Bargaining system and first offers

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Nanuaraq
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Bargaining system and first offers

#1 Post by Nanuaraq » Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:47 pm

Apparantly, when bargaining, I can offer an amount of money that the trader will accept if it is my first offer. This first offer can be lower than the price I could have gotten the item for by haggling.
(Not sure if this makes sense, I hope you get my point). This also works in reverse when fencing stolen goods.

However, the amount of experience (and comm. skill) earned is higher when haggling, even though I can get a better price (and thus could be said to have ego "act smarter") if I can pinpoint the lowest price that the merchant will accept. So I get more money out of making first offers, but more experience when haggling.

Is this intended?

In my logic, it would make sense for it to be more (or at least equally) rewarding to make people an offer they can't refuse.

Erpy
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Re: Bargaining system and first offers

#2 Post by Erpy » Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:58 pm

Whenever you make an offer, you get some communication skill. So logically speaking, the more time you spend talking down the price, the more communication practice you get. This is just the way the stat system works.

But yeah, each article has a starting price, a (hidden) minimum price and a merchant's minimum price. The latter is as far as the merchant will bargain down. Whenever you fail to strike a deal, the starting price goes down, but the hidden minimum price goes up since merchants feel offended if you offer too low a price and get more annoyed as you continue to place low bids. The final offer is made when the starting price drops to the merchant's minimum. That's the way the bargaining system works.

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Nanuaraq
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Re: Bargaining system and first offers

#3 Post by Nanuaraq » Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:15 pm

Man, you're quick with an answer, Erpy :p

Anyway, I figured it would be something like that, from my experience with the haggling system.
Didn't realize the hidden minimum price went up as well, when haggling. Thought it was only possible to offer the lower "hidden" price when it's the first offer. It seems perfectly logical like that, though.

I take it the hidden minimum price and the merchants minimum price are directly related to the communication skill? I noticed I could bargain a cloth sack to 42 centimes, which gained me 1 point of communication, after which I could bargain it down to 41 (having left the plaza in the meantime).

I still think it would have been a nice touch to reward the player with additional exp. for pinpointing the hidden price, but oh well...

Erpy
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Re: Bargaining system and first offers

#4 Post by Erpy » Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:27 pm

I take it the hidden minimum price and the merchants minimum price are directly related to the communication skill?
Yep. Depending on the merchant and your communication skill, a certain percentage is taken off the price which becomes the minimum price. The merchant's minimum is usually somewhere in the middle.

I see your point, but I'd say the money you save is already a nice reward. If the reward is too high, people are just gonna save/restore in order to find the hidden minimum.

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Nanuaraq
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Re: Bargaining system and first offers

#5 Post by Nanuaraq » Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:51 pm

Erpy wrote: I see your point, but I'd say the money you save is already a nice reward. If the reward is too high, people are just gonna save/restore in order to find the hidden minimum.
Of course. I suddenly remember how much I hate having to save/restore in order to find some sort of "hidden" reward in adventure games.
So it IS a good thing the game design doesn't encourage it :p

You've really thought this through, haven't you? ;)

Did I mention what a great piece of work you people have been doing? I don't think I did :)

Erpy
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Re: Bargaining system and first offers

#6 Post by Erpy » Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:54 pm

Thanks for the compliment.

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