Merchant Archive
Thread: Give a little.
Songe wrote:
But anyway... The devs announced that it will get fixed as the same time as we get updated, so again what is the point of arguing over and over again bout it?
Because there are people on this forum loudly trumpeting that it's the will of the people that poaching be fixed RIGHT NOW to the exclusion of ANY other changes to the profession, and that the entire profession would be perfect if that one thing were fixed.
I'm concerned thata dev will see that, assume it's true, and seize upon it as a quick alternative to doing a full-scale revamp. Far more ludicrous things have happened in this game.
p4Samwise wrote:
DocSavag wrote:
As long as Vendors are valuable (and they are) then we are going to be upset at people using them with less skill point expenditure than we have. No amount of MORE skills is going to compensate me for you taking skills that I spend points on.
Logic flaw there, Doc.If those vendors were made available to everyone, you wouldn't be spending points on them, any more than Marksmen"spend points" on CDEF certifications.
I realize of course that this is not the CURRENT state of affairs, but in the hypothetical system we're discussing, artisans and merchants would have no reason to be upset at people using "free" vendors, precisely because the vendors were free to everyone rather than an exclusive Artisan/Merchant perk. Presumably, merchants would have other skill sets that would in and of themselves be worthwhile, so nobody would be getting gypped.
Again, all hypothetical.
The flaw is that you either didn't read what I was replying to or you ignored it.
DragonScout wrote: . If merchant had anything besides vendors to actually 'do', people wouldn't have anywhere near as many issues over this vendor poaching junk.
DocSavag wrote:
As long as Vendors are valuable (and they are) then we are going to be upset at people using them with less skill point expenditure than we have.
p4Samwise wrote:
What if the "free vendors" looked just like normal vendors, but cost 5x the standard maintenance cost, and absorbed 50% of the credits from all sales? And could only hold 10 items? Still a profession-buster?
No, of course not but that isn't what we are talking about. I'm open to proposals that give some features to non merchants as long as they don't lead to people running retail outlets without skill point expenditure. I am for some kind of "drop box' or "delivery system" I'd be open for a limited use vendor that could only sell items to a specific person (for custom orders) but large scale selling is the job of Artisans with Business III and merchants.
DragonScout wrote:
'good' loot isn't sold through vendors.
Message Edited by DragonScout on 06-16-2004 12:09 AM
Yeah it's sold in front of the CNet starport
/shout SELLING PEARLS TAPES HOLOCRONS!! GET THEM WHILE THEIR HOT!!!
Yeah that isn't really annoying. Just ask all the people that decided to put you on their ignore list.
DragonScout wrote:
'good' loot isn't sold through vendors.
And the problem a lot of people have, is that aside from vendors, which are a utility, merchant doesn't give you anything to actually 'play' with. And since this is a game... 'playing' it is the most important thing. If merchant had anything besides vendors to actually 'do', people wouldn't have anywhere near as many issues over this vendor poaching junk.
Message Edited by DragonScout on 06-16-2004 12:09 AM
As long as Vendors are valuable (and they are) then we are going to be upset at people using them with less skill point expenditure than we have. No amount of MORE skills is going to compensate me for you taking skills that I spend points on.
p4Samwise wrote:
DocSavag wrote:As long as Vendors are valuable (and they are) then we are going to be upset at people using them with less skill point expenditure than we have. No amount of MORE skills is going to compensate me for you taking skills that I spend points on.
Logic flaw there, Doc.I realize of course that this is not the CURRENT state of affairs, but in the hypothetical system we're discussing, artisans and merchants would have no reason to be upset at people using "free" vendors, precisely because the vendors were free to everyone rather than an exclusive Artisan/Merchant perk. Presumably, merchants would have other skill sets that would in and of themselves be worthwhile, so nobody would be getting gypped.Again, all hypothetical.
The problem is that 'merchant' is not really a specific profession, it's a general function. Every single other skilltree provides a set of goods or services that other players can make use of. This implies the need for selling things. There's simply no reason to engage in any of these specializations if you can't sell your produce. Requiring 'merchant skill' for any effective access to the economy simply creates a monopoly on a fundamental aspect of the game for those who have the skill. It gives a single class too much power.
In RL, you learn nothing about a person upon finding they are a 'merchant'. The next question you must ask is "a merchant of what?" Usually you find they are skilled in some other area, such as clothing or home improvement or real estate or whatever. Every human occupation requires that you sell something. I'm a 'merchant' when I go to work every day. I sell my knowledge and abilities to those who will pay me for it. I don't need a college degree in business to profit from what I do. I can throw down a few bucks for a business license and I'm a 'merchant'. The skill only enters the picture when it comes to the product I'm making.
Balkstar wrote:
Vendors are a key base for this profession, a vital tool that from the outset provides much needed capital to the novice businessman. It is the perfect foundation for the profession, and it needs to fixed first and foremost.
Agreed - but being "fixed", if you ask me (and just about every other merchant on this board), includes adding some of that "fluff" you so lightly dismiss. Consignment sales being first and foremost, since without consignment, merchants have difficulty using vendors to sell anything but their own products.
Again, without consignment (and a decent UIto makeconsignment sales a service worth paying for instead of muling), it's a foundation of brick. Re-mortarthe bricks by all means, but if you don't fill in the gaps between pillarswith concrete, it's still not going to bear any serious shear.