Merchant Archive
Thread: Galactic Auctions: A Detailed proposal
Page 1 of 2
Ace4Brit
Sat Apr 10, 2004 9:39 am
#1
Hi All,
I dont spend much time in the merchant forums, but i had the following thought, and have been working through it in my mind quite a bit. Its long, but it is detailed. Here is what i came up with for a proposal:
Feature Background:
Currently, within the world of Star Wars Galaxies, there is no good way of auctioning off high end items such as looted items or exceptionally well experimented items. The only option that is available is posting an item on the Galaxy trade forums. The problems with this are as follows:
1) Supposedly only 10% of the the SWG population knows about the forums, let alone visits them.
2) Very few of those 10% check the galaxy trade forums on a regular basis
3) The Forums are external from the game client, and a solution which exists within the game client would result in many more people seeing the auctions, and therefore a more fair environment (for the buyers and the sellers) to work in.
[Edited:added] 4) In SWG, money flows faster than the nile, If going to the bathroom were a required action within the game, people would wipe their bottoms with credits... The one group of people who should gain the most in a high credit economy, the merchants, are currently useless unless they are combined with a secondary profession, i.e. a crafting one. Merchants should have a way to make credits outside of simply placing vendors to sell their own goods. (which doesnt even require a merchant currently, just someone who has in the past had business 3)
Feature Purpose:
A system should exist which:
1) Allows the player population to auciton off high end goods (such as rare loot or exceptionally crafted/sliced items)
2) Exists within the SWG client (so as to be accessable to the highest number of people)
3) Allows flexible visibility options (such as this area, entire planet, and entire Galaxy)
4) Is available to every player
5) Charge a very high percentage-based cost to run these auctions
6) Gives merchants huge discounts on these costs so that non-merchants will seek out merchants to sell their high end goods for them
7) Have measures in place so that the Auction system does not become flooded with excessive amounts of every day items (i.e. that exceptionaly sliced composite stun PVP helmet will be sold, but not the 500 others average ones that were made before it)
8) Forces players to make sure they only post items that they are sure will sell
9) Capitalize on the possibility for a money sink yet still be fair to players
Feature Contents:
1) Drop auction on the bazaar current functionality. Hardly anyone uses it due to the 6k cap, and it would need to be removed to prevent confusion with this system. With this, the top left tab changes from "all auctions" to "All Instant Sales".
2) All bazaars get the following tab at the top: "Galactic Auctions"
3) All Vendors/Bazaars get the following tab at the top: "My Galactic Auctions".
4) "Galactic Auctions" contains the exact same UI as "All Instant Sales" (currently "All Auctions") does (a sorted list of items) except it lists only auctions.
5) "My Galactic Auctions" functions like "My Sales", except lists the Auctions they currently have.
6) "My Galactic Auctions" has a "Post Auction" button which allows you to post an item for auction.
7) Auction options are the following:
Number of days (up to 7)
Choice of This Town, This Planet, or This Galaxy.
Buyout Price: Yes/No & amount for yes
Starting Bid
[edit: added] A Title (Because "clothing attachment", "crystal", and "pearl" is never enough, we need to be able to highlight the features in our own words in a short title)
8) There is NO CAP on the amount that can be bid on auctions (unless buyout is set)
9) Auctions CAN NOT be cancelled by the auctioneer (as they currently can)
10) All listing Costs are Percentage based (not hard coded) as follows:
Person with no merchant skills:
This Town:
20%
This Planet:
40%
Entire Galaxy:
60%
[edited] Having progressivly higher Efficiency boxes will decrease the percent down to the master box, which is as follows:
Master Merchant:
This Town:
4%
This Planet:
8%
Entire Galaxy:
12%
This percentage is taken out of the amount paid to the auctioneer upon completion of the sale.
11) The number of allowed auctions are as follows:
Person with no merchant skills:
3 auctions at a time
[edited] Having progressivly higher Efficiency boxes will increase the number up to the master box, which is as follows:
Master Merchant:
20 auctions at a time
12) As you can see, anyone is able to post a galactic auction, but a merchant can post an entire galaxy auction for less percent cost than a regular person can post a this town auction. Therefore regular people have a huge reason to search out merchants to sell their goods for them.
13) An auction that is "this town" will show up under "Galactic Auctions" for all bazaars in that town, an auction that is "This Planet" will show up under "Galactic Auctions" for all bazaars on that planet, and an auction that is "Entire Galaxy" will show up under "Galactic Auctions" for all bazaars on all the planets.
14) Auctions won must be picked up in the town in which they are posted.
15) To discourage people from posting auctions with starting bids which are above the price anyone will bid for, At the time the auction is posted, the auctioneer is charged 10% of the minimum bid.
16) Once the first bid is placed on the item, the auctioneer gets that 10% back.
17) If an auction finishes without a sale, the auctioneer does NOT recieve the 10% back.
Please discuss, no flames.
Reviews of this proposal:
"very well articulated proposal. At first read it seems pretty sound." - DocSavage
"One of the great features of this proposal is provision of a high value Money Sink which is targeted directly at those players with large bankrolls, while not punishing the new players with limited funds. This could easily help to pull quite a large amount of money back out of the economy, which is desperately needed." -scruftydog
I dont spend much time in the merchant forums, but i had the following thought, and have been working through it in my mind quite a bit. Its long, but it is detailed. Here is what i came up with for a proposal:
Feature Background:
Currently, within the world of Star Wars Galaxies, there is no good way of auctioning off high end items such as looted items or exceptionally well experimented items. The only option that is available is posting an item on the Galaxy trade forums. The problems with this are as follows:
1) Supposedly only 10% of the the SWG population knows about the forums, let alone visits them.
2) Very few of those 10% check the galaxy trade forums on a regular basis
3) The Forums are external from the game client, and a solution which exists within the game client would result in many more people seeing the auctions, and therefore a more fair environment (for the buyers and the sellers) to work in.
[Edited:added] 4) In SWG, money flows faster than the nile, If going to the bathroom were a required action within the game, people would wipe their bottoms with credits... The one group of people who should gain the most in a high credit economy, the merchants, are currently useless unless they are combined with a secondary profession, i.e. a crafting one. Merchants should have a way to make credits outside of simply placing vendors to sell their own goods. (which doesnt even require a merchant currently, just someone who has in the past had business 3)
Feature Purpose:
A system should exist which:
1) Allows the player population to auciton off high end goods (such as rare loot or exceptionally crafted/sliced items)
2) Exists within the SWG client (so as to be accessable to the highest number of people)
3) Allows flexible visibility options (such as this area, entire planet, and entire Galaxy)
4) Is available to every player
5) Charge a very high percentage-based cost to run these auctions
6) Gives merchants huge discounts on these costs so that non-merchants will seek out merchants to sell their high end goods for them
7) Have measures in place so that the Auction system does not become flooded with excessive amounts of every day items (i.e. that exceptionaly sliced composite stun PVP helmet will be sold, but not the 500 others average ones that were made before it)
8) Forces players to make sure they only post items that they are sure will sell
9) Capitalize on the possibility for a money sink yet still be fair to players
Feature Contents:
1) Drop auction on the bazaar current functionality. Hardly anyone uses it due to the 6k cap, and it would need to be removed to prevent confusion with this system. With this, the top left tab changes from "all auctions" to "All Instant Sales".
2) All bazaars get the following tab at the top: "Galactic Auctions"
3) All Vendors/Bazaars get the following tab at the top: "My Galactic Auctions".
4) "Galactic Auctions" contains the exact same UI as "All Instant Sales" (currently "All Auctions") does (a sorted list of items) except it lists only auctions.
5) "My Galactic Auctions" functions like "My Sales", except lists the Auctions they currently have.
6) "My Galactic Auctions" has a "Post Auction" button which allows you to post an item for auction.
7) Auction options are the following:
Number of days (up to 7)
Choice of This Town, This Planet, or This Galaxy.
Buyout Price: Yes/No & amount for yes
Starting Bid
[edit: added] A Title (Because "clothing attachment", "crystal", and "pearl" is never enough, we need to be able to highlight the features in our own words in a short title)
8) There is NO CAP on the amount that can be bid on auctions (unless buyout is set)
9) Auctions CAN NOT be cancelled by the auctioneer (as they currently can)
10) All listing Costs are Percentage based (not hard coded) as follows:
Person with no merchant skills:
This Town:
20%
This Planet:
40%
Entire Galaxy:
60%
[edited] Having progressivly higher Efficiency boxes will decrease the percent down to the master box, which is as follows:
Master Merchant:
This Town:
4%
This Planet:
8%
Entire Galaxy:
12%
This percentage is taken out of the amount paid to the auctioneer upon completion of the sale.
11) The number of allowed auctions are as follows:
Person with no merchant skills:
3 auctions at a time
[edited] Having progressivly higher Efficiency boxes will increase the number up to the master box, which is as follows:
Master Merchant:
20 auctions at a time
12) As you can see, anyone is able to post a galactic auction, but a merchant can post an entire galaxy auction for less percent cost than a regular person can post a this town auction. Therefore regular people have a huge reason to search out merchants to sell their goods for them.
13) An auction that is "this town" will show up under "Galactic Auctions" for all bazaars in that town, an auction that is "This Planet" will show up under "Galactic Auctions" for all bazaars on that planet, and an auction that is "Entire Galaxy" will show up under "Galactic Auctions" for all bazaars on all the planets.
14) Auctions won must be picked up in the town in which they are posted.
15) To discourage people from posting auctions with starting bids which are above the price anyone will bid for, At the time the auction is posted, the auctioneer is charged 10% of the minimum bid.
16) Once the first bid is placed on the item, the auctioneer gets that 10% back.
17) If an auction finishes without a sale, the auctioneer does NOT recieve the 10% back.
Please discuss, no flames.
Reviews of this proposal:
"very well articulated proposal. At first read it seems pretty sound." - DocSavage
"One of the great features of this proposal is provision of a high value Money Sink which is targeted directly at those players with large bankrolls, while not punishing the new players with limited funds. This could easily help to pull quite a large amount of money back out of the economy, which is desperately needed." -scruftydog
Message Edited by Ace4Brit on 04-11-2004 09:14 AM
DocSavag
Sat Apr 10, 2004 9:51 am
#2
A very well articulated proposal. At first read it seems pretty sound. One question. Why place the cost reduction in Advertising? Wouldn't it make more sense in Effiency? (Not that his is a huge point, just a question)
Ace4Brit
Sat Apr 10, 2004 10:10 am
#3
DocSavag wrote:A very well articulated proposal. At first read it seems pretty sound. One question. Why place the cost reduction in Advertising? Wouldn't it make more sense in Effiency? (Not that his is a huge point, just a question)
Yeah i am not a merchant myself, my wife is. If efficiency is better, then i trust your suggestions.
DocSavag
Sat Apr 10, 2004 10:28 am
#4
Efficiency is where all the other price reductions are now, it just seems appropriate that it go there. In the end that is a trivial point.
Ace4Brit wrote:
DocSavag wrote:
A very well articulated proposal. At first read it seems pretty sound. One question. Why place the cost reduction in Advertising? Wouldn't it make more sense in Effiency? (Not that his is a huge point, just a question)
Yeah i am not a merchant myself, my wife is. If efficiency is better, then i trust your suggestions.
Ace4Brit
Sat Apr 10, 2004 10:36 am
#5
DocSavag wrote:Efficiency is where all the other price reductions are now, it just seems appropriate that it go there. In the end that is a trivial point.
Ace4Brit wrote:
DocSavag wrote:A very well articulated proposal. At first read it seems pretty sound. One question. Why place the cost reduction in Advertising? Wouldn't it make more sense in Effiency? (Not that his is a huge point, just a question)
Yeah i am not a merchant myself, my wife is. If efficiency is better, then i trust your suggestions.
Proposal edited as per suggestion.
Naufragus
Sat Apr 10, 2004 11:51 am
#6
just wondering ---- is your wife not capable of posting here?
Ace4Brit
Sat Apr 10, 2004 1:41 pm
#7
Naufragus wrote:
just wondering ---- is your wife not capable of posting here?
She doesnt really care to. All she wants to do is "Just Sell Clothes". I state the fact that she is a merchant to point out that i have had experience with it (showed her how to get to master, what skills she should choose next, etc) but not a lot.
scruftydog
Sat Apr 10, 2004 7:19 pm
#8
One of the great features of this proposal is provision of a high value Money Sink which is targeted directly at those players with large bankrolls, while not punishing the new players with limited funds. This could easily help to pull quite a large amount of money back out of the economy, which is desperately needed.
Ace4Brit
Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:15 am
#9
I added a few items that i thought of yesterday... Still looking for feedback/suggestions/etc.
Tarnak_Archvold
Sun Apr 11, 2004 9:33 am
#10
I think your number of auctions is too high. I do not think many people will have three high priced items to sell at once and there for they will likely use the other 2 for more everyday items, and 20 for merchants are WAY to high. Do not think anyone would be auctioning off say 20 krayt pearls at the time or 20 T21 with 35% damage slices.
Numbers of say 1 for non merchants, +1 at business 4, +1 at novice merchant, +1 at advaticment 4, and finally +1 at master merchant. 5 might even be to high, but it gives a nice flow.
Also if even 10% of all players have just 1 auction up (let alone 3), we could end up with an extremely cluttered bazaar, witch would not be much more useful then the current map advertisement. (to many people selling "junk" to for buyers to bother using it)
Numbers of say 1 for non merchants, +1 at business 4, +1 at novice merchant, +1 at advaticment 4, and finally +1 at master merchant. 5 might even be to high, but it gives a nice flow.
Also if even 10% of all players have just 1 auction up (let alone 3), we could end up with an extremely cluttered bazaar, witch would not be much more useful then the current map advertisement. (to many people selling "junk" to for buyers to bother using it)
Ace4Brit
Sun Apr 11, 2004 2:13 pm
#11
Tarnak_Archvold wrote:
I think your number of auctions is too high. I do not think many people will have three high priced items to sell at once and there for they will likely use the other 2 for more everyday items, and 20 for merchants are WAY to high. Do not think anyone would be auctioning off say 20 krayt pearls at the time or 20 T21 with 35% damage slices.
Numbers of say 1 for non merchants, +1 at business 4, +1 at novice merchant, +1 at advaticment 4, and finally +1 at master merchant. 5 might even be to high, but it gives a nice flow.
Also if even 10% of all players have just 1 auction up (let alone 3), we could end up with an extremely cluttered bazaar, witch would not be much more useful then the current map advertisement. (to many people selling "junk" to for buyers to bother using it)
The incentive for regular people not to "flood the market" with lower level stuff is the fact that the cost will be so high for them that they will learn quickly that it is not worth it to sell lower end stuff.
The idea of a merchant having 20 items is that they will be selling high end stuff for other people. Merchants are not going to want to waste their slots on stuff they know wont move, so that will be another thing that will prevent an influx of useless stuff on the auctions.
I realise that the firstweek this feature is implemented there will be an insane number of items posted on the auctions, but after a few weeks, people will realise the things that i posted above, and the useless stuff will not be placed back on the auctions.
Singra
Mon Apr 12, 2004 8:41 am
#12
A great idea, but for those of us on Dantooine, there are 1 baz term in each Outpost. And way too much lag there from Spammers... So to better implement this, maybe use a direct link on the holocron <control H> OR the quick keys on the bottom right corner to Server Sales....then have a menu as such listed in your post. OR even allow cities to place Baz terms in say level 3 cities. This way we can reduce the lagging in the bank areas. But I believe to avoid the high lag to add another tab on the control menu wouldbe great... like <Control G> for Galactic Auctions...and it would take you to the website or something like that.
Prices I love! Being I started this game in 8-2003 I have seen prices SOAR! I remember whena good set of composite was 15k a piece...lol anyway, I think we do need to remove some of this "money madness" from the game. com'mon 20 cpu for resources! Crazy! Unless you know someone when you start this game to help you, it is IMPOSSIBLE to start! 3k fora CDEF pistol...good stats?? what are good stats ona CDEF pistol to pay 3k for it?
Enough for my gripe session...Thanks for the post...hope this gets heard 
CivoAHAZI
Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:10 am
#13
i would just like to say how amazing i think it is that the developers were able to create a game that had an economy that acted like an actual economy. Pretty neat if you ask me.
Page 1 of 2