Merchant Archive
Thread: Non-Merchant/Merchant Vendors!! Could this suggestion work?
DocSavag wrote:
[snip]I am swayed by several things including the plight of Bio-Engineers who are a pure crafting profession who have to spend another 24 Skill points to get a vendor.
Those 24 skillpoints look wrong only in comparison to the other crafting professions that require only 9 (or zero if they need MA to be functional like DEs do). SOE made a major mistake by putting in a vendor at Bus 3, but it would be traumatic to nerf it.
The BE profession is strong enough now to survive that problem, except for creatures and stims, most of their sales are wholesale components anyway that can be offered to tailor and chef vendors.
With good consignment sales features, the rental idea isn't needed at all. If merchant were all that it could be, nobody would even consider it.
The first suggestion I would like to make is a non-merchant/Merchant vendor control issue. I know I have seen quite a few threads out there discussing the issue but really haven't read all the posts. The issue is to give the ability to use and tend to a vendor without having the skill to have it. My suggestion I think would be not only helpful to the weary player try to find an honest merchant to run a vendor for him and give him the moneys for the product. But I think it could be quite lucritive for the merchant as well.
First with the Merchant skill tree
- In the management branch why not add a skill able to allow the Merchant to basically rent vendor space.
Of course the higher you go up the branch the more vendors you can rent out to other players other then
yourself.
- With this skill the Merchant along with the player searching for the use of a vendor would decide in a
trade like screen (where both parties can be involved with the decision)a percent of which the merchant
would profit. ie.. The Merchant and player decide that what ever the player puts on the vendor the
Merchant will receive a 20% cut. I think with this type of system both the merchant and the player
become happy.
- An issue I could see that could be resolved is to make the trade like screen where they would decide on
percent. To limit the percent to as low as 10% and as high as 50%. This way the merchants can't run
away with all the money and both parties can win.
- now with the abilities granted to the merchant the vendor would be given ownership to the player which
could come and go as he pleases to drop loots and resources or what ever he/she would like on the
vendor. For any changes to be made on the vendor the merchant and the player need to be present to
operate the vendor to make the changes. ie.. % cut or want to change the name of the vendor,
anything.
Second and final the player that wants the use of the vendor
- of course I don't think everyone wants them in the game but it opens a door up to the opportunity.
I think every player should be allowed only one if the skill is not there to own and operate your own.
- That is the only way it could work similar to the way every player is offered 10 lots. But this one
can only be used by working with a merchant.
Over all I think it makes the Merchants profession a little more lucritive and maybe even tempting to pursue then in the past. Also I think it would possibly resolve the issue of grinding up business III in artisan and getting your vendor and then dropping it all and allowing to still keep your vendor. I think I put in some balance and controls but as forums do offer a bunch of criticism and more chatter about a topic I'm sure it would be nice for a few eye brows to raise.
Haruspex77 wrote:
DocSavag wrote:
[snip]I am swayed by several things including the plight of Bio-Engineers who are a pure crafting profession who have to spend another 24 Skill points to get a vendor.
Those 24 skillpoints look wrong only in comparison to the other crafting professions that require only 9 (or zero if they need MA to be functional like DEs do). SOE made a major mistake by putting in a vendor at Bus 3, but it would be traumatic to nerf it.
The BE profession is strong enough now to survive that problem, except for creatures and stims, most of their sales are wholesale components anyway that can be offered to tailor and chef vendors.
With good consignment sales features, the rental idea isn't needed at all. If merchant were all that it could be, nobody would even consider it.
I Agree that my perfect vision of the Merchant Profession doesn't include "renting" out skills. We are supposed to be providing a service. Unfortunately the tools are woefully inadequte for that service. If the tools were a lot better I think many of the "rental" concepts would go away becuase it would be easy to just run by your Merchant's vendor and drop off the stuff that needs to go on sale. (Telling the merchant in the offer what the MSRP is and you are off on your way to check your harvesters or visit the corvette)