We need an AH

[Viridiana]

We need to fix the MW into something that would pass for an AH if one didn't have a particularly strict definition of an AH... I'm so tired of this argument. >_>

[Heat]

yes we do +1 for that

[IveraIvalice]

the problem with market wards is that you have to run around to sell, buy, pick up. that's what makes it a time sink and that's what us pro AH people hate. as i will never understand why people prefer the MW over AH i will respect your decision.

however my biggest concern is that we don't know how much the going price for an item is and because of that i don't know how much to sell things for. because of this i can tell you i NEVER use the MW, i actually prefer selling my stuff at NPCs just because its alot more convenient even if i do get less money. i would rather get less money quickly then figure out how much money i got to put something down for, then figure out where i should put my retainer. and then to pick up what i sold, i got to remember where i left my retainer. way too much of a hassle.

and even though most of you guys don't seem to remember, the AH in XI was have everything listed - find - see sales - bid - couple seconds later buy, and its in your inventory. you did not have to go pick it up at your mailbox, i don't know where everyone keeps getting that idea. the only time you have to get something in your mailbox is to pick up your money or items that didn't sell.
and for the sake of making it even more convenient for the people that don't like the bidding part, just make it an AH that isn't a blind bid, just a buy now, i know its not technically an AH then but all i care about is convenience or else i don't want to use it.

oh and one last thing kuz i herd it mentioned here, not everything is listed in the MW search list at all times, proof of this is that i was searching for either brass or iron magnifiers (red) and it was not listed ever in the MW. try searching for it.
so the AH personally is a whole lot easier. because it drops the middle man of running to get your stuff. just interact with a menu and when you leave the menu you have your stuff. no loading screens, no running to find you item, or retainer, then running to the end of the room to leave the stupid place.

[Jinko]

I do appreciate the snarkyness of your comment but seriously this isn't some recent issue that suddenly popped up.

This has been a major issue throughout the lifespan of the entire game even before these forums were formed people were asking for it and leaving because the lack of an AH or SE's failure to even promise one.

Those players will not be coming back no matter how they kick the dead horse that is the MW-system.
Those players were not asking for star marked retainers nor weeks devoted for ward loading issues nor ward decoration upgrades.

A lot of players just want an AH that's all there is to it.

Personally I don't understand how SE doesn't see that including this feature would be a great marketing asset as the lack of an AH was mentioned in nearly every review when XIV was released.

Oh I totally agree with you, it reminds me of asking your parents for something as a child only to get something completely different than you wanted.

At some point they will have to aknowledge the marketwards just aren't going to work, especially when you think about the PS3 launch, some info tomorrow would be nice but im not guna hold my breath.

[AmyRae]

the problem with market wards is that you have to run around to sell, buy, pick up. that's what makes it a time sink and that's what us pro AH people hate. as i will never understand why people prefer the MW over AH i will respect your decision.

Yeah, that's pretty much what prevents it from becoming an AH.

Now, as a replacement for FFXI's bazaar system, the Market Wards aren't so bad, and originally I thought this was purely the intention. Now there's no need to stay logged in 24/7 to sell something outside the auction house, just have your retainer do it. Perfect.

But, it's no substitute for an actual Auction House. It's really takes up too much time to manage it all, especially since you can't monitor your transactions without making a personal trip to the exact ward in the exact town you left your retainer. Keeping the Market Wards around as an "advanced bazaar" is fine, but it really should be functioning along side a separate, modern Auction House (one with features you'd expect of an MMO for this decade).

[Denmo]

The wards are a mess, to be sure. IMO, those that say otherwise are just used to it.

When I invited a friend to join the game, he wanted to buy a shield. I said, "Well, you can either buy one from an NPC, find the material to craft one, or check the Market Wards for it."

So he checks the wards. Much to his frustration, the battlecraft ward is chock full of standing statues, who take about 30 seconds to load. If he moves away from them, they all disappear and another set of statues surrounds him in about 30 seconds.

I tell him to use the search item feature. "Where is that?" It's at the... door. You go to the door and select from the menu. It should say "Item Search Feature"

"How do I use it?" You find the item under the category of ward that it'd be in

"How do I know where it should be?" .... You guess? Uhhh, well, battlecraft is for equipment, so shield would be in there.

"What do I do then?"

and so on and so on, until he got so frustrated with it that he just gave up and I had to buy a shield for him.

He stopped playing the game shortly after (not just because of the wards, but it was a big factor).


It's anything BUT simple. Market wards has combined bazaars, mog houses, and auction house into this giant mess of a shopping system. It doesn't even make sense.

Why am I storing my items in an NPC that just stands among 500 other NPCs all day? This doesn't make any sense, I should be storing it in a place that's safe, like a home.

Why would anyone stand around for 24/7 only to sell 10 items at a time while storing 200 others for a person that rarely visits?

Doesn't it stink in the wards after a while?

With the item search feature, we've cut out just about all the need for having a physical market wards, except for the walking to the NPC and buying it. Why stop there? Why not just buy straight from the Item Search menu list? What good is it doing me to have to sift through hoards of loading times just for one item? I'm almost never interested in whatever else the person is selling. Why browse through all the NPCs in a given ward if I can just use the item search feature to find the best price/best item immediately?

It's a huge conflict of interest. If SE isn't going to give us an Auction House, then I say please let us just buy from the item search feature, and manage our retainers via a Mog House of sorts. Do away with these sluggish, problematic, buggy wards.


My dream of an improved Market Ward system.... (moved to a new topic so as not to derail AH discussion)

[Zanfire]

if the market wards just had a better refined search (added +1's, more organized by categories) and cut out the stupid middle step of going tp the ward, then going to click on the seller (just buy right from the counter) then id be happy. I just dont care for the extra steps that seem purely cosmetic at this point.

also i wouldnt mid if they put it in a different place, more part of the normal city, they use that zone for a lot now, i cant tell you how many times i ended up in the wrong thing because 2 of the places are close in name.

[Ava]

The wards are a mess, to be sure. IMO, those that say otherwise are just used to it.

When I invited a friend to join the game, he wanted to buy a shield. I said, "Well, you can either buy one from an NPC, find the material to craft one, or check the Market Wards for it."

So he checks the wards. Much to his frustration, the battlecraft ward is chock full of standing statues, who take about 30 seconds to load. If he moves away from them, they all disappear and another set of statues surrounds him in about 30 seconds.

I tell him to use the search item feature. "Where is that?" It's at the... door. You go to the door and select from the menu. It should say "Item Search Feature"

"How do I use it?" You find the item under the category of ward that it'd be in

"How do I know where it should be?" .... You guess? Uhhh, well, battlecraft is for equipment, so shield would be in there.

"What do I do then?"

and so on and so on, until he got so frustrated with it that he just gave up and I had to buy a shield for him.

He stopped playing the game shortly after (not just because of the wards, but it was a big factor).


It's anything BUT simple. Market wards has combined bazaars, mog houses, and auction house into this giant mess of a shopping system. It doesn't even make sense.

Why am I storing my items in an NPC that just stands among 500 other NPCs all day? This doesn't make any sense, I should be storing it in a place that's safe, like a home.

Why would anyone stand around for 24/7 only to sell 10 items at a time while storing 200 others for a person that rarely visits?

Doesn't it stink in the wards after a while?

With the item search feature, we've cut out just about all the need for having a physical market wards, except for the walking to the NPC and buying it. Why stop there? Why not just buy straight from the Item Search menu list? What good is it doing me to have to sift through hoards of loading times just for one item? I'm almost never interested in whatever else the person is selling. Why browse through all the NPCs in a given ward if I can just use the item search feature to find the best price/best item immediately?

It's a huge conflict of interest. If SE isn't going to give us an Auction House, then I say please let us just buy from the item search feature, and manage our retainers via a Mog House of sorts. Do away with these sluggish, problematic, buggy wards.


My dream of an improved Market Ward system.... (moved to a new topic so as not to derail AH discussion)

I could not upvote your post enough even if it let you repeatedly hit 'Like'. I have run into this situation MANY times with many people I've tried introducing to the game, and 99% of the time they end up quitting. When you have to explain such basic and simple tasks to a new player, then there is something wrong with the design. Regardless of what people like or don't like, the system is atrociously designed and is not user-friendly in the slightest.

[Seif]

I think you hit the nail on the head with that description.

It's just shockingly bad for any new player and also completely not worth the effort for old players.

I've been playing since alpha and to this day I haven't ever used the market system to sell anything at all just because it's too much trouble.

Trouble I don't mind in a game if it involves gameplay but setting up an item for sale or buying it is not gameplay. It's inventory management at best and at it's worst it's just hell of an UI and zoning struggle for one of the most common actions in MMO's that should work as a cornerstone for the community and economy.

As it is the lack of an AH is holding this game back for being given a second chance by most players who left and if the PS3 version is released without one it would be foolish to think every reviewer won't revisit this issue AND remind the readers that SE has turned a blind eye to this problem for over one year. It's inexcusable.

To those who say they don't care about the reviews or players who don't like fiddling with the MW mess: YOU yes YOU and let's face it SE and all of us absolutely need new and old players to this game or it will not survive.
This need is much more important than your like for the bazaar system.

Also XI had a bazaar too. Why in the world do you think this game can't hold 2 systems like XI did and if so why on earth would you ever choose the option that is less used in XI? If it's not used by the majority of all players it doesn't really matter if you specifically have a fondness for this broken system that now has failed to capture the masses.

[Lochan]

the problem with market wards is that you have to run around to sell, buy, pick up. that's what makes it a time sink...

however my biggest concern is that we don't know how much the going price for an item is and because of that i don't know how much to sell things for. because of this i can tell you i NEVER use the MW, i actually prefer selling my stuff at NPCs just because its alot more convenient even if i do get less money. i would rather get less money quickly then figure out how much money i got to put something down for, then figure out where i should put my retainer. and then to pick up what i sold, i got to remember where i left my retainer. way too much of a hassle...

That describes my feelings, exactly.