Great feedback, and thank you for the suggestions!Alright... I played some over the weekend with my bard and have summed my thoughts in a pro/cons/suggestions.
Positives
Negatives
- This looks like it could address the funding issue on the smaller shards. I can't say I am totally happy about the lore trouble with Felucca trade ministers, but if we have to suck that down to get effective funding, I consider that a fair compromise.
- I like that you can't recall/gate/moongate anywhere in Trammel and are forced to do the deal on mount/foot/boat. This was my biggest concern when I heard the Trade Order quest mentioned in the Gov forum.
- Because of the above, I can imagine caravans of ten or so people being organized to deliver the goods along the long roads of Britannia. At the Governor's Mixer, we wanted to organize a couple on TC to test, but the monsters are so overpowered right now we couldn't (see negatives
)
- I like deco, and the housing signs are nice (see further in suggestions).
- I like the way monsters ambush you. This pretty much how I had it pictured in my head if I were in charge of designing it.
Suggestions
- The ambushes are overpowered. -This appears to already be on the issue list to be addressed
- Randomness of the city you have to deliver to.
- Can't use the ferry between Skara Brae Farms and main Skara Brae island.
- Items can be bought in the city you are delivering to and then put in crate. This seems... dumb.
- My pack horse dies way too easily. I usually can get an invisibility off in time, but it only takes one hit.
- Crafters aren't really encouraged in any sort of way to participate in a quest with the word "TRADE" in it.
- Can use gates to Felucca.
I'd honestly take the trade quest system getting pushed to next patch if it meant some of the player suggestions on this forum were taken into account.
- Crafters need to be a part of this. I'd either suggest removing crafting skills from the scaling of the monsters, or my more preferred, a bonus added to the city coffers and a slightly better chance for a nice drop for filling the box with exceptional items.
- I should be able to choose my destination. I get to choose where I leave from, why can't I choose where to go? Players have been organizing caravans across Britannia for over a decade. Just when you are about to give them the perfect tool to increase participation and entertainment, you go and make it random. Sure, we can have people stand there and accept/decline over and over until we are all on the same, but that just seems like unnecessary bureaucracy and regulation on the player. This issue is why I wish Kyronix had discussed with the Gov Forum a little before pushing it to TC.
- I'm with Dot Warner and Riyana on this one, if someone suggested making Felucca a zone you can use public gates in order to lure lambs for the slaughter, I am appalled. This argument is over, it was decided when Trammel became an option. It was the fall of Saigon with people literally jumping off the roof to the last helicopter because they wanted out of Felucca. Trying to lure people back there to be lambs is only going to piss off the people you lure there and drive them away from the game. Trammel's no gate rules for the trade quests should apply in Felucca as well.
- Skara Brae ferry should be usable.
- EDIT: Forgot to add that we need sign hangers if there are going to be signs. The few available from rubble won't do. We need some actual wooden and metal sign post hangers. Maybe make them a crafting recipe reward (another way to involve crafters!) drops so that crafters can make them.
Getting crafters involved at this stage is a little late given the scope. I think crafting is a great center stage for the next city update, and given the recent discussion about BoDs and such, it makes it more so. We'll keep this one in the back pocket. City Shields anyone? (I can feel Onifrk's gaze upon me now....hehe)
The destination is random because you get a nice bonus for trade orders that cover a greater distance, if you could just pick which one people would always pick the furthest destination and there wouldn't be any variety.
Nobody suggested the Felucca moongate allowance to lure people to slaughter, nor is that the intent. That allowance is in place because in order to visit Slim you need to be able to go to Felucca, since that's where he's hanging out. There are trade ministers in Felucca anyway, since we needed them there for Siege/Mugen as well as to give Feluccans an opportunity to make trade donations as well (No we aren't adding a governor-style council to Felucca). If you want to use the convenience of the moongate, the trade off is having to enter a non-consensual PvP area, although doing the trade quests without killing ambushers will greatly reduce the deposit to the city treasury, but that's entirely up to the person doing the quest.
I'm looking into making the Skara Brae ferry a usuable teleporter, no promises though as teleportation is a delicate system to deal with.
Sign hangers sound great for future rewards
Again, thanks for the feedback!