Merchant Archive

I'm nota merchant, not even an artisan, but this question has been bugging me for a while and this seems like a best place to ask...

Is there any particular reasonwhy there aren't any certifications for harverters and factories? Right now everyone can have and operate harvesters, even purely combat classes like myself. This game supposedly relies on interdependence between classes, and it just doesn't make sense to allow EVERYONE to place harvesters.

Shouldn't it be a Merchant skill? OK, as long as there is no "miner" profession, maybe personal harvesters/factories can be placed in the Business branch of artisan profession but anything medium or heavy should be sprinkled throughout the Merchant skill boxes...

Just my 2 credits.

==============
Veni. Vidi. Discedi.

Read up on many opinions why here at this address. http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=artisan&message.id=37151&page=1

I still strongly believe that if we were to be forced into certifications for extractors, prices are going to skyrocket on everything made with and including resources. There will be so few people able to extract resources there will be a drastic shortage of resources. And don't get the idea that it would just force users of resources to extract their own. How often are they going to get lucky enough to find the great OQ/PE/etc. It takes many many of us out there looking to find the really good stuff and with several of us finding it and selling it the price stays reasonable.

If there becomes certifications on extractors, how many people will stay with the business of resource extraction? How many will give up because they can only use maybe 8 lots for extractors. Afterall you have to have a shop. That'll cost you 2 lots at least. How about if you actually want a home? Now your resource business man is down to 6 lots for extractors.

With certification will come shortages you do NOT want! Right now if you go shopping you can, in a few hours, find pretty much anything you want made in pretty good quality. Force this on us and you will be lucky to find even decent weapons or armor any more. How many times do you now find empty vendors in several hours of shopping? Want to multiply that by 100???

One could also make the argument that greater difficulty in obtaining resources and manufacturing in bulkwould lead to a less distributed crafter population, and possibly fewer crafters as a result. This could actually make shopping easier - rather than browsing 100 different armorsmiths on any given planet, you'd go to one of a smaller number of "manufacturing centers" where the harvesters, crafters, industrialists, and merchants had all banded together in order to conduct business more efficiently. With everything concentrated like that, you'd have a better shot at finding what you need in that single location.

Of course, the only way to see the actual outcome would be to implement it and then wait a few months for the system to reach equilibrium. Fat chance of that.

"Prettiest shim on Bria!" - Sev
Certified "cool" by the Darth Vader of Bria
Blue glowie.

Seismic,

You make good points but I am not quite sure I agree with underlying assumption.

First of all empty vendors are probably most likelya result of hologrinding and will eventually go away. Regardless, having a more limited number of MORE DEDICATED merchants will result in fewer crappy/empty vendors.

Additionally, I don't think there will be any increases in prices or drop in amount of resources collected. People always try to make money and if they see a niche to do so, more people will try to take advantage of that opportunity. But now, instead of having combat toons that do harvesting there will be a clear division of responsibilities and improved interdependence.... For example, a combat/ranger guy can still LOOK for resources but now instead of placing harvester there he sells waypoint information and maybe even a lot to a merchant who then extracts and sells the stuff. Everybody stays true to their profession. Everybody does what they like. Everybody makes money and benefits.

But then again, I'm just a combat person, what do I know...

==============
Veni. Vidi. Discedi.

There used to be an "Industrialist" class or something. It got dropped because it was a pain in the ass.

"Prettiest shim on Bria!" - Sev
Certified "cool" by the Darth Vader of Bria
Blue glowie.