Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Idea: Mobile vendors!
Very cool indeed
Message Edited by ZevVeers on 11-09-2004 02:16 PM
Yeah, but you're limited to 10 items and you don't get the vendor interface.
I don't have the ability to comment on any of the suggestions you listed.
I just felt that I needed to point out one of the major reason why something like this may not be possible. The Vendor Module is one of the many droid function ideas that I hope we as a community can flesh out in the coming weeks/months to present to the DEVs. Something like this may not be a near future possiblity; however it is an idea that has staying power and may one day end up in the game, I hope.
Drashk wrote:
Just wanted to jump in here and make a comment...
The idea of having a mobile vendor would be a nice addition; however I think there might bea technical issue with this one, that could lead to problems with database tracking and item duping.
The DEVs were very adamant on removing the vendor function on Starships. I could be wrong, but I think it was because of database tracking issues that could arise with a vendor that does not have a set location. Not having a static point of reference for vendor transactionscould lead to item duping if the mobile vendor was to cross a server boundry while in the process of transfering a item to a players inventory.
A few months after launch, there were a number of issues that caused problems when people purchased an item then crossed a server boundry. The items purchased would disappear from the persons inventory after moving across the boundry and would sometimes never reappear, even after the server maintenance cycle. There were also cases of people crossing back and forth over server boundries while the database was updating, which produced more then one instance of the same item.
I'm not trying to negative in any way....just throwing out a potential limitation as to why something like this may not be possible.
I can see that and fully understand the issue.
Would a stationary droid cause the same issue? Put limits on where it can be dropped to avoid boundary crosses. If the bug can be fixed then it could be allowed to move when fixed. It would simply be a repsentation of a shop in a static city. I know this makes it like the Bazaar but the Bazaar cant tell you as much.
Also is it strickly an issue of the purchasers movement after the sale of item deletion, is that the heart of this bug? Is the droids temporary placement, in the above example still not a viable alternative?
hamhamthe3rd wrote:
we already have this, they are calleditem storage modules. for a profession like chef, it would be the easiest on them. make a few crates, toss the crates into your droids storage. then start spamming you are selling...or not. either way if someone comes up to you and asks do you have a vendor, you willstill say no but you can offer premade product.
I'm thinking of something that first and foremost is browse-able like a regular vendor. I've done sales myself the way you describe, and it is tedious and at times frustrating. You get into these long conversations about what you do have, what you don't have, what the stats are, what you're charging, blah blah blah blah. I'm thiking of a quick click on a droid (like it's a reg. vendor). See something you like? You get it. No? You're on your way. No messing about.
I've seen people spamming the way you describe, and I rarely talk to them. I don't feel like getting in a 10 min. conversation about stats, price, & availability when all I want is tobuy a melon and go.
Additionally, I'm thinking the droid vendor idea would differ in that (a) it would hold more than 10 items (20-40 to me seems to bereasonably balanced),(b) doesn't require a transaction between the seller & the buyer, allowing the seller to keep crafting,chat,shoot CorSecs, whatever, and (c) gives merchant xp upon completion of a sale. It would automate a process that is potentially tedious andotherwise more time consuming,which is what droids are all about anyway isn't it?
It would be nice if the buyer had the ability to buy partial crates (something vendors currentlydo not allowbut face-to-face transactions do), but that's probably also asking too much.
Omab
Message Edited by snoman321 on 11-09-2004 01:05 PM
)
Drashk wrote:
Just wanted to jump in here and make a comment...
The idea of having a mobile vendor would be a nice addition; however I think there might bea technical issue with this one, that could lead to problems with database tracking and item duping.
The DEVs were very adamant on removing the vendor function on Starships. I could be wrong, but I think it was because of database tracking issues that could arise with a vendor that does not have a set location. Not having a static point of reference for vendor transactionscould lead to item duping if the mobile vendor was to cross a server boundry while in the process of transfering a item to a players inventory.
A few months after launch, there were a number of issues that caused problems when people purchased an item then crossed a server boundry. The items purchased would disappear from the persons inventory after moving across the boundry and would sometimes never reappear, even after the server maintenance cycle. There were also cases of people crossing back and forth over server boundries while the database was updating, which produced more then one instance of the same item.
I'm not trying to negative in any way....just throwing out a potential limitation as to why something like this may not be possible.
Thanks for the info DrashK. I can definitely see why this would be a problem. Would it be possible as a workaround to make the droid immobile while its "vendor module" is turned on? Static location would be established at point of sale. Or could the sale be somehow proxied through a static vendor (i.e. the droid makes the sale, but the database records it as a sale from the static vendor)? I realize these probably aren't questions you're able to answer. I don't mean to press the issue, but I just thought I'd offer uppotential solutions if the community felt that it was worth pursuing.
Thanks again for the info.
Omab