Retainer system just...there isn't space

[Platinumstorm]

The retainer system can work, they just have to make adjustments in 2.0; they've already stated they can't do it in 1.x.

These are some adjustment suggestions:

Interconnect the cities via a real auction house system that you can type in the item you're looking for without just having to search through the ward categories. Also interconnect retainers from personal housing and guild housing with this system as well. Add great customization options to personal market presentations.

Organizing the market wards:
Increase the size of the market wards, but only allow players to place retainers in stalls. Add system that creates market wards as needed, and make sure that players can easily choose the ward their retainer is in, so that if a player has a retainer in Tanner's ward 57, Tanner's ward 57 is highlighted and easily accessible for that player. Players should be encouraged to move their retainer to their personal housing so they can do their own storefront in their house.

Changes to retainers:
Currently retainers can only sell 10 items on the bazaar at one time. This protects and hurts the seller, but also does the same for the customer. Changes should be made that prevent people from flooding a market, but also to increase diversity among the items sold. Perhaps limiting players from making more than 5 stacks of an item on a retainer, but up to 20-30 bazaar items could alleviate this issue. So if a player had 6 elm canes and 4995 warped arrows then the player could post 5 elm canes and all 4995 arrows on his retainer. This prevents market flooding, but also allows sellers to craft for more level ranges with an increase in the bazaar cap.

[Lux_Rayna]

This is happening now, and there are a TON of people who put up a random vegetable or item for 999m, myself included.

Myself included to.

Easy solution is that one person can only have one retainer active in Market Wards at a time. That should drop numbers considerably.

[Arcell]

Myself included to.

Easy solution is that one person can only have one retainer active in Market Wards at a time. That should drop numbers considerably.

That and having a time limit before being kicked would help a bit. That was inactive or barely active players wouldn't be clogging the wards with their retainers.

[Wevlum]

Took me 3 days to get a space for 1 of my retainers in wards so yeah I do the 999mil trick too.

Also Ul inns are broken because...something...servers...something...limitations...something, not to nudge us away although that is a funny theory.

There are reasons why everyone is clustered in Ul and it's not entirely fair to just blame the community. Ul is where all shouts take place (unless we get a way of checking Ul shouts in other cities I don't see this changing), Ul is closest to Ifrit for cheaper teleport costs, and everyone hangs around in Ul so people are going to use wards in Ul since they want their things to sell (I don't see this changing unless we can start 'internet shopping' at other cities). Hubbing always happens but SE can take steps to allow us to get the benefits of hubbing without taking up space in the hub city. (Hub doesn't look like a word anymore.)

I do find it hilarious though that lore-wise Ul'duh is the money obsessed state and that's where all transactions are taking place.

[3Jane]

Personally for convenience I would much prefer a Broker such as we had in Aion rather than an Auction House.

http://anaionpage.blogspot.co.uk/200...on-broker.html

[Rutelor]

There's three solutions to this:

1. Place an item for max gil on your retainer once you get a spot, so it never gets kicked out.
2. Move your retainer to Limsa or Gridania and take a huge penalty on how many customers you have.
3. Shout about your wares.

The MW system will likely not see any huge improvement until 2.0 is out with the auction house. It makes little sense now with the new version being only about half a year away.

It always surprises me to find players willing to do the dirty public-relations for SE. It's the company's place to say this, not ours... even if it seems obvious.

It's negotiations 101: You don't grant any of the points your opponent is trying to make, unless they make them, lest you run out of chips to negotiate with, or fail to earn the leverage owed to you for the granting of the point.

The OP is right: As the game stands today, there should be an equitable way to obtain spots for our retainers. All the rest is just us compensating for SE's failure to provide it.

R

[Rutelor]

It's difficult because Tanaka's team basically f**ked around for 4 years with tech demos, and then tried to make a game on the 5th year out of an incomplete engine and skeletal game design plan.

Whereas I commented not so positively on your earlier post, this one I completely agree with. You're my new best friend!

R

[Wolfie]

The MW system will likely not see any huge improvement until 2.0 is out with the auction house. It makes little sense now with the new version being only about half a year away.

Time for me to eat my own shoe.

[Khazar]

I dont know why its difficult for S-E to implement the link of all 3 markets in the current version. Markets are all instanced it shouldn't be too difficult you can access the market instances of every city. Ok, do not let us to move a ward of other different city because it would be used for free teleports, but let us to buy from the market search in other city markets.

Bon Apetit Wolfie! xD

[KiriA500]

1. Place an item for max gil on your retainer once you get a spot, so it never gets kicked out.

This is actually (what I feel to be) the main reason the Market Wards are like they are now. Because your retainer never leaves, it's always just there taking up space.

On top of that, far too many people use the market wards to flood the market with junk. Unfortunately, with the way gathering works in this game, it's far too easy to get materials. This means there are more people selling the same crap, so unlike the AH in FFXI, we have literally hundreds of Copper Ore available.

The Market Wards need to have a penalty/fee similar to FFXI. You HAVE to pay a percentage to place the item for sale, and it expires after a certain amount of time, like 7 Earth Days. When that time expires, the item is no longer "in bazaar" on your retainer, so you have to reset the price. When all items are sold, the retainer is removed from the wards, so there will be room for people to place theirs to try and sell their junk.