Placement of Vendors and Why Don't We Have Shop Plots?

As I've been thinking about how your house will also be your shop in the current set-up a few questions have arisen in my mind.

First, where will vendors be located on our plot? Can they be inside/outside? How will people have access to them with our permission system? Please enlighten me if this has already been presented or discussed.

Second, will people interact with the vendor to buy things, or can they physically take things in a more realistic style to purchase? If the latter is not there, shops will be merely decorations and role play.

Third, why don't we have separate shop plots, like house plots? It would seem to be easier and settle the dangers of placing your house! Instead of just a vendor, all those who are getting vendors as part of a pledge get a "shop deed" and a "shop building" itself with the vendor inside.

You could have different sizes of shop plots, and they would be in specific locations on every map. Maybe a "stall" like the markets in Owl's Head and Kingsport, a small shop and a large shop granted according to your pledge level. Maybe even just standing spots for merchants like those on the edge of Owl's Head for low level pledges. NPC's could populate some spots in advance with the majority open for players. They could be bought and sold like houses. They would all be grouped into locations and markets that were advantageous to those who placed there. Maybe there could even be combo set ups in tighly packed cities like Ardoris where you need both deeds, and your shop is on the bottom floor and you live above.

To me, it would solve a lot of issues. Pardon me if someone has already suggested this idea or if it contains some fatal flaw. It is mere wishing at this point!

 

Like the idea of trade stalls, I would love them to adopt an element from Aion where the player can actually set themselves as as a vendor. This would work really well in market areas, the okay can set their shout lines and prices of the goods for sale in their pack. Really good as well if people want to go afk.

 

NPC vendors have the advantage of apearing in all "phases" (whatever they are calling it currently) of the game, not just the one your currently playing and I intend to set my row plot up as a shop

 

Yes, we need that with instances that's true. But you both have raised another question... do we have access to our "inventory" of items in the shop to sell it just like the vendor or do we have to turn it over to a "story inventory" separate from our own?

 

I wouldn't do away with NPC benefits, would just Venice to set your own character as one regardless what it is in. Bit like a wandering trader.

 

On shop plots - I think this would be a great crowd funding opportunity for the dev team. We know we have row lots and row houses now. Issue special limited version(s) of the row house that is more explicitly designed to be a town or city street shop.

 

If they were going to do "shop" plots.. they'd have to have market stalls to go in them.

 

It would have been nice for them to have the placeable vendor long before they add the functionality of vendor interaction.
That way we can try out where we are allowed to place them and fix the bugs surrounding this long before they are ready to add the economy part of it.

This since right now, vendors/companions/pets/special NPCs are not in the Q4 schedule.
So there is a source of a wipe right there.