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View Full Version : Ultimate Trading/Economy Suggestion


silencerius
14-03-2006, 03:45 PM
Hello, I am new here, been playing DDO for a week or so now (i've been playing dnd p&p for years). I like the game but it could be WAY better with VERY SIMPLE things added.

I will start by discussing the trading/economy system, which I think is of crucial importance and a key gameplay element to all MMO games. In DDO specifically though it really needs a lot of improvement. I know there are quite some threads discussing this, but it would be nice to have it all in one thread. Perhaps this way we can get the creators' attention focused.


1) Put the name of the person you are trading with on to the trade window (already discussed I think).

2) Make a more fool-proof trading window by adding some sort of "acceptance validation" system in it. Like a double click on the Accept button, or a confirmation dialogue.

3) Create some kind of auction place or an in-game PC (player character) market. Something simple and realistic, like a tavern of some kind, or an auctioning board IN the tavern. Somewhere where everyone can just go and place the goods they have for auction/sale and make requests of purchase.

Noone seems to be selling or buying in this game. People need to be motivated to do so:

4) DDO NEEDS to have a better trading system overall, so it will be crucial to have more unique items. Different shapes, colors, abilities, names etc.
Uniqueness, it is all about that in an MMOrpg. People need to feel that their character doesn't carry "just one of the fourty billion code generated, same looking, +1 Longswords" and they will pay up for them to have one that is not.

5) Ok, we get that DDO isn't *that* "deep" as a game, but you could at least put some enchantable items (have you ever played Dungeon Siege II? Its item enchanting system is quite interesting and I think it would work nicely in DDO).

About the Linking Items: I personally do not agree to such an idea as it would ruin the Role Play of trading in general. We need ideas that are smart and practical that encourage RP use overall in my opinion (but that's cause I'm a really high RP player I don't know about the rest of you).

Ok I'm out, I had some other suggestions as well, but it seems they slipped my mind while I was typing. Feel free to add more and I will make sure they are added on the list.

AngelOmnipotent
14-03-2006, 08:55 PM
Personally while I agree that trading and/or an economy in an MMO is crucial to it's development, it can also become the fastest and most devastating ruin of a game in a matter of days.

In other games they have a fully-open auction house system, where people put up prices, undercut, just like a real business world.

This leads to "elitist" groups forming who have the best gear, keep going on raids and selling the items higher and higher each time. Prices of things going through the roof, or through the floor making the game less satisfactory should you get some decent loot from a quest because you know that you could've just bought it anyway.

At the moment people are steadily trading and selling things, and the prices are based on the Base Value of the item, and/or what you can sell/buy at an NPC for and it's ALL either private trades or NPC. There are no records of previous purchase prices and that is how it should stay.

If there is to be more of a public trading board or auction house then there should be a limit on how much certain items are allowed to sell for within these places, like double their base price being the max.

I'm in heaven to be playing a game now with no economy to ruin things, to cause people buying in-game currency, and to make being greedy.

Personally if the game did introduce such a free-economy, then I would seriously take a second thought on carrying on playing as I know it would go down-hill from there.

Thandar
15-03-2006, 02:23 AM
Agree here! It`s very imortant to have a economic system in a roleplaying world...

Mordaki
15-03-2006, 02:31 AM
Agree here! It`s very imortant to have a economic system in a roleplaying world...

Ah yes the joy of gold farmers ;) how I love there fuzzy little hearts.
The minute I hear of someone buying gold IRL I will leave.

the economic system seems ok just now, more like the middle ages than wall street, maybe that is the way it should be...

Jae
15-03-2006, 09:27 AM
i like the attitude used by most DDO players regarding items.

Just give away what you dont need to those in group that do need/use.

how often have you heard. " i just got <item> anyone need it?" in DDO

compare to other MMOs. (greed/need roll)
mage: "what use does a fighter have for the <item>, i needed that"
fighter: "well i needed the gold i can sell this for!"

if nobody needs it, then just sell it to a broker, you get a bit extra gold, and you can spend a lot more time questing and less time spamming the taverns with sales pitch for items nobody wants. (chances are you can make more money questing than by standing around).

Talarn
15-03-2006, 09:50 AM
Personally I like the fact that there is no action house. I hate gold farmers pumping up the price on things. In DDO you know what the price of things are.

silencerius
15-03-2006, 02:29 PM
I am sure they can come up to an idea that encourages Role Play and doesn't ruin the game by encouraging gold farmers etc. I agree with you all of the above that noted that.

What I was talking about in my original post is a much simpler version of auctioning houses that you see in others games.
Perhaps a Note Board (Like a piece of paper clipped on the walls) that everyone can place their add (For example: Maximillian the rogue is selling a Longsword +1, contact him). No spontaneous buys etc. You just see what's for sale and search for the character if you're interested.

Canine
15-03-2006, 02:52 PM
Perhaps a Note Board (Like a piece of paper clipped on the walls) that everyone can place their add (For example: Maximillian the rogue is selling a Longsword +1, contact him). No spontaneous buys etc. You just see what's for sale and search for the character if you're interested.

There's already something like that in existence.

Go to the Server specific boards on this forum, in each one, you'll find a sticky trading thread.

OK, so it's not in game, but how hard is it to keep a copy of firefox or your browser of choice open in the background and check the thread if you're looking for something?

Mordaki
15-03-2006, 05:58 PM
Perhaps a Note Board (Like a piece of paper clipped on the walls) that everyone can place their add (For example: Maximillian the rogue is selling a Longsword +1, contact him). No spontaneous buys etc. You just see what's for sale and search for the character if you're interested.

I use the LFG to advertise any good items I dont want, everyone can see it, it is level specific and it spams no-one. People can contact and find you straight away. Only downside is that you have to leave the group you are in :(

silencerius
15-03-2006, 06:41 PM
There's already something like that in existence.

Go to the Server specific boards on this forum, in each one, you'll find a sticky trading thread.

OK, so it's not in game, but how hard is it to keep a copy of firefox or your browser of choice open in the background and check the thread if you're looking for something?

It is not hard at all but it's not IN THE GAME. That's all the reason I need not to use it.

BladeWraith
14-04-2006, 06:19 PM
I think all that is needed is a server-wide Trade channel so we can at least express what we have to offer !!

silencerius
15-04-2006, 05:36 AM
you can use the sticky for trading in every server specific forum

The Digger
15-04-2006, 02:26 PM
I like the idea mentioned of using LFG to advertise items.

Here's a thought. How about a advert board in the social panel. You could attach 1 item at a time and it would link to tells and trades so you could trade with that item. It would also link to the standard view option for that item so you can see exactly what it does. You could go on, attach your item to sell (only 1 type at a time so you couldn't gold mine on it), and people who were browsing the boards could open a trade with you. Once you've sold that item you can post the next one.

Thoughts?

Alera Rifter
15-04-2006, 04:51 PM
How about seeing what an item looks like on before you trade for it, Because if you have the choice between two simliar items and one looks fantastic and the other looks like it belongs in the bin theres no choice