Any word on when we will get an Auction House?

[quantumsaint]

You're a level-headed person, Chezen. Tell me why you think MW are better than an AH. I'm not poking fun, just honestly curious.

[Chezen]

You're a level-headed person, Chezen. Tell me why you think MW are better than an AH. I'm not poking fun, just honestly curious.

I don't think they are "better". I think they are fun. I like searching for the items, and I like the quiet Wards. I like that they are, in my opinion, an oasis to the busy streets of Uldah.

When I go to the wards, I look up what I want and go to the retainer, who is often decked out in what they are selling, which I think is cute. I also like all the names people come up with for their retainers, it's entertaining.

When I find my item, I'll look and see what else that seller is selling. Then I might browse some of the retainers nearby, or check a few of the others selling the items I want, in case they are +1/2/3. If I am trying to craft something, I'll sit down and craft and... oop, I forgot something. Run off and find what I'm missing, and then craft right there in the quiet. None of this is an experience I can get from an AH, except for browsing maybe.

This is just my opinion, and my experience. I don't think it's wrong to like to get your items and get moving to the areas another person thinks is fun, nor is it wrong that another sees the wards as lifeless and wants to see them more busy. If the Wards were to be kept at all, they would need to be rehauled in a way that would be appealing to more people. I understand that. But I'm personally the kind of person, that while I like some things to be fast paced, I also like to "stop and smell the roses" (although I might not want to smell what's in the Wards. They do look in need of a good cleaning ).

[CoolBlitz]

Issue is “unable to summon anymore retainer in this zone” meaning Uldah’s Ward

SE just need to give us the following
Increase maximum # of retainers capacity (will have it 1.19).
Be able to purchase items under the search menu.
Link/Combine up the three market wards.

[Seikninkuru]

I think they should do away with search feature, but that's me. I'd like for people who want to sell their wares to actually have to hawk it to other players. This set and forget shit is dumb.

[Chezen]

So quantumsaint, I have a question (and to anyone else who wishes to answer). You have a group of people who want immersion and interactive gameplay, and a group that just wants to do what they need to do and go. What do you do to turn the economy into an experience that lets those bypass it who want to, but others get fully involved with it?

My personal thoughts (not a programer here) and some ideas I've previously seen:

1. Let people buy from the search list. That would solve a lot of issues right there. Why make an AH when you can do that?

2. Remake the look of the wards so they are more appealing. Circular with fountains might be nice. Get some light in there.

3. I had my own ideas on what the retainer levels could be, but in any case, make a reason to come to the wards besides buying that is completely optional, but appealing. I'd like to see the market become a mini game of sorts.

4. Revamp the retainer menus so they are less painful. We really shouldn't have use two different menus to store items/use bazaar.

5. Make an option to warp directly to your retainer if you have one set up to sell. This would cut down on time for sellers.

I realize that none of these ideas account for the real problem, space. With entire maps filled with avatars and personal data, I'm not sure why this has been an issue. Like I said, I'm not a programmer. Anyway, they're just ideas. I've no doubt SE will address this fully when they get to it. They might have an entirely different direction in mind that a lot of us might even like.

[Kiote]

The Max capacity problem can easily be fixed by having a time limit on how long a retainer will stay in the ward, same as any AH would. I with Chezen 100% of the way with the exception of one point..

You can't get the browsing you get in the MWs in an AH. The MW forces you to randomly encounter new and different items. Thing you never would have thought to search or didn't even know were in the game. AHs take that entirely out of the game. No more random finds.

I also don't think making an AH would be remotely worth the time. The effort that would be needed to port the current systems to a new format could be used to implement the features people want into the MWs and get them in game two or three times as fast. Literally the only feature an AH offers over the MWs is that you don't have to go inside.

I for one don't believe running to my mailbox is better than walking to the person selling the item. Although I do want a mail box..

[Dreamer]

The overcrowding would probably fix itself if they would make it so that the leves and content were more balanced between the three cities.

[Amage]

A AH would make it so noobs wont under cut you item by 100s and 1000s dollars and stuff and also build a better economy

[quantumsaint]

@ Chezen (instead of quoting your whole post)

I would like very much to be able to buy items directly from the item search. I don't care if it has a 5% or 10% markup (it's not like gil matters much). Honestly, I NPC'd everything from my retainers (and I'll agree on your previous name point, I'm fond of my retainers Daphne and Ophelia, even though they're next-to-worthless at the moment) and never go into the MW anymore if I can help it. I liked shopping in FFXI, but I can't stand it in FFXIV, so obviously there is a disconnect there. Maybe it's part of the larger issue of stats not mattering as much as they should, or gear rank not being set in stone as it was in FFXI, but something somewhere needs to be fixed.

What I'd like to see once Ishgard opens up is a -wait for it- auction house. But not in the FFXI sense of the word. More like the FFIX auction house in Treno. I think the MW can be re-worked to function as the primary shopping interface, but I still would like to see an actual auction house, where players can list items and other players can bid on them real time, using paddles or whatnot. The primary use of this auction house though wouldn't be for common items and gear, but for the endgame rare stuff that players will be looking to sell.

So there you go, quick and dirty MW window for common stuff, immersive AH bidding wars for the rare stuff.

[Chezen]

Completely real AH huh? That would be interesting. Might be tough to find a good time when as many players as possible would be on, but it could get really interesting watching bidding wars.

An idea someone mentioned in the player housing thread, was being able to buy from your house. Although I would miss some of the immersion of the MW should they scrap them and go with this idea, I would still get the quiet peaceful feeling I get in the wards, and I could craft there easily as well. Might be an idea worth exploring.