Better trade for Multiplayer: The weighing scale

[killster550 401]

there should be a 5 second timer for a trade, to prevent people from throwing stuff in and clicking ok real fast and scamming someone.

[ruhl4 24]

Some metals will be useless unless we add metal furniture/crafts that show off our richness (or some other useful application for metals which escapes me). Instead of wood bowls, PLATINUM bowls. Oh yes. And gold chandeliers. And a brass statue of a cat.

[madflavius 46]

Weighing in just to say: in my mind, the only thing more destructive to the idea of TFC than NPCs is the inclusion of fixed prices for goods. Honestly, this is one of the things that is killing vanilla, the fact that you can trade emeralds for goods with villagers. The reason comes from two simple and elementary principles of economics: prices are market signals, and the value of goods is subjective.

An example: Joe Stonecutter is selling smoothstone; Sandy Lumberjack is selling spruce logs. Joe exchanges one smoothstone for five spruce logs from Sandy. This means that Joe values those five spruce logs more than he values his one smoothstone. Sandy Lumberjack values the one smoothstone more than her five logs. Any outsider may look on the transaction and say, "That exchange is patently unfair! I would never take one smoothstone for five logs!" But therein the rub: the value of those goods are not set. Sandy may need smoothstone for a sculpture, while Joe wants five logs to finish off a charcoal pit he's ready to fire. The glorious part of trade is that both parties benefit. This is epitomized in my favorite saying: trade creates value.

If a nationstate/kingdom/city/trading republic/grand sheikdom wants to simplify trade within its boundaries, a standardized currency does wonders, as has been spoken of before and demonstrated throughout history. Rather than carrying logs or stones, individuals can carry coins.

The moment you set prices and values for goods serverwide, however, is the moment trade dies. If smoothstone is always worth 5 doubloons each and logs are always worth 3 doubloons each, Joe loses out on the deal above. Period, end of story.

I think a simple trading GUI a la Runescape is a good idea, as was stated in the original post. But I must absolutely and emphatically protest against the idea of set prices for goods, or set types of server-wide currency. It ruins the entire point of trading, which further ruins much of the uniqueness and beauty that is TFC. Let individuals, communities, and kingdoms fashion the world as they will, and social interaction will develop of its own accord.

[killster550 401]

there could be a coinage system to help with trades if you dont have goods, but indeed, prices should NOT be set, it should remain like i said, a free choice between 2 players on what to agree on, with an ok timer to prevent scamming

[GreenLeaf 198]

there could be a coinage system to help with trades if you dont have goods, but indeed, prices should NOT be set, it should remain like i said, a free choice between 2 players on what to agree on, with an ok timer to prevent scamming

This sounds most reasonable.

But about the 5 second delay in case of scaming. is it not possible to simply require BOTH sides to click okay for the trade to go through?

[killster550 401]

no, since if i click okay, the other could click away an item and ram ok fast (its how the Runescape scamming began) and simply feign ignorance

[Just_Another_Guy_:) 1,066]

no, since if i click okay, the other could click away an item and ram ok fast (its how the Runescape scamming began) and simply feign ignorance

So then make it so when one player clicks "okay", neither of them can take any item from their offers until someone clicks "reject". Or, as RS did, when the other changes his offer after you clicked "okay", It will warn you and you have to, again, click okay for the trade to occur. I think you are making it sound worse than it is, quite honestly... :

(If the server owner feels specially paranoid, he could make a trading cam in the spawn chunks (the protected ones), where this down here is contained:

And then, every time two players want to trade, they will be teleported by some member of the staff to either of the sides of that thing.)

The point is, there is ways to work around this chances of scams. However, i have to say that in fact i think there should be such a chance, so it is possible to steal from other players without killing 'em... Just sayin' ._.

[Kimbblesrath 503]

The point is, there is ways to work around this chances of scams. However, i have to say that in fact i think there should be such a chance, so it is possible to steal from other players without killing 'em... Just sayin' ._.

So pickpocketing? Interesting. But it should be a thing where for example: You sneak, and right click on someone. Either, the player is alerted and they go bonkers on you (or whatever reaction the players have) or there is a random chance that a random item is stolen from their inventory, the smaller the item in size, the larger the chance of recieving it. I mean, it'll be a lot easier to swipe some torches than an anvil, without them noticing. This idea would have to be more fleshed out, but there are the bare bones of it.

no, since if i click okay, the other could click away an item and ram ok fast (its how the Runescape scamming began) and simply feign ignorance

How about there is a 5 second timer as GL said for trading. Example. I put my 5 charcoal in for your 2 copper nuggets. As soon as we BOTH click ok, the 5 second timer starts. The timer will only start after both players click ok. When the timer finishes, the trade is made.

However, to prevent scamming, as soon as a player CHANGES their items in any way, (adds more, takes away, changes in ANY WAY), the timer resets and the OK's are *denied*

To clarify a bit more, I put 5 charcoal. You put 2 copper nuggets. We both click O.K., and the timer starts. However, I take four of my charcoal out, and make it one charcoal for 2 copper nuggets. Since I changed my items, the effect I talked about earlier, and the timer resets. Now, the trade will not be done unless we both click OK again, and the timer starts again. When the timer gets to zero, the trade is now taken out.

[killster550 401]

how about a mixture of all 3 ideas, you press ok, your screen locks so you cant change it, with the timer starting to give people a chance to go like: AH FUCK I F'ED UP. if anything is changed, both OK's dissapear. thats Runescape right now (without the timer i guess)

be aware i treat this system as a stranger trading with stranger thing, of course you could just give someone the stuff, but trading with strangers would be risky, they can just kill you and run off with your items (which should be adressed for this to work) also, the block to enter this trading GUI could very well be the weighing scale in a store, which would actually allow for people to just encase themselves and use the block for safety, to prevent griefers (although tnt still f's you up )

[Kimbblesrath 503]

how about a mixture of all 3 ideas, you press ok, your screen locks so you cant change it, with the timer starting to give people a chance to go like: AH FUCK I F'ED UP. if anything is changed, both OK's dissapear. thats Runescape right now (without the timer i guess)

be aware i treat this system as a stranger trading with stranger thing, of course you could just give someone the stuff, but trading with strangers would be risky, they can just kill you and run off with your items (which should be adressed for this to work) also, the block to enter this trading GUI could very well be the weighing scale in a store, which would actually allow for people to just encase themselves and use the block for safety, to prevent griefers (although tnt still f's you up )

Like it, but you said it locks so you cant change it, then you say it will reset if you change it, which you previously said you cant.....Confuddlesment is mine..

[killster550 401]

you set ok, it locks for you, if the other changes, after a change, you unlock.