Merchant Archive
Thread: Merchant Issues Designer responses
Ad barking and Advertising on Global map not working... my vendors are working for the first 5-10 minutes, then the barking stops, and if I log off and on again (whichI have to do many times as inventory keeps disappearing) im off the global map but still paying to be there...
Help?
Also definately would love to be able to place vendors in public houses but be able to restrict access... I.e. Many PA's are requesting vendors for their members only, want the PA private but cant place a vendor in a private house... so they make the PA hall public with admin rights to memebrs, but anyone can purchase from the vendor, thus the prices have to be extraordinary to discourage outside buyers...
Any way of limiting users or supplying users same was as you give access with no fees to a public house with merchant skill?
alot of good fixes listed there and glad to hear the devs are looking deeply into the issues. Some notes, however:
Adbarking and main map postings still expire everytime a server comes down.
hmm shop furniture eh? ::drops ballot into voting box with ''dress dummy droid'' written on it::
-hm as an afterthought, how about futury looking cash registers that can also act as a credit bank?
making shops noticable- how about looking at the signs from episode II? in the opening coruscant chase sequence we see alot of signs, billboards and the like. they are definitely eyecatching (but what isn't when ILM makes it hehe) but also keep within the star wars motif.
and that's my final note: motif -all I really ask from new content is that it stay in keeping with the SW motif. If they're dress-dummies, make them droids. If they're signs make them holos. Keep the look of star wars and don't forget some of the star wars humor. Sometimes a little humor sells more items than a good display.
Something a professor told me when I started my real life business:
"Do what you say you are going to do, fix what you do wrong and be honest".
If merchant worked like it 'says', it would fix alot of players griefs.
Once its all 'fixed' then .... plan on upgrading with ideas from those of us who have suffered for 3 months.
It's all very simple. Don't get waded down in upgrades till you FIX what you have created.
Zakker/Zak'kitty Ahazi
Well where to begin
Suggestion 1 - For the fix for Items getting stuck in the stock room, rather then have the available items deal, why not just give the vendor an inventory, therefore you could access the inventory, similar to your own backpack, and simple pull the items you desire retrieval
Suggestion 2 - As for the Signage, I believe that merchants should control the House Signage, and that under management 1-4, you could implement a system to allow merchants to be able to change peoples signs with color text, new patterns for variety, and perhaps different signs, do it kind of like Image Designers work, you do the sign up, and then the owner excepts if he likes the sign.
I believe that Signs should be able to be Rotated by House owner, fix the problem you have with Round Houses, where when you put a shop sign down, it doesnt stay at your porch, it sends it way out away from house, furthermore, some signs dont appear right, they appear sideways, if you allow owners to rotate their signs, they would be more viewable. because they wouldnt be flat up against the house when they should be sticking out from the house kinda like a exterior light does.
Theres another thought, exterior lights for the entryway.
Suggestion 3 - A Bulletin at every Shuttle Port and Star Port which is specifically manageable by Merchant Advertisement Line, yet Viewable by all, to allow bussiness ads, such as waypoints and contact lists, this way, while waiting at the Starport people could figure out what shop they will be visiting upon their final destination
Suggestion 4 - Allow Merchants to assign vendors to Crafter Classes, and recieve a cut in the Purse of the items sold price, this allows other Crafter Classes convenience and yet, allows merchants to control the Vendor front, because honestly, having 7 vendors really doesnt do a merchant much good, unless he can have other use them, I understand the intent in which Merchant class was designed for, other crafters are supposed to be coming to us to get their items sold, however, with Bussiness 3 line 1 free vendor, that will never happen, why suffer the inconvience of going to a Merchant to conduct bussiness when generally most crafters take up the Master Artisan Role anyways, because of lack of points to the crafter breed.
Suggestion 5 - Allow us to use protocal droids to act like Greeters and Order takers, therefore allowing us to be away conducting our bussiness as such, therefore allowing Orders to get taken while we are away, also allowing us to Hire Greeters for non merchant classes, and the non merchant class would have to pay maintenence with a % cut of the purse going to the merchant
There is alot of potential in the Merchant Industry for Merchants, and by giving constructive ideas to the designers of what we want is the way we will get there, please feel free to rant on about the Suggestion I have given here, for only when we put our heads together can we design what we are really looking for, understand these are only ideas and please do not hold a grudge, because I am sure your ideas are just waiting to come out, so bring them.
//\\ Belle Nova Fellowship
Dyrk Starchild - Droid Builder - Merchant - Artisan
Those sound like pretty good additions, but I still think merchants should have more skills, or abilities in customizing shops. The Signs were a really great addition, and so far the customized barking is working for me. Honestly I don't have too many ideas right now on what additional skills and abilities merchants might have, but one such idea suggested by another player was in store music. Sort of like the background music in malls. A selection of 6 or so local area sound loops to opperate inside buildings would be rather cool. Further sign custimization and customizable signs with the ability to display a visual delineating the type of shop would be pretty cool too.Buisness specific furniture would be awsome, right now a couple of creative people have figured out ways to make counters, bars, and table lights (ideas which I have been more than happy to implement) but it would be nice if we didn't have to create as much of our own furniture.This is more an architectural question but will buildings ever be shadeable and will generic and corellian houses always look the same?Oh yeah and will furniture ever be hueable or colorable? I think I have more questions than ideas, but thanks for the steps yall've already taken.
Mizraal
Big Bamboo
North of Tyrena - Radient
South of the Riverlands Mall
I like the 'tent' idea, though maybe that could be one of the choices for a store location. Maybe different store building types as you progress through a merchant line. It would need to be upgradable, so a Merchant wouldn't have to deed a new building and have to restock all vendors when the next building became available.
Also, not having to put all my items up for sale again after a week would be nice. I seem to forget what price I'm selling things for orwhen I place a specific item for sale that has the same name as another item with different quality stats, I need to go through all my items again.
This dosen't have alot to do with the actual thread, but the talk of shop furniture and futuristic cash registars reminded me of something I figured out. If you have a large house and drop a structure crafting tool (or a piece of junk that looks like one) on the stairs, you can position it it with move commands so that it sits ona counter infront of the vendor like a cash register. This is a little time consuming, and requires quite an **edit**-retentive streak, but it dosen't look too bad. Counters you have to make out of cabinets but I think most people have figured that out. I've gotten a little impatient waiting for new furniture 
so I've taking prompting from other people and I'm trying to figure out different ways to combine objects, and new uses for other objects. If anyone else has any ideas I'd love to hear them.
DEVS: Please give us a raise command to go with the move and rotate commands.
Mizraal Runningdust - Radiant
Owner of the Big Bamboo Lounge
North-East of Tyrena
South-West of the Riverlands Mall
PLEASE! Before you start adding new things (like alternate signs) could you fix the &^#% broken things. Do you know what it's like to have to spend an hour each day when I log on just traveling from planet to planet turning on my advertising? Not to mention restocking my vendors because they decide anything over 7 days old isn't going to sell. I'm a Master merchant and i'm getting to the point that I'd prefer to play a new character, not because I don't like my character, but I hate spending this much time EVERY day doing menial things, and paying for 2000+ credits to do maintainance.
Not sure if it'slisted some where.
I want to be able to rename my vender.
I carry 100 items on my vender, I want to change it's name. It's a royal pain in the @zz to remove it all, destroy the vender and create a new one.
Getting paid when you sell things.
I sold a fusion reactor tonight for 85k and I never got paid? I had 30k cash when I camped and zero in the bank, and I had 30k cash and zero in the bank when I got back!
I have been going for merchant ever since I decided to play this game, about 18 months ago. It has been my greatest interest since I heard of SWG - being a trader in the star wars universe...
Anyway, I am a merchant only. At the moment I am also master artisan, but I do not intend to keep it. I dont even sell items I craft anymore, as I was totally unimpressed with the amount of grinding required to be even a novice weaponsmith, chef etc.
I own three buildings in a player settlement on Tatooine, and have trade agreements with other members of my PA. I realise people think that to go merchant you really need to be a crafter also, but I dont think this is true. There are a lot of crafters out there, and not all of them want to go for even business 3, nevermind novice merchant.
The prospect of selling goods on an advertised and stylish vendor, in a unique and splendid looking store or mall, is one many crafters will be intrigued by. If we can sort out those **edit** annoyances, this would work so much better:
> YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO RE-ADVERTISE A VENDOR - ONCE SHOULD BE ENOUGH
> LIST ADVERTISED VENDORS ALPHABETICALLY INSTEAD OF THE ORDER THEY WERE REGISTERED
> ADD MORE ADVERT CLASSIFCATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE BIO ENGINEER VENDOR
> ADD THE ABILITY TO ADVERTISE BUILDINGS AS WELL AS VENDORS
> ADD MORE NPC ABILITIES BEYOND VENDORS, LIKE NPCs IN CANTINAS TO MAKE STORES APPEAR BUSIER AND MORE LIKE A SHOP
> GET NPC ADVERTISING IN! IT WAS THE BEST IDEA EVER!
> I LIKE THE IDEA OF TENTS/MARKETS BUT PLEASE DON'T MAKE THESE COUNT AS THE 6 VENDORS YOU GET. PERHAPS WITH A MASTER MERCHANT CAN HAVE 6 INDOOR VENDORS AND THE ABILITY TO SET UP 1 OUTDOOR TENT, WITH DIFFERENT TENT SIZES ADDED IN THE MANAGEMENT TREE. IT SHOULD BE EASY TO PREPARE AND PACK/UNPACK TENTS. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ADD ITEMS TO A TENT BEFORE IT IS PLACED, AND WHEN IT IS PICKED UP ITEMS SHOULD REMAIN ON IT, IN CASE IT HAS TO BE MOVED ELSE WHERE
Id also like to see some more merchant expenses perks:
> REDUCED TRAVEL EXPENSES
> ALLOW MERCHANTS TO BUY FROM THE BAZAAR AT A REDUCED RATE, SO THAT THE SELLER STILL GETS THE FULL AMOUNT BUT THE GAME TAKES OFF 17.5% VAT FROM THE MERCHANTS FEE
> SERIOUSLY REDUCED BAZAAR SALES COSTS. GIVE PEOPLE A REAL REASON TO BE A MERCHANT