A number of people have asked me some questions about the improvement I suggested could be made to shopping in UO. If you have not read my brain wave then go here and return back once you have digested my brilliance for some more insight into the best shopping idea for UO ever.

So the idea was that due too the gazillion items for sale on each shard that EA should introduce a trade vendor into each city. The trade vendor would provide the ability for you to see all of the items for sale on player run vendors. Now this could be through an interface that categorises all items and when you first speak to the vendor the UI shows you a list of catagories. You then drill down on the category to see the items for sale in that category. Possibly the vendor could show sub categories to help minimise list size. Also the vendor could provide a search featrure to find the item you want quicker.

Now once you found the item you want to purchase you buy from the trade vendor a rune to the players shop. You recall to the shop and buy the item from the vendor. Now some idiots thought this idea was copying World of Warcraft and immediately dismissed the idea. Well for those fuck knuckles this idea doesnt rip anything off from WoW other than having a vendor that can show you all the items for sale on your shard. It’s not an auction process, it doesn’t magically deliver the item to you and for you idiots that think it’s a rip off of WOW. I think Dark Age of Camelot introduced the centralised auction theme first.

The advantages such a system would bring is if your to stupid to utilise anything that makes playing the game easier and more fun, then you NEVER HAVE TO USE the vendor. But for the rest of the civilised world, we can spend the time we reclaim enjoying the things we like doing in game. Also as a shop owner now you don’t have to pay a fortune to own a plot space in Luna or pay stupid rents to rent a vendor spot in Luna. I could now turn my house public and run my vendor from wherever I have chosen to build my house.

Also markets for items can be a little more sensible in that you could check the going rate for an item first instead of putting it on your vendor and wondering why it never sold.

The disadvantages….. hmm there are aren't any except EA would have to code the solution and we all know how good they are at doing that. Oh well, we can dream. If you like my idea then go over to the Ideas forum at Stratics and give it the big thumbs up.

Go on, go vote.

Cheers
Shane