Simulate the Larger MMORPG with NPCs

[Quentin]

Simulate a larger player base by getting NPCs to buy and sell things that you would normally see more often with a large MMORPG. We have what we have and while I try to vote as often as I can, we have to admit that growth can or will be slow, if at all. I love this place so here is how I think more players can be persuaded to stick around a while longer.

Get NPCs more involved in the crafting and tokens system. Not that they are not involved with quests and buying the goods we make now, but frankly there are only a few good items to make and sell to NPCs for gold. We should be able to make things like the barding for Lokai, Mares and Swamp Dragons, which takes 750 ingots to make, and sell that to an NPC for some decent gold and/or tokens. Those should also be weighted by the Ore type, just as some other items that the NPCs buy.

There are these and other things that we can make which require much skill and rare (or semi-rare) resources but selling to other players is the only gain we can get. Have NPCs buy our high level crafted items for a decent amount. Maybe have NPCs buy customs such as Keys and PS books etc. for decent amounts of gold and tokens.

WP is a great shard I think but just because there are not hundreds of us active, that should not mean that we have no commerce. NPCs can be used to simulate a larger population. Thanks.

[Yordor]

All of that can be sold on a vendor of your own. Vendors that sell ore or lumber are usually out of stock. Selling keys, barding, and other harder-to-create items is also no problem with a regular vendor. Load one up and let him sell for you. Don't worry about the fees either -- mine charged me over 30k gold a day and was still very profitable. Trying to do it without a vendor is really hard since people are on at different hours.

It's true that this isn't instant gratification but it won't take long for players to begin buying faster than you can create. Your vendor(s) will soon carry enough gold to make their knees buckle!

[Blue Fin]

My vendor makes quite a bit with just p/scrolls an the odd guardian spell & elixir. I know that you are looking for more ways to make gold as a crafter but I know in the past I have bought a load of resources from vendors (I don't now, I get my minions *cough* family to get it for me).
Put things like bark fragments, boards, ingots, sand etc on and you will get a steady trade I'm sure. Do things like have a "deal of the week" bag, run some events or something similar to generate awareness of your vendor.

[Quentin]

I did try selling platinum ingots with moderate success so that is a possibility. However at times they just sat there for a while and I got tired of paying the vendor fee. I'll try it some more. My platinum granite did not sell at all for 2k each, which I think is fair.

I have made and tried to sell barding but most already have it or don't use a Lokai, Mare or Swamp Dragon. I guess what I was getting at (and I can expand my line by maybe doing petrified and some other stuff) is that even what does sell is not enough variety. It is only what players need that sells and with only so many players it can only be someone like Yordor or Merch who is kind enough to just buy your stuff so you can make some coin... which is what I sometimes suspect is the case.

Actually I am able to make enough coin the old fashioned way... platemail gloves. I am more looking for variety I guess, than just simply being able to make coin... though making coin is a big part of it in any case. Someone to buy nice bows in quantity... would be a vendor. Bows are harder to turn to gold than armor I think because Lumberjacking is more tedious... unless I figure a macro for it... really I'd rather just do that manually sometimes. I don't really want to macro the entire game. Sorry I ramble. Hopefully you get the idea. I mostly macro when and because my time can be very limited and I'd rather do the prison chests when I'm able then something like mining of course.

Q

[Blue Fin]

What you have to appreciate is that other players can and will get to legendary crafting level, its not like the production shards with a skill limit. I (and I imagine quite a lot of others) find resource gathering mind numbing, so to raise their crafting skills they are going to be looking for the raw materials. I bought oodles of ingots and boards while raising my skills to 120.
Your granite probably didn't sell because not many people bother with stone furniture and marble crafting tools are quite hard to come by. Maybe you would have had better luck if you had made statues with the granite and sold those instead (at a higher price of course)
You need to target your customer with what they want and fill the vendor accordingly, you don't see a pharmacy selling quarterpounders with cheese.
Your sales will rise and fall too, as people achieve their skill targets and only need to make the odd tool or DNA vial, or when there is an influx of new players all eager for the resources to raise their tinkering.