question for the moderators

[LochnarITB]

I know that trade posts are, rightfully, forbidden on the LL. However, with my immersion in this crack like game we are playing, I find that I pick up lots of things that my professions don't use but that others do. I have a hard time not completely looting every corpse or container I come upon. I have no desire to sell these items to fellow guilders but I am glad to give them to characters for which the items benefit their current level of profession. It is easy enough to ask in guild chat if anyone uses certain items but this tends to muck up the chat. I also suffer from a memory much shorter and less specific than I would like so I don't always remember just what each character said they can use.

So, my question for the moderators. Since it would not be actual trading but, instead, gifting, would there be opposition to a thread containing posts of guild members as to what each of their characters can use and the servers they are on? I would limit it to guild members only to prevent people from joining the LL just to post a wish list and then never be heard from again. Even if such posts were allowed and all comers were welcome, I would choose to only share with members of the various Lurker guilds anyway.

I would like to see a post by each player containing each of their (guild) characters, the servers they are on, and the items herbs/ore/etc. they are currently using. It would be up to each player to edit their post to keep it current with their character's needs. There would undoubtedly be people interested in the same things but it would be up to the giver to decide where things should go. There would be no kind of "I called dibs" mentality.

[Kevin]

One more reason for guild housing and vaults. :)

I also think the public notes for the guild interface could help a little with this as well. I have always put not just my forum name, but my secondary profession not the support for that, so if the char is a blacksmith/miner I will put Gnollguy - blacksmith in the notes. I see that some others have done that as well. It's not perfect, but it can help. Since you can see the char level, the class and then the profession you can make an educated guess about it. True you won't know if they use swords or axes, two-handers or shields, or if they are up to medium leather and hides or still using ligth leather for crafting, but it still helps.

Another option that would help with updating are some of the interface add-ons that simply collect character profiles that can then be posted to the web. Sure it isn't specific, but it will let you see what they are using and if what you have found is better. It would just require someone to set-up the section and potentially some scripting to auto-update so it works more like Thottbot, though with less info gathered and probably more reliably (Thott doesn't seem to update char profiles that often).

I realize that the forum can help with this I'm just making some other suggestions that could assist with this as well. Of course I still think there should be in game ways to handle it (and maybe there are better onse that I'm missing). I've done several suggests to Blizzard in the stress tests and open beta's but well you know. I'm just venting a bit as stuff like this is exactly what guild housing should be able to address. Common vault, flags for who put what in and who took what out so you can self police the guild. Perhaps several vaults with different access rights for those who care to set things up that way. With most of the built-in checks on twinking in the game you don't even have to worry about that all that much. Heck even a guild wanted of have board in the guild house so you can keep the info in game (though I still want a guild vault).

[WarLocke]

Another thing we could maybe try would be another chat channel - 'Lurker Tradesmen' or something similar. Then we could still ask other players if they need materials without mucking up guild chat.

Oh, and Bergretha is a Blacksmith whenever she's finding ore nodes that aren't ninjamined out from under her. <_<

[Sabra]

How's this for a personal ad? BAT seeks BAB. Any R/C/G. Must Lurk on Stormrage. Mail Me. (That's a Blonde Alliance Tailor and a Burly Alliance Blaksmith of any race, class or gender to you.)

I was just saying last night that there's got to be someone we know who could benefit from the Plans for a Copper Chain Vest that Sabramage & Sharanna found. Additionally I have two bits of copper ore that are useless to SabraMage, a tailor who gathers herbs, cooks and practices first aid. I'm not throwing these things out and I'd hate to sell them when someone else could put them to use.

I'm also SabraElf, a hunter in Tendrassil but no particular career path yet. Too little. (Stormrage too.)

[MongoJerry]

So, my question for the moderators. Since it would not be actual trading but, instead, gifting, would there be opposition to a thread containing posts of guild members as to what each of their characters can use and the servers they are on? I would limit it to guild members only to prevent people from joining the LL just to post a wish list and then never be heard from again.

You're getting very warm with why this is a bad idea. I know that you intend everything for the best, and there would in fact be very little harm in it for the moment. However, these kinds of things attract the very kinds of people we don't want here -- people who are just intersted in getting items from people. I think this kind of thing is much better handled in game. Perhaps more of us should follow the example of some Lurkers and list their professions in their guild public notes. If you want to check to see if someone needs a recipe, then you can whisper them if you're both on at the same time or send a mail to them if not.

[swirly]

This topic plus the one about somebody saying hello made me wonder again if there does need to be another forum for this stuff. I don't think it really fits though. The process of considering it did bring up another thought. Maybe there could be another pinned thread. This thread would be explicitly for the purposes of people telling their character types, levels, professions etc. Basically it would be one post per person, with that post containing all the information that they wish to share about their character. Then, as they level up their character and advance in the game, the player could come back and edit their message to reflect the changes they have gone through.

This wouldn't really be for trading or gifting as this thread is asking about. It wouldn't be for saying hello either. It could kind of help with both purposes though. It helps with the gifting because it will now be more clear as to what characters that lurkers are playing may be in need of something you can provide. It could help with the saying hello bit by giving people a place where they can make their first post saying "Hey, this is me in game. I'm a such and such usually found running around on such and such server in such and such area". Their post would still have to be in theme with the pinned thread, meaning it would have to be about their characters. It could work as a kind of hello too though.

Anyway, I don't know if this is a good idea or not. There could be issues like how one limits posters to only posting once to the thread, how one makes sure that people use it only for what its meant for, will it become too large and hard to go through if alot of people use it, will it require too much admin maintenance to keep it orderly, and etc etc. On the other hand, it may work without a hitch. I don't really know. Just had the idea while considering things and figured I would throw it out there to see what people think.

It does seem to me that people want something along this line though. I mean with people adding their characters to info under their names, it just seems like they are looking for a way to get that info out there in a manageable manner. Maybe a pinned thread with the info would be a good way to do it. Maybe another way would be better. I don't know. Think of it as a brainstorming exercise. I'm throwing one idea out there and now others can say ideas that they have. Maybe somebody will come up with one that fills the need. : )