Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Concept Series: Merchant Barker Droid
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Kollos
Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:47 am
#1
In the interest of moving forward positively, here is the third in a series of slightly more fleshed-out ideas. All of these ideas have been presented here on the forums in the past, in most cases many times. Note that whether these ideas are implemented as new droids or as new modules for existing Droids is largely irrelevant. New droids would be cooler but would also require more time and effort.
This time, I want to take a look at one of the new Droids proposed by the Dev team.
Merchant Barker Droid
This sounds related to two existing Droid Engineer ideas - the Vendor Droid and the POP (Point Of Presence) Shop Tender Droid. First some background on the original DE ideas.
The Vendor Droid concept is just that - a mobile droid like any other that functions as a vendor. Instead of being stuck in one place - your house for example - the Vendor Droid could be positioned someplace more useful on a temporary basis. Other than the owner being able to take it with him, the Vendor Droid would be nothing more than just another vendor. It would require an open vendor slot just like any other vendor and should, if possible, also require maintenance just like any other vendor.
The POP Droid (which I originally called a Shop Tender Droid) is a simple way to be "present" in your shop even while out tending harvesters or making deliveries. The POP Droid would simply notify its owner via /tell whenever someone came within its detection range. The owner could then use /tellpet to have the POP Droid speak out loud. The POP Droid would also report to the owner via /tell anything that it heard. In other words, it would be a communication link. Yes, you could just use /tell with the player for this purpose, but what the POP Droid provides is the ability to know when someone enters your shop. Besides, what would be cooler than having a Protocol Droid in your shop that you could speak through? "My Master instructs me to tell you: I take custom orders by email if you do not see what you want on my vendor."
Ok, so on to the Dev's Merchant Barker idea. Here's what was originally posted:
Merchant Barker module: This would give droids the ability to bark advertisements, give waypoints to shops, have additional information available so players could list prices, services, etc through a radial menu command.
To me, this sounds like a replacement for all of the spamvertising that goes on in the Coronet Starport. Or at least one possible way to slow it down. Note that "barking" doesn't necessarily mean that the droid contributes to spatial spam - more than likely a potential customer will have to activate the droid in some way in order to hear the ad barked. Furthermore, since most of the information will only be available through the radial menu, I don't think we're going to have to worry about armies of Merchant Barker Droids marching around the Coronet Starport. They're going to need to be stationary to be useful. (So yeah, there will still be an army, but it'll just be standing there.)
I like the ability for the Droid to hand out waypoints to shops as well as provide a "menu" of services and products. Very handy. It'd be even better if the Droid could email that waypoint and menu to customers who ask for it, because then the customer would have a permanent record and wouldn't have to remember the information.
I would also like to see the Vendor Droid concept incorporated, even if the droid were limited in the number of items that it could have posted at any one time. Even the ability to put 10 items (to keep it within range of an Item Storage Compartment) on a mobile vendor would be very useful to merchants. There's a risk of griefing if these vendors are connected to the overall bazaar system, though, so I wouldn't connect them - if you purchase something from a Vendor Droid, it is immediately placed in your inventory. Furthermore, you cannot purchase something from a Vendor Droid from anywhere except that Vendor Droid's interface.
I do have some concerns about this concept, though. Remember when player vendors were first added in EverQuest? Remember the competition and crowding that occurred as people tried to get their vendors placed as close to the front as possible? Can you forsee the same wall of droids at the entrance to the Coronet Starport that I can forsee? At the moment, I can't think of a potential solution other than the one used in EverQuest - Merchant Barker Droids can only be placed in a designated area. In order to allow them to still be droids, they would need a new "place me now" command that would activate their special abilities but prevent them from moving. Until "placed" they would just be normal droids. There would still be problems with crowding, but at least it would be localized to the "Merchant Barker Droid area".
Thoughts? Improvements? Should I keep doing these?
Kollos
Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:54 am
#2
This was posted by Ideas in a different thread, but I wanted to get it moved here because it is definitely appropriate:
ideas wrote:
Some ways they can keep[Merchant Barker Droid spam]from becoming too much of a problem (note I don't advocate all of them, but they are possible...)
* Only Merchants can get the droid to actually "bark" ads. Others just get the little (i) over their droid.
* Droid spamming is kept to a reasonable interval, like 2 minutes (or affected by Merchant levels). Unlike players who can and do spam every 5 seconds.
* Droids near each other take turns barking. So, if there are 50 droids around, each one only barks every 50 intervals. This would encourage people to put their droids in places where there aren't too many.
* Droid spam message is kept very short, or based on Merchant skills. So a non-merchant's droid can only bark 40 characters, just enough for a shop name and waypoint.
* Droid barking requires battery power, so an unattended droid will only bark for X minutes before it reaches *Low Power*.
* Droid barking gets a very small radius, so only people who walk within 5 meters of the droid hear it's message. Maybe Merchant skills increase this radius.
Squegul
Thu Feb 19, 2004 12:17 pm
#3
The batteries will work if the duration can be longer than just minutes. That would require you to remain in the vicinity of the droid to keep it powered, and at that point, the droid is useless. You can advertise yourself.
Also, I want the option to not show any ad barkers on my client. A checkbox in the options menu to turn it on or off. If on, then I just don't see them or hear them. I already only get 2 or 3 FPS in Coronet, a bunch of droids and I'll be at a standstill.
TheRealTK421
Thu Feb 19, 2004 12:57 pm
#4
/bow
Kollos wrote:
In the interest of moving forward positively, here is the third in a series of slightly more fleshed-out ideas.
Note to Drashk: Will you please sticky these? I think it would be a huge help.
All of these ideas have been presented here on the forums in the past, in most cases many times. Note that whether these ideas are implemented as new droids or as new modules for existing Droids is largely irrelevant. New droids would be cooler but would also require more time and effort.
Indeed. New chassis would be the best but having 'the goods' is what matters most.
This time, I want to take a look at one of the new Droids proposed by the Dev team.
[snip]
Ok, so on to the Dev's Merchant Barker idea. Here's what was originally posted:
Merchant Barker module: This would give droids the ability to bark advertisements, give waypoints to shops, have additional information available so players could list prices, services, etc through a radial menu command.
Yup...this is sounding better and better the more I think about it. The only caveat I'm sure we all have is how this affects ad-spamming. Spamming = bad. Merchant droid that could make spam go away = good.
To me, this sounds like a replacement for all of the spamvertising that goes on in the Coronet Starport.
I'm sure that ALL players would love tosee this happen.
Or at least one possible way to slow it down. Note that "barking" doesn't necessarily mean that the droid contributes to spatial spam - more than likely a potential customer will have to activate the droid in some way in order to hear the ad barked.
Yes...this is the way it needs to occur, I think. In addition, I'm wondering if we could have these be placable within the starport itself. Perhaps in one of those nice side-rooms they have in place along both 'corridors'.
Furthermore, since most of the information will only be available through the radial menu, I don't think we're going to have to worry about armies of Merchant Barker Droids marching around the Coronet Starport.
They're going to need to be stationary to be useful. (So yeah, there will still be an army, but it'll just be standing there.)
Yup. And, hopefully, it will be able to be orgainized in some way. I fear the chaos of seeing 50 Merchant droids scattered haphazardly everywhere outside the starport front door. Perhaps we could have these types of droids 'auto-form'a sort of vending line or such? That'd be a nice thing to have.
I like the ability for the Droid to hand out waypoints to shops as well as provide a "menu" of services and products. Very handy. It'd be even better if the Droid could email that waypoint and menu to customers who ask for it, because then the customer would have a permanent record and wouldn't have to remember the information.
Yup...this would be really cool. Just put a "Get Brochure" command on the radial menu. The droid sends the preset info (with waypoint) to the client via an email. Quick, clean and handy. I dig it.
I would also like to see the Vendor Droid concept incorporated, even if the droid were limited in the number of items that it could have posted at any one time. Even the ability to put 10 items (to keep it within range of an Item Storage Compartment) on a mobile vendor would be very useful to merchants.
Yup. Perhaps we start linking that amount to the size of the installed Item Storage module? This might well be a way to get that increased at some point, I suppose.
There's a risk of griefing if these vendors are connected to the overall bazaar system, though, so I wouldn't connect them - if you purchase something from a Vendor Droid, it is immediately placed in your inventory.
Yes...I like this. I wish this would happen on ALL vendors. I just wasted 30 min. the other night going back to pick up something I forget to grab from a vendor.
Furthermore, you cannot purchase something from a Vendor Droid from anywhere except that Vendor Droid's interface.
Right on.
As a side-suggestion: I'd like to see a "Will call" feature that would allow you to assign specific vendor listed items that can ONLY be picked up and paid for by particular clients. This allows you to 'reserve' items such that only the client you made it for can get it. This would be a HUGE help to me, personally.
I do have some concerns about this concept, though. Remember when player vendors were first added in EverQuest? Remember the competition and crowding that occurred as people tried to get their vendors placed as close to the front as possible?
This is the reason that I think we need to have this idea incorporate a way for a droid with such a module to automatically form into some kind of vending 'area'. So, if there were 50 player droids outside or near a starport, they'd automatically form up into an organized layout that avoids this whole scenario.
Can you forsee the same wall of droids at the entrance to the Coronet Starport that I can forsee? At the moment, I can't think of a potential solution other than the one used in EverQuest - Merchant Barker Droids can only be placed in a designated area.
Well, that would do it, yup.
In order to allow them to still be droids, they would need a new "place me now" command that would activate their special abilities but prevent them from moving. Until "placed" they would just be normal droids. There would still be problems with crowding, but at least it would be localized to the "Merchant Barker Droid area".
Hmmm...yes, the crowding problem really needs to be address seriously. I think this module will be much better if this issue is addressed before it ever hits Live.
Thoughts? Improvements? Should I keep doing these?
Respectfully,
Lonkley
Thu Feb 19, 2004 5:36 pm
#5
yeah its a repost...
I think the barker droids are a great idea as is. I think if they do spam spatial, on a timer between 5 to 15 minutes thats reasonable. It certainly is going to be less often than player spamming.
As for seeing 100's of droids in coronet. good. people always complain about Coronet, but you know what, thats where you go when you want to buy something. People spam, because spam works. Its that simple, and its nothing new to this game or any other MMORPG. Also the majority of lag in coronet is from the 50 foot pets, not people spamming, so i think its misplaced angst. A barker droid will help the entire playerbase. If you want to avoid the spamming, go to Kor Vella or Tyrene. There's plenty of empty relay points in the galaxy.
Also i dont like the idea of closing them off to requirevendors, because as described they can also be used by anyone who wants to run player events.
Virtanis
Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:04 am
#7
A repost of my idea from the other merchant/barker thread:
Easy solution that (should) work within the current game framework.
Havea little circle "i" floating above the head of the droid, maybe a different color than NPC's.
Customerapproaches the droid, left clicks and gets a radial menu.
Radial menu has the option "What am I offering?"
Select that option and the droid begins it's little speech.
Warrhawk
Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:06 am
#8
I completely agree with the idea that only people with an open merchant slot open can use this droid. It supports the merchant profession and I am all for more improvements to that group as well.
Yes. Well thought out ideas. With positive and contructive feedback. Five stars from me my friend.
Kollos wrote:
Thoughts? Improvements? Should I keep doing these?
O-Jen
Mon Feb 23, 2004 11:20 am
#9
I'm not too thrilled with the barker droid. Here's why:
If we have them, starports will be cluttered with droids bleeping out ads. Every vendor will want one, and it will become a noisy mess.
If we limit them to having little "i"'s, or make their radius suck, or some other limitation that makes them less effective than player spamming or afk barking, then what we'll get is the same amount of player spam/afk barking AND a buch of droids to avoid while making planetary trips. I mean, we all know who sells what in this game. Why are we going to spend our time checking the radial menus of 60 droids in a starport?
Sorry, this is the only idea so far that I don't think is so great. The others would be very useful!
O-Jen
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