Market Wards vs AH

[rubina]

Market Wards are a giant step backwards in game design and that's the honest truth. Market Wards is simply a throw back to the lame market wards system that EQ1 deployed. Both are horrible and there is no excuse for not using a AH type system.

[Abriael]

Market Wards are a giant step backwards in game design and that's the honest truth. Market Wards is simply a throw back to the lame market wards system that EQ1 deployed. Both are horrible and there is no excuse for not using a AH type system.

Yep, because since a system works well in some games, it MUST be used in every game released henceforth, penalty of death!

Crap.. where's my RvR... it worked so well in DAOC...

[rubina]

Yep, because since a system works well in some games, it MUST be used in every game released henceforth, penalty of death!

Actually it works very well both in MMORPGs and real life sites. Take a look at the billions of RL dollars that pass through online store fronts & auction sites. The system works and it keeps customers happy.

[Xzen]

Actually it works very well both in MMORPGs and real life sites. Take a look at the billions of RL dollars that pass through online store fronts & auction sites. The system works and it keeps customers happy.

So do malls and other stores.... So I guess that means both are viable options?

[Abriael]

So do malls and other stores....

ZING.

10chars.

[kukurumei]

So do malls and other stores.... So I guess that means both are viable options?

If I could get my product in about an hour after I press buy, malls would die too.

The problem is market wards are slower then AH by order of times it takes to microwave your dinner.

[Verecund]

So do malls and other stores.... So I guess that means both are viable options?

Yeah... other stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble. Do they happen to sell newspapers? Because that would make me "lol" "irl"...

Having a 'sandbox'-type economy is a good idea on paper, but after it is implemented people will then start to gather towards a central economic hub (i.e. the zone with the best things going for it... in this case, Uld'ah). This usually happens anyway later down the road due to new content and zones. But, the problem with the Retainer system is that you can't access the game economy if people are not selling in your city, which inevitably leads to the evacuation of pretty much everything that isn't the 'Economic Hub'. Did I mention all this content just got figuratively thrown away?

Also, imagine what this would be like for new players now coming into the game... if their town (i.e. Gridania) has no one playing in it, they wouldn't have an economy to buy from, and they also might think that not so many players play the game. Etc.

[rubina]

So do malls and other stores.... So I guess that means both are viable options?

Actually not really. Do you expect a customer from the east coast to fly to the west coast just to visit a store front at a mall?

Zing? Grow up Abriael.

[Verecund]

Now that you mention it, if the PS3 release does bring in alot of players that are willing to stay, this could lead to some nasty congestion and server demand issues down the road

Maybe if they could somehow creatively utilize towns/hamlets/outdoor bazaars to ease the congestion, and at worst maybe place a hidden cap on the number of retainers the game will allow in a general area

[kukurumei]

Maybe if they could somehow creatively utilize towns/hamlets/outdoor bazaars to ease the congestion, and at worst maybe place a hidden cap on the number of retainers the game will allow in a general area

That's already in place... One of the problems of market wards. Jamming yourself to get a lower tax rate on a zone like DoW can prove to be futile.

Market wards are an ugly beast in terms of implementation.