need to look at the moral implications of this, First you said you'd look at the AH system, also telling us you'd actually try to do something about it after the poll we had. Then disregard all of that.

basically lying to us, I can see a lot of people quiting.

From Letter X

Planned: Examination of an auction house system
Current Task: Final examination of retainer and auction house systems
Future Task: Initial planning following final decision

This says they are still studying the situation. It's not their #1 or even #2 issue right now. But, it is still being looked at.

I would say that all of the following are more important than an AH:
(a) Battle system (b) Dungeons (c) New synthesis recipes (d) Gil and Item inflation issues (e) Materia System (f) Chocobos / mounts (g) Grand Companies (h) Ifrit battle (i) New quest content (j) New NMs (k) Job System

So, they patch up the Market Wards, add other content, but continue to study the auction house and how it fits in THIS game.

Edit: by the way, the above is ELEVEN different tasks. Then consider that there are SIX different dungeons planned (r30 and r50 for three areas). Also add targetting (a big deal for some), patcher issues, special events, the need to create new animations. Suddenly that 100 person team is looking spread a little thin.

So, which of the above should be dropped in order to implement an auction house?

[Gracious]

I may quit over this. I really feel mislead and disappointed.

[Coldbrand]

Bleh, I don't want a boring old AH again. I love feeling like I got a deal, or panicking to rush to a retainer who has something so cheap that I worry others might be hunting for it too. Just make it less tight and flesh out the zone into what feels like a real area, and not a fire hazard looking little death trap.

[polyhedral]

So go to the other boards, if NA suck so bad. Hell, I think most of us are tired of reading your NA bashing anyway.

To assume we're all _____ and you're _____. Screw the labels already, let's get right down to the root of the problem.

[Amineri]

I think another issue with the market wards crashing is because SE isn't charging for extra characters, or for accounts at all. Each "power-seller" (and here I am not referring to RMT specifically) essentially becomes kind of like them.

Specifically : one player, buys two accounts. Each account has the full eight characters, and each character has the two retainers. That's 32 retainers, from one player. Any more questions as to why the market wards are so crowded, when there are so few players?

This set-up is viable because there is no cost associated with having so many characters / retainers. Other than the up-front cost of buying the retail box, the monthly charge is currently ZERO. Based on the original pricing structure 8 characters would cost $24, and the extra retainer on each an additional $8. On top of the $10 base cost, a maxed out account would be costing $42 a month. Two such accounts would be $84 a month. Currently players are getting this for free.

So, when the "PS3 relaunch" comes, how many players will keep paying $84 a month to keep all of these excess retainers? A few, but likely not the majority.

All that said, the markets do need to address an additional influx of players.

edit: A possible solution is for SE to drop the $1 a month charge for retainers, and charge a weekly in-game fee for each retainer past the first. This creates a new gil sink, and provides a benefit / cost associated with additional retainers. They could even implement an increasing cost to each further retainer (e.g. first retainer free, second retainer 16k gil a month, third retainer 256k gil a month, fourth retainer 4M gil a month, or something like that).

[Yves]

The amount of clicks required to search and buy an item in xi ah is identical to xiv (tested and factual). The only difference is the time required to go to the NPC.

Less QQ more pew-pew please.

[Leeloo]

The amount of clicks required to search and buy an item in xi ah is identical to xiv (tested and factual). The only difference is the time required to go to the NPC.

Less QQ more pew-pew please.

Running back n forth from mog house to AH vs. calling retainer up right there also -shrugs-

[Kiote]

Seeing as this is such a ridiculously volatile argument I think it is only reasonable to ask Square to do another new survey. I think the community is pretty split down the middle. The numbers from the last survey are completely unreliable as they did not specifically ask about this. They instead asked where this issue was prioritized in the community. If they want to preserve their player base this question must be answered.

Personally I am of the opinion that this argument is unnecessary. If you want to satisfy both sides of the argument you need only add and AH with taxes on it to create a gil sink and simultaneously remove the taxes from the market wards. The market wards will then become their intended purpose of a Rollenmart deterrent.

[Amineri]

Seeing as this is such a ridiculously volatile argument I think it is only reasonable to ask Square to do another new survey. I think the community is pretty split down the middle. The numbers from the last survey are completely unreliable as they did not specifically ask about this. They instead asked where this issue was prioritized in the community. If they want to preserve their player base this question must be answered.

Personally I am of the opinion that this argument is unnecessary. If you want to satisfy both sides of the argument you need only add and AH with taxes on it to create a gil sink and simultaneously remove the taxes from the market wards. The market wards will then become their intended purpose of a Rollenmart deterrent.

Seeing the confusion just in this thread about what "auction house" means, a poll is probably a bad idea. Unless the poll gets into details about just what features of 'auction house' or 'market wards' are being talked about, and, let's face it, most players don't care enough to get into that kind of detail.

In addition, such a poll would NOT be representative, but would only represent those that are (a) currently playing the game, and (b) interested enough to bother to respond to the poll.

A random survey would probably be more effective, imho.

[Kilta_Firelotus]

Btw an AH should not be a price determiner. Make your own price up. (which is how stuff start anyway) I played ffxi when they added new stuff on the AH like all the lvl 78 gear.... they were 50K a peice before stablizing. Make up your own price and see if people buy it. If not lower the price a bit. Items rarely stay "rare" after a while in mmo.