Topic

Is the 10 minute auction house delay confusing new players?

So, one of the things I do is to sell stuff in the auction house, tools in particular.   I have recently been noticing that some players, particularly new players, have been buying multiples of items that make little or no sense, like knife & board sets.   The purchases are separated by a few minutes in time, and it seems to me from my vantage point that they buy one and then don't get it after 5 minutes or so and buy another.  

-- while I am tempted to ask for a relaxation of the 10 minute delay, which I have never liked, I would be good with something more like a very short delay (if any) for players level 10 or below, which then increases to 5 minutes until level 20 where it would then increase again to the current 10 minutes.   Just sayin'.   

Posted 90 days ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • Yes it is indeed confusing.  It's a not-infrequent live help question.

    I'd rather have it explained somewhere (an easy thing to do) rather than adjust rules for delays, but yeah, it's not terribly obvious in the current form.
    Posted 90 days ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Or leave a message when you purchase it that says, "Your auction purchase will arrive in about 10 minutes."
    Posted 90 days ago by AwesomeCardinal2000 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've had a cpl new players mention that AH was broken when they didn't get an item.

    Right now it says "in just a few minutes" but it's kinda small and either people don't read it or ...rightly start thinking something is wrong when it's not there after 5-7 mins
    Posted 90 days ago by M<3tra, obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think the 10 minute delay is an example of something that appears to make sense to someone who has had their head in the game every day for years, and yet makes absolutely no sense to normal people just arrived here from reality-land.   What new players seem to be saying, or at least muttering to themselves, is "they have this auction house, but it's deliberately crippled.  wtf?"  
    Posted 90 days ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Even I sometimes (who have been playing since almost the beginning of the game) forget that there is a delay and wonder where the heck my stuff is. I agree that a larger more succinct explanation is needed. Maybe a statement that says "You have now purchased XXX for XXX currants. Your package will be delivered shortly. You know how timely frogs are." or something to that effect.
    Posted 90 days ago by Holly Waterfall Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Personally I don't see the point in the 10 minute delay anymore since there are auction fees. Unless I am mistaken that the reason behind the delay was to encourage tower usage. If I had the power to push buttons, I'd probably relax it back to five minutes for everyone. I never use auctions anymore though, so it doesn't really affect me either way. 
    But if the devs don't want to do that, then perhaps after an item is purchased in auction a little message can display that states the item will take 10 minutes to be delivered. 
    Posted 90 days ago by Kittn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Also, newer players might not have the skill to repair broken items and might break and need to replace items, especially if they are doing a lot of knife and  boarding.
    Posted 90 days ago by Minkey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Another thing that is confusing is the name. People assume it's actually an auction, when it's really not. Perhaps they are buying multiples of the same item because they think they did not "win" the previous auction. 
    I have never understood why it is called Auction. There is no bidding. It's just buying and selling. With a delay.
    Posted 90 days ago by Zany Serendipity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Not sure if this is new or anything, but when you purchase an item off auction there's a line that says something along the lines of  "Our delivery expert will bring this to you in 10 minutes time". 

    I think it'll be a good idea for TS to make change this to bold, red, blinking, 50px, IMPACT for first time auction users ;) 
    Posted 90 days ago by Boom and Bust Subscriber! | Permalink
  • From what I can tell, 5 minutes seems to be about when they break down and buy another item.  Perhaps that's the sweet spot for a delay?
    Posted 90 days ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree that there should be a better reminder somewhere in the auction process.
    Posted 90 days ago by DanielS Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The delay was also in place long long ago, as far as I can recall anyway. It has never made sense to me and is the reason I haven't checked auctions or listed anything in 2 months.
    Posted 90 days ago by Ramus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 10 minutes? bwahahahaha I think mail frog hates me, it often takes up to an hour to get my auction mail.
    Posted 90 days ago by Pixieyelsraek Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I started playing Glitch quite a long time ago and the last time I played, auction was pretty instant. The only reason why I thought there was a delay now was because there's a large amount of auctions being processed hence the lag. Eventually I got quite fed up till I realized towers are much more effective (this realization took a long time). So yes, a reduction in the delay or clearer warning would be nice to help confused player like me and newcomers too.
    Posted 89 days ago by Snail Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I believe one of the reasons the delay was instituted was to prevent it from being an easy delivery system for people who were working on projects. A glitch could stand at the project while friends or keyholders sent them anything they needed. Those who had this kind of network available to them were at a significant advantage when trying to attain those badges for top contributors. Now that projects as we knew them are defunct and new ones are not forthcoming (yet) this delay has lost some of the reasoning behind it.

    I think it was also to encourage player to player trades which tower sales have also overtaken.
    Posted 89 days ago by MaryLiLamb Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yep. It is. "Where are my auction items?" is the new "Where can I get salt?" in Live Help.
    Posted 89 days ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • People don't read.

    (Yes, I know it's likely that their expectation of "a few minutes" might slightly shorter than 10 minutes, but the fact is that the existence of the delay is spelt out quite clearly to anybody who has purchased an auction item.)

    Anyway, having a five minute delay then increasing it as the player progresses is a terrible idea. It adds complexity to the system without actually resolving either problem, that of new players not understanding the system, and what the delay is actually suppose to accomplish (which Mary summarised nicely above).

    Really, the easiest way as I've mentioned above is to make that line bold, red, 50px big and blinking for new players.
    Posted 89 days ago by Boom and Bust Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ...is to make that line bold, red, 50px big and blinking for new players.

    Sounds like a punishment for those of us who do read or generally have functional eyes. I'm not sure how long one counts as a new player (does my month + 2 days of game time make me a veteran?), nor do I claim to be representative of the central portion of any normal distribution, but I didn't have any problem reading the statement that appears on every single purchase confirmation page. There's also a listing on the 'Your Auctions' page that includes a mouseOver delivery ETA.

    At what point can we expect players to have some accountability for acquiring easily available information on their own?
    Posted 89 days ago by Dr McFluffles, MD Subscriber! | Permalink
  • To me the confusion seems to largely stem from the fact that people buy something and then go right back to the game. Some kind of notification within the game itself that says "You purchased x in an auction, it should arrive in y minutes" would probably help. Sellers do get instant notifications when someone purchases something, so for buyers to get a notification too probably isn't too hard.

    A status timer - like the ones you get when you have buffs and such - that shows how much time there is until your item(s) arrive is another option that fits pretty unobtrusively into the game's interface.
    Posted 89 days ago by Makai Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 Makai. Duplicating the the sold auction notification sounds like it would work.
    Posted 89 days ago by Dr McFluffles, MD Subscriber! | Permalink
  • the text says "few"...and 10 feels like it's more than a few. Unless you're an old player and vaguely remember there is a deliberate delay after 5 minutes it does seem like something broke along the way. Giant annoying text is probably not needed but wording change would be good.

    @Dr.McFluffles--I've played since beginning of 1st launch. I've been to that page to verify my purchases...not once have I moused over lol
    Posted 89 days ago by M<3tra, obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But... but... what this game needs is MOAR BLINKENLIGHTS!

    MOAR!
    Posted 89 days ago by Boom and Bust Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The ten-minute delay is just an annoyance at this point, and one of the many reasons to avoid the auctions all together.  Items used to be placed into our bags within a few seconds. 

    Another major problem: sometimes the frog doesn't actually get to the player, so the item is delivered to the player's mailbox.  An on-screen message like, "Your auction purchase was just delivered to your mailbox" would be helpful. 
    Posted 89 days ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree that ppl dont tend to read, or at least often bypass comprehension. That aside, it just needs to be more clear that there will be an aproximate 10 minute delay until delivery from AH. I do think that having a delay is still a decnet idea. it had both to do with not getting an unfair advantage, and a way to keep the AH being overly manipulated by Snipers. Also it serves as a distinction from Towers in the fact that you have to wait if you  didnt want to search towers. As well the AH fee encourages Towers and player to player sales. All the same, the fact that it needs to be clearer that it takes 10min for AH, is apparent.
    Posted 89 days ago by Lyrical DejaVu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sounds like a punishment for those of us who do read or generally have functional eyes.
    in reply to
    ...is to make that line bold, red, 50px big and blinking for new players.

    Maybe just make it huge and bold that first time.  I'd hate to see the huge and bold *all* the time.  But I do like the solution too of having an in-game notice that glum pudding mentioned (and I like it better than a one-time message that some people are going to forget about).
    Posted 89 days ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I dont understand why anyone would use the auctions anymore.  SDBs are definitely the way to go.  No fees, and no waiting.
    Posted 89 days ago by Innie✿, Obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree the 10m delay is a bad idea and should be removed entirely. All it does is discourage AH use, which seems pointless to me.
    Posted 89 days ago by Janitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I dont understand why anyone would use the auctions anymore.

    Much easier to find furniture, at the moment

    Also, I can buy stuff  when I'm at work
    Posted 89 days ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • And you can post stuff for sale when you're out of game and buy things without having to load a bunch of splines and stuff, and see potion/powder doses.
    Posted 89 days ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I dont understand why anyone would use the auctions anymore.  SDBs are definitely the way to go.  No fees, and no waiting.

    Surprisingly enough, the tools that I put up for sale in Windborn's tower sort of sat, even at a below market price.  Tools that I put up at auction sell, and the high-end tools sell at or above list price. 

    I believe new players just don't know what towers are or how to find things in them. 

    The 10 minute rule has nothing to do with sniping.  Snipers really only care about price, they don't care if their purchases are delayed a bit.  It was put in to make the game "more interesting" (Stoot's words) which probably has to do with the advent of tower sales.  The aspect of the auctions that keeps snipers from taking over is the 7% auction fee.  If you buy at auction for resale, you have to mark your item(s) up at least 7% just to break even when you resell.   In a sniper situation there is increasing price pressure at the bottom of their range and price resistance at the top, and they get squeezed.
    Posted 89 days ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I hate the delay. I don't remember why they did it, it was explained, but I hate it.
    Posted 89 days ago by Electric Wizard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think it was to slow down the resellers... people camping at the tool vendor, probably with a sniper getting the  bargains
    Posted 89 days ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The price at which some basic furniture items are being sold at auction is outrageous. I try to put in cheaper items, but it's hard to keep up (and I can still make a tidy profit)

    I just wish there was some transparency over the base cost - especially with furniture  where it's impossible to see the difference between something that has been upgraded for free, and something that cost credits. 50,000 for a credit-bought hanging direction is fine, 50k for one that was a free upgrade is a little exploitative, I think...  

    If you haven't got your furniture-making badges  yet,  it's a seller's market  -  get making and help flood out the meanies :) 
    Posted 89 days ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +101
    Posted 89 days ago by daniel5457 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • if the goal is to increase tower sales, it seems a peculiar way to do it.  as a trade channel regular, I see a constant stream of newbies who have apparently been given the quests we had to sell certain items via auctions but have no clue how to figure out which tower to visit to buy the item(s) they need, how to buy the items once they get to the correct tower, or, sometimes, even how to visit the seller's home street.  if someone attempts to give them links to 3rd party software, such as glitchremote.com, (and I also find it strange that the ONLY way to get information about towers is from 3rd party sources)  they stand the risk of a mouthy response from the potential buyer or criticism from other people for "spamming" for repeating the link for every new person who asks the same old question, a variation of "where can I get 2 lemons?"  why isn't there a helpful hint on the log on screen advising tower shopping like there is for auctions if it is the preferred method of buying?

    @ shhexy corin  believe me, I am trying, although I don't see anything that will ever induce me to sell via auction again and furniture in towers is still  "not yet" included in the api
    Posted 88 days ago by armi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • (and I also find it strange that the ONLY way to get information about towers is from 3rd party sources)

    Word.  I've used third-party sites a handful of times, but I don't like to do it, and I really resent being FORCED to do it.  I want an in-house tower search, please!
    Posted 88 days ago by Pale Queen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't see anything that will ever induce me to sell via auction again \

    Profit!
    :)
    Posted 88 days ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The snail-frog needs to be retired!
    I liked it much better when it went directly from the auctions into our bags.
    Much more fun to get things when it's ordered coz it's needed rather than having to sit around scratching our glitchy butts for 10+ mins waiting for the snail-frog to show up...if he actually decides to, that is.
    Posted 88 days ago by sgjo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • yes. new player here saying so :)
    Posted 88 days ago by Belinn Subscriber! | Permalink