Linked Auctionhouses and their effect on RP?

[Mortica]

From the development patch notes, Auctionhouses in each of the main cities will make a return to WoW and they will be linked! LFG and Trade channels will also be linked up.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/

What do you think the effect on RP these changes will have, if any?

Will Orgrimarr and Ironforge become ghost-towns? lol

I know that I tend to hang out in UC more than Orgrimmar, so it'll be a great change for me, but will it thin out the population, or make it easier to find people?

[patience]

I'm not sure that it'll be bad, really. Right now there's a ton of folks around in IF that don't appear to be RP'ing at all. I think that, like before, the RP'ers are going to have to go out and be looking for it anyway.

[Annabelle]

For me, I like to spend lots of time in Stormwind, so this change will be wonderful for me. It might make both Org and IF less laggy, but I doubt it will change much in the long run.. people don't like to change much.

But I don't think rpers will have much problems finding people to rp with, at least no more than usual anyway.

[Abric]

Just think... we may be able to roleplay in Orgrimmar and Ironforge.

You know, without a naked gnome/orc jumping around you, saying

"what r u 2 doing lol"

Yeah... coo.

[Soraxis]

lol Ive RPed in Org actually, was walking around with my alt and saw a friend who actually doesnt like RPing much (he came, tried it out and doesnt like it) I still tried RPing with him to make sure he was at least RPing in /say and /yell etc. he did and that was cool :)

[Fallacy]

I'll probably still stick to Orgrimmar, just because the Zeppelins are there, but now I don't have to hearth there everytime I want to go to the Auction House at least, and get to somewhere closer.

[Helio]

I don't mind the linked AHs that much. But, unless I heard incorrectly, the trade channels will also be linked. If that's so, I'm disappointed because that will open two more cities I can't go to without hearing Zhizhi and Zhao spam-hawking their wares.

~Helio~

[Moolberry]

I think this will be a good thing for everyone. I think that the auction houses will carry more wares since people who don't want to make the trip to Org to sell something will be able to sell rather than simply banking it for the moment.

I also feel that the linked LFG is a good thing because it will make it much easier to find people for instance runs.

As much as I dislike farmers, you can find really good deals from them if you buy at the end of the shift. Make them a lowball offer on an item early on and keep offering every 10-15 minutes. If they dont sell by the time they have to go, don't be surprised if they sell it to you at your offer.

Overall, I think this will be good for RPers since we all seem to find each other. The non RP population will be spread around more, but RPers will continue to meet at the same haunts.

[Xeran]

I love the idea from an RP standpoint. Many meetings I have had, guild and otherwise, occur in Stormwind. It's cool that I have even more reason to hang there. I also think Stormwind is a tad more amenable to RP settings (more taverns, an actual park, meeting halls, etc). I also saw two characters RPing a "date" of sorts in a boat on the canal - it's like Venice!

If the linked trade channels thing happens, it won't effect me much. I keep the trade and general channels off. Usually the looking for group one as well. All the contractions and 'tard-speak tends to burst my RP bubble, such as it is.

[Windseer]

As much as I dislike farmers, you can find really good deals from them if you buy at the end of the shift. Make them a lowball offer on an item early on and keep offering every 10-15 minutes. If they dont sell by the time they have to go, don't be surprised if they sell it to you at your offer.

Really? Hrm, I may have to try that next time. I like cheap(er) things.

I'm excited for the AH to be in Thunder Bluff (since I prefer having my hearth stone there) and the LFG I don't mind, but the trade spam may just drive me insane. I'll probably have to turn off that channel for Windseer.

From a RP standpoint though, it'll either be the same or better. Now you don't have to be either in Orgrimmar or Ironforge to find people since they can quickly do their money business in other cities.

[Savan]

I see the linked auction houses as a good thing. It's something that has bugged me since beta so I'm glad to finally see it go in. I don't forsee any negative effects to RP because of it. I do believe it will make life alot easier for everyone though, which is a good thing.

[Danyxandra]

It's going to make things much more convenient for me when I'm questing closer to Undercity than Orgrimmar. As for RP, I don't wait to hit a city to find RP, I RP wherever I'm at and if you do so in say most people around you on this server will respond and RP back. Hell, I was standing at a mailbox in Sepulcher minding my own business and twice there were strangers that just walked up to me and started conversations.

For new elfies, it will save them that long scary run through wetlands to get that IF flightpath if they can quest near home and auction their stuff off from Darnassus.

[Moolberry]

While I see your point Danlily, might I point out that Sepulcher is a town.

It is often hard to find RP out in the wild because standing around flapping gums is a good way to get killed by Alliance or some wandering band of monsters.

While I dont think people drop out of character as soon as they leave city limits, people leave town for a purpose, and are generally busy trying to achieve that than hold a long conversation. (unless they are leaving to RP)

[Danyxandra]

Yea, but I've had people stop me between towns too. Might be because of my FlagRSP. I had this one character that in the descript said she was wearing a collar on her neck and that would stop people on their heels a lot, theyd stop to ask why I was running about without my master, they'd notice that I wasn't full troll, smell elf on her, etc.

I dunno, maybe it's just me. I never have to go to a city with an AH to get RP. Some guy in Shimmering Flats saw me solo beating up turtles last weekend and started up a conversation with me after beating back an alliance ganker. We started RPing and working together, etc.

Come to think of it, a LOT of the on the spot RP started when I got FlagRSP.

[patience]

FlagRSP is one of the the absolute best addon's out there for RP'ers. hands down it makes finding other RP'ers the easiest.

[Malebrignon]

I think this can only be a good thing for RP. My main on the RP server Scarlet Crusade was Tauren. He wanted to hang out in TB and talk to other Tauren. Unfortunately, there were never more than 3 or 4 tauren players there due to the pereceived "uselessness" of the city.

UC has always been a good place to RP with other undead, but my current character identifies better with orcs than zmobies. (<--purposely misspelled, laugh if you know why.)

I think this will help RP out a bit. Won't be a huge impact as a whole, but I think it will be quite a boon for Tauren RP'ers.

[Lyphen]

I'm going to love it. I hate the environment in Orgrimmar, and feel much more at home in Thunder Bluff. Betta connection wit da spirits.

[Caelyn]

I'm going to love the linked AH's maybe I will finally have a reason to get that port to Darnassus.

[Abric]

Danlily has boobies, and they are usually busting out of whatever 'armor' she is wearing.

Heh, on a serious note; I didn't think about the starting zones. Now, a lot of the lower level people will be able to access things easier than before. So the low to mid ranged levels will have more stuff to buy! Woo, economy!

Though, on the downside. Level 60 farmers just might start popping back up in Loch Modan and Stonetalon Mountains.

D'oh!

[Julu]

I'm looking forward to multiple linked Auction Houses. Should be good thing to expand the items put up for sale, especially lower level items. UC is always pretty dead, as is TB. Maybe this will bring some life to those cities.

Also makes it possible for me to hearth in UC for instance instead of Org.

I usually keep LFG off, and may have to turn Trade off though. Only time I use Trade is to find someone to open a locked box, and if that channel spans 3 cities, I'll have to specify location.

[Fallacy]

It took me forever to find the TB auctioneers on the test realm. There's no building to hold them, so they just stand outside. I asked the guards for about half an hour, since there was no ping on the minimap, until I luckily moused over them and saw the title underneath their names.

[Tzaphkiel]

I'm really looking forward to it. After Sunday night, my character (RP-wise) doesn't really want to have anything to do with Azeroth. To him, Kalimdor is his true home. It will be nice to be able to access the AH in Darnassus, and not have to sail back to Ironforge all the time.

...now if I could just find a decent Blacksmithing trainer. Darn Goblins! How much do I have to pay you guys to hire a Blacksmith? ^_^