So after grinding commerce for years, I have come up with a number of things I'd like to see changed to the system in order for it to be more accessible to the entire player base, along with being more useful as a means to make money. Here's a list of what I think may help the commerce system as a whole:
1) Reset the value (demand) of items periodically, but regularly to a predetermined minimum value.
This would allow items to be sold at decent prices more consistently, it would be up to Nexon to balance how much they think players should be able to make within a certain time frame. This would also prevent larger servers from sabotaging their own prices for items by over selling a particular trade good. The trade goods should still gain value if they are not being sold (aka they are above the minimum you set), but if they are sold too much, every so often I would reset the price to some minimum amount. (You could do this every in game day, or even on a timer like the limited goods.) Either way, each good should be consistently worth some minimum amount in each town.
2) Please do NOT add any more of these pay to win enchantments into Commerce.
I am referring to the Trader, Trustworthy, and Haggler Enchantments, unless you add them into the pool of items you can buy with ducats, they will kill the market, even if you are resetting values. They make players feel like they cannot compete, if they don't have these frankly OP enchantments, because the prices have just shifted downward to accommodate them. What this allows players to do in internally destroy their competition, by forcing the prices so low that nobody that nobody can reasonably compete. I would suggest revamping the enchantments in some way, or adding them to the ducat shop. If neither of those sound reasonable, I would advocate for the enchantments to be discontinued or out right lose their discount effect. I am fine with commerce reforge gear because, it increases speed, but does not give players an exclusive value.
3) Add more areas to commerce.
If players have more areas to trade between, it will help level out how much competition occurs between each individual area. You have an entirely empty continent in Iria, and commerce would be fitting there. You could even create a commerce/exploration hybrid activity to do there, adding new types of mounts would be cool, and even having some sort of rare limited time, unlimited stock good may have players do commerce raids. There is plenty of potentially good expansions.
4) Potentially revamp prices/quantities to be channel wide, rather then server wide.
If players had to could spread out to different channels to commerce, you may see more activity. Like my first suggestion, if prices drop too quickly, which can happen if the prices/quantities are the same across a large server, then players won't make enough money to attempt to use the system. This might help larger servers deal with large groups trading all at once.
5) Fix the drop tables and ducat gain for outlaw hunting and bandits in general.
Adding in old blacksmith/tailoring manuals would be great, or giving the chests in outlaw homesteads more value may lead to more players doing this particular activity, but overall it would be cool to see a raid system implemented for outlaws. Players could party up and beat bosses, similar to field bosses, they would appear after stealing enough from players and it could be really cool. This point is not as important, but could also use some looking into.
6) Actively balance the commerce prices.
Mabinogi is an MMO, and there will no doubt be players who fine loopholes in the system and gain money far beyond what was intended, I would suggest the Nexon watches and adjust these commerce prices monthly, if not, weekly. Either way there should be more of a hands on management for commerce to make sure the system doesn't create problems for the market, but also does not become entirely meaningless for most players.
If you have any other ideas or critiques of my points, feel free to reply to this.
Comments
Examples: Tir Chonaill has surplus of Ginseng due to bumper crop, thus buy sold are lower. Shark infestation near Port Cobh has caused a shortage in seaweed, buy price is higher. Tara has an ongoing construction project, marble is needed, sell price of marble is higher. Dunbarton has an oversupply of Berry Granola, sell price lower.
Also, there needs to be a system where we know that goods sold in each town are consumed that will help balance prices.
There are plenty of areas on Map where we can add trading locations or improve.
Old areas such as Port Ceann can be used as an additional trade port as well as the towns and villages of Iria, including base camp.
And some isolated areas while travelling such as the Oasis and other areas can develop trading posts as stops as well.
Scathach Beach post can be improved to where its goods can be more easily obtained and serve as a real trade stop while expanding it to the new areas on Belvast Island.
Fix random ambush spawns that appear on the path you are travelling all a sudden. Players should not be subject to these types of ambushes where the area they are travelling on is clear and then the ambush appears right when they have just passed or reached that spot.
Allow commerce partners to help negotiate better deals buying and selling rather than just allow the extra transport slot.
Put ambushes at sea if that is to be expanded where folks have to fight off attacks. And if other people not doing commerce on ship are there, they can participate as well. Ambush rate and difficulty should be subject to the value of cargo on the ship. If there are 5 people with large loads of rare goods on the trip, they will be likely attacked by an ambush with vet bandits or if no one is commercing on the vessel, there would be no attack.
And while at that, maybe people like Admiral Owen can issue bandit/pirate hunting quests at new hideouts/pirate lairs.
Make the smuggler more active. He can make a certain good sell a lot in some towns while can induce events to crash prices in others. This should add another challenge.
http://forums.mabinogi.nexon.net/discussion/18688/commerce-upgrade-brainstorm
http://forums.mabinogi.nexon.net/discussion/18695/ideas-for-commerce
http://forums.mabinogi.nexon.net/discussion/18675/bandit-ambush-mechanics
and an oldie but a goodie http://forums.mabinogi.nexon.net/discussion/4441/massive-commerce-overhaul
They got everyone going and eager about this topc