Regional Auction Houses: Improving HC Economy

[Kjsharp]

After receiving some feedback from other HC players, I wanted to share an updated idea for Regional Auction Houses.

There is a major problem of economic activity on the hardcore server. One theoretical appeal of hardcore is that, because survival is paramount, there is an incentive for users to engage with others to maximize their characters -- with enchants, armor kits, potion usage, sharpening stones; and with gear upgrades from leatherworkers, tailors, blacksmiths, and jewelcrafters. Yet that activity is highly muted on this server.

The truth of the matter is that the system currently implemented, while effective in curtailing undesired economic activity, has curtailed to an unacceptable degree desirable and healthy economic activity. I believe the hardcore server would become better, more active and vibrant, and thus more popular, if an alternative system were implemented.

Below is that alternative system. It has two parts -- a description of regional auction houses and the rules associated with them, and a description of alternate trading rules.

Auction Houses

The goal here is to increase overall economic activity, including person-to-person trades.

1. Each regional auction house has several associated auction houses. Going to the auction house in Sentinel Hill will be the same as going to the auction house in Lakeshire.
2. You will be mailed a notice that you won the auction, but won items are not mailed to you. You must go to one of the auction houses associated with the region to pick up the items.
3. The AH rake is 10% for white mats and items, 15% for green/blue mats, 20% for green items, and 25% for blue items.
4. items can be listed for 12, 24, or 36 hours.


<<<Low Level Regions>>>
1. Westfall Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in Westfall, Redridge Mountains, and Duskwood
-- player levels 11-30

2. Ashenvale Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in Darkshore, Ashenvale, the Barrens, and Stonetalon Mountains
-- player levels 11-30

3. Wetlands Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in Silverpine Forest, Thalassian Highlands, Hillsbrad Foothills, Wetlands, and Loch Modan
-- player levels 11-30

<<<Medium Level Regions>>>

1. Hinterlands Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in the Arathi Highlands, Hinterlands, Gilneas, and Alterac Mountains
-- player levels 31-50

2. Stranglethorn Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in Stranglethorn Vale, Swamp of Sorrows, Badlands, and Searing Gorge
-- player levels 31-50

3. Tanaris Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in Tanaris, Dustwallow Marsh, Thousand Needles, Desolace, and Feralas
-- player levels 31-50

<<<High Level Regions >>>

1. The Northern Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in Western Plaguelands, Eastern Plaguelands, Winterspring, Felwood, Azshara, Gilijim's Isle, and Island of Lapidis
-- player levels 51-60

2. The Southern Auction House
-- accessible in major cities in Un'Goru Crater, Tel'abim, Silithus, Blasted Lands, and the Burning Steppe
-- player levels 51-60

Other Trade Rules
A few other modifications should be made to compliment the above auction house system.

1. Items automatically become soulbound if they have exchanged hands twice.
2. You can trade with people +-10 levels of you.
3. General chat now extends throughout an auction house region and nearby capitals, not just within one zone. This could be accompanied by a ban on players under level 55 linking items in World chat.

Conclusion

If the above were implemented, we would see more potions, armor kits, blacksmith goods, enchants, and jewelcrafted rings bought, sold, and used. We would see more people talk to each other, hopefully even in General chat. I think people are largely friendly on this server, but there would be a stronger communal feel to the server because there would be less isolation.

[Kjsharp]

For the sake of completeness, I wanted to point out that there is another, lesser culprit for the depression of economic activity on our server: we are always, inevitably, well-rested. When we level more quickly, the incentive to exert effort to trade is weaker because our gear is replaced more quickly. The economic (and thus social) consequences of this design choice remain unappreciated.

I would propose two small changes:
1) Reduce the rest experience bonus from 75% to 50%
2) Cut by 50% the rate at which we gain XP at an inn. Even with a 50% speed reduction, you would still see the bar tick up in real time and still become fully rested in 30 minutes.

This is, of course, less important than what I discuss in the main post.

In this space I can share a few anecdotes which reflect my personal experience on this server, an experience that has led me to believe that change is needed.
1. It is rare when someone engages with your world chat ad. I only have had success selling armor kits and rings by whispering others directly after doing /who searches or by talking to people by the inns at Crossroads and Razor Hill.
2. Linen cloth drops from level 20-25 monsters. I have 60 of it on one toon. I saw someone in world chat saying WTB Linen Cloth, so I whispered them. Level 10. So, since I was level 24, we couldn't trade. Legit economic activity stifled.
3. I have failed multiple times to find an alchemist willing to sell me potions. I think I could if I whispered people randomly, "are you an alchemist?" But I haven't felt comfortable doing that. When I whisper people about buying my rings or BoE items I find, I at least know that those guys will be interested in the item because of their class.
4. What I have noticed is that you have to make it a full time job to buy and sell items, potions, enchants, etc. You have to do /who searches and whisper people incessantly to make trades happen. That is too onerous. I'm happy to do some of that -- and apparently I'm one of the few who do do that because I have yet to receive a whisper from anyone trying to sell me something --, but I'm unhappy that it is required for 95-99% of economic interactions on this server. Most just give up.

[Defiant]

I gotta be honest, I don't see a problem with the current system and having leveled four HCs on Turtle and one HC here, I actually really like the limited trading design. I find that Octo is quite a bit more forgiving than Turtle was in that regard too since we can send COD here within 5 levels, while on Turtle you had to meet up face to face for every single trade.

I know you aren't suggesting a open AH like Blizzards HC servers have, but I still think pointing to those servers is worthwhile. It really takes away from the HC experience in my opinion. The ease of access to many materials with an AH system in my opinion takes away from the HC play style.

I also just really like the idea of having to meet up with people face to face for trades, which accomplishes a few things. Obviously the social aspect of it, but it also makes you pick and choose what you really need. Because spending the time to meet up with someone, say cross faction especially, meeting them in Booty Bay or whatever-- it's time consuming. So you end up in positions where it's like hey, do I really need this?

Regarding Rested XP, I mean you can always use the Exhausted and Slow and Steady challenges to solve that. But you seemed to be discussing it more from a general balance perspective. I don't know if negatively impacting the entire community just to increase the chances of trade occurring is a good idea, if people aren't engaging in trade it's likely because they just aren't really interested and don't feel they need to, which in most cases is true. A lot of us here played on Turtle for ages, and the Rested XP was already lowered there for example. It used to be 100% for the longest time on Turtle, but towards they end they lowered it down to 50%. Octo decided to meet in the middle and go with 75%, and personally I think that's a good balance. Lowering it to 50% really gutted kill experience in comparison to quest experience. While when it was at 100%, grinding mobs mindlessly was always the most effective and fastest way to level. I feel that this current setting of 75% still rewards you for grinding mobs if that's what you're into, but allows Questing XP to be far far more competitive. While when Turtle lowered it to 50%, it made grinding feel very much not worth your time. So to me, 75% seems to be a great middle ground, and if people want more of a leveling challenge there is Exhaustion and Slow and Steady.

I will say that when Turtle lowered it down to 50%, I stopped leveling alts and playing HC. I had four 60s on Turtle, and was going to start leveling a 5th, and the nerf down to 50% was rough enough that I just wasn't interested in spending the time. It's already pretty time consuming hitting 60, especially as HC.

Oh and one last thing, any change really should be something that a good portion of the community supports or is something absolutely necessary from the GMs perspective. I haven't honestly seen anyone making these suggestions, or acting as if trading is broken here. If anything a lot of us were very happy about the COD change.

[Adesta113]

Such "regional" AH - still AH. As you mentioned: if you want be fully enchanted with top gear - it's full time job. And that is part of HC here. There is other servers with AH, but you came here and said "give me AH"? I prefer some kind of neutral instance where people can go and open own shop, like in la2 for example, but must stay online. And there is such (more or less) suggestion
https://octowow.st/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1499