Local chat is doomed -_-

all it would take is a few GM's sitting around major towns for a hour or 2 handing out warnings/temp bans(even an hour or so) to people spamming local chat with trades n word would spread fast as it does in GW, n people would stop.

Its the same thing police do, if they want to stop something they make theirself noticed in area's for a while with force then slowly reduce numbers cause people then think "well feck going there, its swarming with cops these days".

I believe people use All! chat because it gets their message out more. Trade channel, due to EVERYTHING being that one color, just looks like one big massive text block, while All! chat has a difference between name colors, and text colors, so each individual response is set apart, starting with it's gold-name-letters.

I seem more spams now on the local chat than it is before, althought A-Net want to change that problem (i.e. if you type WTS or WTB in local chat, it will move to trade channel) But like every updates, peoples find way to get around that. Also they must be desperate to get our attention by spamming away on local chat instead of using trade channel.

For those soley arguing that it's not right to spam in local chat and that those spammers should be banned clearly are ignoring the root of the problem and want band-aid fixes to the game. First off, I don't spam, so don't take this personally. Secondly, it is impractical to ban so many people while ignoring the reason for it, without downplaying the use of spamming in any way. There is a reason why people feel the need to spam local chat. Does it make it ok? No, but they have no reason not to with the trading system that is provided.

Trading is PART of the problem (not the only problem, but the root of the problem). It can't be ignored.

As for Anet's update on the WTB/WTS filter.. it is more of a very weak attempt to patch an ongoing problem. It's a band-aid fix that won't last very long. I believe that the development team of Guild Wars understand very well that filters are not the effective solution, and I believe that it really doesn't take much thought to understand why. The update I am guessing is simply to show they may have plans to fix the trading issue (which I have no doubts they will eventually tackle), but since it does affect communication in the game, it really surprises me that signs only point to an update for the release of Ch. 3.

This is very disturbing since a year and a half after the game is released they only really attempt to solve this problem. I may be making this bigger of an issue than it is, but consider what a put-off it is to play a game where in a city, chat is hi-jacked by spamming of selling and buying.

My main concern is that this isn't a new problem for an online game to face, and it isn't something that has never been seen before. Why would Anet decide that this isn't a pressing issue? What I mean to say is why would a company, which can significantly improve the quality of the game, take over a year to tackle an issue that is clearly a problem with players? Consider that Anet is a professional company, and that they don't have 2 programmers in the basement working on an entire game like this, so although I respect game developers, I do believe they still have standards.

This isn't creating a new game, this is just one aspect of the game and if the development team really cannot support major add-ons to the game, then I must say that (I don't mean to bash, but it really needs to be said) I am very dissapointed with the lack of use of the streaming technology guild wars boasts. It is no better than waiting for a new patch in a game and especially one that take months to fix (which it really shouldn't). I almost wish we could pay to play to have certain issues like this be tackled. Of course, then no one would buy the game..

I sell all my items in the trade channel or in GWG auctions. I find buyers, I negotiate, I trade the item, I get my money.

I don't sell in the local channel, ever. When I'm not looking to buy/sell things, I turn the trade channel off because I don't want to trade.

People who say the trade channel doesn't work are wrong--there's no two ways about it. The only reason it's "broken" is because impatient people think the local channel is somehow more efficient, which is a myth. I've watched the WTS/WTB spam in Lion's Arch district 1 a lot--people who sell in the local channel spam their items for just as long as people in the trade channel.

The trade channel works. It's only broken because you, the people who trade in the local channel, think it's broken. Use the trade channel the way ANet intended and it'll work.

Next.

You cant ban people for not using trade channel... its freedom of speech... pfft

what they should do is make it reportable. not a bannable offense. but maybe have the ability to mute them on local chat fro a few days

The way it's intended to be used is simply unsatisfactory. It is difficult to read, takes a VERY long time to sell/buy, and its very easy to get your voice heard more in the local chat. It is obvious that the patch to help trading was just that.. a temporary fix. It, as has been proved, literally does not work in practice. Spamming in local chat is a consequence of the poor trading system. It is a very sad solution in comparison to... many many games out there.

Wow, I cannot believe someone would actually argue freedom of speech here. That has got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard regarding the All/Trade issue. Might want to look more into freedom of speech before ya turn into one of those who throws it around on a whim.

First of all, it's Anet's game, THEY decide what freedoms of speech you have and if they want to ban you for using the words "banana," "hobo," - whatever, they can. Second, freedom of speech is not universal. You may be permitted to say whatever you wish via certain media, but definately not all/most both ingame and out. Learning that you can't just say whatever you want whenever you want will get you a long way in life.

Stupidity must be bliss. Have you read the EULA? In a MMO it's a dictatorship not a democracy. You do as A-Net says or you are removed from the game. You could make your argrument for naming your char "Nazi's Rule" but you will still have to change your name because it is in the rules that A-Net has set.

I'm guessing that the filter was A-Net's "gentle suggestion" to please use the trade channel.

Something bigger has to follow.

Local chat is doomed in district 1 of all/most towns.
Local chat is perfect in district 2 or higher!


maybe some of them are new to trading? as for weapons.....It takes a while for people to know that people only buy perfect weapons. the price might suck or a lot lower then what your asking but perfect items are the only ones that seem to sell.

Doesn't really apply for mini's,dyies,materials, ets.... just funny how after doing a misson or swaping stuff (about 30 to 40 mins) i see the same ad on a GOLD req 8 14%^50 by the same guy. Oh just sell it off to the merchant. **and then you see "Please buy my stuff! at the end of the ad"

also have you see how much GOLD stuff is being sold cheap here on guru? hummm

guppy and TheMosesPHD said everything I was trying to say, but better. A majority of the detractors are refusing to address any of the issues brought up, and are just retorting with "OMG u should b banned!!1!"

A few things.

As many as there are of you who find the spam annoying or troublesome, there are many, many more who just don't care, and will continue to buy and sell this way. No, it is not a myth that things tend to get sold faster on local chat. It is a tried and true fact. Also, for those saying they have never had a problem selling something on the trade channel, I will retort by saying I have never had a problem finding a group on the local channel, despite any spam that might be present.

ANet is aware of the problem, but they do not feel it to be that serious, otherwise they would have implemented an actual solution. The filter they did implement is there for the ones complaining about the spam, than the ones doing the spam. Anet wants to appear like they are doing something about a problem, rather than addressing a problem (like implementing that trade house they promised a few months ago). I would love to see a clean local chat, but spam will continue, and there is nothing you, the player, can do about it. You can either come onto a message board and try to act high and mighty about your views, or you can just learn to live with it, like a majority of the playerbase has. I will continue to sell any items I come across on any chat I feel will speed up my wait, whether that be trade channel or local channel. I will also continue to buy any items I find useful, whether the seller is doing so on the trade channel or the local channel.

Like it or not, this is the view expressed by a majority of Guild Wars players. Do not expect it to change anytime soon.

PS. I know I am one of the few vocal proponents of this view (I represent the silent majority?), but do realize I am but one person of many, many others doing this. Attacking me personally is just childish.

PPS. For any Anet devs/spokespeople reading, I would love to hear any responses to this thread, not to be torn down or ridiculed, but out of simple curiousity. Do you see the spam in local chat as a serious problem? Do your characters buy or sell on local chat? Is there a timeline for the trade house, or any other trade improvements?

Hi,

I have not read every post in this topic and not gonna, but I am gonna add
this, it is very frustrating to even use the trade channel in dis 1 of Kaineng
center on a busy weekend, the messages are going by so fast you cannot
keep up unless you are a freakin speed reader, this is totally moronic!!!!!

Implement some kind of system does not make you have to stare at the
freakin screen till your eyes start to bleed, hence ppl advertise on the local....
so ppl will actually see there item, seems pretty simple to me.

Can anyone say "hawk-shop/pawn-shop", plx stop the stupid message
scrolling up the window at light-speeds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-steps down off SB and throws up.........

My solution (till Anet does it right) is to just turn off all chat channels minus the guild/alliance/group channels.

The filter could work and it could work well if it were treated as a virus scanner; updated constantly. All we would need is a way to /report the variations of WTS/WTB/WTT to Anet and they could update it constantly. Eventually, those working on ways around it would become the minority and they would be constantly added to ignore lists thus killing their sales.

To be honest, I don't mind. When I do sell in game, I make a point of not using local. But I don't boycott the local sellers, since:

• The local trading does not make conversations a problem. Even in droks dis 1 (european) I can chat quite easily, although I rarely do.
• The only places where you might be affected by local traders even slightly are Droks, Ascalon City and Lion's. I don't know about you, but I don't often make PUGs there.
• If somebody is selling an item I want and I see it cheap in local but wouldn't have in trade - I'm not complaining

Correct me if I'm wrong, but those of us that are complaining - how often have you been seriously set back in forming a PUG/chatting by these traders? Once? Twice? No more than 10, surely.

EDIT: I still want an auction house though. When I am having a conversation, the traders don't prevent it but they do break it up a little and the experience is ruined a little.

its W T S, or W TS, or Want to Sell!!!!, true, it does get annoying, but there are too many posible combinations for WTS than just WTS, itd make it hard to block all possible ways to say it

You see, that is the problem, the trade channel is a spam channel. They can improve the trade channel currently if they feel like, with filters, but that does not solve the problem that selling and buying through chat only is encouraging spamming. No one should mis-use the local chat, I agree, but it really can't be helped since the trading system encourages certain abuses of the local chat.

(highlight mine)

Uhm... you are crazy if you are trying to go through trade while it's in autoscroll mode. Click on chat bubble, scroll up a little (to wherever you want to start reading) and it stops it from running across your screen.

The only thing I'll agree with the Local sellers on is that the trade text color needs changed to almost anything else. It's incredibly annoying to try to read, but that's no excuse to not use it as it is readable.