Auction House vs Wards

[Alhanelem]

I really hate running back and forth checking prices on stuff i want to sell. Its a pain in the ass having to setup both retainers with alot of different kind of items to sell. I'm fine with how we buy things off them now having a counter but the selling part has got to get easier.

This is exactly my perspective. We basically have half of an auction house already. Just fix the selling part and we basically have a whole one, plus a few cool features other AHes don't have (Adding a way to find wanted items and item repairs in addition to items up for sale would be icing on the cake)

[Jaimie]

Let's talk about something other than MWs and AHs.

Let's talk about BOTs.

Every now and then I port to some camp and see a dozen or so BOTs. Do you think each of those BOTs has 2 retainers in Uldah selling 1 item for 99,999,999 ?

If so, what happens if some one comes along and decides they'd like to try FFXIV. And once they've signed up and gone thru the lengthy training part of the game ( I have like 5 chars now, and each one had to go thru that stupid routine), they get a retainer, and try to put it in Uldah.

[Ratm3000]

Wasn't it said we were getting an Auction House come 2.0? If the system with retainers still remains in the 2.0 and what else I been reading as far as which direction the game is taking...with some of the changes I read about. I don't feel like I will continue to play this game in the long run. They seem to be down grading the game down...it was looking up but now that they are telling us more in details just seems like shit. I am hoping to get into the beta to give the game a shot as well of course play at launch to test it. I been paying through the shit times and with 2.0 I feel like it's been a waste but I do hope I am wrong. The major change that I was looking for in 2.0 was the Auction House and how SE would put its own twist on it.

[Felis]

Wasn't it said we were getting an Auction House come 2.0? If the system with retainers still remains in the 2.0 and what else I been reading as far as which direction the game is taking...with some of the changes I read about. I don't feel like I will continue to play this game in the long run. They seem to be down grading the game down...it was looking up but now that they are telling us more in details just seems like shit. I am hoping to get into the beta to give the game a shot as well of course play at launch to test it. I been paying through the shit times and with 2.0 I feel like it's been a waste but I do hope I am wrong. The major change that I was looking for in 2.0 was the Auction House and how SE would put its own twist on it.

Where did you read they abolish the MW for a generic AH?
From the 2.0 pdf

Complete redesign of markets into a system incorporating retainers and auction house elements. Planned for version 2.0.

There it is written. A MW with AH elements. Not more
All what it still need is more functions in the search system for the buyer and a function to see the prices in the retainer menu for the sellers.

[Seif]

SE are you reading this at all?! The same opinion had been in the overwhelming majority since release! What are you thinking?! Answers please now. You've had years to jump in a clear things up!

[Alhanelem]

Wasn't it said we were getting an Auction House come 2.0?

No. This was never said. People fantisized about it enough til people started believing it.

Instead, they started gradually turning the market wards into something resembling an AH.

[Biggs]

No. This was never said. People fantisized about it enough til people started believing it.

Instead, they started gradually turning the market wards into something resembling an AH.

This is all it says in the roadmap:

"Complete redesign of markets into a system incorporating retainers and auction house elements. Planned
for version 2.0."

So it sounds like a hybrid of both. For good or ill

[Alhanelem]

This is all it says in the roadmap:

"Complete redesign of markets into a system incorporating retainers and auction house elements. Planned
for version 2.0."

So it sounds like a hybrid of both. For good or ill

This has partially happened already. Buying functionality more or less works like an AH- needs some UI additions like different sort options for the item and sale lists, but it is useable. selling on the other hand, is still convoluted and is what needs a significant revamp.

[Biggs]

This has partially happened already. Buying functionality more or less works like an AH- needs some UI additions like different sort options for the item and sale lists, but it is useable. selling on the other hand, is still convoluted and is what needs a significant revamp.

Agreed. They need to go back to not showing what the current items are bein gsold for, and showing only what the last XX amount of said item sold for. I mean, undercutting will always be an issue but its harder to do when you can't see what the current items are being sold for in real time.

To me at least, the economy is one of the largest hurdles 2.0 will have to clear in order to make the transition from dead, poorly planned MMO, to a successful and healthy MMO. And how they redo the current market system is at the heart of it.

[Biggs]

I would be all for an auction house mixed with a small nod to retainers. For instance, you still hire retainers and they still manage your stuff, except, much like real retainers they stay on the grounds you own (your mog house) and manage your affairs there as well (maybe do your gardening and care for your stables). So you can access the auction house via the the actual AH itself or send your retainers to the AH to put your stuff up for sale for you. This gives multiple access points to an AH. I would even be all for making it so you can send them to any of the AH's in the game but with a time delay. So, for instance, if you live in Gridania and you send you retainers to put things up for sale for you in Ul'dah, there is actual travel time and such taken into account before your items would actually hit the market there. Just spitballing ideas to actually encourage selling stuff in your home town.

2 things that for sure have to happen in 2.0 though:

In true action house style you should be able to see what the last items your looking to buy sold for, but NOT what the current items being sold are listed for (like it was in xi). This would hopefully kneecap the current undercutting issues in the wards now (I understand it would still happen, maybe just not as fast).

There needs to be a way to get people buying and selling in all three cities, not just ul'dah. Please decentralize that city.