Ideas for a New Trade System

[Raikel]

It has been many months since the Loot system has come out, and I have been maxed on gold since I bought my War Ships shortly after. I have nothing to spend my gold on, and would use it to buy a ridiculous item for an insane price. It is just the question of if we'll be getting a trade system, and how it would work. I have a few ideas, I just want your opinions as well.

First, I think I should explain more than likely why we cannot trade. That would be because of our younger players, Speed chat Plus. It is a good idea to protect those members, and I could see that Pirates wants to be sure that children don't make a dumb mistake by trading off an item or gold that they want or need. But then it comes down to the adults and players who still play this game despite it not having certain perks such as weapon trading.

Here is where I came up with an idea to keep the little children safe, and let the adults handle their own business. Servers for specific people/purposes.

I was thinking that we could hold Abassa, Andaba and Andoso as All Servers (Not just those, but they have to be open because of the little newbs), which allow for any players to come on and use for any purpose. Certain other servers would be for Traders (Open Chat) Only, and others for anything else.

Then I got to thinking, we could either limit things, or keep them as simple as my paragraph above. The game isn't big enough for this yet, and I'm not sure if it will ever be. But when I talk about complicating things, I mean to make certain servers only open for Unlimited Access members Only. Others for various types of help throughout the game (you can wait for somebody to help, or ask.... Trust me, it'd keep those people saying, NEED HELP WITH BLACK PEARL BOSS BATTLE off of Abassa.)

I was also thinking that we could add in a Tab at the Dock where you start up your game. This Tab would be in the same place as where you would change to your link account in the past. But instead of having to download Test again from an E-Mail, or the website, you could access it from the same dock as your live pirates. Without having to download and start up a second application for Test. not assuring you could use your live pirates on Test, but that would be a bonus if Pirates ever got the picture.

Any feedback would be appreciated, and you may chose as many items in the poll as you wish.

[Eliza Creststeel]

Okay, Option 3 has NOTHING to do with the other options in the poll... what the heck?

As for trading, they are going to have to come up a Trading Post where pirates can meet and swap because as a matter of trust if you offer something to someone - you have to trust them to return the favor.

A Trading Post would allow a pirate to post the item for sale in a slot, then the receiving pirate would post their item or gold for the trade. And only when both agree would the trade occur. Otherwise, people could face getting ripped off.

EC

[Raikel]

Actually, I did mention the idea of Unlimited servers in Paragraph 5. It is however, not a true point of the topic, just an idea for limiting servers in case the game becomes really famous one day.

I also understand that you believe this trading post idea would be great. I like your point, but I personally believe that they should add weapon trading into the brig of our ships. You lay certain items in your chest, and another person lays in their item. Keeps from having to advertise trade in public, but I am still doubting Pirates would do this because of their younger players.

[JM Ohara]

I'm with EC on this, it would most likely need to be run as either a trading post or as a whole sea chest tab. The slot thing makes perfect sense BTW EC. It could go where both players see what is offered, and when an agreement is reached then the trade is automatic.

As for speed vs open chat I don't see how it's that big of a difference. Unless we are talking fresh off the boat, new to the game, never played an mmo with speedchat before, I would guess a very large block of speedchat plus players already know their way around the filters. The won, too, tree thing is so common that I've seen never had speedchat players carry on fluent conversations with speedchat plus players. I happen to count myself as a speedchat plus translator, having come from Pixie Hollow where open chat is nothing but a vauge dream. So that can in fact be worked around.

On dedicated servers. Not trying to rain on your parade or anything here, but I just can't see it happening. I can't imagine D is going to invest money in making some servers dedicated servers for only unlimiteds, and some for only trading. It's too much time and money when they could be doing things like the next story chapter.


When it comes to your poll options, I have to say I don't care for any of them. The last option in particular I find more than a little offensive. Not all players are going to want to trade. To me option 4 just seems like it's judging players who won't trade as being against the community in general, when really they might just not want the hassle.

[KeeperOfTheCode]

I like the idea of being able to trade. Of course, I used to play Runescape, so I've seen it in action. The Grand Exchange there is... beautiful. (Sniffs) The fact is, once you have actual open Trade, as in changing values on items to suit needs, then you have got yourself into possibly the craziest, busiest of all MMO features.

The fact is, even if there aren't any "official" servers in which to trade, players are going to come up with a time and place on their own. I've seen the rise and fall of player-created marketplaces in other MMOs, and they change as soon as certain resources (Enemies that give good drops for instance) are relocated, or become obsolete in the wake of newer, better features.

Of course, it wouldn't take off in this game, as all we actually have up for trade are easy to find on one's own. The reason Trading was so popular in other games, is the rule of supply and demand. For instance, selling food/tonics to players fighting in a dangerous or difficult area. In an MMO with smithing as a feature? Someone has to supply the ore to smelt. Then someone has to take that metal to the would-be smiths to be hammered out. Finally, the smith sells the armor to the public. I also saw people setting up makeshift markets in areas where particular items are needed, but scarce. (Water in the desert)

The fact is we'd need a more complex game and more items before a full-fledge trade system could take off. Besides, getting items is just a sail away. The world of POTCO is small and confined when compared with the majority of MMOs. Kill a few enemies, what do you know? There's a rare weapon that just got dropped by a gravedigger! That's another problem. The loot system is too random. What's the weakest enemy in the game doing with the Lost Sword of El Patron? If you can just get that rare weapons from any old enemy, then lower level players may just end up selling weapons that they can't use to higher level people who spent countless hours on General Darkhart to find that very weapon! Sorry I'm talking about other MMOs so much, but this game needs to take a lesson from them. Runescape is a beautiful example. Certain weapons, classified as 'Black' are randomly dropped by Black Knights. They're stronger than your average weapons, and are good for mid-level players. Great! So what's the problem? The Black Knights are too powerful for those mid-level players to kill. So by the time they can beat the knights, those weapons are obsolete. See how that works? High level players kill the knights, get experience, and since the weapons aren't good for them, they are sold, trickling down to those lower level players.

The in-game trade system is beautiful isn't it? But this game isn't established enough to get the full impact of a completely open trade system.

[Captain luke]

We are going to have to wait a year or so for the trading system to be installed into potco.Reason being is that what are we going to trade?Ik that there are tonics,gold, weapons, ships, and playing cards to trade, but thats simply not enough.But in a game that has a trading system, like runescape, has thosands of weapons, items, clothing etc that they can trade.Even though that game is alot less interactive againt a game like potco, it is far more advanced and established than potco.Im pretty sure disney is thinking of things to put on this game that is tradable.For example armour, ship customizationable parts, and more.(thats probably not really what disney is thinking of, im just trying to prove a point).
so i think that we just need to be patient and wait for the trading system.

[Andrew]

I think a Trade System would be a great idea for anyone, not just for Unlimited players, but everyone.

My idea for it would beusing Lookout Games and there being an option for "Player Trade", or something similar. Then once clicked, there are players there that can click on each other and see each other's items in their inventory. Below the item there could be something like "Buy Item from $PLAYER$". Once clicked, $PLAYER$ gets a notification saying "$YOU$ would like to buy the item $ITEM$ from you." Then there is an "Accept" or "Deny" button.

This is just my idea for the Trade System.

Yes it would probably take them awhile to get this put in, but either way, it should be available to anyone.

[Raikel]

Originally Posted by CadetAndrew

I think a Trade System would be a great idea for anyone, not just for Unlimited players, but everyone.

My idea for it would beusing Lookout Games and there being an option for "Player Trade", or something similar. Then once clicked, there are players there that can click on each other and see each other's items in their inventory. Below the item there could be something like "Buy Item from $PLAYER$". Once clicked, $PLAYER$ gets a notification saying "$YOU$ would like to buy the item $ITEM$ from you." Then there is an "Accept" or "Deny" button.

This is just my idea for the Trade System.

Yes it would probably take them awhile to get this put in, but either way, it should be available to anyone.

I would love for it to be available to Limited players, but Disney has to hold the hand of every kid that crosses the road. I do like your idea though, very nice and it is very private and closed off to other players.

[Catherine Ironcutter]

I think this would be a good idea. However, I agree with the people who say POTCO isn't advanced enough to do this.

I have played two games with trading. Build-a-Bearville (still play it) and VMK, which closed. Build-a-Bearville will be the example that I will use. In that game, there are several shops. There are special items you can only get from buying stuff in the real life stores, and then entering codes. These codes then give you Credits, or in some cases, if it's a stuffed animal, a special gift. I will be using the Credits. There is one store at which you can use these: the Bearville Outfitters. Here, you can buy rarer items that can only be found there and bought with credits. These items can be traded, and sometimes people will go to the stores, buy massive amounts of credits, and then buy the same outfit in twenty different colors. They will then use these outfits to get rarer furniture, clothes, rides (as it turns out, pogo sticks, propeller hats, motorized scooters, that sort of stuff) and other items. They'll get two of each type of item, and trade one of them for something they want. See how this works? Someone gets the nice items. This person trades those for other nice items, and then trades those for other nice items, therefore spreading these items around the community. Considering you have to spend real money (a dollar per credit) these items are much harder to come by than the normal Bear Bills items. Bear Bills are also hard to come by, (unless you're willing to play the same game over and over, you can get about 1100 a day from daily activities, but that doesn't go very far.) Occasionally someone will trade a bunk bed for a thousand Bear Biils (the price of the bunk bed.) It's a supply and demand issue.

My (long) point is, you need items that not everyone can get. Everyone can get an El Patrons if they're willing to shoot hundreds of enemies a day. Not everyone could get special items that say, if Remington dropped special items occasionally that not everyone could get. (And that couldn't be gotten anywhere else.)

You can also read KeeperoftheCode's post for a possibly better example, haha.

[The Skirata Clan]

The trade can be as simple as the guild codes or as complex as all the suggestions you guys have. But it's definitely something the game could use.

[ruisen2000]

i dont like the third option, it's very rude to people who can't afford the game, not everyone are rich, it feels kind of like racism against basics, and it would cause more unlimited players sneering against basic.

[James Bladefury]

Exactly, and since my other pirates have some nice items that my others dont have, I want to trade them . I also think we should be able to trade with npc such as clothing or item wise - lets say Captain Job is willing to trade his coat for any item, and he has unlimited of that coat... you have the option to get that coat for anything you have.

[bartholomew bladeroberts]

I like the idea of a trading system but it is quite a technical challenge and i can gaurentee you that the first bug would be the weapon wouldn't trade and you'd have a blank slot that you can't fill saying its full