Merchant Archive

I've pulled my post from page 32 of the "Merchant Vendor Item Limits: Rational Posts Only Please Park your Flamethrower at the Door" thread in the hope that it wouldn't be burried caused I would like more feedback from people and also for DocSavage to see it.

Here's my suggestion (for Merchant Revamp and Database issues - for those who don't get it the database issue is also for upcoming JTL which will use more database resources-Being a DBA in real life I can appreciate some of the difficulties and cost of maintaining a large Database - that being say normally before making a change that affect so much the business function (gamers having fun and paying for it in this case) professional IT specialist meet with their client (or their representative)and user first and take their requirement into consideration- oh and to spell it out, this game being fun is Mission Critical for the survival of this business venture):

-30 days warning to people with Vendors that don't have merchant skills (bonus option: given them the option to buy back merchant

byfreeing sp

- they've grinded it before and should have the option of getting it back - even if they were using an exploit IMO.For the record I have

mastered merchant anddropped it and didn't keep any vendor'cause I don't like using exploit but I understand why people, especially

crafter, uses it).

-Empty vendor should be removed from the map as soon as they are empty, and be deleted if they have nothing in them after a week

or so since theindividual will still have merchant skill to place them it will only become an annoyance to replace them (nothingfor map

display means nothing for sale,nothing for vendor deletion means nothing in sale, in offer and in stockroom). One even better then

that would be vendor that do not contain goodin the category they adverstise should be remove from the map, I hate seeing a vendor

in weapons and goind to that vendor and find out they are only

selling resources or baits and fishing lines.

-Stockroom limit should be the same as the sale limit (stockroom limit for the vendor owner not the buyers). Otherwiseyou are just

displacing the problem.

-Offers to vendor since they count in theofferers bazaar limit should not be a factor.

Limit the number of character somoene can have from 8 to 4. Will limit cross-server trade and reduce load on server. Let's face it

the most uber gamerengage in cross server lot trades, sure they could scream I won't be able to experience all the different

species/combination at the same time but let's face it who really has the time to play with 8 different characters other then for cross

server trades... People that focus on creating an alter-ego on one server or two servers should not be penalized by the one that are

using cross lot trading on 8... I think the loss of "fun" from loosing 4 characters if it means astronger economy and greater item limit

is more then worth it (This is not a popular option and I expect it to be rejected probably rightfully so. Consider this the absolute lass

End of Patch 10.0 evaluatestatus of the Database (see how much database technical or SLA limits are still a problem).

Modify Efficiency I - Allow merchant to become market turning there vendor into Bazaar where crafter can sale items with no fear of

theft from Merchant. With Efficiency I, merchant would only be able to charge a flat rate for this service, also this

is an option that could be turned on or off (a la private/public vendor). To avoid griefing should the vendor be

deleted the crafter who put items for sale would either have there good teleported to a public bazaar where they

wouldhave 30 days to get them back or even better in a temporary container in their inventory where they have

30 days toretrieve them. To avoid merchant deleting vendors to create virtual storage space for other crafter a

Merchant shouldnot be able to replace their vendor for 30 days following deletion of a vendor in which they were

saling items for othercrafter (if they need to move that badly they should have to buy the items - otherwise you just

create another exploit). The merchant should be able to "add" crafter to their vendor's access Bazaar function or

even have the option of fullpublic (anyone) if they so choose.

Modify Efficiency III - The merchant can now charge a percentage of sale price instead of flat rate, also they can determine how many

items can be sold publicly (ie by other crafter on their vendor - since they might want to sale only a percentage to

other).

With the introduction of vendor/bazaar the items limit would be less of an issue and although crafter could still sale many items,

Merchant, instead of crafters would be forced to specialize. I agree with all the opinion that 660 is to low, plus based on the next

page feature it shouldreally be a multiple of 100 to be consistent with the current interface. I would suggest a total limit of 3000

distributed as following:

Business III: +1 vendor+ 250 item limit

Business IV: +250 item limit

Master Artisan: nothing (I disagree with master artisan getting bonus to items, it should all be based on Merchant type skill only,

maybe masterartisan couldcraft something to increase vendor effectiveness if they want to create interdependencies but it

shouldn't give any bonus toMerchant type skills).

Novice Merchant: +1 vendor +200 item limit

Advertising I-IV: No change, having skill in advertising doesn't increase your abilities to stock items.

Hiring I (would really become Hiring/stockroom management since Hiring by itself is currently an very poor skill): +100 item limit

Hiring II: +150 item limit

Hiring III: +200 item limit

Hiring IV: +250 item limit

Efficiency I-IV: no further change other then the one proposed, they offer enough bonus in maintenance reduction especially

since that servicecan be sold to others with little risk if the buyers and merchant are smart (give admin right to merchant when

you set up the harvester at the first time so there is noresource in the harvester or be there if it's your house and there is very little

risk and you can benefit from a reduction anywherefrom 20-0.5% inmaintenance cost depending on the cut and greed of the

merchant). NOTE this should not be considered an exploit and shouldjust be consideredoutsourcing services to increase efficiency.

I'm sure SOE can understand the principle of outsourcing.

Management I: +1 vendor +100 item limit

Management II: +1 vendor +125 item limit

Management III: +1 vendor +100 item limit

Management IV: +1 vendor +125 item limit

Master Merchant: +1000 item limit

Total Item possible for Master Merchant: 3k, I would prefer more but base on your comment this seem to be the only possible maximum

acceptable limit, by introducing the bazaar aspect on vendors to protect the crafter you will reduce the impact of the item limit and really

allow merchant to BE merchant for other crafter. Since there is no lawyer profession in SWG (thank God for small favor

we need ways to protect people from scammers and griefers). Also a way to browse content of vendor containers would be good.

Ideally 3k aggregate but at worse this would mean500 items/vendor (not great but probably tolerable to most).

-Increase container limit from 100k to 10000k (or at least 2200k (why at least 2200k cause it's the number of low-grade ore

required to produce 1000 wall modules whichI'mpretty sure is the highestresource demanding sub-component - Oh and I

know to craft 1000 city hall would require more resource but forgod sake's you should even be able to have crated city hall,

come on)no added stress to the database other then modifying field definition (easy to implement if your code was made

dynamic enough or tons of variable definition to redo if it wasn't and /tskto theprogrammer if it isn't)).

-Factory cratecontent for all items that need to be used in the crafting of other items raised to 1000 (other item stays as

current (crate of 1000 swoop no,crate of 1000 wall module yes).

-Allow to recombine crates of the same item together (could even be extended to recrating items with the same serial, this

even could be a new type of services that either NPCs or Specialized merchant vendor could offer for a cost as another

money sink).

Small House: 150 items as it is (75 for the Naboo one) (uses 2 lot)

Medium House: 150 items(uses 2 lot)

Large House: 450 items (uses 6 lots and it's much better for a Star Wars feel to have less friggen house out there just so

that people can have more inventory space).

Factory: x items in input only (x equal the maximum different number of items required to craft one item. Yes this would

be a pain when you want to change production of item but that's how factory are in real life and why most company specialize).

Output still 100. As a side note, but I differ, sub component quality should be based on resource quality only not experimentation

that way non master crafter could actually produce goods for master crafter and this would improve general trade and reduce

the impact of this change since non master could focus on producing sub-component and master on producing finished goods).

If you don't do that then you will just shift the database problem as people will do cross server factory trading to hold items.

If people still want to use vendor as item storage under this new system it wouldn't be any problem as they would just use

skillpoint for storage and deny themselves the opportunity to make more money - can we say bye bye to looted CDEF

showing up on vendor The other reason for that is to prevent factory from being used as storage chest (it's being used

Note: I know JTL will need more database time but setting up trade agreement between crafter/merchant and changing the way people

do business require time as well. Hopefully my suggestion in Patch 10.0 will be sufficient for the beginning of JTL if it is not. I suggest

pushing JTL to save SWG instead of sacrificing SWG just to make a few more buck with Shelves sales of JTL cause if you kill the economy

you can kill this game goodbye... No one will want to be crafter and without crafted goods the other profession will fall apart (except maybe

TKA with high defense from other melee profession).

That's my constructive 2 credit worth I suggest you take it seriously I see it as the only option to

1-Improve game play;

2-Create a greater sense of community by merchant/crafter interaction while protecting the crafters from Merchant griefing; and

3-Resolved instead of displaced your database issues.

4-Save this game. People can live with liesand promise not being kept, you are just failing to address existing problem so nothing really

change for them except the continuance of the annoyance, butadd a ton of problem on their shoulder that further decrease gameplay without

improving it at all and kill this game. Convice SOE that it is in their long-term interest to do a better job with this game since it will mean more

loyal customer and longer term return on investement.

On a final less constructive note(sorry just need to vent a little):

I will continue playing this game after the change come into effect for a month or two regardless of how it is implemented but I will not buy

JTL (even if I am eager for it, I wanted to be a spacefighter pilot even more then a Jedi when I heard about this game)until I see how Pub 10is

put in place and affect the economy, if it destroys it, bye bye 3 more accounts. I can live with no improvements but not with setbacks.

Oh and if SOE kills SWG (which is a game I dreamt about since I saw return of the Jedi and played computer games) dare I say I will boycott SOE.

Good luck to you Doc in your negotiation with the Devs... And good luck to you Devs in your negotiation with management/accountants.

NOTE to new posters (like me): Use the Preview Post Option

Secondary note: I really don't like the idea of less character but I would choose that over a crippling item limit.

Last Note: If you don't like an idea I've posted it please say it and explain what are your concerns with my ideas? Also even if you don't like one of my idea I ask you to please take the time to look at all of them and ideally give your opinion on all of them.