Sign in to follow this  
Arindor

Work Orders

Recommended Posts

Wurm really needs a work order system.  Other games have such a system and it seems to work very well.  A work order system should improve the economy.

 

For those not familiar with such a system, it would work something like the following:

  • A player who desires a resource, but does not have the skill or desire to obtain the resource posts a work order.  An example:  40+ quality beeswax, 100 quantity.
  • He places what he is offering for the resource in "escrow" with the work order.  Example:  50 iron coins, or maybe an item.
  • Work orders act like mini-quests for players.  They accept the work order, and need to complete it within a certain amount of time, or it becomes available for another player to fill.
  • A player completes the work order by delivering the required items.  This could be via wagoneer perhaps, or the existing mail system.
  • When a work order is complete the player receives the escrow item, again could be via the above mechanisms.
  • Players can cancel any unfilled work orders and receive their escrow item(s) back.
  • Work orders should be global, and in Wurm, possibly cross-server.

 

There are probably many subtleties I've not detailed here, but I think there is enough so the concept is clear.  Of course it needs to be adapted to wurm, but I think the game could really use this.

 

For new players, perhaps not familiar with the open-world nature of Wurm, this would give some structure/goals for them, and perhaps some income to help them along.  For existing players, it provides a mechanism to get those pesky items you are seeking without having to spam the trade channel (But notice that nothing here precludes using the trade channel as well).  I think it also would provide a mechanism for established players to help new players - by creating "mini quests" for them, where they get an neat item for their trouble, which might be something the established player no longer wants/needs.  There also could be some "stock" work orders - perhaps auto-generated by the server and/or GMs (notice this is essentially the same as journal quests).

 

Rolf's original idea for wurm seemed to be to try to create these types of player interactions within a village.  But for various reasons (different play times, player attrition, or simple desire for independence, etc), most folk seem to end up in solo or few player villages with several alts, and so there aren't new villagers to do these tasks.  A properly implemented work order system would bring back this player interaction by bridging gaps of play time and server geography and has the potential to make the game more enjoyable and immersive for both new and experienced players.

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Work orders is something Wurm should have already had for awhile with all the bulk resource trading that happens.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes.  We have the relevant boards here for it, but something managed in game would be the Swiss flag!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

-1

 

I frown upon this, the same way I frown upon bulk sellers "taking orders" for common items like bricks and mortar.  If you don't have anything to sell, you shouldn't be advertising.

 

On a more serious note, what happens when the work order gets "Accepted" by a given merchant?  Is this merchant able to take on additional work orders and horde all the work for himself?  Are the work orders considered open until the order is filled by someone, or does it remain open for other merchants to "compete" for the business?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Wargasm said:

-1

 

I frown upon this, the same way I frown upon bulk sellers "taking orders" for common items like bricks and mortar.  If you don't have anything to sell, you shouldn't be advertising.

 

On a more serious note, what happens when the work order gets "Accepted" by a given merchant?  Is this merchant able to take on additional work orders and horde all the work for himself?  Are the work orders considered open until the order is filled by someone, or does it remain open for other merchants to "compete" for the business?

 

I reckon it should work based on someone putting in a WTB order, and you "take" the order by filling it.  That way if you have it to sell you can sell it, but if you don't you're not monopolizing the WTB order and preventing someone else from filing it.  

 

I agree it should be a "here and now" kind of thing, and be a material order rather than a "work" order as such.  It is someone saying "I need this stuff" rather than "I need someone to start making this stuff for me".

 

In a lot of ways the trade chat functions well, but it would be useful to be able to manage part-supply of large WTBs ingame.  If someone wants, say 25K slate slabs then via trade chat or forum they have to keep track or who is supplying what volume, whereas a "board" system where they post their need of 25K at a particular price and other individuals can provide some portion of that and the system tracks how much is still wanted would be handy.  Not critical, but handy.  Maybe the buyer could specify minimum volumes.  As this would have to function not only as a noticeboard but also as delivery management, it should be some specific object/system, like e.g. a wagoner's  camp .  The "wagoner" type takes the orders, taking payment up front for the goods and listing them throughout the network.  Others deliver their stuff to the local "wagoner" type, who pays them their coin and onsends the goods.  Goods released to the buyer on payment of the commission (per load).  Make the NPC a "factor" maybe, or something fitting. WU has buyer merchants, which is a little bit akin, I think.

 

I feel I always go into too deep detail with these things, but I can't help trying to think through how it might work.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If this system is automated, if falls into the same category as auction houses. I like them in other games, but wouldn't work for the small population of Wurm. A small group of players would saturate the system.

 

If this was just a message board, like a offline trade chat, I would like that. If I have something to sell, I look on there and see who to contact. No contracts, no auto-shipping or payment. Just information.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think trying to fully automate this from beginning to end is just overcomplicating things and making them needlessly inflexible. Unless your players have the kind of instantaneous and strictly player bound inventory system that other MMOs have, Auction houses don't really work out so easily because of the logistics attached to transferring items.

The advantage that this system, and an auction house for that matter, would bring is simply an asynchronous communication pattern - I think that would be needed because not everyone wants to run off to the forums for every little thing for several reasons.

 

Like Kelody said, a simple "order board" would serve this game just fine, it would hit the sweet spot between the trade chat that is constantly flooded with unfiltered messages about selling drake armor where you need to be actually online to see the demand and supply, and the forum, which is an extra account to set up and poses a rather permanent platform that lends itself more to bigger sales being done, being rather uninviting towards anything but the dominating "market meta".

 

For what it's worth, a work/order board that you can search for specific items on using filters would be relatively easy to design and implement as opposed to what OP proposes, but can still act as a foundation for an automated system later an should it ever become worthwhile to make that effort.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Of course there should be built in limits and and time frames for delivery and such.
  • Have the game detect if the character filling the work order actually did the work.  I'm guessing materials have a creation date or something so the materials have to be created within 24-48 hours of accepting the work order.  Or there is an action counter that starts for the character after accepting the work order.  If you have 10k materials stored and want to sell them then do it in trade chat or forums.
  • If you accept and cannot fill the work order within the given time frame that was accepted then you get charged 10% fee of the work order's value for not being able to complete.  The fee would go to the kingdom and not the person that created the work order to prevent abuse.  It would be part of accepting the work order (contract).
  • When creating the work order the money/fees would go into escrow until either completed or canceled.  If canceled the creator of the work order would lose 10% from fee to kingdom.
  • I'd suggest you can only fill 1 work order per day per account to help limit some kind of abuse with just having alts fill other orders.  Have work orders only able to be offered and filled from the same server.
  • Work orders can be created, viewed and managed from Village Message Board or there would be a new item in the game, but still think it should be like a message board.

Having some fun with the idea.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 5/29/2020 at 1:12 AM, Kelody said:

If this system is automated, if falls into the same category as auction houses.

 

I guess it depends on how broad your categories are.  I feel it falls into the category of player-made quests, and doesn't resemble an auction house at all.

 

Quote

I like them in other games, but wouldn't work for the small population of Wurm.

 

The small population is exactly why Wurm needs work orders.  The only alternative is that you have to sit and watch or spam the trade channel in hopes that your counterpart sees the message and wants to fill it.

 

Quote

A small group of players would saturate the system.

 

In what way?  Offering too many work orders?  Accepting all the work orders?  In games where I've seen this implemented (also relatively low population games) demand (either way) ends up driving price.  Of course there is going to be an initial surge (one way or the other), but eventually you reach a "market price".  And then most work orders you see end up being ones for below market rate, which nobody wants to do, since all the reasonable work orders get accepted.  But it still works as desired for both experienced players and new players:  experienced players offer a fair price for an item they want - and somebody accepts; and items on the other end of the spectrum that experienced players don't want to bother with get accepted by new players who think "I'm grinding wood cutting anyway - may as well get paid something for these logs" or such.  And in the end, the Wurm economy ends up winning big.

 

Quote

If this was just a message board, like a offline trade chat, I would like that. If I have something to sell, I look on there and see who to contact. No contracts, no auto-shipping or payment. Just information.

 

We have that in the forums.  The forums work well for high-end more unique items.  Work orders are intended for the more mundane items.

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