Forums › English Language Forums › General › Suggestions

Search

Updating the Auction System

8 replies [Last post]
Sat, 06/27/2015 - 21:14
Samurai-Pikachu's picture
Samurai-Pikachu

I am not sure if this has been suggested yet (as I have been gone for a while), but I just thought of the possibility of updating the Auction System in 3 ways in order to both make it easier on the player who posts it and the player interested in buying it.

1) First thing is changing the timer tags on the Auction House sales to actual timers (i.e. 12hrs 00min instead of "Short"), with the time counting down until it expires or becomes bought (when under a minute left, it switches to 59sec and so on). This will allow players to see exactly how much time is left before the auction ends.

2) Another possible thing is allowing players to update the timers if no bids are made for the necessary fee. An example, a player accidentally chose long but wanted to set it to very long. The difference in crowns between long and very long auction fees will need to be applied to update the timer. So if the Long timer cost 1,250cr and Very Long timer cost 2,000cr, a 750cr fee would be required to update the timer. However, updating the price of the item will not be possible.

3) Finally, the player can choose if he/she wants the item to be bid only, buy only, or both. These all will have the same startup fees based on time, but allows more variety in player-controlled auction sales.

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 00:41
#1
Boneblinder's picture
Boneblinder
-1

1) First thing is changing the timer tags on the Auction House sales to actual timers (i.e. 12hrs 00min instead of "Short"), with the time counting down until it expires or becomes bought (when under a minute left, it switches to 59sec and so on). This will allow players to see exactly how much time is left before the auction ends.

I do not agree with this. The player's should not know how much time is exactly left, as this will make bidding too easy and there will literally be war. Every player will be bidding on things which have a minute or so left.

2) Another possible thing is allowing players to update the timers if no bids are made for the necessary fee. An example, a player accidentally chose long but wanted to set it to very long. The difference in crowns between long and very long auction fees will need to be applied to update the timer. So if the Long timer cost 1,250cr and Very Long timer cost 2,000cr, a 750cr fee would be required to update the timer. However, updating the price of the item will not be possible.

This idea is pretty decent, but I don't see why it will be needed. Nobody is that reckless. Well if anyone did that, they will remember to choose properly from the next time.

3) Finally, the player can choose if he/she wants the item to be bid only, buy only, or both. These all will have the same startup fees based on time, but allows more variety in player-controlled auction sales.

This already exists in the game. You can put a bid amount on your action, and if you leave the buyout space blank, the auction will be bid only. You cannot have buyout only. I don't again understand why "buy only" will be needed. Majority of player's only like to bid hoping to gain profit. So this idea can be 50-50%.

My point is that none of these idea's are necessary.

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 00:59
#2
Blandaxt's picture
Blandaxt
hmm..

"1) First thing is changing the timer tags on the Auction House sales to actual timers (i.e. 12hrs 00min instead of "Short"), with the time counting down until it expires or becomes bought (when under a minute left, it switches to 59sec and so on). This will allow players to see exactly how much time is left before the auction ends."

I think that is not a very great idea because of what "Boneblinder" mentioned that players would be able to take long bids easy. Though i think showing the timer to the one who post the bid would be cool.

"2) Another possible thing is allowing players to update the timers if no bids are made for the necessary fee. An example, a player accidentally chose long but wanted to set it to very long. The difference in crowns between long and very long auction fees will need to be applied to update the timer. So if the Long timer cost 1,250cr and Very Long timer cost 2,000cr, a 750cr fee would be required to update the timer. However, updating the price of the item will not be possible."

Completely agree. I like this idea to the extent we can make instant changes after posting a bid. Make it so that the updating period only last 5 minutes before the item is locked in place.

"3) Finally, the player can choose if he/she wants the item to be bid only, buy only, or both. These all will have the same startup fees based on time, but allows more variety in player-controlled auction sales."

Right now, we already have buy only, bid only and both. For bid only, just do not post a buy price. For buy only, just post the exact price in the bid as the buy. And for both, just post how much for bid and how much for buy. Though if we could isolate items we see to buy only, or bid only when looking to purchase an item as a consumer, that would be cool.

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 04:26
#3
Boneblinder's picture
Boneblinder
@"Blandaxt"

Right now, we already have buy only, bid only and both.

We never had buy only. We have both and bid only. Though you can buy out when it's both.

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 09:39
#4
Hexzyle's picture
Hexzyle
+1 to the by-the-minute timers

@Boneblinder
Every player will be bidding on things which have a minute or so left.

This already happens.

Right now, the people who know exactly when an item ends because they spend 5 minutes studying where the item is on the auction house list have a massive advantage on bidding on that item, while the rest of people do not.

Not only does this provide an economy where bid snipes can and do happen very frequently, despite there being mechanics in place to counter bid snipes (the 1-minute grace), but because of which it means that people who know this obscure information have a strong advantage over those who do not. And because only a few people know how to do this, there is little competition for a lot of items, so the seller doesn't get the price they could have gotten had more people had a fair chance of bidding on the item.

as this will make bidding too easy

So bidding should be difficult, convoluted, and unintuitive, so only people who could be effed may bid on whatever they please, since nobody else could be bothered?

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 08:40
#5
Abelisk's picture
Abelisk
+1 to timers, added suggestion

@ Boneblinder: I do not agree with this. The player's should not know how much time is exactly left, as this will make bidding too easy and there will literally be war. Every player will be bidding on things which have a minute or so left.

The Auction House certainly needs new modes in place.

Here's my suggestion: The auctions an auctioneer creates will not start until the auctioneer starts it. When the auction has been placed, but not started, players can sign in a contract stating they wish to auction out the item the auctioneer placed. After the auctioneer thinks there are enough people in the list of signed players, the auctioneer may hit a button on the interface and the auction may begin. Once it begins, any player that signed the contract can bid on the auctioned item. However, players from outside the specific auction that have NOT registered may not bid on the item that the auctioneer as stated above has set at ANY TIME. I also think there needs to be a minute by minute (or second per second) timer. This makes auctioning a classic way to do so.

For example, let's say auctioneer Dr-Joe is opening up an auction for selling a Kilowatt Pulsar. Before he can start the auction, a certain amount of players (let's say 1 is the minimum) must sign the auction, granting them access to bid on the Kilowatt Pulsar after Dr-Joe has begun the auction. Dr-Joe will wait 24 hours before he begins the auction. If no players have signed the auction, Dr-Joe will need to wait a little more. If 1 player or more have signed Dr-Joe's auction, he may hit an option on the interface which officially begins the auction. The timer is ticking, minute by minute (or second by second). Dr-Joe, prior to the auction's start, can set a certain time for the duration of the auction. After the timing has ended down to 00:00, the player with the highest bid wins. Also, only the player(s) that registered on Dr-Joe's auction can bid on the Kilowatt Pulsar, nobody else in Spiral Knights can.

Also note that there will still be a buy-out system.

Bidding players will not be able to see who else is bidding. That gives away anonymity.

After all, war is what auctions are for, right? ;)

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 16:36
#6
Blandaxt's picture
Blandaxt
well..

@Itsmeandersonlol:

The problem i see with this is that not everyone can be online at the same time, so this makes it hard for a traditional auction system to be created. I think if we had a larger pool of players online at the same time, then we can officially have auction that is open to all of sk.

Also, for my idea is to not make the auction interface only in haven Have it just like the arcade window where we can access the auction where ever we are, but can only bid when outside of the clockworks. This way, just like player don't gather at the arcade, not much players will gather at the auction. We can just access the auction where ever we are and bid where ever we are with the auction window hot key. This means more players will visit the auction and more bids will be made.

Though this system will increase more players involved, it will remove the whole feeling of all of us being gathered in one place like we use to in the arcade room. It will be kind of sad really from my opinion.

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 16:56
#7
Abelisk's picture
Abelisk
@Blandaxt: The problem i see

@Blandaxt: The problem i see with this is that not everyone can be online at the same time

Well, if you read my Dr-Joe example above, the auction can wait as long as it wants before Dr-Joe starts it. Let me explain that part again: Dr-Joe is ABLE to open up an auction in the Auction House, but this is when players can sign a contract to say they wanna buy the auction item, not when players actually bid on the item yet. Dr-Joe can wait as long as he wants during the registration process. Dr-Joe can even wait a WHOLE YEAR before starting the auction. I'd also like to note that Dr-Joe can cancel the auction during the registration process, but not when players bid on the item. Players can also leave the auction during the registration process. When the auction starts, an email could perhaps be sent to the registered players to say that the auction has begun. If the players aren't online, that's their own fault. The duration of the auction itself after the registration process can be set by Dr-Joe.

Just for reference, the registration process comes bedore the bidding process.

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 20:50
#8
Blandaxt's picture
Blandaxt
hmm..

@Itsmeandersonlol:

As long as the Bidding process is limitless in theory (at least 24 hours) " The duration of the auction itself after the registration process can be set by Dr-Joe.", then i agree with this system. Cause when you said, "If the players aren't online, that's their own fault", i thought the actual auction duration would be short.

Also make it so that players can attend multiple auction at the same time without limit so that the biding process of all auction can happen simultaneously for every player and not be "if you attend this auction, you will have to miss this auction" kind of system.

Powered by Drupal, an open source content management system