Trade Website

Sorry mods, I have no clue where to put this.

I am considering coding a trade website to make trading and finding trades in this game easier.

I know there is the forum section here but I can't help but feel that at times it is a bit inefficient. So, before I start, I was wondering if anyone was interested in something like this and if anyone here would use it.

A little rundown as to what this might look like and how it would function.

There would be a large database of items imported likely from entropedia or by hand. When items are moused over it would pull imported data from entropedia on the item such as stats/etc. There would, of course, be a search function allowing you to search specifically for items that are currently for sale. The way trades would be listed would be similar to the way PCF does it, in just a recent posts section. Each trade would show the items traded and what they are traded for. As well, by clicking on a trade, you can see the authors notes and more information about the trade.

When a trade is completed a user may close their trades themselves. As well, trades will be bumpable every 30 minutes.

I'd intend on introducing a premium feature (payable monthly in peds) allowing some functions such as auto-bumping and potentially a few other things aside from the general nice features like 10 more trades, colored text, etc.

So I'll repeat myself, would you consider using this site? If so, what else would you like to see in the site? If not, what holds you back?

Thanks!

Another idea, I could have an auction scanner that could place auctions on the site as well

That is a little out of my area of expertise though (most of this is but worth giving a shot) but I might be able to figure something like that out.

Zenzile said:

Another idea, I could have an auction scanner that could place auctions on the site as well

That is a little out of my area of expertise though (most of this is but worth giving a shot) but I might be able to figure something like that out.

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Im not sure if I follow your idea completely, but I would love to have a view of the auction house remotely from a website that shows real time (or close to it) auction listings.

jsp

I know that 99% of the playerbase in EU has played other MMO's in the past. I for one have loved playing games as Maplestory / Diablo II and Diablo III and some others over the course of the past few years. While playing Diablo II and III it was almost impossible to play (until D3 had an update that took out the AH as well as made every god damn item BoA) without the use of a website that you mentioned.

For D2 and D3 everybody used D2jsp.org. What I loved most about the website (and it would also be perfect to use in your idea) is that there is not only a sell/buy forum but it also has it's own forum currency "forumgold" or "fg". This allows you to play any game you like and after a year or more sell all your items vs said forumgold. Whenever you would pick up a new game (or get back to the game you were playing before) you could use your forumgold to buy stuff in the next game.

for example: I play EU and go broke for the 10.000th time. I get tired of playing it and decide NOT to deposit anymore and just take a break from EU as it is. I play Diablo III and get pretty decent stuff after a few months of playing. I decide to sell the stuff on the forums as my never ending EU addiction has kicked in. I get a total of 1000 forumgold for all the items I gathered in D3 and find someone who is buying FG with PEDs for a nice conversion rate. This way it would pay off to play different games at once and even get a headstart while starting new games instead of starting over from scratch!

So yeah. I am all for!

I would not use the site to do auctions, but importing auction data to a site so one could see what stuff sell for is good and also would help with updating entropedia's markup part.

Btw, what happened to EntropiaBay?

I'm not sure MA would allow a till like that and it seems like support won't comment on it either egen I asked for eu api.

Zenzile said:

Another idea, I could have an auction scanner that could place auctions on the site as well

That is a little out of my area of expertise though (most of this is but worth giving a shot) but I might be able to figure something like that out.

Click to expand...

Im not sure automatic OCR reading of ingame is allowed, EU tracker reads logs as im aware.

One way would be to autoscreenshot each auction page, and then OCR the screenshots out of game, however an automatic funtion still need to change tabs in the auction, wich would make it automated and thus "botting"

Hard to say.

The biggest problem with auction data outside EU is that it can only track sales that end with our without bids. But, for many things the real indicator for sales volumes and prices is the sales that were taken with a BO.

The fate of such projects depends on financing. If you'll do it on pure enthusiasm, you'll burn out fast and abandon it. If you'll charge a fee/subscription, how it differs from the ingame auction.

ermik said:

Im not sure automatic OCR reading of ingame is allowed, EU tracker reads logs as im aware.

One way would be to autoscreenshot each auction page, and then OCR the screenshots out of game, however an automatic funtion still need to change tabs in the auction, wich would make it automated and thus "botting"

Hard to say.

Click to expand...

LBML does it but they are now authorized by MA. You will need to pass code review but I am sure that if u provide legitimate usefulness to the platform they will consider it. What they wont consider is a botting of auction house for nefarious purposes though.

What's the point of searching a website to see what's on auction when we can just search the auction itself?

This is a good idea, spamming trade channels sucks. Standing in hubs spamming sucks. We cant hunt or mine or decay anything to feed ma while we trade. To make it more profitable for ma you should make maybe not a trading website but a plugin or module like entropiab life. I don't know if we are still not supposed to mention other games on here, but hopefully mod smart enough to not delete this post. In WoW there is an addon for people who try to build darkmoon faire decks, this app allows you to see who is online, and you can make an add that you want card xyz , then it list all ppl with that card and say what they are selling it for. I think something similiar yet different could be incredible tool for buyers and sellers and decrease trading downtime and increase ability to play game more and waste time less.

If you made a website where people could drag and drop an item list much like how the inventory calculators into a spreadsheet field, people could use an excel spreadsheet to track their inventory, many do this or would learn for profit.... then once they add it to that field they login and enter items copy pasta. Now while they are logged into site the items they have are made live in searchable database by other player as available for trade with price listed, could even be designation for firm or negotiable to further save time. This would essentially make all player inventories searchable as volunteered info by those players and make all items in game owned by anyone at anytime participating to be for sale. Maybe there is option to check a box and it assigns prices automatic to items equal to in game mv info. I thought about this years ago in 04 but I never did go into coding and this project was shelved. Database would have option to search online and offline inventory or both, also maybe have 45day no activity and items and user inactive in item search database but history still searchable.

You could takevit a step further and when item is removed they can select no longer for sale/make me an offer I cant refuse or sold and then enter amount item sale for. Now you track trade information as volunteered by player through app, you would also enter in your name and buyer name or have option to do so or just say anonymous sale for those who wish privacy trade.

There are a lot more features that it could have but if all it did was the above it would be great. Thank you for developing tools to help community.


Edit 1
Post about how you burn out if done for enthusiasm is right, if you do design this consider how to make only maintenance effort by you minimum. Code it so you dont need to maintain insane database. Having mouseover for item stats etc. That is nice feature for game or for database website. But your site is for trade. Treat it as tool educated buyers and sellers will use, you could have links to entropedia, etc. Where that type of info exist already and you don't. Start this project off simple with openness for future add if people use. Subscription stuff in free game idk about that, although ppl pay to be in certain top socs back in the day....


Edit 2.
this would be more in depth, but You could add option for import of friends list or creation of friends list and allow people to designate themself reseller, then that would make reseller friends items searchable and reseller can make sell for friend, or maybe that items set as available for inquiry. Then reseller can buy item from friend and sell to buyer for agreed commish etc. Maybe even option for a my designated reseller list and usercan log in and then select the reseller and be ghost like not visible and if seller of item online and reseller online it show in available for trade inventory of reseller so that sellers can avoid selling strangers and just deal through friend.

Some people hate sellling stuff and end up with tens of thousands of ped tied up in storage.

Many reseller would probably have your babies for thEse feature as they could eliminate inventory to have peds on hand and just trade for friends. 100 percent ped availability and an inventory as large as your friends list.... $$$$$$$ .....

This would have a huge effect oN economy, as well as imagine for shop owners now a live listing of shop items available for anyone to search.

This rapidly became as long as my tmi

HardWrath said:

What's the point of searching a website to see what's on auction when we can just search the auction itself?

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It would be most useful on devices that have Internet access but can't run the game - smartphones, namely.

But I would also have use for it at work during downtimes, since I can't run EU on my work computer.

Zenzile, why should anyone trust you with their data?

Sierra said:

Zenzile, why should anyone trust you with their data?

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Not sure what data anyone is trusting me with. Its just a place to post trades and look through auctions along with auction data.

I made one before, and MA didn't approve it.
So unless you dont want to use the game pictures and names, you could be doomed.

qamori said:

I made one before, and MA didn't approve it.
So unless you dont want to use the game pictures and names, you could be doomed.

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Damn, thats too bad. Alright though, thanks!