Should broker anonymity disappear?

This was just a thought I had during all of the broker chaos, so I thought I'd throw it out here and see how well it bounced.

In Star Wars Galaxies, you had player-run vendors as most of the things in game were crafted (loot drops in the game could be converted to schematics, which could be used to craft a better version of the item). However, there were some stations (usually in starports/hub cities) where you could check player vendors remotely or put their own stuff up for sale (limited for non-Crafter players). But with both vendors, you had one thing in common.

The name of the character who put the item up for sale was visible in the sale/item information.

It may not seem like much at first glance, but having that name there could say a lot. It could help a player find a crafter who's work they liked or appreciated, and it could also be shorthand for a player who sold things at good prices (or horribly overinflated prices).

We don't have that here, though. Granted, we don't have crafting classes/professions here, but players can sell whatever they wish and at potentially outrageous prices without any sort of worry about a hit to their reputation in the game. And it's tough to count those who go into shout chat complaining "so-and-so is a scam artist" because it's very easy to look at those as "sour grapes" transactions. After all, there's no record outside of the interaction for onlookers to use to make any sort of call one way or the other.

So what might happen if we as players had to put our name and/or reputation on the line when we sold things on the broker?

Of course, you'd have some people trying to work around it by selling on alt characters to keep their main character free of any stigma. But having your character name attached to high/overpriced items could mean a serious hit to any business you want to try and conduct, as those character names associated with good deals could/would get more business. Plus if there is something suspicious going on, having a name to use in reports to devs could make things easier for them to track down problems.

I know it's not a magic bullet solution to ridiculous pricing on the broker, and considering it'd be a UI change there's no telling how long it might take or how easy/hard it would be to implement. But I think it's something to consider to help in some of the challenges we (players and devs) face with getting the economy a little more stable (if not under control).

Thoughts?

I would say yes, but people would get harassed for the set prices the undercutting or various things

Yup. I don’t want PMs about my broker activity. It would be toxic.

I think it's a reasonable idea, but, yeah, I gotta agree with the other guys. you might as well stick a whacking great target on your forehead.

This is what the report feature is for. Not sure if you can receive mail from ignored players, but that's something that can also be remedied for the situation.

This community is wayyyy to toxic for that feature IMO

True...So why change it if that's a non problem now?

I swear some people's only experience online is limited to just this game. Unfortunately the internet as a whole is toxic. Damn near every online multiplayer game is toxic. Actually, "toxic" is probably the most overused used word in gaming in general.

Honestly I've played various other games online and the in-game community of this one is one of the most toxic I've ever seen. I agree with the others that having our name visible on the broker will create more problems than it does help

And I've had the opposite. You ever play Call of Duty? Or Street Fighter online? H1Z1, another Daybreak game is horribly toxic if you have proximity chat on. Destiny can get just as toxic as DCUO if you screw up in a raid or don't know what you're doing. I couldn't even get more than 2 hrs into ESO because no one would help and I would be berated for not knowing what I was doing or any of the lore. This is why the league/guilds are such a great idea for mmos.

This is just video games, nevermind Facebook, Twitter, insta, or various other forums/social media. It's like Humanity is just learning to communicate again lol

Ahh I see, those weren't the games I played, and I don't hang around social medias so yeah. I guess it just depends on the type of game and who it attracts, this type of game wont benefit well with an addition the OP is suggesting.

Didn't realize you knew how many MMO's MMORPG's MMOAPG's I have played, ^^^ Ohh that's right, you don't, this was just my opinion about utilizing(Sp?) this feature in one of many games I have played since before their Launch to live, and still continue to play.
Also Thank you for making my point on how toxic just this community can be, much appreciated.

Yep. I have no interest in haggling with people about broker prices. That is what trade chat is for.

First off, you called the community toxic. You painting the community with such a broad stroke in a negative way could also be considered toxic, no? All I said was that it's a symptom of the internet in general and not limited mostl to this game like a lot more posters than you have said in the last. Your last sentence is a reason why I hate the internet buzzword "toxic" in general and I'm guilty of its overuse myself. But any kind of opposition and people are labelled as toxic? It's kind of blown out of proportion imo. You get out what you put in most of the time.

I'm sorry if you took it personal. It wasn't a shot at any one person since I said "some people". Your post just happened to be the one I quoted out of numerous made on this subject. Sorry if you took it that way.

The point is that all online games and forums have their share of what people would call "toxic" groups of people. You want to see toxic, remember the old xbox live call of duty lobbies? Or any multiplayer game with vicinity chat. Just wait until Rust hits consoles lol. But these games also have/had groups of amazing players who go out of their way to do do things like make videos of all the new styles and where to get them, how to get all the feats from new raids, writeups about certain powers/roles and how to use them effectively. Like I said, I just find it funny that some people seem to think this behaviour is limited to DCUO or that DCUO is even close to one of the worst offenders out there.

Sorry for derailing the thread

I came from Star Wars the old Republic and the Galactic Trade Network (their version of the broker) always had the name of who crafted or listed an item and not once did anyone email or chat me or anyone up about anything unless they wanted more of said item
or how to craft said item AND we had a legacy bank where you could put all your credits into and ALL your account chars could dip into if you needed creds on that char..Im suprised they dont have something like that here

Hmm...

Actually it can work if it is done correctly. Everquest has such a broker system (Bazaar). Now, your account identity is never revealed; you create a vendor player character that sells your items. Those player characters are located in a central place (The Bazaar) that players can visit and browse each player character. Players can also access the Bazaar via the broker menu; the name of your vendor will appear there next to the item being sold if your vendor is selling the item. Your vendor would get any requests/comments, and you can look/respond to them at your leisure.

This type of transparency not only allows players to choose items at the prices they are willing to pay, but it also allows players to either physically visit that vendor to browse for items or bring up the Bazaar list and look for that vendor name to purchase from. This keeps the prices of the Bazaar at a more fair range, as every player that has a vendor can see what others are selling their items for and adjust their prices accordingly.

Well, at the very least it's good to see some discussion taking place. You can never quite tell what can happen with ideas like this when posted. LOL

As for the tells/potential harassment aspect, I'll admit I hadn't considered that when thinking through the idea and it is something of a fair point.

Thing is? Personally I'd find that kind of attempt at harassment pretty laughable. Someone trying to berate me (or something along those lines) for undercutting their prices to make a sale? If I didn't send back a "LOL" tell, it'd be something along the lines of reminding them that it's a free market and that THEY don't get to determine the prices I set to make sales.

Besides, if they're having to resort to attempted bullying to make their own sales, that means what I'm doing is working better than what they are doing. So what incentive would I have to stop?

Mind you, I'm not dismissing the chances of harassment taking place. I know there's some folks out there that would be nasty enough to attempt it. But I do question whether or not it'd actually be effective.

i sense the number eight.

I started playing SWG before the New Combat Upgrade and the NGE, IMO the NGE was SWG's demise. I remember the player-run Vendors, and the ONLY true way to become a Jedi, (alone for days waiting for the old man to visit you, Jedi planet, Village in the mist, and the grind) building you ship, and that's when I used the player-run Vendors the most for the parts!!

I was apart of several player-vendors Client List Because they knew who was buying from them, and SWG had a player base of thousands,( and probably some form of harassment was going on) and as I have said IMO Broker anonymity works Best with this community for reasons I have already stated I will no longer go through the back-n-forth with anyone on your thread.

To the OP: From one SWG player to another, " May the Force be With you,..Always "

It’s not just harassment that would be annoying. You’d list something for 50m and get PMed offers, and you would get pettiness “X always undercuts me” and “X is always listing Y they have glitched money” and people PMing you “lol 50m” and all sorts of other nonsense. I only use trade chat on anonymous alts because trade related discussions in the game are so often unpleasant or passive aggressive. I also prefer people not to know what I am buying and selling. I don’t do anything dodgy, but people would work out how I make money etc.