[Guide] Shady Auction Hall

[BB_Trafffer]

Dear Settlers

With the current version, we are offering an interesting way to get rare items in a bidding system.

Shady Auction Hall - Explanation

To use the Shady Auction Hall, you have to open the Trade Office and click on the fourth tab.
On the first loading, you will not be able to see much and you will need to gather 10,000 Coins to permanently unlock the auction.

Coins
Coins can be gathered through various options in the game and can also be collected through the normal trade panel.

The Bidding
Bidding will start instance wide.

You will see the specific and sometimes rare item and everyone on your instance can bid on it.
The bidding will be with random currencies (Gems, Event currency, Ressources, etc.) and you have to pay the full visible amount.
The value increase for the next bidder will increase in predefined steps from the last bid.
Everyone can bid until the last second and only the last visible/system-displayed bidder will receive the item.

This will offer a wider variety for you to receive rare items, but only 1 player on the server can actually obtain them.

If you do not win:
If you're not the winner you will receive your bidding back. Any resources used to bid will be automatically returned to your storage. In case your storage is full or the returned amount exceeds the available storage, the remaining resources will be sent to the star menu.

If you win:
The auction winner will receive a notification mail once the auction is over. The auctioned item will be added directly to your storage in case of resources. If the storage is full or the resource amount exceeds the available storage, the remaining resources will be sent to the star menu. All other items such as buffs, specialists, and buildings will be added to the star menu.

System behaviour:
When another player outbids the current highest bidder, the outbid player will receive a notification and a system message in chat.

The timing in which offers will be started is random and there is no fixed setup of what items will be offered.
If no bidding is active, the system will display a small note. Bidding will not be conducted continuously.

[MissTweak]

To: Appropriate Readers,

The following post is about:
"

If you do not win:
If you're not the winner you will receive your bidding back. Any resources used to bid will be automatically returned to your storage. In case your storage is full or the returned amount exceeds the available storage, the remaining resources will be sent to the star menu.

"

May I offer the suggestion that should a player whom has placed bids in this new feature of the game, and should they lose, rather than win, they would lose their resources placed for the bid? This would prevent those whom would try and cheat the system, for example:
- Two players conspire with each other;
- One of those players whom are conspiring, places a bid higher than a non-conspiring player bidder; to knock the non-conspiring player out of the bidding contest.
- The other conspiring player, would then place a bid, once the non-conspiring bidder is knocked out.
This particular scenario, would be applied when multiple items are up for sale, rather than just a single item that is up for sale. When multiple items are up for sale, misuses and abuses of the system would be done as so, by conspiring players.

I also believe that the entry fee for this new feature, should be with gems, rather than in-game gold.

[Mortallicus]

Hi MissTweak, I have read your posts with interest.

However, opinions voiced are more valuable if you understand or we can readily believe you understand both the way the game was meant to be played and is played by the majority. I am no expert but I have played since early 2012 and without a break to the current day. The game has evolved but kept its ethos. I have played more competitive games and faster games and enjoyed them it is the way they are meant to be played but Settlers is and has always been a gentle game to pick up and put down when you want to. There are communities within the game (Guilds) that work and chat together and become online friends.

The Shady Dealings

1. To have to pay to play any part of the game in gems would in my view be quite a change for what is a free game.
2. Shady Dealing is an Auction not a Lottery.
3. I know of no Auctions in real life where bidders would lose their bid if they were not the highest bidder and there are many different types of Auction. Real Auctions can be a mine field for bidders as there are different ploys used. Maybe why in a game 'Shady Dealings' is the chosen name.
4. There are a few reasons why losing your bids would not work but if I go into them (they are common sense) my reply will become rather boring and suffice it to say just maybe most in the game are a little more game wise than you give credit for

[Gort1951]

hi,i paid my 10,000 gold coins and it don't seem to work ?

[JohnRo79]

is this still working?

[topgearfan]

shady scammer of 10000 coins hall is more like it. was there something actually on sale there at some point?

[DorotheusII]

Shady dealings are not being offered at the moment, they will return after the developers have re-worked the system.

[damien762]

and when is that ? : )

[BB_Trafffer]

is this still working?

Shady Auction Hall was shut down after the first few auctions. We are currently reworking this system based on player feedback, so new auctions will not appear until we are finished.

[bunina]

Any news on this topic?