Feedback: Revisiting sitting vendors

Vendors sitting was a bad choice for indication of no updates because it is nice for deco purposes to have them sit. The greyed out name is a better indicator.

And a month is a better time period.

 

I like the bottom two, but not the first one, I think 4 weeks is too long.

 

The devs never have a need to actually shop in the game, which is why crazy stuff like this and "fixing" the access through windows for vendors happens

 

I try to keep my vendors stocked but I am not changing out what they have continuously. I just want them to have things for sale. I don't want to micromanage them. There needs to be a better system for those that do want to do that perhaps an option for how we want our vendors to behave. Sitting should be an option then if some love it so much and it helps them. Maybe one day someone will want whats on my vendor and one day they don't have the cash for the things.

 

I agree with Sit when Empty.

If not, I fully support Kain's original proposal. Most especially point #2.

 

Unfortunately this isnt the case. It sits if the most recent item currently on it was placed over 14 days prior ago.

ie. If I had items on my vendor that were placed on over 14 days ago, then I add new stock (whatever sold) the vendor will be standing, but as soon as someone buys items that were placed in the last 14 days the vendor sits just because its out of stock of items
that have been placed sometimes on a daily basis.

 

@Anvar I place one item that no one will buy and just have to delist/relist that one item every 2 weeks.

 

I did this for a while until I found someone buying them LOL

 

If that was my case I'd switch my business to selling expensive Wheat Buns.

 

Again, sitting vendors gives a lot of options for setting up nice stores. People behind desks (like Ned the Factory Accountant, I'd REALLY rather he was sitting), sitting receptionists at the Inn, etc.

Sitting should NOT have been the way to indicate that the vendor is out of date. Just make him go inside, upstairs, and hide in a closet.

Or turn translucent. Or go lay in a bed.

And 14 days is too short, I have a vendor in Storms Reach that I subsidize new players with (1000 gold a day out of my pocket, I don't make anywhere near that with her) outside of the mine entrance.

Her buy orders can last for a month or more before they need to be renewed. And I just let her sit on a bench, because screw the "no vendors shall sit" thing. She's got them on there, I'm not going to go down every two weeks just to make her stand back up when it looks better that she's sitting anyway.

 

Actually I rather like seeing them sit so I know they don't have anything new from the last time I checked them out. Otherwise, you have fools running around having to spend all day checking what new items a vendor might have. Its perfect the way it is. Unless bringing up the shop was instantaneous and there was zero wait to immediately list all the items..

 

that works for scenes you trawl regularly, but there are a LOT of backwater towns that might have one guy you've never been to. how do you see if that guy has any items?

 

how about a sleeping sitting emote? vendors who haven't been active in x time but have something are sitting but awake, vendors who have nothing are sitting, eyes closed, head nodding on chest.

go lie in a bed would be great, but the bed would probably have to be as close as the chairs are now to be sensed as available by them and that doesn't work for a lot of store setups.

 

I think your vendor should only sit down if you haven't listed anything on it in xx time.
Atm, I can fill it up, but if someone comes and buys all the 'new' listings (even if I have same items / consumables listed at same price, say) then he sits down again indicating I have no stock, when I clearly do.
I appreciate its probably too much of a complication to try and have the "sitting" code go to that level/
And I also appreciate that the whole purpose of sitting-vendor is to save the "shopper" time clicking on something if there's nothing there.

I'd propose the following:

Completely EMPTY vendor - laying down on the ground asleep
Has things for sale but nothing with a list date of however long (2 weeks, a month, whatever) = sitting (as now)
BUT, add an "update" option - kinda like bumping your post - where you can change all your list dates to 'now' as a manual action indicating these items are still available and such.

Sure, people will possibly go update their old crap - but they can do that now - and surely the action of the player going and pressing UPDATE indicates these items are stll for sale and the prices are still what they're hoping to get.

 

With all the different proposals and ideas, we can all agree it needs to be addressed.

 

I actually use a couple of my vendors in Offline (even though they can't hold sale items) so They sit.. This works for me because now Mom sits in her bakery waiting for me to visit.

Yes I have online stores but it is still nice to be able to use them in some way in the offline too.

I think this mode should work for most of the people posting as well as offline..

Current Listings.... Stands Waves Hands beckoning you
No Current Sales or Listing.... Kneeling down (shows they are not current, but are not totally hidden and is a different mode than below)
No Items listed ...... Sitting Vendor (also always mode for offline)

 

Oh in that case I don't care if he's sitting down, I'm happy to check him to see if he even has anything interesting on him from long ago.

I think I understand what everyone is basically complaining about. I didn't realize that there's no difference between a vendor who is completely empty VS vendor who hasn't been touch in a long time.

For this I think the best possible solution of all worlds would be this (please tell me if you don't think this would be perfect):

1) Vendor has Items and is Freshly Stocked ::: Vendor makes movements (e.g. waving, flirting) while standing or sitting (if purposefully sat down)
2) Vendor has Items and is not Fresh ::: Vendor stands still
3) Vendor has Item, not Fresh, hasn't sold anything in a month ::: Vendor looks down or sad, maybe even cries or sits down
4) Vendor has no Items ::: Vendor goes into sleep / fetal position

Eh eh?

 

Number 4 (which is the always offline state) would not work in offline. Sitting would be more preferable I think)

but I think we are running about the same on the ideas...

 

I agree with this. Only make them sit if they're empty.

Everyone does the unlist/relist item to make them stand, which totally defeats the purpose, as it is.

 

Well, if you had to feed vendors to keep them active, that would solve two problems. You don't have to care about new listings anymore + the is a nice sink for low level foods. I suggest 2 weeks for tier 1 food + 1 week per tier. That way you can feed them the typical useful food for 4-5 weeks of activity or go with a bark bread for 2 weeks activity. Plus it's a mechanic that actually makes sense and doesn't break immersion. Which is also why it will probably never happen