Single workplace for most jobs or Personal workshops.

[netforce10]

As is clear we need more RP in planeshift, currently the most effective way to RP is to whisper to someone or ask in gossip. There are the couple of meetings you might have but in general those are sparse. To me it is clear that our characters either need to share a common place where they often stay/meet or be able to easily find eachother. To that effect I have the following ideas on which I would like to hear everyone's opinions and especially those of the devs.

1. Have a place where all/most crafts can be practiced, this leads to everyone naturally gravitating to a single place, meeting often and staying in the same place for extended periods of time making spontaneous RP more likely.

2. Give characters the ability to own a workshop/atelier, this creates the possibility to have shops which are open on specific times without the player having to waste their time standing around waiting (they would be able to practice their craft while they wait). It would also increase the chance to find someone specific if that person owns a workshop. Furthermore, it would increase trading between players.

Both ideas aren't completely thought/written out but if they are well received I'll make a more detailed proposal if needed.

[Emaline]

Addressing #2. This won't work because most crafting area's require certain 'doubles' or something in order to work properly and are hidden among the maps under the floors of the current crafting areas. Also it was denied at one point when people suggested having the ability to do that or have them installed in their guild houses at least (and this would lead to that), for several reasons. Main reason is people would really never leave their guild house!  I'm wondering if you could just buy a kiosk or a book stand with a book or two advertising what you have to offer and set that down next to you as you craft? less items/lag caused that way as well than a full kiosk stand. And I think the idea of having so many places to craft all over was so that no matter where you were at you could stop and craft something in a jiff. Not to mention only so many people can use a certain area, some have way fewer slots than others even.


*Edit* I may have misunderstood  a bit on your point 1. There IS a place where I think most if not all crafts can be created but it's a bit far out and away, the Bronze Doors hosts this area.

[netforce10]

Yes there is the Bronze door which has a herbal/cooking/brewing area and a smithing area, but as you said, they are out of the way and smiths would most likely never(or rarely if they happen to be there and need to craft something) seeing as the storage is further away than any of the other smithies. I'm also not saying that the other crafting areas should be removed but that on should be added as I think having one accessible area for all craft will natural attract people, especially those who wish to RP.

Could you explain why the 'doubles' would prove a problem, seeing as you could simply add them to new crafting areas aswell? I completely agree that guildhouses should not have crafting areas, however my idea would be to require that workshops/ateliers are required to be open if the owner is inside (this isn't that enforceable but I would like to believe it would be followed, especially if it is checked at random.)

It is true I could just put a book somewhere(and there is one on the merchant board) but, that is not as much fun, there is a huge difference between actually having player run shops with a variety on display and having people put up a book on one of the billboards(it's like having an empty guildhouse with a description book telling what the room looks like versus having a guildhouse with furniture.) Another large difference, assuming the workshops would mostly be placed in a specific area, is that people can go to that area and see which shops are open.

Now lag is an issue, I have no clue how the server works or how much strain it would put on the server to have x areas without anyone in them and y with at least a person in them.

[Emaline]

No  I mean for players to be able to set down a stove on their own say by the fountain. That won't work because then it won't actually work, from the way I understand.

I think people would throw a fit if you removed crafting areas from all over. They like the ability to craft wherever they are at, I mean it's worth asking about, but I don't know that I see that happening. (Again if you have 3 people that want to us a pot. for example..)

And I meant with the book stand, not to just set it up and walk off like the billboards. But say you are hanging out in the arena mixing up something-set it out and put your book that explains what you have for sale, prices etc. Then as hunters come to sell or store loot they can see  you are there are open for business. Just and idea really that would be simple and require little effort an no actual changes from the devs.

[netforce10]

To clarify a couple of points: I don't think any crafting areas should be removed, All should stay where they are. Only that a single one should be added in an accessible place (preferably hydlaa) with a storage.

I'm also not saying that players should be able to buy stoves and set them up somewhere, I'm suggesting that having a series houses of which the door are unlockable and serve as a workshop for a character. In that house there would be the crafting stations(locked in place by GM) that the character would need for their main profession. It would then also serve as a shop where they could display their wares so that others can easily find them because i.e. the sign on the door says it's larili's shop which sells drinks and a green book on it which says it's open.

It is true that I could put down a bookstand+book, except I don't think there is a spot with a "lot" of traffic with pot,preparation table and brewing facilities and it's still a book not an array of goods displayed, the markets would be a lot bleaker if people only used books.

Well then why don't I put items on display? Because it's more of a pain to do compared to having a place where you can keep it on display and not have to grab and bring everything to storage every time. That is especially true as I don't just would want to have a shop myself but I want others to have one aswell making it a lot more likely you'll be able to procure something you need for a quest or something you would like. For multiple people to do it it would need to be no hassle. Basically whenever you set up shop the only thing you would need to do is unlock the door, go in and do your main crafts till someone comes in.

I hope this doesn't seem to you like a rant as it certainly isn't meant that way but purely to know if people would want this and if this is possible or a even good idea.

[Emaline]

No it's not a rant, a very good and fun idea as well. I guess I just totally misunderstood from the start!

[Illysia]

While not a high traffic area, doesn't the explorer's camp have a bunch of crafting whatsits in one place?

[gonger]

While not a high traffic area, doesn't the explorer's camp have a bunch of crafting whatsits in one place?

It does, but it also is a PVP area...

[Dilihin]

I don't think the issue is the pvp area, rather the fact that nearest storage is like, miles away?

[Emaline]

While not a high traffic area, doesn't the explorer's camp have a bunch of crafting whatsits in one place?

It does, but it also is a PVP area...

That area is NOT a PvP zone.

[Illysia]

Don't know if the GMs can do such a thing, but a banker and a Ptero might make it ideal.

[Emaline]

Don't know if the GMs can do such a thing, but a banker and a Ptero might make it ideal.

Hahah, no. We can move an existing storage NPC and existing ptero handler...but I think that might annoy the devs more so... This is something best asked of Venalan to do.

[gonger]

While not a high traffic area, doesn't the explorer's camp have a bunch of crafting whatsits in one place?

It does, but it also is a PVP area...

That area is NOT a PvP zone.

DUH! My bad, I was thinking of Camp Banished, of course. 

[Dilihin]

phew, i thought i was so much out of the loop that i would have forgotten thinks like that!

[Can-ned Food]

Many of the more streamlined MMOGs, which exist only to capture users for commercial exploitation, continue to employ concepts such as vendors, repairs, crafting, and the like mostly as a way to add some variety to their combat–focused experience.  Also because that gives their users one more thing to do in their grasp. 
Most of them have since pandered to the impatiences of their users and consolidated many of such needs in cities which place the provisions together at short distances. 
Sure, there is some novelty to having a certain trainer or immobile re-agent — workcenter, what–have–you — in a distant dungeon or village, but eventually, if the MMOG is designed for dungeon-running or raid-battles, that trainer is either useful or is slowly obsolved and falls into disuse.  If it is useful, then it is eventually moved to one of those major cities.

Of course, stuff like that happens for the sake of convenience in our world, too.  It may be nice to browse a market, looking for exotic wares, but once we've settled on things that we like, we tend to prefer the more convenient source for our supplies.

That's what should be simulated:  If you want to consolidate things into one place, then you need to consider the logistics from the perspective of a person in–universe. 
What does it take for them to decide that it is profitable or feasible?  How long would it take for them to establish a consolidated workcenter? 
There are some MMORPGs which make things like that a part of the gameplay.

As for storage:  I've never like banking or storage via NPC.  Where are our caravans?  Our sapient pearwood chests?  Our portable holes?  (Oh, bother.) 
Even rentable carts and wheelbarrows and lorries would be better than stationing an NPC who magically retrieves and stashes your materials.

Final thought:  remember that the purpose of the Yliakum world is to enjoy it — whether for the sake of a story or for the simple beauty of the environments.  If everything is in Hydlaa, then be sure that the other parts of the world are not neglected or diminished — unless that is part of the story.