Can we Please have a Lurker Trade Forum?

[Conner Macleod]

Not that I want to see the Lurker Lounge become a haven of trades, but I would like to know if the Mods and Senior Members here would have any interest in putting together a trading forum?

Before you skip my thread, let me explain - this will not be like any other forum's trade room. This is "Lurker" style, which means that we would not be trading uniques, crafts, and things that you would normally see in other Diablo forums. Further, no botted things.

Lurker Lounge is by far the last bastion in the Diablo 2 Realms not filled with "closet bots" and cheaters. I think the vast, vast majority of the users on this site understand good gaming when they see it, and have a distinct interest in pushing the game to it's legit limits. We also tend to be more helpful to each other here and don't go off on a flame war when someone asks something foolish. Further, a majority of us hate SOJ trading (me included, I just have them for channel trades). This would be for serious gamers only, which means that we would be trading things like:

Charms that have a specific interest to certain players (in my case, gold find, elemental dmg charms, skill charms, etc)
Socketed armors/weapons that we can make rune words out of but haven't found yet
Runes needed for cubing, rune words, and socketing into various things.
Blue base items that can be used for cubing cruels, godly, jewelers, etc.
Yellow items that can be of certain interest to certain builds
Low to mid level uniques - Frostburns, Goldwrap, Chance Guards, things that will truly help others play better. i.e., anything droppable by Nightmare Mephisto as a cap.

I think something like this would be a welcome addition to a place like this, especially when 1.10 comes out and all of us are going to be climbing the ladder as fast as possible with as many characters as possible. There won't be a ton of things available out there and people in the channels are impossible to deal with, and many times they won't be looking for certain things. Many of the people are not going to participate in the ladder so the channels will be cluttered and haphazard for a bit.

For example: 1.10 is out (eventually) and someone has located all the runes for a specific type of armor but has not located the armor. Since there is no economy there is nothing to trade with except chips, Pgems, and charms. This person gets on here and says, "I need 4 socket exceptional or better armor, preferably a Boneweave. I offer you 30 chips if you see one." The helpful members of this site then keep their eyes peeled for that item and eventually Mr. Player has himself an armor that they need within days.

One can make an argument that Diabloii.net has a trade forum, but those people are only interested in trading for super elite items and throw things out that we normally would keep. Further, sites like that are cluttered with kiddies who would probably spam something like, "NEWBIE! WHY WOULD YOU WANT THAT KIND OF ARMOR!? NOOB!" on a request for something like that above. I remember the last trade I completed like that mentioned on that place - a guy needed 3 socket Embossed, and he was 3 pages of threads deep with NO ANSWERS within 24 hours. I located the stuff, handed it to him, and he's now one of my best D2 friends. He's also a very legit player who's a member here at my suggestion! :)

The users here tend to stay on topic and we don't have 150 threads that go way off topic where a request for a trade won't get lost within 3 hours. So something like this with strict rules in place for what CAN be traded would help the Lurker Lounge users, when 1.10 comes out ::giggle giggle:: We would be like a huge clan of friends out to help each other climb the ladder faster than anyone else, and also assist the members here who are not fortunate enough to be level 60 within one week. I would also say there needs to be a BIG RULE to keep it under control...

THE BIG RULE: No trading for non-ladder softcore/hardcore items, only Ladder to Ladder trades.

Mods, I know that priority number one on this site is a mature approach to a legitimate Diablo 2 gaming experience. I've never seen it stated as the mission or anything, but based on the quality of the site, that is what I gather as a 2 month member. I would think that something like this would have a definite interest to many of the players on this site.

Since 1.10 is rumored to be only a short way away, something like this would take 2 weeks to set up, get in place, and be ready to help when 1.10 finally gets here.

Bolty and company, tell me what you think! :)

[Griselda]

Q: How come you don't have a trading forum here?
A: The administration at the Lurker Lounge feels that trading forums bring in the wrong kind of clientele. This site is about strategy and game mechanics, not about game items. Posters come here to learn about the game, and trading forums do not facilitate that. We'll leave the trading forums and auctions to other fansites.

I hope you're able to meet and play with other Lurkers, and perhaps you'll end up exchanging items with some friends that way, but that's the best we can offer.

You're not likely to change our mind about this one, either. Sorry.

-Griselda

[Conner Macleod]

Ok, I tried. :)

I agree with the clientele issue, which is why I varied my suggestion up greatly. I just truly hate trading with dopes on the channels and in other forums. After all, who would care to keep an eye out for 3 socket ethereal armor for an MF merc and be willing to trade for something reasonable, like chips. Usually when you need something, the other forums usually have members who IMMEDIATELY see you want something, and demand a flipping WINDFORCE for it. My style of play is geared around lesser known and needed things, so I thought I would make my case. This site seems to have the best players in the Realms to help. :(


Like I said, I tried. :) No prob Griselda.

[ShadowHM]

The users here tend to stay on topic

Oh Conner !

You cannot have spent much time in the Lounge ! :rolleyes:

We go galloping off in all directions on a regular basis. :D


P.S. Just teasing you. And best of luck with working out a group of trading partners.

[Elric of Grans]

Hail Shadow,

You're right: every now and then we do wander off topic. It reminds me of the summer of 99 (*cough*), when Bolty raised a hatchet and wet towel - as was the fassion for Warrior of the time. Well, none other than a nameless, leather-clad Rogue should happen to jump up on the center table in the bar and dance (very, very drunk I may add). However, the important thing was that Zarathusra kept his pet elephant under controll: it had very bad incontinence at the time. Speaking of that, did you remember that stew Spider made? I'm not sure it really was deep-fried mud at all: it tasted awfully raw to me. At any rate, it was at this time that...

[DeeBye]

Well, none other than a nameless, leather-clad Rogue should happen to jump up on the center table in the bar and dance (very, very drunk I may add).

Drunken Occhi posts are the best. MUCH better than my own drunken posts. I'm so pathetic that my sober posts are virtually indistinguishable from my drunken ones. I have no outward sense of humour. I can pick it up, but I guess I can't dish it out.

I think we need a new icon. "Drunk" or "Sober". Check one, please. Heck, it might an interesting sociological (sp?) experiment.

-DeeBye

[Griselda]

BTW, WarBlade, how are the fruit trees? ;)

-Griselda

[Az3ar]

See? this thread is already going off topic!

Oh well, If you and maybe other people want a trade "meeting point" you can also maybe try a lurker lounge channel for trading?

[WarBlade]

BTW, WarBlade, how are the fruit trees? ;)

-Griselda

I've had a couple of very windy days the last couple of days and the fruit are just everywhere again. This has been compounded by the collective eating contributions reduced to just me for half a week. Fortunately it turns out that the lawnmower is really quite effective at chopping the problem up and splattering it around.

The grapes are very nice at the moment. B)

[Roland]

Fortunately it turns out that the lawnmower is really quite effective at chopping the problem up and splattering it around.

I don't even want to think of what you smell like after that endeavor. ...Actually, wait a minute. That would smell pretty good! Minus the gasoline and exhaust, of course. ;)

Fruit salad, anyone? Complete with fresh cut Dandelions! ;) :D

[WarBlade]

Well I suppose my shoes might smell interesting for a bit, but the rest of me would just have that manly post-workout aroma.

Hoooooooaaaaaah!

:lol:

[Wapptor]

Well to bring this thread back on topic you fruits (no pun intended), I think a trading forum could work, however it would just have to be kind of specific:

For one thing, people would have to apply to the forum, and based on past experience they would be admitted or not admitted (as decided by the admins of course :D ). Then to avoid the kind of "my 5 unid wfz hidara bowz for urz kay!?" that shows up in many public trading forums, we could use a different method to get people secure trades, read on.

People would put up a list of items they were looking for and/or selling. Thats where it ends, no replys, no questions, no nothing. People read the lists and then contact the person through either a PM or e-mail. Therefore any trading that does occur happens only between the people buying or selling the items, in a respected method that the buyer or seller can easily ignore (delete/block e-mails anyone?).

This would obviously be an honor system, but juding from the type of lurkers I assume would be admitted, the trading would not have an economy, but would simply be a place for people like us, who use less than common items sometimes, to get what we want and trade with people. People could just edit their post when they changed their list and therefore everything would be fresh, no one would ever have to delete many posts. But like I said before, this would really survive only based upon the integrity of the people involved.

PLZ PLZ PLZ let us give it a try lol, no one on battle.net knows anything about those "weird" items...

-Wapptor

[Nicodemus Phaulkon]

For one thing, people would have to apply to the forum, and based on past experience they would be admitted or not admitted (as decided by the admins of course  ).

The Admins have already decided. Repeatedly. Strongly. Without exception.

And the people that would be admitted "based on past experience" would be the very same people that agree with the decision of No Trading Forum.

Done whining, yet? :angry:

[Wapptor]

It is not whining, its an idea, and the admins (griselda) have only said that it is unlikely their decision will change. Please hold the biting sarcasm, this is a forum where all can post their ideas, myself included. We dont need to start conflict.

-Wapptor

[Nicodemus Phaulkon]

Conner posted the idea. Griselda replied "no"... as the admins have done so for years.

You didn't accept "no" as an answer. The inability to do so, and your further expounding on the topic reflects one single thing: Manipulation. Further, compounding said manipulation with "PLZ PLZ PLZ", while a hideous example of the Queen's English, is nothing more than whining.

This is a PRIVATE forum, open or not. It is not up to the LL to adapt to the members, it is up to the members to adhere to Lurker Lounge rules and etiquettes...

or why the HELL would they bother publishing them in the first place?

[Roland]

...and post a topic that's been raised by a thousand illiterate people like yourself, when it's CLEARLY stated in the Forum F.A.Q. that there never has been, and never will be, a trading forum, and you expect to get no conflict?

Sorry buddy, but any "biting sarcasm" thrown at you over this is well warranted. Don't like it? Learn to read before posting such things. Griselda was nice enough to point out exactly where in the F.A.Q. it's stated. So now you have no excuse for pushing the issue.

It's dead. It's not gonna happen. So let it go.

[TheDragoon]

For one thing, people would have to apply to the forum, and based on past experience they would be admitted or not admitted (as decided by the admins of course  ). Then to avoid the kind of "my 5 unid wfz hidara bowz for urz kay!?" that shows up in many public trading forums, we could use a different method to get people secure trades, read on.

I see two ways to interpret this:

1. All admissions to post on the Lurker Lounge would go through the admins
2. People would have to join and post on the forums until such time as they allowed to post on the trading boards as determined by the admins.

Both of these would lead to way more work for Bolty and Griselda than I think they would want for such a small bonus in the end (the trading forum).

First, let's look at option #1. This would obviously require more time since Bolty and Griselda would have to sift through admissions to let people so much as post on the forum. In addition, this would likely result in a lack of new posters since how would someone be "respectable" in the eyes of Bolty or Griselda until they have posted several times, played with one of them or talked to them somehow. Or things could go the other way, someone could write a nice letter to Bolty or Griselda to get let onto the boards and then stop trying since their goal was to simply get onto the trading forum. This would be even worse than the earlier situation since now there would be too many people who get on and then fill the boards with trash. This option doesn't look like it would work, to me.

Now for option #2. Here's what I'd see happening if this were implemented. Since people have to make posts and gain the favor of the admins simply to get onto the trading forum. This would mean that people just interested in the trading forum would join the Lurker Lounge and then start spamming threads and replies all over in order to become "known" so that they can get onto the trading forum. In addition, this would likely turn up the level of "sucking up" to Bolty and Griselda to as yet unseen levels! While Bolty and Griselda might enjoy this, I'm sure the novelty of it would wear off soon enough and then we'd just be left with thread after thread of sucking up. I know that would get under my skin just a bit. :angry:

Finally, as has been stated many times over, what would this forum, the goal of all the work, result in? I'm willing to bet that it wouldn't really benefit most of us, it would result in a ton of work to patrol the forum, and it would just serve to attract the trading room trolls of the forums. As Bolty has stated before, that's NOT where he wants to take the Lounge. It is definitely not worth sacrificing so much to gain so little.

[Archon_Wing]

Umm in the words of a wise man, "Chill?" Ok, it was an idea. It was a bad idea. It was a poorly thought out idea. End of story. Let's not go attacking people's personally and whatnot.

[Az3ar]

Hmm, attacking is not what I see here, but it has to be said if a member just doesnt accept no for an answer, and members, as said before, should read (yes actually read) the FAQ, before starting to post something which doesnt apply by the rules....

TD's post was very good actually, thats what I would say, and I think thats why Bolty didnt want to have a trading post there.......

[Archon_Wing]

Ok, attacking is a strong word. But some of the other posts had bad vibes coming from them, with mean faces and all :D