Global auction/market search discussion

Having to manually search every individual vendor is not universally liked. And it has problems.

 

Personally I am not sure which is better for SotA, both sides got some valid points - any decision will have pros and con but since I see you had been asking about it here is how UO works since 2015:

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/gameplay/npc-commercial-transactions/vendor-search/

 

Well if we are talking about auction houses and playing with ideas…why not a "real" one?
I guess such an implementation would be possible and might not that difficult to create. Basically the NPC could be standing in a room, starts telling what item he is offering to what condition. If no one is interested in the item for 1 minute he will send it back to the seller. Avatars could start bidding by using the emote “/liftahand” at the NPC for a standard bid step. Just like in RL the auctioneer would count till 3 while repeating the current bid and then someone has bought the item.
By the fall of the hammer the gold is automatically written off your wallet, the item is send to your mailbox and the gold (less charges) is send to the mailbox of the seller.
That would already be everything needed and as far as I remember the recognition of emotes for NPCs is already possible in SotA.

If there is time this could be designed with some additional features to pretty up this simple mechanic.
E.g.
- A pre-bid phase function. Basically a list of upcoming items you can depose some gold at and as long as the bids are within your chosen deposit you stay in the auction. If you win the auction you get the item and the left gold via mail if you did not win you just get the deposit back.
- Maybe the devs also need a mechanic that is checking current bid and bidding avatars wallet on using the emote to reduce frauds. (if wallet > bid = accepted bid)
- The auctions could be themed by room or by town. E.g. in one auction room there are always just resource auctions, in another room just gear,…
- Maybe there could be also just a set number of auction slots if auctions are not continuously. E.g. every 3 hours an auction starts and just 50 items can be signed in. If these 50 slots are full you have to choose a different timeframe to participate.
- A similar mechanic could be used for the participating avatars. Just if you are signed in for an auction you can place a bid.
- ...

 

This implementation would require extensive coding and could be open to easy manipulation and hacking. Time and effort better spent on more useful content.

 

This has already existed in game, and perhaps it is time that it does again.

A year or so ago Veritas Sanctuary used to run auctions. They were pretty cool, but not really in my time zone so I only made it to one. It took a lot of work on their part.

 

Well as I said out of my perspective placing an NPC and using mostly existing mechanics in a new combination (e.g. emote recognition + taking gold from avatars + sending mails to avatars) does not sound like “extensive coding”.
If my memory is inaccurate and we do not already have emote recognition it might be a nice addition to the general game and not just for such an auction system. E.g. another usage could be to let guards open gateways. Either you talk to them as it is currently or you do a specific emote in their direction with the same effect.

If the largely already existing mechanics are really easy to manipulate you should better write a detailed bug pm to the devs as this would be worrying if that is true.

Well usefulness is in the eye of the beholder but in this thread we are speculating about “Global auction/market search”. Do I “need” anything mentioned in this thread…not really as I’m fine with the current system but I’m not a good example as I do not buy or sell that much…maybe because I do not have that much gold.
If on the other hand a large part of the population is suffering because out of their perspective they are missing needed features I add or comment ideas I might find an interesting addition even if I might not use them that much as it is about making the game magnificent for everyone and not just for me. If there is no need than these are just some ideas no dev has to pay attention to.

Yes avatar created auctions took place in many towns and as far as I have seen be an auctioneer is hard work as you have to keep track of all kinds of imputs….nothing I would like to do all day and that's why I suggested to use NPCs.

 

I am torn as well about this point, although I admit, I favor a global auction house. I understand that there are many players who really enjoy the merchant aspect of the game. It is part of what makes SOTA such a great game. However others prefer expediency and desire a more inclusive market dynamic. Perhaps a check box on the vendor which turns the global distribution option on or off? that way your vendor can stay local and not be seen on the global screen. This is going to suck a little bit for both sides, watering down the global market and diminishing the amount of players who actively search vendors for hours on end, but isn't that what a good compromise is? when both parties are slightly unhappy? Once the playing field is set, people are still free to choose HOW they conduct their business. Just a thought. Comments?

 

I think Global AH will just water the game down. I think Global Search will improve it for the everyman who wants to enjoy vendor gameplay. Regional Search would retain more of the game's DNA.

Here's another idea; make Public Vendors the search interface but retain the option for merchants to list stuff directly on them. The catch is the merchant's item expires in 7 days anyway and they still pay the listing tax, plus they still have the limit of 10. How would that work in economics? You seem to have a good grasp and I'm keen to learn more!

 

That's not a bad idea and the coding nightmare would be a little less daunting, Linking all of the public vendors would bee a good solution. Giving POT owners the chance to purchase and place a public vendor in their respective POT would facilitate a good compromise. Then people would be more apt to use the public vendors and the gold sink/ time limit is already in place.

I like it!

 

Not to mention another item for Portalarium to sell and help keep the lights on! 8)

 

As long as we nerf PvE to the same extent.

Global Auction House? Then we get a Clicker game to replace those of us who can't be bothered with leaving town to PvE. Tap to get XP and stuff.

 

I can understand people's contention with a global auction house, given the whole current vendor system that has been implemented, but why would anyone have a problem with a global search?

Currently, I freaking HATE shopping because it takes the length of a bible to find anything and then verifying if I am getting a good price is also a hassle. I need to login to Discord and ask in the trade channel and hope someone responds (usually someone does). Some might not mind this but I find it completely tedious and monotonous. The only time shopping is easy for me, is when I want deco. I either buy from @EclipseMaiden or I shop smart at S Mart, where @Vladamir Begemot really does have freaking everything.

However, when I want to try and find new armor or weapons, it is impossible. Vendors aren't clearly delineated unless they have what they are selling as their name and even then they might not have what I want. Wouldn't a global search solve this problem? I don't mind running around to these market towns and vendors so long as I know, that what I want is actually going to be there. PLUS, wouldn't this also help out those vendors that are a less well known get some traffic?

Personally I would think a global search is a win for everyone, unless I am missing something...which as my wife loves to point out, is entirely possible and often!

 

The examples I've been posting earlier centers around high auction house fees. That way the merchant class players can still do their thing (i.e. visit individual vendors/forum/chat to buy low and sell high) and profit off of it because they can avoid the auction house fees.

Meanwhile the players that care about NOT spending their time running to individual vendors will use the global auction house. The fees will just be part of the cost of doing so.

As for actual posting of items in the auction house, I see this as mutually exclusive to putting it on your vendor -- you can either give it to your vendor to sell or give it to the auction house to sell.

As a bonus, the high auction house fees will give a nice gold sink to the economy.

 

As long as I get a Clicker game to replace PvE as well. I'll pay the fee.

 

I actually have done this in another MMO, but that doesn't matter here.

I don't see any issue here. The bottom line is if the price is more than I'm willing to pay for, I'm not going to buy it. It doesn't matter if the price is because of a monopoly or because it's the "new normal" price. Even if the "race to the bottom" occurred and all prices went down 90%, if a particular item is still more than I'm willing to pay, I'm not going to buy it. If you can convince others to pay 100k for a beetle carapace (or a Coto), then all power to you. I'm not buying it at that rate no matter what you do to try to convince me.

What does matter is that it'll take me mere seconds to discover that I'm not willing to pay what the "market rate" is. Then I go back to playing the game.

 

What is the current fee for public vendors now? Its pretty steep I think, right? So if we link all of the public vendors together , like they did the banks , then we could have a global marketplace . If people choose not to participate, then they keep their vendors stocked up the old way. Not wanting to disrupt the fun for anyone, but to make buying and selling more expedient for people who don't want to travel the globe in search of beetle carapace. Its really only a slight nudge from the current system . Public vendors already exist, all it takes is time or teleport scrolls to check them all out, so by linking them, it allows players who don't care about the folksy charm of a farmers market to do their bidding and get back to what ever makes SOTA fun for them. If you don't want to use it, you don't have to. Its simply an option. Like the difference between using AMAZON or going to the corner bookstore (If those exist anywhere still). They are two vastly different experiences . It also seems like a solution which could actually be implemented without the dev having to stop his vitally important tweeks to taming or fishing or whatever, lol. 8)

 

For the merchants, yeah.

Global purchasing, not necessarily global search. If you look at the incredibly old vendor request list, there has actually been requests for a search function for years.

But an auction "house" (more like auction window) might as well be an app. No more need for property, no more need for deco, no need to talk to anyone, no need for swap meets.

So if we're doing that, lets get PvE as a clicker game, just to be fair.

 

I can understand that , I like running around and looking at vendors too. I would never want to get rid of that aspect of the game. I am just thinking about it as an added feature to make the game more accessible to more people, NEW Player experience and all. If you are one of the lucky few who happened to nab a good spot during the land rush, or have a good location in one of the vendor towns like Soryn Fields or New Britannia Market, then you are in good shape. New players will not ever have that opportunity and those who got the less desirable locations may want to participate in a system that gives them a more competitive chance.

 

Yeah I agree. While I wouldn't mind an auction house since it would suit my needs well, I can fully appreciate how it could hurt a lot of crafters potentially.

A global search is a good "middle ground" approach that helps everyone (again, in my mind, could be wrong) while assuring that the things you mentioned Vlad, stay relevant.