The Item Search Feature (12/21/10) (Also Version update patch notes)

[miokomioko]

Be-fucking-cause. They said they wanted a more "involved" market system that didn't just translate to individually and anonymously throwing items on an AH and buyers just navigating some impersonal menus with no market transparency. Whether it was a complete failure and/or whether this is more interesting/immersing/etc. than AH menus is another story that I'm not even touching. However, this is what they came up with and the base concept obviously not going anywhere as we can see it (slowly) evolving into something actually usable.

They have a lot of time and money to lose by adding an AH. Get. Real.

[Gadritan]

How do you not realize that what they're doing is literally an AH that just requires you to go pick up the item? Pricing is being added. Then you'll be navigating through menus that are exactly like an AH. You just have to go pick up the item.

Please explain how these menus are more "personal."

Anonymously throwing items on an AH? Now, people are selling items off their retainers. That's even more anonymous than names being listed next to sales.

They're investing more time into trying to make this system a success than it would take to revert to a standard AH. Again, they're incorporating the exact same features that an AH has, only with this system they have to add things such as the icons for the items, figure out how to better organize wards, etc.

Get. Real.

[Aratharn]

If they put an AH in I'm pretty sure you won't have the entire community begging for the retainer/ward system to be put back.

The lack of a true AH is the biggest complaint you read/hear about when it comes to this game. (after the lack of content)

[The Q]

So after the day I checked Battlecraft ward in Ul'dah on Rabanastre. Much to no surprise still packed full of idiots with nary a weapon between them. Checked tinkers and saw a grand total of 2 retainers. People are willingly and consciously being fucking retarded and making finding things harder for everyone and selling harder for themselves.

I don't get it.

[rezn0r]

ok so i don't have any time to play tonight but i did log in real quick to ring the bell & see what the search was like. in lower limsa every single search menu i tried said nothing found. is it broken or are people just not using it right? is it because retainers aren't in the right areas yet?

[Aratharn]

So after the day I checked Battlecraft ward in Ul'dah on Rabanastre. Much to no surprise still packed full of idiots with nary a weapon between them. Checked tinkers and saw a grand total of 2 retainers. People are willingly and consciously being fucking retarded and making finding things harder for everyone and selling harder for themselves.

I don't get it.

When their shit doesn't sell they will get the point.

It will take time for everything to stabilize. (if it does at all)

[Gadritan]

is it because retainers aren't in the right areas yet?

Yeah. If the retainer isn't in the appropriate ward, it won't show up. Another part of the fail of this system.

[Sign]

Another update and still no full key-bind. I am starting to think they have forgotten about this, but I still want arrow key controlled camera.

[Grey Jorildyn]

Be-fucking-cause. They said they wanted a more "involved" market system that didn't just translate to individually and anonymously throwing items on an AH and buyers just navigating some impersonal menus with no market transparency.

Except the anonymity is still there. I've no idea whose retainers these are. It's no more involved than an AH since I am basically interacting with a npc owned by a player whose entire purpose is to stand around and sell items all day. That isn't very realistic. When does this npc go eat? pee? SLEEP? OMG I just realized we're all slave drivers. FML.

They have a lot of time and money to lose by adding an AH. Get. Real.

And more to lose by not adding one.

[Gadritan]

So apparently, once an item is listed, even if it's @0 for that ward, it will still mark the retainers in all wards that hold said item. i.e. you can select wind shards and run through each ward to see who's selling them.

[Elrina]

So apparently, once an item is listed, even if it's @0 for that ward, it will still mark the retainers in all wards that hold said item. i.e. you can select wind shards and run through each ward to see who's selling them.

Probably a bug. Sounds like they intentionally don't want people to be able to see items that aren't supposed to be listed in that ward.

And seriously, people talking about other people being stupid for listing stuff in the "most popular" area are the ones who have no problem paying for extra retainers once the option becomes available. It's like being told you have 10 slots for AH space, and now 20 with a second retainer. A lot of people will have plenty to sell that they can fill up most of those slots, relatively often, but can still only choose between 2 wards, meaning there's a host of stuff that won't show up in a search at all.

It showing the star over people's heads in the other wards will probably get "fixed", and there will always be items being sold everywhere that people won't know about without checking all the bazaars manually simply because of the cross-ward bullshit. Stupid idea. The search helps a little, but still ridiculously far away from having even complete basic functionality. It should be showing items regardless of what ward you're in, and up the tax for being in the wrong ward. It would still be stupid if you don't want to pay for extra retainers simply to not have to pay additional taxes, but at least that way when you search for something, it will actually show everyone selling it, like a search function is supposed to do.

Oh, and the point wasn't about having a more "involved" market system, far as I can remember. It was about enabling crafters to sell items that the buyers didn't know a set price for, therefore offering them the means to make more money off of just crafting by taking advantage of ignorance.

I don't see people (me, for sure) being happy till this either functions in pretty much every way as an AH, or till they put one in. And I'm pretty sure it would be faster and easier to just put one in, as well as more user friendly in the end, it would just prevent most need or desire to pay more every month for additional retainers. Even when dumping money into the game to get it to where it should be, they're thinking long term, and knowing that if they cave and put in an AH there's a lot of money they'll be losing from people who don't pay for extra retainers. It's the only reason I can think of that would have them pushing to keep this system in place with all the negative attention, when they're scrabbling to get the game into a condition that they can get away with charging for and actually maintain a respectable number of subs.

[miokomioko]

Hey, I'm just explaining why it is how it is. I'm not saying they did a good job at executing it whatsoever. Also, no one here knows the financial repurcussions compared between scrapping the market wards for an AH and adjusting into something that works... it was just asked what they had to lose. Scrapping something that has had time/money put into it is losing said time/money.

[Spider-Dan]

They've already created an AH model for the game. So the position that they will have wasted money by activating the AH that they already made as a failsafe isn't exactly compelling.

[miokomioko]

You know, the most I've actually seen of this legendary "XIV AH" is the closed door with a gavel sign above it (which is only in one city)... where there's an NPC that actually implies it's somewhere you wouldn't want to be... like a courtroom.

Is there more to it than that or are you going off of hearsay as well?

[Gadritan]

Is there more to it than that or are you going off of hearsay as well?

Yes. The design for the wards. For the 47th time, it's being designed to function exactly like an AH. Do you really think that adding a few NPCs would set them back months and cost them millions? They don't need to create an entire expansion to introduce an AH.

For all the white knighting you do, you sure as hell don't give them any credit when it comes to their abilities as devs.

[miokomioko]

That was pretty contradictory. Not to mention completely unrelated to what Spider-Dan and I were talking about.

http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-conten...naltorment.jpg

[Spider-Dan]

You know, the most I've actually seen of this legendary "XIV AH" is the closed door with a gavel sign above it (which is only in one city)... where there's an NPC that actually implies it's somewhere you wouldn't want to be... like a courtroom.

Do you mean a gavel like this:

http://venomweb.150m.com/ffxi/windy-ah.jpg

Or maybe this:

http://venomweb.150m.com/ffxi/whitegate-ah.jpg

Yeah, I think a courtroom is the most reasonable conclusion, too. I mean, where else could all the trials be held?

There are three zones (Northern Islands in Limsa, The Oasis in Ul'dah, Lily Hills in Grid) which have a Market Ward-style entrance. But yeah, maybe they are courtrooms. Or croquet courts! Or whack-a-mole arenas!

[Grey Jorildyn]

Man I hate whack-a-mole.

But if that's gonna be the end game content, I'll start liking it I guess...

[Cayos]

Not sure if this has been said/noticed yet, but if you do a retainer search for, say, something in the Armorfitters ward but you go to the Battlecraft ward, any retainers that are carrying the armor that you searched for will still star up even though you're not in the correct ward.

Edit: Didn't see that Gadritan. Looks like it was already posted. Meh.

[Gadritan]

So apparently, once an item is listed, even if it's @0 for that ward, it will still mark the retainers in all wards that hold said item. i.e. you can select wind shards and run through each ward to see who's selling them.

Few post up <.<