Buying and selling

Player stalls, personal shops, and auction houses enable buying from and selling to other players.

• Player merchants will not be able to be placed on ships.

	Player stalls	Personal shops	Auction houses
Cost	Rental fee.	Placement certificate purchase.	Listing fee.
Location	Can be rented at locations near the unique building in an economic node or in Marketplaces.	Certificates from non-metropolis nodes, allow placement near the node's unique building or on a freehold. Certificates from economic node metropolises allow placement anywhere in the world.	At Markets in Village economic nodes allow raw resources and crafting materials to be posted. At Exchanges in Town nodes allow all goods/items to be posted. Metropolis stage Economic nodes enable remote bidding from linked economic nodes. Auctioneer NPC emissaries present in Vassal nodes allow some access to the parent node's auction house.
Player presence	An attendant NPC is assigned to the stall. Character does not need to be online or at the stall.	Player must be online and present at the shop.	N/A
Storage	Linked to character's warehouse.	Linked to character's inventory.	Raw materials and gatherables are automatically deposited within the listing node's local warehouse. Anything other than raw materials and gatherables will be mailed to the purchaser.
Advertising	Items and services are listed on Bulletin boards in the same region. There may or may not also be listings at auction houses.	Custom billboard appears above the character. Items are not listed in the parent node or auction houses.	Items listed are visible in community boards (bulletin boards). Metropolis level economic nodes enable worldwide sale prices for auction houses across Verra.
PvP	Players are not able to be attacked or robbed while occupying their player stall inside the limits of a node. Material losses may occur if the node's warehouse is destroyed during a node siege.	Players may be killed while occupying their personal shop and are subject to material loss due to normal death penalties.	N/A

Player stalls

Niküan player stall concept art.

If there were ever a cornerstone serving as the bedrock of Niküan trade, then this modest stall would be it. Stacked from floor to thatched roof with all manner of catch, it is prepped for a full day of commerce and trade. Here, haggling is not merely a suggestion, but a requirement.

Alpha-1 player stall 3D renders. 3D model by Adam Will.

Player stalls (also called Kiosks and rental stalls) are rentable locations near the unique building in an Economic node, in Marketplaces (the constructible building available for placement by mayors of any Town (scena 4) node or higher), or as business buildings on freehold plots.

All nodes do have the ability to spawn player stalls. If you're not an economic node and you don't have a market- that's essentially your unique building- then you can construct essentially what is I guess would be called a... marketplace; and that marketplace will then come with certain services and it will come with a certain number of stalls. The economic node as I recall has the ability to construct an auction house and the auction house serves through the economic means the ability to list and sell items and that comes with additional stalls as well for the players. – Steven Sharif

Renting a player stall enables players to sell items as well as provide repair and enchanting services, even when they are not online.

• Player stalls are rentable by node citizens.
  • Player stalls may be utilized for a period of time based on the price paid to rent the stall.
• Player stalls are linked to a player's warehouse.
• Player stalls do not require the attendance of the character or for that character to be online.
  • An attendant NPC is assigned to the stall. This may be an "image" of the player.
• Players are able to input required items for repair and also purchase required materials for that repair.
• Player stalls may still operate during node siege declaration. This is subject to testing.

Niektóre z poniższych informacji nie zostały ostatnio potwierdzone przez programistów i mogą nie znajdować się na aktualnym planie rozwoju.

• Players are not able to be attacked or robbed while occupying their player stall inside the limits of a node.
• Bulletin boards that list the items available in player stalls can be accessed from anywhere in the region.
  • These give the location of the stall so players can travel there and purchase the items.
• Stall sales are also listed in auction houses.
  • This may no longer be accurate.

Personal shops

Confectioner’s Delight pre-order pack cosmetic building skin for the cooking profession.

Certificates to place Personal shops (player-owned shops) may be purchased by citizens and non-citizens from Economic nodes.

• These certificates allow the placement of a personal shop near the unique building in an economic node or on a freehold.
  • Once the economic node has reached metropolis stage, personal shops may be placed anywhere in the world.

• When a character creates a personal shop, a billboard pops up above them with a custom advertisement message for items or services available on that character's person. Purchasers can interact directly with the character to purchase these items or services.

A player shop is where you have a certificate to essentially create a shop with your character and a little billboard will pop up above you as you sit down for that shop and advertise a custom message that you want say that has to sell things and/or services that are on your person. So players can then come up to you and they can interact with you. So you reside yourself to that shop. – Steven Sharif

Auction house

Alpha-1 Auctioneer NPC.

If a Node is the Vassal Node of an Economic Node, an Auctioneer NPC appears in that Vassal Node. The Auctioneer allows players to list non-resource/processed materials in the Parent Node’s Auction House, but players cannot bid on items from this Auctioneer. These resources and processed materials must be stored within an Economic Node in order to be listed in that Node’s Auction House. In order to bid, they must still travel to the Auction House in the Parent Node.

Auction houses enable players to list items at specific nodes.

• Previously this was stated to be at the economic node in which the auction house is located. The new quote may not necessarily contradict this statement.

Auction houses allow items and resources to be listed for sale at a specific node location. – Steven Sharif

• A listing fee will be charged to list items in the auction house.
• Vassal nodes of the auction house node will be able to view items that are listed on that auction house, regardless of node type of the vassal node.
  • This will be possible through an auctioneer emissary NPC in that node.
  • Items cannot be listed in non-economic vassal nodes.
• Items listed are also visible in community boards (bulletin boards).

• Integrated auction houses allow players to purchase items directly from remote auction houses.
  • Purchases of materials and gatherables will be automatically deposited within the listing node's local warehouse. Players will need to travel to that warehouse to retrieve them. Players wishing to move these items elsewhere will need to utilize the caravan system or other type of transportation.
  • Purchases of anything other than materials and gatherables will be mailed to the purchaser.

• There may be a taxation difference between auction houses versus other player businesses.

• On a regular cadence, a number of a node's freehold parcels become available to be bid for at auction.

• Data relating to auction houses, such as price history, volumes, average prices, may be available to players via a mayor-constructed service building in their node.

That's probably how it's going to be surfaced... Your your mayor is going to have to build it for you. – Jeffrey Bard

Auction house locations

Ashes of Creation concept art.

Auction houses accompany unique node buildings in Economic nodes.

• Markets in Village level economic nodes have auction houses that allow raw resources and crafting materials to be posted.
• Exchanges in Town nodes have expanded auction houses that allow all goods/items to be posted.
• Economic nodes that have reached the metropolis stage unlock the linked economy superpower.
  • Up to two economic metropolises may be linked in this manner.
  • Metropolis level economic nodes enable worldwide sale prices for auction houses across Verra.
  • Items listed in one linked economic node can be bid on from any other linked economic node.
  • Linked economies also connect an economic metropolis and its vassal economic nodes.

Bulletin boards

Niektóre z poniższych informacji nie zostały ostatnio potwierdzone przez programistów i mogą nie znajdować się na aktualnym planie rozwoju.

Bulletin board concept art by Michael Bacon..

Bulletin boards are available within nodes and player taverns.

• A market UI lists the current items available for sale in the node and in the same economic region.
  • This includes items for sale in player stalls and auction houses.
  • Players can't purchase directly from the market UI. Instead it gives the location of player stalls where the items may be purchased.
• Encourage localized grouping.
• Enable posting of jobs.
• Quest sponsorship.

Merchant NPCs

Alpha-2 Vendor NPC work-in-progress UI.

Merchant NPCs (also called Vendors) are present from the first stage of node development (Expedition).

• Merchant NPCs are identified by a golden shimmer on their nameplates.
• Merchant NPCs will in general be able to buy items from players.

Player to player trading

Alpha-2 player trading UI.

Alpha-2 trade request UI.

There is player-to-player trading in Ashes of Creation.

Q: Will Ashes of Creation have player-to-player trading? Will there be anything stopping me from gifting a friend that's fresh to the game a bunch of in-game money to help them get on their feet quickly?

A: There won't be anything to stop you from doing that. – Steven Sharif

• Player to player trading, interacting with vendors or NPCs, and the ability to access storage is disabled for corrupted players.

• Security systems are in place to combat RMT and other forms of cheating.

The nature of player to player trading already introduces that in an open economy game... that is why we have measures to attempt and heat flag suspicious transactions, active gms and other honeypot systems/agents that will be active in discovering those types of cheaters. – Steven Sharif

Escrow system

Niektóre z poniższych informacji nie zostały ostatnio potwierdzone przez programistów i mogą nie znajdować się na aktualnym planie rozwoju.

• An escrow system is planned to prevent griefing in the crafting system.

We're going to have a UI... you're gonna put the resources in or they're gonna put the resources in. It'll be like an escrow system and then once [the job] is complete you'll get the item they'll get the money.

Mailing items

• Raw gatherables and materials are not able to be mailed by players.
  • Purchases of anything other than materials and gatherables from integrated auction houses will be mailed to the purchaser.
• Social messages sent via mail will be received instantly.
• It hasn't been decided whether crafted items such as gear will be able to be sent via mail.

From an item standpoint obviously we can't allow mailing to include any type of resource material or raw gatherable because those are central to the gameplay and transiting through the caravan system and economic regions. But it may be possible to send completed crafted items like gear, equipment, stuff like that. But it's something we're still discussing. – Steven Sharif

Player owned businesses

Shop sign concept art.

Our business owner system... grants players a meaningful existence in the world and rewards them for their persistence, dedication and survivability. – Steven Sharif

Business chains

There's no reason why you couldn't license your name to somebody else who also has a freehold and who also has an Inn and work together. – Jeffrey Bard

Theft

There will not be a theft (stealing/pickpocketing) mechanic in Ashes of Creation in regards to living players.

• There may be quest related actions that involve some form of stealing, but not of actual items from a player's inventory, where the player is identified as the quest's target via a title or some other means.

That emergent gameplay is obviously the objective behind how can we accommodate a non-static quest-line; and the way you do that is you can apply a flag to a title and whoever holds that title becomes the target of that quest segment. And this can change too because that title can change- different people might rise up in the ranks of different societies and organizations. – Steven Sharif

• Players are not able to be robbed while occupying their player stall inside the limits of a node.

There is not a theft mechanic for you to walk up to a player that's alive and steal something. – Steven Sharif

Storage

Storage chest in an Alpha-2 freehold.

Storage points exist at warehouses within nodes and in chests (storage containers) that can be placed in freeholds and static in-node housing.

• Sheds are present on empty freehold plots to provide basic storage for materials needed to construct freehold buildings.

Warehouses

Buy order requisition agent at the warehouse in the Village (scena 3) Winstead node.

Warehouses are default service buildings that come pre-built with nodes. Their function is to provide storage points within nodes.

• Cargo for shipment by caravan is stored at the caravansary not in a player's inventory. Stored cargo is visible via the warehouse UI.

• Completed items can be accessed by players in warehouses at any node regardless of citizenship or housing ownership.
  • Warehouses may enable a player to transfer non-material goods between alts. This excludes resources, materials or anything that relies on the caravan system.

• Gatherables and materials may only be accessed in the warehouse location they were deposited in.

• Requisition agents for mayoral buy orders are located at node warehouses.

• Players are prohibited from moving gatherables, materials, and commodities in sealed crates out of depositories within a node following a siege declaration against that node.

• A portion of all gatherables and materials that were stored in successfully sieged nodes become lootable.
  • Whole items (crafted items) are not vulnerable to loss during node sieges.

• Corrupt players are not able to utilize storage systems.

• Player stalls are linked to that player's warehouse.

Niektóre z poniższych informacji nie zostały ostatnio potwierdzone przez programistów i mogą nie znajdować się na aktualnym planie rozwoju.

• Personal caravans may be launched from any point of storage (including warehouses).

Player housing storage

Alpha-1 chest concept art.

Alpha-1 chest 3D renders.

Chests are a type of furniture that provides localized storage within a specific house.

• Players must obtain and place storage containers in their player-owned housing.
• Different grades of storage containers have different inventory capacities.
  • There are restrictions on the grades of storage containers available in different types of houses.
• Access permissions can be set to allow others to access a player's personal storage devices.
  • Personal storage chests may be set to permit access by family or guild members.
  • Transfer of resources and materials to alts will only be possible via player housing storage, as this is local to the specific house.
• Players are prohibited from moving goods out of depositories within a node following a siege declaration against that node.
  • Gatherables and crafting materials that were stored in in-node housing and apartment storage chests become lootable upon a successful siege against the parent node. These do not become lootable if the node survives the siege- even if the housing buildings are destroyed or damaged during the siege.
• Corrupt players are not able to utilize storage systems.

Niektóre z poniższych informacji nie zostały ostatnio potwierdzone przez programistów i mogą nie znajdować się na aktualnym planie rozwoju.

• Personal caravans may be launched from any point of storage (including chests).

Banking

Nodes advance to the first stage quickly. This enables NPC services such as vending or banking items.

• Banking between characters will likely be restricted to furniture and completed items.
• A warehouse ability may enable a player to transfer non-material goods between alternate characters. This excludes resources, materials or anything that relies on the caravan system.

Real estate

Players buy the deeds for housing from the node itself, or may buy and sell properties from other players.

• The developers are considering an auction-based method for listing new properties that become available for purchase when a node advances. Currently freeholds may be acquired via auction.
  • A grace period will occur before the housing becomes available for auction.
  • Bids will then be accepted starting at a minimum reserve value that is based on the number of citizens in that node.
  • At the end of the auction, the highest bidder will win the house.

• Housing will have a base price that scales with the number of citizens in the node.
  • There is no cap on the price of player-originated housing sales.
  • In-node housing will be at a premium, and is expected to be hotly contested.
  • The more apartments that have been purchased in a node, the higher the price scales.

• Player housing that is destroyed during a node siege can no longer be sold.

• Freehold plots may be purchased from and sold to other players, or can be obtained via deeds issued by a Village (scena 3) or higher node.
  • The seller may decide if their freehold should be auctioned or sold directly to other players.
  • Previously it was stated that freeholds may not be sold to other players.
  • Players cannot be denied from buying a freehold.

We're establishing a real estate market that players can invest in and then sell within the in-game economy, but also they are a resource that's subject to removal through the sieging system as well, so there's a bit of risk implied there but the idea is that this is something for players to strive for. – Steven Sharif

• Housing ownership can default back to the node if the owner fails to pay their property taxes. A balance and penalties will be charged to the new purchaser of the home in the manner of a "foreclosure process".
• Players will not be able to exceed their allotment of housing in the game.

Niektóre z poniższych informacji nie zostały ostatnio potwierdzone przez programistów i mogą nie znajdować się na aktualnym planie rozwoju.

• Rental and leasing concepts are under consideration.

See also

• Economy
• Artisan classes
• Artisan supply chain
• Currency