Spiral Knights - Getting really mad with the featured auctions..

Getting really mad with the featured auctions..

11 replies [Last post]

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 20:28

Micheruu

I've saved up crowns for a REALLY long time on my steam account, and now I can finally afford to get both Prismatic Glow Eyes and Flame Aura in the auction house..

But when those two items finally show up in the featured auctions, I always lose the auctions. This has happened FOUR times now.

Why?

Because I'll be the highest bidder, and then go to work.. come home and the auction is over and someone out-bid me while I was at work.

Why does this happen?

Because it doesn't tell you an approximate time when the auction is going to end. It seems "long" means completely different things every single time.

Why is this ridiculously stupid?

Because I do use real money to pay for things in the game. To earn real money, I have to go to work. I don't understand why I'm being punished for supporting the game. -_-
If the auction stated the exact time the auction would end, I could re-work my schedule around the auction so I could actually have a chance at it. It really seems unfair that the ending time is totally random, it's like it expects you to be on the game 24/7. Up until I went to work this morning, for example, I spent a day and a half checking the auction every half hour to make sure I was the top bidder. It seems that was a waste of time.

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 20:31

Derpules

Each time period is a range.

From the wiki:

"Very Short: less than 5 minutes (time is extended with every new bid)
Short: 5 minutes - 1 hour
Medium: 1 - 4 hours
Long: 4 - 24 hours
Very Long: 24+ hours"

That doesn't solve all your problems, but it does help.

BTW, I don't understand why you'd bid while it's still on Long anyway. There's a 0% chance that your bid will win it, unless it's something stupid high.

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 20:32

Nodocchi

It is not random. The

It is not random. The auctions end I believe 48 hours after it begins. As well, long is a time range not an exact number, so depending on how far into the auction it is, long will mean a different time. Also I believe when it gets to very short, every bid extends the auction time so as to prevent people sneaking in bids at the last second.

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 20:35

Micheruu

@ Nodocchi - But how do I

@ Nodocchi - But how do I know when it begins? It doesn't say.

@ Derpules - I keep checking the auction for it to go short or very short, but like I said, it seems to do so when I'm sleeping or at work. :/ If I knew exactly when the auction is scheduled to end, I could wait until it's at short or very short.

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 20:38

Xairathan

Suggestion

Maybe we could set up a network of featured watchers. Say like, one person who's on at this hour at this time of day, and they watch the Featureds for new content. It wouldn't give us an exact time but at least it'd provide an approximate range.

As for the winning, here's a technique that helped me win my Volcanic scarf: bid an obscenely large amount just before you leave for work (I dumped my 450k CR into the scarf before I went to school). If you're lucky you might get it.

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 21:13

Micheruu

@Xair - I agree, that would

@Xair - I agree, that would be a great idea. And also thanks for the advice. :D

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 21:39

Derpules

Do you ever manage to catch it when it goes from long --> medium

If you do, then you'll know it ends in ~4h time.

Similarly, if you catch it going from V long to long, you'll know it ends in ~24h time.

Tue, 03/06/2012 - 01:17

Niichi

I imagine an alternative

I imagine an alternative solution would be to allow players to allocate x amount of funds to an auction, setting a minimum and maximum bid, so that if someone outbids the player then the system checks to see if the maximum bid would cover increasing the amount and then, if so, increases the bid automatically.

I'm sure this has been suggested by other people before but it does make a whole lot of sense. That way players who can't work their schedule around a game don't have to worry about other players snatching items right at the end when they would have been willing to pay more.

Tue, 03/06/2012 - 01:53

Pawn

@ Niichi

I hate to just throw dirt on someones idea but that is counter to the fact it is an auction. I mean, the equivalent of that is simply putting your maximum bid on the item and hoping it stands as the winner. It just seems like it is skipping all the risk of the auction format (well not skipping but sorta hedging).

Anyhow, a more stratified v.long, long, med, short system would be helpful.

On the other hand, i was happy to win the glow eyes today :D

Tue, 03/06/2012 - 01:58

Sniperjoe

@Pawn

Placing such a bid transfers the risk from not winning the item to overpaying for the item. This is negated by a "Buy Now" cap, but I'm not sure if featured auctions have such a thing.

Tue, 03/06/2012 - 09:27

#10

Embodien

The thing is..now imagine

The thing is..now imagine they tell you the times...then most people wait till 10 seconds is left then place a bid. Its the most likely reason as to why its set the way it is.

Tue, 03/06/2012 - 09:50

#11

Tom-Awsm

@Niichi and Pawn: Niichi's

@Niichi and Pawn: Niichi's suggestion is actually used by ebay, so it's not exactly unheard of. Though I feel as it would favor the richer players.

@Embodien: YES, and enough people do this already just by seeing when it changes from one range to another like Derpules mentioned.

I can't help but laugh every time one of these threads pop up, because people don't seem to realize that the auction mechanics are the same for everyone. Some auctions end at prime time for you, others may end at an unconvenient time. Yes, it does favor those who have no life, but they always have major advantages in any game for obvious reasons.

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Getting really mad with the featured auctions..