With the removal of all auction houses in the not so distant future, I figured I’d create a thread where the community can discuss their thoughts regarding the future of trade supporting systems in Diablo 3 come Reaper of Souls, Loot 2.0, etc.
Do you think Blizzard will implement a new system to support trading from player to player? (I’m unsure if Blizzard has announced any info on this topic; I’ve yet to see anything)
If so,
(1) What would you like to see added to the game to aid and promote trading items from one player to another?
(2) What do you think Blizzard WILL DO? (Solely remove the auctions houses and nothing else, or add a new system to support trading?)
I’m predicting (and hoping) that Blizzard will not solely remove the SC and HC auction houses and call trading in Diablo 3 ‘good to go’. In my opinion, Blizzard will likely implement some kind of new economic system to support/aid trading between players granting players a higher probability of locating another player possessing the item he/she desires and eventually being able to obtain said item. I also believe that players will be able to attach a name and description to their games upon creation similar to Diablo 2. In turn, players looking to join a game with the sole intention to trade items with other players can choose from a list which game containing a description that best matches their search criteria.
NOTE: Below is just speculation, or rather, something that might work well in Diablo 3…but who knows…
I think it would be cool if players could create ‘Trade Games’, ones where players can gather to just trade/sell/buy items. ‘Trade Games’ can have a maximum of 12 players. Players are bound to staying inside town, and also cannot cast any skills (this is why 12 players is possible). Each player now has a new container, much like the Horadric Cube from Diablo 2, which players keep in their inventory to hold their most valuable/desirable items that they wish to trade/sell. Players in the game can right click + click Inspect Trade Cube (or something?) and inspect other players’ items stored in this container. From there, if a player sees something they like, they can initiate a chat with the other player to try and trade/buy the item, etc. Possibly promoting socialization and the online multiplayer experience.
Keep in mind this is just an idea of mine; I’m unsure if it would work well in Diablo 3, but what do you guys think?
Well from what I recall they said they've got big improvements to battle.net coming.
I'd absolutely love the ability to create games such like in D2. I can see however trade games being introduced, but it's hard to tell if joining a random trade game will be too chaotic or not.
The 'trade cube' idea intrigues me. I think the feature might work best in two ways; The first use would be instead of spamming links to every one of your items you want to trade, a player would link their 'trade cube' into chat, and when the cube is clicked other players can see what items are up for trade. While in trade games I'd like to be able to just right click a players portrait, select the 'trade cube' option and view what's for sale.
My actual prediction however is different; Blizzard removes the AH's, RoS launches and a new game tag is introduced, trading. There might be further changes down the road, but I'm guessing that'l be it at launch.
My actual prediction however is different; Blizzard removes the AH's, RoS launches and a new game tag is introduced, trading. There might be further changes down the road, but I'm guessing that'l be it at launch.
I hope it will be more than that. Because how on earth would we be supposed to find the item we are looking for by joining random trade games?
I don't think Blizz would want players just hopping in and out of 'Trade Games' looking for a particular item. I believe that would cause an undesirable online experience for players.
Bleu42: I like what you said about having the ability to link 'Trade Cubes'. That would definitely cause less clutter.
I'm not quite sure how a trading post differs from an auction house honestly. I've thought about it really just concluded that Blizzard may as well keep the AH if a trading post is the alternative. I guess it depends on how one would define a trading post however most of the idea's I've seen about a trading post simply mimic the functionality of the Auction House without instant transaction. Same with other suggestions such as battle.net functionality. I think what is needed is either nothing at all or trading games. Trading games could be a big pain in the ass though because of 4 player party limits.
I think the objective of Loot 2.0 in combination of removing the AH is the end goal of having less items floating around. First off loot 2.0 will decrease the drop rate of legendary items and increase the quality. I think this will result in more gear staying on accounts. Then removing the AH limits the ability for a player to just go "shopping" I guess I will call it.
I think if Legendary items are more desirable forum trading/chat trading while may increase in volume will increase in variety and quality. Right now you see plenty of threads/posts in chat however most of time the item is considered average. This is an effect the AH has. Without the ability to filter gear to your liking that average piece may become the best item your character ever equips. So while volume increases it won't exactly be "spam" because players will be linking quality items that will intrigue people.
Also now you see players gather 5-10 items then try to sell them in bulk in chat which takes up a lot of space in chat. I think players will be trading items quickly and alone. This is because drops won't be as common and all will be valuable. So if I get a Wizard Chest I know I can trade it quickly for a Barb item (or whatever scenario you want to think of). Also to reduce volume they could break up the trade channels into even smaller regions.
Blizzard has said they have improved chat features coming so I think this will play a big part in the future of trading in Diablo III.
I'm not quite sure how a trading post differs from an auction house honestly. I've thought about it really just concluded that Blizzard may as well keep the AH if a trading post is the alternative. I guess it depends on how one would define a trading post however most of the idea's I've seen about a trading post simply mimic the functionality of the Auction House without instant transaction. Same with other suggestions such as battle.net functionality. I think what is needed is either nothing at all or trading games. Trading games could be a big pain in the ass though because of 4 player party limits.
I think the objective of Loot 2.0 in combination of removing the AH is the end goal of having less items floating around. First off loot 2.0 will decrease the drop rate of legendary items and increase the quality. I think this will result in more gear staying on accounts. Then removing the AH limits the ability for a player to just go "shopping" I guess I will call it.
I think if Legendary items are more desirable forum trading/chat trading while may increase in volume will increase in variety and quality. Right now you see plenty of threads/posts in chat however most of time the item is considered average. This is an effect the AH has. Without the ability to filter gear to your liking that average piece may become the best item your character ever equips. So while volume increases it won't exactly be "spam" because players will be linking quality items that will intrigue people.
Also now you see players gather 5-10 items then try to sell them in bulk in chat which takes up a lot of space in chat. I think players will be trading items quickly and alone. This is because drops won't be as common and all will be valuable. So if I get a Wizard Chest I know I can trade it quickly for a Barb item (or whatever scenario you want to think of). Also to reduce volume they could break up the trade channels into even smaller regions.
Blizzard has said they have improved chat features coming so I think this will play a big part in the future of trading in Diablo III.
In response to your first paragraph, in my original post I suggested that players have the ability upon game creation to select type 'Trade Game'. In doing so the player creates a game where up to 12 players may join, but would be bound inside the town and not be allowed to cast/perform any skills. Something like this also might be beneficial to a clan/guild system where clan members can join together and chat, make plans, or whatever. I think that'd be cool simply as a social feature; interacting with many clan members in a game as opposed to being restrained to a chat channel; a rectangle with words. Being able to see your their actualy characters does add some additional socialization.
I hope it will be more than that. Because how on earth would we be supposed to find the item we are looking for by joining random trade games?
Yeah if only we had a system where we can browse for the items we want... Oh wait...
Honestly, we had the most convenient trading tool, the AH. Anything they implement after that will just be clumsier. Why artificially restrict the number of people you can trade with to "the people who are in my game rigth now"? Or trade 2-3 items at a time ?
It's a very thin line. If the new system is too comfortable ( think AH ) then they could have left the AH in anyway. If the new system is too clumsy ( let's say for example that it will be easier to trade on forums than ingame ) then everybody will start trading on the forums.
I would not want to have to be the one making these decisions...
With the removal of all auction houses in the not so distant future, I figured I’d create a thread where the community can discuss their thoughts regarding the future of trade supporting systems in Diablo 3 come Reaper of Souls, Loot 2.0, etc.
Do you think Blizzard will implement a new system to support trading from player to player? (I’m unsure if Blizzard has announced any info on this topic; I’ve yet to see anything)
If so,
(1) What would you like to see added to the game to aid and promote trading items from one player to another?
(2) What do you think Blizzard WILL DO? (Solely remove the auctions houses and nothing else, or add a new system to support trading?)
I’m predicting (and hoping) that Blizzard will not solely remove the SC and HC auction houses and call trading in Diablo 3 ‘good to go’. In my opinion, Blizzard will likely implement some kind of new economic system to support/aid trading between players granting players a higher probability of locating another player possessing the item he/she desires and eventually being able to obtain said item. I also believe that players will be able to attach a name and description to their games upon creation similar to Diablo 2. In turn, players looking to join a game with the sole intention to trade items with other players can choose from a list which game containing a description that best matches their search criteria.
NOTE: Below is just speculation, or rather, something that might work well in Diablo 3…but who knows…
I think it would be cool if players could create ‘Trade Games’, ones where players can gather to just trade/sell/buy items. ‘Trade Games’ can have a maximum of 12 players. Players are bound to staying inside town, and also cannot cast any skills (this is why 12 players is possible). Each player now has a new container, much like the Horadric Cube from Diablo 2, which players keep in their inventory to hold their most valuable/desirable items that they wish to trade/sell. Players in the game can right click + click Inspect Trade Cube (or something?) and inspect other players’ items stored in this container. From there, if a player sees something they like, they can initiate a chat with the other player to try and trade/buy the item, etc. Possibly promoting socialization and the online multiplayer experience.
Keep in mind this is just an idea of mine; I’m unsure if it would work well in Diablo 3, but what do you guys think?
Please no. This would make it required for you to idle in Town for hours at a time till someone joins. What made D2 Game trading bearable was the fact that you could MF/ do quests/ do whatever while waiting. With your proposed system you could just... stand in town. This would be even worse than AH imho as no one would want to waste time that way.
I respect your opinion and understand your perspective, and yes, I agree standing in town might be unbearable for you and many others. However, I think there is a large number of players who would take part in creating/joining these 'Trade Games' I detailed in my original post and might also enjoy the the socialization of the 12-player game experience as well as possibly trading for an item they desire. In my opinion, as far as player enjoyment, the time a player would spend in a 'Trade Game' could very well be comparable to time spent, in the current version of Diablo 3, browsing the Auction House.
Yes, it would be less efficient, but the proposed system might achieve Blizzards goals with the removal of the auction houses, but who knows...On the other hand, you could very well be correct in that it would be worse for Diablo 3. Don't get me wrong, I would still love playing Diablo 3 even if no new system be added to the game to support trading once the auction houses are removed.
I suppose my intentions for creating this thread were with hopes that people would brainstorm ideas for systems they WOULD LIKE to see implemented as opposed to simply saying 'NO' (which I have no problems with; I respect all opinions) to my idea. But would those people opposed to my idea, please add a description of a system you might find interesting or desirable? Or what about some changes to Battle.net you'd like to see?
I know there are many better, awesome ideas out there...c'mon guys!
Honestly, we had the most convenient trading tool, the AH. Anything they implement after that will just be clumsier. Why artificially restrict the number of people you can trade with to "the people who are in my game rigth now"? Or trade 2-3 items at a time ?
It's a very thin line. If the new system is too comfortable ( think AH ) then they could have left the AH in anyway. If the new system is too clumsy ( let's say for example that it will be easier to trade on forums than ingame ) then everybody will start trading on the forums.
I would not want to have to be the one making these decisions...
I agree here. its fine to bring forth something you guys WANT to see as the new trade environment, but take into account what this guy says. Blizzard will not make a "system" for you. You had it, and it caused issues Blizzard was not happy with.
There will probably be something like general and trade channels, as the only means to trade with strangers. No trading game, no system. And honestly I think we will make it work, although forum trading will probably increase for the "I play a lot" players.
We will not get game lobbies. A list of games that gets filled/closed etc. faster than you can read the title will not work. There are simply too many people playing on each server to have a lobby. That is at least what Blizzard has stated, and I think it makes sense.
I agree with you in that the scenario of simply going back to Diablo 2 style mean of trading is very likely. And like someone else said, Battle.net improvements could result in a vast improvement for player trading experience if the DIablo 2 style direction is taken by Blizz.
Either way, I think we can all agree that no matter what happens after the auction houses are removed, players who put in more time attempting to trade will have a much higher success rate of making a trade for an item they desire with another player. As a result, the same player spending time searching to make a trade in turn will have 'lost' that time in-game slaying monsters; having a chance to get that l33t item drop. Different players will continue to enjoy different aspects of the game and it goes without being said that having options is always better than having none. Some players would use a new system and some would not; choice is key.
Also, Pietrak: Could you possibly detail some features you'd like to see in the Trading Post idea you mentioned? Thx!
I don't know why some people are so keen on "trade" game types. Just like the auction house, it would disconnect people from actually playing the game. You'd have to ask yourself the question: "do I want to play D3 today or trade some items"? What if you have only one item you want to trade, so you join a game and show it to 11 other people? What if you found a Serpent's Sparker wand and all the people in the first three trade games you see a barbs? What if you join a trade game and all 11 people just have one item, or have nothing and are just looking for items? Sorry, I absolutely can't see how this idea would work. It's not like all players keep a stash of 20 items "for sale". Unless you're an AH/D2JSP tycoon, you find a "tradeworthy" item once a month.
Here's what I think trading in D3 should entail:
It should be part of the game and not interrupt my game play too much (i.e., I don't want to be forced to leave my game to trade).
Trading should be simple (I guess that's obvious).
It should not allow any kind of convenient comparison of items, as that (in my opinion) was the worst part about the AH. Just to clarify: I don't think browsing through a list of 1000 items is a problem, but if you can sort that list by some parameters and even get an estimation of a price tag that's what made us think more about the price tag (an item being worth X billion gold) rather than what it can do (an item that allows you to breath fire or fart poison clouds).
Any system should be limited and not offer "anything ever available". As soon as you've got only access to a small subset of available items, you can feel like "oh yeah let me end my search and grab this because it looks like a good deal and I won't find it again". In the AH, you know you can just wait for a few hours and look for other stuff because it's easy to find an item again.
As I mentioned, the perfect solution for me would be to use the ingame vendors. When you find an item that you want to sell, you can either give it to the vendor and say "give me my 2000 gold now" or you can ask him to put up to 10 items "up for sale". This could work in various ways:
You put a price tag on the item (i.e., make it a buyout-system only)
Let the vendor be the mediator; you put up an item, someone puts up an offer, and you say yes or no
The vendor only establishes contacts, i.e., if you see an item you get the battle tag of that person and ask how much the seller wants for it, and if you agree you just meet ingame and trade.
It kind of worked in D1 (where money was actually worth something because you could find BiS items at the vendor; always check all the vendors when you're in town). It might also be partially similar to the D2 vendors that had huge amount of crap items, but sometimes (well, extremely rarely) some good +skills items, at least for the casual players. And of course Gheed; despite him giving me crap items 99.999% of the time, he still got billions of gold from me.
Bagstone : it irks me to make trades with other players but have to talk to aa NPC for it, who even pre filters my options. That's just not rigth IMO, not on any level ^^
But opinions differ.
Why I am so keen on a trading game ? Cause it helps me make my char stronger. More to the point : it is making my char stronger faster than mindless mob grinding would. And I like it like that. If this were not the case, it would have to literally rain legendaries all day, which would be boring after 15 minutes. To me rare good drops and game difficulty and game quality all come together.
Why I am so keen on a trading game ? Cause it helps me make my char stronger. More to the point : it is making my char stronger faster than mindless mob grinding would. And I like it like that. If this were not the case, it would have to literally rain legendaries all day, which would be boring after 15 minutes. To me rare good drops and game difficulty and game quality all come together.
Nononono, I was not talking about "trading game" as in "a game that allows for trading". I'm talking about a "trade" game type as in OPs idea. Changed that bit.
They should limit trading to legendary items. With smart drops and less but much better rares and the mystic's option to improve items, the likelihood you'll ever care about trading for rares will be very slim. This way, you can forget all the random parameters, put your item up for trade and then list a handful of specific legendary items (or gold) you're willing to trade for that. Especially now that many of the new legendary items will become the backbone of certain builds. D2 trading was basically all about end game uniques anyway, outside of maybe some circlets/ammys.
Trading should be as rudimentary as possible. No parameter searches. No fine tuning the exact item you want. The mystic already serves this purpose. Being able to just get exactly what you need is bad for the loot hunt, but for an end-game min-max player who absolutely must have a certain legendary, I think this would be enough.
p.s. I don't think anyone will like this idea, but oh well
I have to say, all of these ideas focus on making trading (imho) annoying, complex and advantageous for people who study the economy and spend a lot of time working the system. The first two are a bad idea for obvious (I hope) reasons and the last is pretty much the same problem as now.
I think it'd be far better if they just eliminated trading entirely than doing anything like the ideas in this thread. That way, they can balance the game around everything being self-found. If I still have to spend 10 hours trying to trade for an item I want at a decent price, then what's the point of ditching the AH again? I'd rather be killing and finding my own awesome loot.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
...and if you disagree with me, you're probably <insert random ad hominem attack here>.
I have to say, all of these ideas focus on making trading (imho) annoying, complex and advantageous for people who study the economy and spend a lot of time working the system. The first two are a bad idea for obvious (I hope) reasons and the last is pretty much the same problem as now.
I think it'd be far better if they just eliminated trading entirely than doing anything like the ideas in this thread. That way, they can balance the game around everything being self-found. If I still have to spend 10 hours trying to trade for an item I want at a decent price, then what's the point of ditching the AH again? I'd rather be killing and finding my own awesome loot.
The problem with this is that it will result in people still gearing up faster. I'm already skeptical about smart loot because it hastens the gearing process. The problem with the AH is that people gear up faster, clear content faster, and are bored. The Diablo experience is about continuing to farm and hunt for upgrades. While the loot 2.0 proposed changes will enhance the self found experience trading should not be removed from the game. May as well remove gold also.
Yes, the gear we find MUST be better. However I don't want to be able to do MP10 after 3 nights of farming Act V inferno.
I think self-found will work to an extent, but the game still needs those Zod level items to keep things exciting. Which is why trading matters, for those whose luck just sucks, or have hit a literal wall.
If I had a nice collection of items (or gold, I guess) and could trade for that one amazing piece to round out my gear, I don't think that'd be too bad. I'd gladly put in the work to get the trade. But trading as a means to gearing up, which is what the AH was, that should never be the case, so trading should have a certain roughness to discourage players from skipping actually playing the game.
No matter what they do, I think trading should never be easier than playing the game.
They should limit trading to legendary items. With smart drops and less but much better rares and the mystic's option to improve items, the likelihood you'll ever care about trading for rares will be very slim. This way, you can forget all the random parameters, put your item up for trade and then list a handful of specific legendary items (or gold) you're willing to trade for that. Especially now that many of the new legendary items will become the backbone of certain builds. D2 trading was basically all about end game uniques anyway, outside of maybe some circlets/ammys.
Trading should be as rudimentary as possible. No parameter searches. No fine tuning the exact item you want. The mystic already serves this purpose. Being able to just get exactly what you need is bad for the loot hunt, but for an end-game min-max player who absolutely must have a certain legendary, I think this would be enough.
p.s. I don't think anyone will like this idea, but oh well
Limiting trade to just legendary items doesn't make sense at all. What about gold, crafting items, tomes, gems?
As for a trading system, it's going to be difficult for them to implement something that has the ease of use and efficiency of the auction house. If they implement anything at all I'd hope for something like EVE's contract system. You say you're looking for a specific item / parameters, a seller contacts you and negotiations begin.
Honestly, we had the most convenient trading tool, the AH. Anything they implement after that will just be clumsier. Why artificially restrict the number of people you can trade with to "the people who are in my game rigth now"? Or trade 2-3 items at a time ?
It's a very thin line. If the new system is too comfortable ( think AH ) then they could have left the AH in anyway. If the new system is too clumsy ( let's say for example that it will be easier to trade on forums than ingame ) then everybody will start trading on the forums.
I would not want to have to be the one making these decisions...
I agree here. its fine to bring forth something you guys WANT to see as the new trade environment, but take into account what this guy says. Blizzard will not make a "system" for you. You had it, and it caused issues Blizzard was not happy with.
There will probably be something like general and trade channels, as the only means to trade with strangers. No trading game, no system. And honestly I think we will make it work, although forum trading will probably increase for the "I play a lot" players.
We will not get game lobbies. A list of games that gets filled/closed etc. faster than you can read the title will not work. There are simply too many people playing on each server to have a lobby. That is at least what Blizzard has stated, and I think it makes sense.
I agree with you in that the scenario of simply going back to Diablo 2 style mean of trading is very likely. And like someone else said, Battle.net improvements could result in a vast improvement for player trading experience if the DIablo 2 style direction is taken by Blizz.
Either way, I think we can all agree that no matter what happens after the auction houses are removed, players who put in more time attempting to trade will have a much higher success rate of making a trade for an item they desire with another player. As a result, the same player spending time searching to make a trade in turn will have 'lost' that time in-game slaying monsters; having a chance to get that l33t item drop. Different players will continue to enjoy different aspects of the game and it goes without being said that having options is always better than having none. Some players would use a new system and some would not; choice is key.
Also, Pietrak: Could you possibly detail some features you'd like to see in the Trading Post idea you mentioned? Thx!
I agree that trading should require a time investment and a decision between trading and farming becomes a choice to be made. I also hope for a better item sink. Salvaging wasn't cutting it with crafting being underpowered. Perhaps mystic reagents will pull more items out of the economy.
Do you think Blizzard will implement a new system to support trading from player to player? (I’m unsure if Blizzard has announced any info on this topic; I’ve yet to see anything)
If so,
(1) What would you like to see added to the game to aid and promote trading items from one player to another?
(2) What do you think Blizzard WILL DO? (Solely remove the auctions houses and nothing else, or add a new system to support trading?)
I’m predicting (and hoping) that Blizzard will not solely remove the SC and HC auction houses and call trading in Diablo 3 ‘good to go’. In my opinion, Blizzard will likely implement some kind of new economic system to support/aid trading between players granting players a higher probability of locating another player possessing the item he/she desires and eventually being able to obtain said item. I also believe that players will be able to attach a name and description to their games upon creation similar to Diablo 2. In turn, players looking to join a game with the sole intention to trade items with other players can choose from a list which game containing a description that best matches their search criteria.
NOTE: Below is just speculation, or rather, something that might work well in Diablo 3…but who knows…
I think it would be cool if players could create ‘Trade Games’, ones where players can gather to just trade/sell/buy items. ‘Trade Games’ can have a maximum of 12 players. Players are bound to staying inside town, and also cannot cast any skills (this is why 12 players is possible). Each player now has a new container, much like the Horadric Cube from Diablo 2, which players keep in their inventory to hold their most valuable/desirable items that they wish to trade/sell. Players in the game can right click + click Inspect Trade Cube (or something?) and inspect other players’ items stored in this container. From there, if a player sees something they like, they can initiate a chat with the other player to try and trade/buy the item, etc. Possibly promoting socialization and the online multiplayer experience.
Keep in mind this is just an idea of mine; I’m unsure if it would work well in Diablo 3, but what do you guys think?
I'd absolutely love the ability to create games such like in D2. I can see however trade games being introduced, but it's hard to tell if joining a random trade game will be too chaotic or not.
The 'trade cube' idea intrigues me. I think the feature might work best in two ways; The first use would be instead of spamming links to every one of your items you want to trade, a player would link their 'trade cube' into chat, and when the cube is clicked other players can see what items are up for trade. While in trade games I'd like to be able to just right click a players portrait, select the 'trade cube' option and view what's for sale.
My actual prediction however is different; Blizzard removes the AH's, RoS launches and a new game tag is introduced, trading. There might be further changes down the road, but I'm guessing that'l be it at launch.
I don't think Blizz would want players just hopping in and out of 'Trade Games' looking for a particular item. I believe that would cause an undesirable online experience for players.
Bleu42: I like what you said about having the ability to link 'Trade Cubes'. That would definitely cause less clutter.
I think the objective of Loot 2.0 in combination of removing the AH is the end goal of having less items floating around. First off loot 2.0 will decrease the drop rate of legendary items and increase the quality. I think this will result in more gear staying on accounts. Then removing the AH limits the ability for a player to just go "shopping" I guess I will call it.
I think if Legendary items are more desirable forum trading/chat trading while may increase in volume will increase in variety and quality. Right now you see plenty of threads/posts in chat however most of time the item is considered average. This is an effect the AH has. Without the ability to filter gear to your liking that average piece may become the best item your character ever equips. So while volume increases it won't exactly be "spam" because players will be linking quality items that will intrigue people.
Also now you see players gather 5-10 items then try to sell them in bulk in chat which takes up a lot of space in chat. I think players will be trading items quickly and alone. This is because drops won't be as common and all will be valuable. So if I get a Wizard Chest I know I can trade it quickly for a Barb item (or whatever scenario you want to think of). Also to reduce volume they could break up the trade channels into even smaller regions.
Blizzard has said they have improved chat features coming so I think this will play a big part in the future of trading in Diablo III.
In response to your first paragraph, in my original post I suggested that players have the ability upon game creation to select type 'Trade Game'. In doing so the player creates a game where up to 12 players may join, but would be bound inside the town and not be allowed to cast/perform any skills. Something like this also might be beneficial to a clan/guild system where clan members can join together and chat, make plans, or whatever. I think that'd be cool simply as a social feature; interacting with many clan members in a game as opposed to being restrained to a chat channel; a rectangle with words. Being able to see your their actualy characters does add some additional socialization.
Yeah if only we had a system where we can browse for the items we want... Oh wait...
Honestly, we had the most convenient trading tool, the AH. Anything they implement after that will just be clumsier. Why artificially restrict the number of people you can trade with to "the people who are in my game rigth now"? Or trade 2-3 items at a time ?
It's a very thin line. If the new system is too comfortable ( think AH ) then they could have left the AH in anyway. If the new system is too clumsy ( let's say for example that it will be easier to trade on forums than ingame ) then everybody will start trading on the forums.
I would not want to have to be the one making these decisions...
http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/profile/Twoflower-2131/hero/47336841
I respect your opinion and understand your perspective, and yes, I agree standing in town might be unbearable for you and many others. However, I think there is a large number of players who would take part in creating/joining these 'Trade Games' I detailed in my original post and might also enjoy the the socialization of the 12-player game experience as well as possibly trading for an item they desire. In my opinion, as far as player enjoyment, the time a player would spend in a 'Trade Game' could very well be comparable to time spent, in the current version of Diablo 3, browsing the Auction House.
Yes, it would be less efficient, but the proposed system might achieve Blizzards goals with the removal of the auction houses, but who knows...On the other hand, you could very well be correct in that it would be worse for Diablo 3. Don't get me wrong, I would still love playing Diablo 3 even if no new system be added to the game to support trading once the auction houses are removed.
I suppose my intentions for creating this thread were with hopes that people would brainstorm ideas for systems they WOULD LIKE to see implemented as opposed to simply saying 'NO' (which I have no problems with; I respect all opinions) to my idea. But would those people opposed to my idea, please add a description of a system you might find interesting or desirable? Or what about some changes to Battle.net you'd like to see?
I know there are many better, awesome ideas out there...c'mon guys!
I agree with you in that the scenario of simply going back to Diablo 2 style mean of trading is very likely. And like someone else said, Battle.net improvements could result in a vast improvement for player trading experience if the DIablo 2 style direction is taken by Blizz.
Either way, I think we can all agree that no matter what happens after the auction houses are removed, players who put in more time attempting to trade will have a much higher success rate of making a trade for an item they desire with another player. As a result, the same player spending time searching to make a trade in turn will have 'lost' that time in-game slaying monsters; having a chance to get that l33t item drop. Different players will continue to enjoy different aspects of the game and it goes without being said that having options is always better than having none. Some players would use a new system and some would not; choice is key.
Also, Pietrak: Could you possibly detail some features you'd like to see in the Trading Post idea you mentioned? Thx!
Here's what I think trading in D3 should entail:
But opinions differ.
Why I am so keen on a trading game ? Cause it helps me make my char stronger. More to the point : it is making my char stronger faster than mindless mob grinding would. And I like it like that. If this were not the case, it would have to literally rain legendaries all day, which would be boring after 15 minutes. To me rare good drops and game difficulty and game quality all come together.
http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/profile/Twoflower-2131/hero/47336841
Nononono, I was not talking about "trading game" as in "a game that allows for trading". I'm talking about a "trade" game type as in OPs idea. Changed that bit.
Trading should be as rudimentary as possible. No parameter searches. No fine tuning the exact item you want. The mystic already serves this purpose. Being able to just get exactly what you need is bad for the loot hunt, but for an end-game min-max player who absolutely must have a certain legendary, I think this would be enough.
p.s. I don't think anyone will like this idea, but oh well
I think it'd be far better if they just eliminated trading entirely than doing anything like the ideas in this thread. That way, they can balance the game around everything being self-found. If I still have to spend 10 hours trying to trade for an item I want at a decent price, then what's the point of ditching the AH again? I'd rather be killing and finding my own awesome loot.
The problem with this is that it will result in people still gearing up faster. I'm already skeptical about smart loot because it hastens the gearing process. The problem with the AH is that people gear up faster, clear content faster, and are bored. The Diablo experience is about continuing to farm and hunt for upgrades. While the loot 2.0 proposed changes will enhance the self found experience trading should not be removed from the game. May as well remove gold also.
Yes, the gear we find MUST be better. However I don't want to be able to do MP10 after 3 nights of farming Act V inferno.
If I had a nice collection of items (or gold, I guess) and could trade for that one amazing piece to round out my gear, I don't think that'd be too bad. I'd gladly put in the work to get the trade. But trading as a means to gearing up, which is what the AH was, that should never be the case, so trading should have a certain roughness to discourage players from skipping actually playing the game.
No matter what they do, I think trading should never be easier than playing the game.
Limiting trade to just legendary items doesn't make sense at all. What about gold, crafting items, tomes, gems?
As for a trading system, it's going to be difficult for them to implement something that has the ease of use and efficiency of the auction house. If they implement anything at all I'd hope for something like EVE's contract system. You say you're looking for a specific item / parameters, a seller contacts you and negotiations begin.
I agree that trading should require a time investment and a decision between trading and farming becomes a choice to be made. I also hope for a better item sink. Salvaging wasn't cutting it with crafting being underpowered. Perhaps mystic reagents will pull more items out of the economy.
^^ I do not need an item for this.
Nah, IMO the AH could stay and ppl like you could go.
Still people here who need to learn that not all prefer the same game...
http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/profile/Twoflower-2131/hero/47336841