Shops - an incomplete idea - giving them purpose?

[Eol]

* HP:Healthy MV:Full > Agelmar's Weaponsmith
[ obvious exits: S ]
A weaponsmith is prepared to sell his best equipment.

* HP:Healthy MV:Full > list
You can buy:
A long poleaxe for 6 gold crowns.
A throwing knife for 12 gold crowns.
A sleek hunting spear for 2 gold crowns and 8 coppers.
A sharp pointed dart for 1 gold crown and 1 copper.
A dagger for 14 coppers.
A dirk for 3 gold crowns.
A hefty mace for 15 coppers.
A hooked spear for 2 gold crowns and 8 coppers.
A short steel spear for 1 gold crown and 4 coppers.
A spiked flail for 3 gold crowns.
A hollow steel lance for 74 gold crowns and 8 coppers.

The other day I signed on and went to Lugard looking to see if I could buy a small leather sheath for a projectile. It occurred to me while looking at the inventory that literally nothing else the shop sold would ever be of interest to anyone. Essentially, it sold mob clothing.

I've posted FD's weaponsmith above. I've bought daggers through time. I've recently bought throwing knives. I suspect that the same inventory has been present at this shop - forever - and jokingly that no one has ever bought a spiked flail there (I lie, I did once).

I am not attempting to critize or critique the economy. Players rapidly figure out what is good. We all want to use high end gear. Recent changes are focused on getting players back into play and into action. High end gear can be found in barrels and outside smobs and everywhere.

This may all just be a big timer waster, but I wonder if there's any way to increase the relevance of Wotmud's shops. I think people figure out relatively quickly that there's nothing to be bought there. Again - I'm not trying to beat weapon chits up. I'm not trying to beat up the weary merchant selling sets (assuming it still does). I just wonder - if we can buy it at a weary or if we can be given it for free after death then can't we also put some of that gear in shops so that shops would appear more relevant. We've moved forward in certain ways as a game, but I think we've lost an opportunity for flavor. Every city has shops. It just seems like it would be cool to bring some purpose back to them. Perhaps create a moment where a newbie sees something in a shop and says - I'm going to save up and buy that.

I'll put a different spin. I died tons back in the day. Reequiping essentially was an enjoyable experience for me. I did prefer to reequip by PK, but I ultimately found a set of mobs that also got me part of the way there. I wonder if someone people would rather reequip through shops and travel ie. a traveling shopping experience.

Thanks.

[Asandra]

I like the re-equip via Luggy Market Hall.

Logically there only the higher-end of the spectrum is being sold due to how it's set up, but I check it often and glady buy certain things there when they're in stock.
Also sometimes I make some money by selling things there

Could maybe (not sure how things work) have some franchise shops all over the map that also offer a part of the assortment?

[Dimmu]

Shops only real benefit is their ability to buy unwanted equipment, of which they do well. Beyond the occasional scalping dagger/backpack, I've never seen the need to buy anything from a standard shop load in over 20+ years.

[Asandra]

Herbalists say hi.

Also while not exactly a thing anymore, the crimson skull used to be in favor.
Maybe it would be fun to have high-end weapons and gear load at % for higher-than-LMH prices? Just as an alternative or for when they're not in stock at LMH.

[Prykor]

Also while not exactly a thing anymore, the crimson skull used to be in favor.

They are a thing still, they are just a lot more expensive now and the DS coin farm was heavily toned down... so, harder to justify the investment into a no-rent item that provides a relatively marginal benefit unless the entire group is equipped with one.

Maybe it would be fun to have high-end weapons and gear load at % for higher-than-LMH prices? Just as an alternative or for when they're not in stock at LMH.

Seconding this.
There are a lot of smaller shops, bazaars, etc. that could use some extra incentive for them to get checked (other than to dump off a wagon load of 2nd rate gear for all of their coins).

[Naerin]

Thinking about the stuff I buy from shops or would like to, they probably fall into three categories:

1) Lugard Market Hall - mostly weapons or trinks, almost never armor (highly dependent on KMG and Wisdom activity)
2) Potions/herbs from herbalists
3) General basics after a re-eq (iron rations, lanterns, copper daggers, etc)

The stuff that I'm often having trouble buying is probably something like this:
1) Weird bags (embroidered shoulder bags, belt packs)
2) Move trinks/cloaks that have no stats other than moves but that add up to +20 mvs
3) Backpacks (because for some reason lots of shops have 1-2 for sale and can get bought out)
4) Horse eq (same reason, limited supply, especially if mid-PK)
5) Oilstones/sandstones (but especially sandstones, which have fewer loads)
6) Random sheaths (scabbards, axe harnesses, etc)

A lot of these *can* be found out in the world, so I understand not adding more shops. But you have to travel all over the world for them - maybe go Aringill for the backpack, Trader Pete in EF for a war saddle, etc. And that works as a solution - but if the Imms wanted to make more stuff go through shops, this is an idea.

More generally in terms of the economy, I've found it more difficult to make gold (especially after rare selling was removed) and much more difficult to get potions - the latter is definitely a deliberate decision by the Imms, but frustrating because it's very hard to PK properly without a few vials - can't chase as aggressively etc. Seems to come down to 'are Wisdoms active or are you farming winding brigs' for having enough vials.

[Elysia]

3) Backpacks (because for some reason lots of shops have 1-2 for sale and can get bought out)

It's a limit to shop coding. Shops have items on them that are loaded at repop and items they 'deal in', e.g. load indefinitely. The latter have a max. So, take Caemlyn grocer, which produces torches, lanterns, flasks, rope (to rescue people from half-troll) and a coach tickets. It will load with 1 or 2 backpacks, but once they've been bought, that's that.

I've had to shoot down numerous clans' ideas for changing grocer shop loads, e.g. pens and sheets for rp is one that springs to mind, because that would mean people can't get basics.

Really, with the exception of grocers and those shops that sell horse eq, I see shops as nothing but places you can mend stuff.

[Eol]

That's pretty much an "asked and answered" right there. I'd like to try and convince you that shops should be something more, but it sounds like coding would still rear its head even if you believed it. You've got it though. Shops are for mending and lanterns and saddles. Their inventory essentially decorative and without purpose in most cases.

[Benito]

It could be interesting if shops were tied to the local clan, so clans could stock items in shops and purchases could go to their coffers. It just seems like it could lead to a similar problem as LMH where you've got a glut of available equipment, which reduces the incentive for smobbing.

Along similar lines, I can see an argument for reducing LS rent slots to create more of a pinch on equipment.

[Naerin]

Eh - it's a cool RP idea, but since it would probably come with a reduction in current shop stock, I think it'll be a problem longer-term. We can only really sustain a few particularly active clans at a time, so eventually we'll hit the same problem as we currently have with LMH and affable brokers - where those systems are frequently out of stock of the items people really want due to a lack of activity in the respective clans.

Speaking of LMH, I'd disagree with the 'glut of available equipment' thing - I think there's a glut of either overpriced or relatively common stuff (basics, tier 2 trinks like kneckies/kcuffs, non-top-tier weapons), but the in-demand items are frequently gone - sungwood/bladed feather staves, eaxes last I checked, gchains/sid/mantle/jcuff/gring/sungwoods. Jade rings would be out of stock if they were sellable in LMH too.