Wouldn't it be nice to have an automated action system?

Auction mace3648 for 2000

That way, that mace gets auctioned off for a base price of 2k gold.

Bid 2100

And this is how someone would bid on the current item. Needless to say, the increments would have to be 100 or so, maybe for each item type, have a set of increments.

Something like that. Anyway, it would be rather nice. A sort of automated companion to the market channel.

I like this idea!

As do I, but wouldn't it take quite a bit of coding?

Are you up to the challenge, Divine? -nudge-

It would make it all more efficient, although maybe there could be an actual auction place for it, rather than just auctioning and recieving wherever you are. It would make a lot more RP sense.

Would sure cut down market spam too, for things like single items.

I think it has merit but wouldn't it make the shop owners rant and rave?

Make a 5 per limit within a day or so. *shrug*

I also agree with Iggy's "auction house" idea. Perhaps one could always see what was being auctioned, and how much, from anywhere, but actually making bids or putting something on the block would require some legwork? A maximum number of auctions (either total, or by month, or by year) also sounds like a decent way to balance things: would city rank be used to determine this, do you think?

auction systems are in a lot of old code based MUDs, if they can be turned off, all the power to the idea.

As I think this over, not a good idea, no point for shops then if someone can just throw something up on auction.

(Auction) You say: Seeking a vitae


(Auction) A ruby vial of vitae is up for 200 gold

Nono...

(auction) *completely automated person* We have a ___ going for ___.

Person bids

(auction) *computer* Bid is at ____

(auction) *computer* going once

etc, etc

Or, perhaps, if that doesnt work. Have something Just like ebay. A certain number of days, and something you can check, like credits for sale.

A shining steel longsword *stats* *months*

Suggestions? Either or?

I've seen this setup in other realms also. It usually costs something to place the item up for auction and you set the time until the auction ended ( AUCTION for until days). As it was mentioned, you can easily code it so a single person can only place a limited number of items up at one time, like 5 at most. This way Shops would not be threatened.

I think that there shouldnt be a channel - you could pull up a list with the AUCTION command (or somthing else, who knows), or head over to an auction house to hear whats being auctioned, and to bid.
That way, it wouldnt totaly over run shops.
Plus a minimum time to be on auction - 1 day?

Having seen this in stock diku muds, it seemed more useful when there were a lot of unique items that you could only get in one place. Dark Broadsword of the Doom Dragon, Silver Cassock, Ancient Elven Shield, that type of thing. People didn't want to go all the way into the deepest darkest dungeon to get 'em, and the adventurers who had piles of the items didn't have any other way to sell them.

If Lusternia goes this way, having semi-artifact type items available in dungeons, and for some reason they're hard to sell through shops (perhaps because they decay quickly?), then sure, it makes sense. But as things are now, tradeskills seem to create 99% of everything being sold in shops, so there doesn't seem to be much point, apart from selling second-hand items.

Maybe an auction place where people could go looking for big offers. The condition for putting an item for auction would be that you cannot have several items for auctioning at the same time.
I think that it would be better if to see the auctioned items you had to go to the auction place. And it would be nice if it was a city development, so the city got some money out of it.

I hate auction channels... they normally symbol a low level or RP in the game. MArket channel is just fine for auctions. I've bought quite a few good deals from auctions on market channel.

However, a divine run auction for special artifacts... Thats an idea I would just love.

I have one extra master mace in my pack. I don't want to go around trying to sell it, spamming the market every five minutes like some people. I want to put it up, like credits for sale, and be pleasantly surprised when someone buys it a day or so later. CFS is such an improvement over 20 people saying they have them over market, why not do something fun and similar with items?

Since closed beta I actually have tossed around the idea of a village bazaar where players could sell items just like in a shop, but the village would take a cut of the revenue. Ideally, the amount of revenue lost to that would make shops more profitable for people who can afford them, thus still giving people an advantage to those who can achieve the economies of scale to purchase shops and maintain the recurring fixed cost of property tax. Plus the shop owners, being in cities, have the most prime locations. So bazaars would only be used by casual sellers.

If auctions were implemented, it would have to have a fee that makes shopowners retain an advantage. This would be harder to do since, unlike a shop owner, an aunctioneer has an easier time ratcheting up prices to true free market value since the buyers either bid up the price to free market value or they pass over something that starts out too high; if an item sells, it never sells below free market value. Compare to a shop owner who, if he sets the price too low out of ignorance of free market value, loses money in the oppertunity cost. It also allows auctioneers to effectively do discriminatory pricing (meaning you offer the same item for different prices when you know the value each buyer places on the item, a tactic Amazon.com once experimented with) if they sell many items of the same type whereby the person who is willing to pay the most gets the first item, the person who is willing to pay the next most gets the second item, etc., forcing the price of each individual transaction closer to the highest each individual values it at. Shop owners must sell everything at the same price, which means lowballing those who place higher value on items so as to retain mid-range value customers. Therefore, auctions would probably have to have a hefty percentage fee to keep shops competetive

With those issues in mind... Thoughts? Opinions?

It sounds like You're thinking of implementing a hefty tax to balance it out.

I just wanted a vehicle for free trade.

In either case, I'd love to see something like that. The bazzar is also an interesting idea.

The bazaar system sounds like a great idea. Although a little complicated. I'm probably just too tired. I should go sleep. I can foresee it adding a whole new goodiness to NPC villages.

Not a tax, but a fee for the owner of the bazaar or auction house. Those owners can't work for free! It's like if you did not have a shop and wanted to sell an item in the shop of player, he would charge you a fee. Think of it that way.

The vehicle for free trade is the market channel, which IMO is lame since it has no in-game reason, but I got Sarapis to put it in Achaea to stem the massive market spam getting into shouts. (Yes, I was the one who originally suggested it! ) I don't want this place to have that same problem happen, though maybe village bazaars would eliminate the need for the market channel...