Time for an Upgrade Merchant

twicky_kid

twicky_kid

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

Quite Vulgar [FUN]

The insane cost of upgrade mods in game has to come to a stop. 25k for a bleeding sword mod and these people are serious. People are price gouging on the upgrade mods because there is nothing there to control their cost or give people an educated guess.

It cost me more to buy a clean weapon and add upgrades than to buy the weapon with upgrades already added.

Talking to other people today I learned that this has been going on for months. I don't understand why its been ignored for so long. Greens were able to bring the overall cost of weapons down while not destroying the market. The same thing can be done with upgrades.

NatalieD

NatalieD

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

Better yet... upgrade collectors.

twicky_kid

twicky_kid

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

Quite Vulgar [FUN]

Quote:
Originally Posted by NatalieD
Better yet... upgrade collectors.
I think upgrade mods are common enough as it is. Not trying to destroy the entire market here.

R A C

R A C

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2005

In my parent's basement

R/Mo

/signed for upgrade traders.

Mr D J

Mr D J

Permanently Unbanned

Join Date: Jun 2005

/signed

and please update the merchant system for selling... GRR I vendored 3 ectos lol :/

bilateralrope

bilateralrope

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

New Zealand

Xen Of Onslaught (Xen of the Pacific division)

/signed

This has come up many times before, and I've yet so see a good reason against it. The same goes for green weapon traders.

The only question is what should the starting stocks and prices be ?

Bah Lloomee

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

The economy in Guild Wars is so exciting.

Rayne Nightfyre

Rayne Nightfyre

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Acolytes of Lyssa [AL]

Me/A

/signed!

Just look around in LA 1 and Droknar's 1, these bot farmers sell common items for unreasonable prices. Check out the thread titled "LA d1 traders" in the Riverside Inn to further illustrate how out of hand this is getting. As it is, sadly bot farmers can pretty much control the price. I don't care how it's done, but the price seriously needs to be regulated somehow! It is simply stupid to have to pay 120k+ for a Sword Pommel of Fortitude +30.

Sidra

Sidra

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Mar 2006

CT

NITE

R/

I'd see most of the mods from 350g to 10k. You have to admit, a perfect pommel like that would probably have to go for around 10 plat, if that much. But one problem would be having the traders give you perfect mods all the time. The concept would probably be better served as a collector thing (reachable later in the game with the ammounts needed to buy mods controlled so that no collector is cheaper than the other) and have the "perfect-ness" of the mod completely random. It would probably stablize the prices a lot more, and drop them hugely. The only problem I could see is people buying too many and then having the mods drop very low because of all of the buys and having rare ones go hugely up in price again >.<

lyra_song

lyra_song

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Oct 2005

R/Mo

+30 fortitude mod for 6 Frozen Shells please~~

Tuoba Hturt Eht

Tuoba Hturt Eht

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Deimos Tel Arin [CCTV]

W/

/signed for collectors weapon mods

eSe

eSe

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jan 2006

/signed

Dr Strangelove

Dr Strangelove

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Dec 2005

Wasting away again in Margaritaville

[HOTR]

/signed

Weapon mods are near impossible for average players to buy.

the pillar freak

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jun 2005

West Coast

Kights of The Fallen Grace

E/Me

/signed

jackie

jackie

/retired

Join Date: Dec 2005

On the Beach

/signed

Imho upgrade collectors/traders should have been included from the beginning of GW to maintain some logic in the prices.

sarcasteak

sarcasteak

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

Kaineng Center

[Moe]

N/

/signed

The only inconvenience I see is that we generally have a wide range of stats for every weapon mod, so we'll probably going to have to scroll through 10~20% of Enchantment, +1~5 Insightful, +20~+30 Fortitude, and so forth.

Kool Pajamas

Kool Pajamas

Forge Runner

Join Date: Aug 2005

Maryland

Mage Elites [MAGE]

What if they trader only offers perfect mods? Then players can trade less than perfect mods between themselves. The traders will set a ceiling since no one will pay more for nonperfect than perfect if available. It will keep the traders from having too many mods to look through.

Elrond Afil

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2005

R/Me

/signed

bilateralrope

bilateralrope

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

New Zealand

Xen Of Onslaught (Xen of the Pacific division)

Quote:
Originally Posted by sarcasteak
/signed

The only inconvenience I see is that we generally have a wide range of stats for every weapon mod, so we'll probably going to have to scroll through 10~20% of Enchantment, +1~5 Insightful, +20~+30 Fortitude, and so forth.
Compared to price gouging focing prices up, I'm not sure that will be too much of a problem. But if it is, here are some ways to sort out that problem:

1 - Having different traders for each weapon type would reduce the clutter in one.

2 - If a mod is at the lowest possible price, all lesser mods of that type are hidden (no-one will buy them anyway) but can still be sold to the trader. This can be automatic or manualy done

3 - Each town has different levels of mods at its trader. Ascalon city has the lowest only, Droknars forge only stocks perfect mods. But then people would take it from droks, and sell to ascalon people with a markup (but not too big of one, as people would undercut them).

Maria The Princess

Maria The Princess

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2006

Aequitas Deis

/signed

rediculous to pay 10k for a bow grip of 30hp, 1k for vamp string, if you can but elswyth recurv e bow for 6k...

ArianeB

Academy Page

Join Date: Mar 2006

Arthur

E/Mo

/signed

I'd go one step further.

Put NPCs that can:
1. Strip all mods, giving you a clean weapon for a small fee (500g?) Or, alternatively, sell generic mods cheap that will replace exotic mods. For example a generic "bow string" you can buy cheap so you can replace the crappy 1:1 vampiric string that ruins an otherwise perfect bow.

2. Recover all mods, destroying the weapon for a larger fee (2k?), if you dont want to pay you can always take your chances with expert salvage kit.

3. Trade mods. Those mods that come in multiple values will be available as perfect or -10% of perfect. If you sell a mod that is not perfect the NPC buys it as if it was a -10% of perfect item. If it is below -10% of perfect, it buys only at face value. (to avoid having too many things to scroll through)

4. To avoid panic buying and selling, perfect health and energy mods should start at 10K, perfect vampiric, defense, sundering, warding, shelter and enchantment mods should start in the 2-5K range, everything else (poisoning, zealous,elemental, and 10%+1 attributes) can start at the usual 250g. Prices of course will adjust based on supply and demand.

Dougal Kronik

Dougal Kronik

Forge Runner

Join Date: Aug 2005

Ontario, Canada

Glengarry Fencibles

R/

/signed

But I fear this would probably go the route of the Rune trader. The best mods will skyrocket in price and players will go back to selling amongst each other. The less than perfect mods will fall in price until they are all but worthless.

bilateralrope

bilateralrope

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

New Zealand

Xen Of Onslaught (Xen of the Pacific division)

Even when people sell runes amongst each other, the rune trader still limits the price range.

Though, to prevent people abusing it, I suggest that it starts with a stock of 0 and/or a price that ANET belives is above the market value. That way people wont be able to exploit it as easily.

Besides, the rune trader seems to of always reflected the proportion of people playing each class (well, excpet for monk runes).

Dougal Kronik

Dougal Kronik

Forge Runner

Join Date: Aug 2005

Ontario, Canada

Glengarry Fencibles

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by bilateralrope
Besides, the rune trader seems to of always reflected the proportion of people playing each class (well, excpet for monk runes).
Honest question: Do they know the proportion of people playing each class?
And how does the Rune Trader set prices? Is it really supply and demand like they tell us?

bilateralrope

bilateralrope

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

New Zealand

Xen Of Onslaught (Xen of the Pacific division)

Well, the numbers of people playing a certian attribute line seem to match with the prices of the runes for me. And I have had times where I've been selling loads of parchment and the price has dropped as I do so, which would fit for a supply and demand model.

Shortly after the AOE nerf, sup curse shot up in price before selling out.

And the decrease in all rune prices recently is consistent with more runes being suppliedwhile less people want them (because they now have them).

Since all the evidence suggests that the traders follow a supply and demand model and ANET says they do, unless someone has proof that they dont follow such a model I'm willing to assume that they do.

Still, the main reasons I want the traders are so that I can dispose of semi-rare items easily at decent prices, buy the worthless items everyone just merchants (it took me 1 hour to find someone who would sell me flints fleshcleaver), and know how much gold I should ask if I want to trade with other players.

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Toronto

Hopping

Mo/A

/signed

The current market is making greens look like a joke.

Ixi

Ixi

Academy Page

Join Date: Jul 2005

Martyrs to the Earth [RocK]

/signed

Angel Develin

Angel Develin

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2005

Lions Arch

Minions of Kronos

N/Me

/signed

Ultimate Sacrifice

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jan 2006

/signed

Whenever I get another good sword, I have to buy a Armor +5 Sword Pommel of Defence because of the prices on a Health +30 Sword Pommel of Fortitude.
I think the Armor +5 is still better though. Armor +5=5K Health +30=100K+ 5 ecto

milan

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

BONE

N/

/Unsigned

If it was forced into the game then at least make it that you could only buy what you have unlocked previously in game, and it automatically adds it to the weapon - which then becomes unsalvagable, like collectors weapons.

MysticoN

Academy Page

Join Date: Dec 2005

The Lord of the guilds

N/R

/signed , I would like to see the idea of some kind of upgraded blacksmith ... so like you can find lot of materials and then bring it back to the blacksmith so he can upgrade your weapon in many ways (mostly looks though since gw focus more on skills) like f.ex a sword can get a much better looking grip or a blade made out of gold

SpeedyKQ

SpeedyKQ

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2005

E/Me

/signed.

It is really annoying how long it takes to find a buyer or seller for a weapon mod at a fair price. For awhile I was salvaging decent but not uber weapon mods and trying to sell them in LA. Then I realized I was making about 3K an hour so I just merched all the mods I had left for 25 gold each so I didn't have to look at them anymore.

Don Zardeone

Don Zardeone

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2005

Greens... I see them as a cheap alternative for perfect weapons.

It allows PvErs to get into PvP a lot easier because they can use their greens instead of normal weapons with overpriced mods.

Victos blade: 8k
Vampiric sword of fortitude...
6k for the basic sword, 10-15k for the vampiric (who was selling them at 1k??), 100k for the fortitude (no kidding, blame the WTB merchants who don't buy anything)

Total: 121k

Greens are easy to get and the prices have been dropping like Micheal Jackson's bankaccount.

Greens: cheap alternative for PvErs who want their chars in PvP early
but that's my opinion


edit: I forgot, /not signed to keep greens the cheap things they are =D

Havelock

Academy Page

Join Date: Feb 2006

/signed

fiery

fiery

Banned

Join Date: Oct 2005

maryland

InYurFace Gaming [IYF]

R/

Mod Trainers for weapons? So if one tends to rise, you can farm weapons and expert salvage them for the mods? OR, buying is at a steady rate and selling to the trader is 3/4 the price of the item you are buying.

Zubie

Academy Page

Join Date: Nov 2005

Ireland

W/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by milan
/Unsigned

If it was forced into the game then at least make it that you could only buy what you have unlocked previously in game, and it automatically adds it to the weapon - which then becomes unsalvagable, like collectors weapons.
I sort of agree here.
I would like to see the mods merchent but with 1 of the following conditions.

1) Merchant doesnt sell perfect mods e.g sells +25 HP mod or 18% Enchant
This would give people access to decent mods and allow for the high end ones to sell to Uber prices (I mean is +5hp gonna keep you alive most often?)

2) Mods could only be added to customized weapons

/signed

Texas

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

Mending Makes Me Invincible [WeRD]

W/

Because of all this price gouging, my sf runs and greens for my characters isnt looking all that bad.

sh4ft3d

sh4ft3d

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2005

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

Frank Ought To Monk [FotM]

W/

/signed

Hockster

Hockster

Banned

Join Date: Jul 2005

If not a vendor, at least then a crafter. If a 15^ sword and axe can be crafted, why not mods for those seapons?

Collectors wouldn't work so well, the collectable item prices would skyrocket. Bleached Shells anyone? Common crafting materials wouldn't jump much, if at all. They're so easy to come by.

Hell Raiser

Hell Raiser

Forge Runner

Join Date: Dec 2005

[PHNX]

Mo/

/signed

as I remember the rune/dye traders (been a while maybe neither or maybe also material traders) were added into the game after the realease.
I would say an easier way of this rather then a trader for mods have a trader displaying the current market value of each mod, though the problem here is people with the mods will sell higher for the obvious reason that they have the mods and you can't get them from the trader. I do like the idea of a mod trader and havn't heard any reason why it was not added with the other traders (again I could be wrong, been a while) but I'm sure they had a good reason. The biggest problem I see with these price increases is the bots that are controling mod prices. I still do sell perfect mods at low prices just for the convenience of a quick sell rather than spending all hours trying to hit the high prices but bots have tons of free time.

Hell