Sign in to follow this  
Aeryck

Should the merchant and trading system be improved?

Better Trade?  

60 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you like to see Wurms trading system "modernized"?

    • Yes, do something to make it like most other MMOs
      19
    • No, I like it just the way it is
      3
    • Keep the current system but just improve the interface (mail history, merchant ledger, bank balance sheet)
      38


Recommended Posts

I have created a couple of topics, along with others, about adding a cluster-wide merchant system or generally improving the system we use to sell and trade goods but I wondered how much interest there is in changing the system at all.

 

Do you like the way we buy and sell in Wurm? Does something about using the forums and trade channel make it a more enjoyable experience for you? Do you like that there are no fixed prices for goods and you often see the same item sold for a wide range of prices? Do you get tired of giving a PC for bulk crops or arguing with people on the value of bricks?

 

I'd really like to know how folks feel about the system we use. I personally would love an auction house type system where I could view all of the Rare Pickaxes that are currently for sale on the market and decide which one I wanted to buy. I would love a history of sales that shows the price of blank rare horseshoes over the last few months. I can see how something like this would cheapen the experience for some though. Possibly creating a hyper-competitive market where you are constantly trying to be the lowest bidder.

 

Anyway, I would love to get some discussion on this and see what the community thinks. There's a poll up there if you want :) 

Edited by Aeryck

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Although i dont want it to be "like most other mmos" (i guess you mean like World of Warcraft and the likes), i voted on number 1. Mainly because i think it needs a revamp bigger than #3 suggests.

Edited by Nordlys

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow ingame auction system is something that made my trading life there back in days there much more easier than here in Wurm now. Would like to see some changes towards that :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I voted for an improved interface. Personally I'd like to see an in game alternative to the WTB and WTS forum sections, even if it's just so you can easily search for specific items and then contact the sellers/buyers of said items like you do now.

For the WTS part the items should probably all be placed on merchants, with the search interfacing showing you where the merchant is located so you can travel to it and buy the item. Of course you could also contact the seller to have it mailed just like now. Perhaps the buy part could work similarly, with you telling a merchant what to buy and the merchant then taking money directly from your bank when another player offers those items to the merchant.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A global trading / auction house system would be nice .

 

But the software to manage it and the security monitoring required to keep players from selling to their alts to raise or lower prices with fake trades, among other issues,  would probably be expensive.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I feel like it is hard to say what the impact would be without trying it...Wurm is very different from almost every other game.

 

A large part of trading isn't really 'community interaction', it's just 'how much? when? where? ok.'

But then you get things like classified/merchant ads that provide something much more than any other game provides in the way of trading. Players can build up a reputation and get return buyers/sellers by providing a great service etc...It would be a huge loss to Wurm to lose that part of our trading.

 

There are a lot of different options for 'improved trading'.

Whether it's the option to mail bulk goods for a small fee or list bulk goods on a merchant.

Then there is the WoW/Ebay style auctionhouse that can be a central place on each server, placed like a merchant/trader at each deed or just an interface you can open anywhere.

Even faster boats and easier filling/emptying of containers can fall into 'improved trading' as a quality of life update.

 

Then you have to consider the benefits and negatives each system would bring.

A WoW style Auction House would benefit buyers greatly. Faster purchase times and delivery, easier to find what they want and cheaper pricing due to increased competition. They would lose some interaction with sellers though.

As for the sellers, it would undoubtedly increase sale volume and ease of sale. On the flip side however, prices would certainly fall, as that would become the only differentiation between products listed as buyers don't care about distance from seller or seller reputation etc. Every item would be available in one place. (unless you split it per server)

That isn't even mentioning the amount of Dev time it would take to create such a system.

It would also make merchants just a system for zero-decay storage, unless the AH worked through speaking to a merchant.

 

Some days I wish we had an Auction House in-game...other days I'm glad we don't.

 

I think 99% of players can agree that a merchant/mail ledger would be a good step forward though, especially as it doesn't have any negatives as far as I can tell.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
18 minutes ago, Artisan said:

It would also make merchants just a system for zero-decay storage

Thats the only thing i use merchants for now aswell.

Merchants are just time consuming to trade with, and as long as theres both a wts/wtb subforum and chat ingame i never need them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, Nordlys said:

Thats the only thing i use merchants for now aswell.

Merchants are just time consuming to trade with, and as long as theres both a wts/wtb subforum and chat ingame i never need them.

 

I'd wager that is the same for most people.

I have heard of a few very profitable merchants though.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, Artisan said:

 

I'd wager that is the same for most people.

I have heard of a few very profitable merchants though.

Probably some profitable merchants out there. But i'd rather spend time making stuff (either to sell or for skill) than go around exploring and maybe find a good buy. With the current market structure situation in Wurm its not even certain that i can sell the item either if i happen to find a good buy.

Edited by Nordlys

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Personally auctionhouses should be limited in scope, probably make them as NPCs like merchants and traders that have to be visited. Though perhaps bids could be placed via pen/paper bids if the auctioneer is set by a mailbox.

 

The best change to merchants could be to let them barter for items the owner of the NPC wants rather than just coin. Kind of similar to traders; however, the owner can set what they value desired items at, rather than the default price.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

An option to cancel what you sent someone should have been an option, just incase you put the wrong price, or someone dont pick up the stuff. The last one have happened alot lately...

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

improved interface, though that may already be in the works with the ongoing UI development.

***************

I don't shop much, so take my opinions with that in mind... but I like the thought of people having their own individual markets and merchants.  The large auction houses have always felt fairly impersonal to me, whereas I just prefer that a more granular approach for Wurm Online.

 

Or maybe have the auction house take a significant commission so there is still incentive for people to keep their "mom&pop" shops.

Auctions make it easier for a handful of phat cats to manipulate prices and the market in general, though.

Not to mention the ninja/macro/insta-buy folks that literally do nothing by stand at the auctioneer.

****************

From a technical standpoint, some kind of API or (automated)inventory dump into convenient form for might be useful for merchants wanting to publish their wares outside the game.  Might seem a bit old-school, but it's fun to see communities creating ecosystems for a game outside of it, imho.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It wouldn't work, and be a huge waste of time.

 

Not to mention Wurm is stagnating/declinging hard, so there's even less demand with the complete lack of new subscribers coming in.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Merchant system is dead, only useful as storage and if they nerfed that too (for whatever reason), only few people would be buying merchants.

 

Trading might not be dead but it is really bad compared to what it was 2 years ago, despite how easy it is to sail now compared to earlier.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Along with the QoL changes I suggested in my post for the merchant mail and bank I'd like to see some kinda system where the forum trading is also moved in-game.

Although I don't mind trading on the forums I know there are lots of the player base that simply don't use them or aren't vocal or simply don't want to use the trade chat. From the people I know personally in-game maybe 20% would use the forum or trade channel, which leaves the only method for trading for the others to be merchants.

 

I feel if we had a method for those people to interact with the trade forum without direct player interaction we might see increased economy, not to mention the immersion that would bring to the existing players.

 

Currently I see no reason to leave my deed if I want something I just pm someone on the forum or from the trade channel and mail it without ever having any interaction past personal messages. I'd like a system where it engages people more, even though it would make obtaining of goods more challenging or take more time.

 

I always liked heading to the market and seeing what was on offer, even if there was nothing I really wanted to buy. If I saw a good deal there was often a chance I'd come home with something I don't need or would gift to someone else. I feel that we need to bring that feeling back into the game, there are plenty of markets out there, just hardly anyone using them and hardly any reason to.

 

P.s. I Don't want a general-style mmo auction house, I can see how that would just lead into undercutting price wars which might be good for the buyers, but not really worth the effort for any part time sellers or one time sellers as the power players would just undercut anything sold by anyone.

Edited by Fraeya
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Would the item search option for merchants in either local or on the server be hard to make/implement?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, Shazaam said:

It wouldn't work, and be a huge waste of time.

 

Not to mention Wurm is stagnating/declinging hard, so there's even less demand with the complete lack of new subscribers coming in.

41a02cfd271192a662c4c110ad737ca1.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I did not read everyone's post but i think a cluster wide auction house would be nice for items that can be mailed.  I for one do not use the trade channel much and still am about 98% forum exclusive because I do not want to be focused on reading all the chats. With an auction house we can go and look at what is for sale when we want and not have to be reading trade 24/7 to find deals. 

 

 

Edit: I also think the mail system needs a history added to it so in a way I want #1 and #3

 

 

 

Edited by Kegan

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The whole system needs a re-balance to make moving large quantities via shipping viable. I mean no one can offer a decent solution without being able to see the hard data the staff have on the economy which of course we should not be able to see. Honestly the best solution I can offer is for us all to crowdfund them to hire a good economist or a team of them to spend months working out what the economy needs to survive in a small community like this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Our current small economy is the issue. We have way too many sellers and items and not enough buyers. Auction house would only benefits those who can litteraly flood the market (like bots do in most MMos with said systems).

 

Creating business opportunities (be here at the right time for the right deal being either the seller or the buyer) is one of the good things in Wurm Online.

 

Option 3 is imho one of the most needed QoL lately.

 

Modernizing the market on the other hand will be hard in the game when silvers and euros are tied together, you cannot get deals for all the sellers right now and bulk slavery is not really an option. Increasing decay on tools and enchant will only add tedium and is not a good option as well. IMHO the only good option for everyone to get back some coins and participate in a way or another to the economy is through the PNJ (ie. traders or something else) and getting back a portion of what you spend on the game in term of real money. Current free coins distribution only add insult to the injury due to the whole inbalance in it.

 

TL;DR. Option 3 - but the whole economic system need to be reworked for the current community needs.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
20 minutes ago, Odynn said:

Our current small economy is the issue. We have way too many sellers and items and not enough buyers.

 

*snip*

 

IMHO the only good option for everyone to get back some coins and participate in a way or another to the economy is through the PNJ (ie. traders or something else) and getting back a portion of what you spend on the game in term of real money. Current free coins distribution only add insult to the injury due to the whole inbalance in it.

 

TL;DR. Option 3 - but the whole economic system need to be reworked for the current community needs.

Demand is decreasing rapidly, as it has the past 5(?) years in Wurm. The only solution is to forbid not allow selling/buying accounts, which is most likely not gonna happen. And though its important and interesting, i guess its slightly off-topic.

 

 

 

Edited by Nordlys

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I do agree that a more active person would benefit more from an auction house most likely.  But I do not know how any game can get rid of account selling/trading.  This game allows it to be done in the open.  Other games that say no....just put the sales in the dark alleys.  They still happen though.  At least here you know that this char or that char was sold and bought by xxx.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Personally, I much preferred it the way before the mail system changed to allow everything to be sent cheaply. Expensive mail encouraged local trading and markets. These days there is no individuality for the servers, everyone has access to the same crafters as mail costs next to nothing.

 

Going to an auction-hall system simply dilutes the trading experience even further. Might as well play with NPCs at that point.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
19 minutes ago, Delakar said:

Going to an auction-hall system simply dilutes the trading experience even further. Might as well play with NPCs at that point.

In the rather "standard wow"-type of auction house, yes.

What about a Wurmifised local marketplace auction house?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this