Mail System

[okamibs]

Has there been any sort of mail system been considered. It would be helpful if you make or obtain something that a friend or alt could use or analyze. Particularly when you and the friend don't always play at the same time, making it difficult to meet up to trade it to them. Just a thought

[Mattsacre]

Many have mentioned it, but it would take large change to client, and changing client is something they can't do while EA owns it, all they can do is whats layered on from N7 side and mail isn't doable from that side.

There are also the purists that don't want such things put in or a auction house etc.

[Tienbau]

Matt is right, it wouldn't be worthwhile to change the client to that extent. However something of the sort could be done via the galactic terminals, which interface to net-7.org. We will be doing more with them as time passes.

[Shaddex]

Net-7.org contains a simple Mail client.
You will need to activate it from the accounts page.

[karu [WDL]]

[quote name='Shaddex' timestamp='1329743641' post='54072']
Net-7.org contains a simple Mail client.
You will need to activate it from the accounts page.
[/quote]99% of the time when mmo user wants ingame mail... it has nothing to do with letters.

[Mattsacre]

He was honest, it's not mail he wants , its parcel sevice.....so would U.nited P.arcel S.ervice become U.niverse P.acking & S.hipping?

[C Del[IS]]

This could be implemented within the portal system, but it does kind of change the game a bit. I think there should be an in-game fee for this (maybe a percentage of item value), should it be implemented; any objections?

[Mattsacre]

Don't see it being game breaking except....needs limitations, with those I woudl sign on this.
They shouldn't be able to mail umpteen items, nor use it as alt storage, I.E. limit mailings per account until the mail has been picked up or timed out (and returned to sender), and to prevent it as a means to "vault" stuff in mail, needs a total mailings at a time capped.

Don't know if using portal gets around trade window limitations, if not then maybe the mailings need to be capped at trade window slots, i.e. 6.

Also to consider, the postage fee, I think your idea of portion of value as fee is right idea and not a flat fee, how is value to be set?

Is the mailing just you pay postage and if they pick it up there is nothing to do on their end, or is C.O.D. a option?
What should the time out be on undelivered mail?
What about available space, if the recipient of mail doesn't have available hold/vault space what is outcome, if item is timed out and returned, what is results if sender don't have available hold/vault?

I'm sure i missed some

[Slayerman]

UPS have lost parcels before! 0.5% chance your 175% FoTM is "lost in the post"

mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[kjeron]

[quote name='Slayerman' timestamp='1329829042' post='54175']
UPS have lost parcels before! 0.5% chance your 175% FoTM is "lost in the post"

mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
[/quote]
20% chance it arrives broken(-50%quality)
40% chance it arrives dented (-10%quality)
5% chance it arrives at someone else's doorstep

[C Del[IS]]

[quote name='Mattsacre' timestamp='1329793431' post='54140']
Don't know if using portal gets around trade window limitations, if not then maybe the mailings need to be capped at trade window slots, i.e. 6.

Also to consider, the postage fee, I think your idea of portion of value as fee is right idea and not a flat fee, how is value to be set?

Is the mailing just you pay postage and if they pick it up there is nothing to do on their end, or is C.O.D. a option?
What should the time out be on undelivered mail?
What about available space, if the recipient of mail doesn't have available hold/vault space what is outcome, if item is timed out and returned, what is results if sender don't have available hold/vault?

I'm sure i missed some
[/quote]
Good point about mass transfers; I feel like that would cheapen the trading experience as well. As for the postage fee, some percentage of the item's vendor sale value seems appropriate. Maybe 500 credits for level 1-3 items, 10% vendor sale value for level 4-6, and 20% for 7-9? As the game economy stands right now, we can always use more money sinks, lol.

If I were doing it, I would say immediate delivery to receiving player's cargo. If the player has no cargo space, no transfer, simple as that. Having an intermediary state between the sender and receiver cargo holds would require another table in the avatar database, which we don't particularly need.

[Mattsacre]

Like the floating value for mail, that will help help curb feeders.

thought of two more:

1.Messaging,per your instant delivery, when something has been sent, and recieved, some auto message needs to be issued alerting recipient that they have gotten something from player x (preferably not a popup y/n window since they might be in combat or something vital), thereby alerting them to look for it and not vendor it or something, and also so they can thank player x.

2.Reciever of items location, they may be on a trade run with full cargo of something, makes no sense if a delivery to cargo while in space anyway, needs not to deliver until reciever activates to recieve, don't know the mechanics to that, was you intending through the galactic portal terminal in station lounges? That would make sense for the activating and the nondelivery in space.

[rhobix]

[quote name='Mattsacre' timestamp='1329880909' post='54210']
...
2.Reciever of items location, they may be on a trade run with full cargo of something, makes no sense if a delivery to cargo while in space anyway, needs not to deliver until reciever activates to recieve, don't know the mechanics to that, was you intending through the galactic portal terminal in station lounges? That would make sense for the activating and the nondelivery in space.
[/quote]
Could be solved by delivering parcels to vault...

[Riz]

[quote name='Knix' timestamp='1329895960' post='54220']
Could be solved by delivering parcels to vault...
[/quote]

I agree with this one. When UPS delivers to you, they do not send the truck out to find you wherever you are, they send it to your home/office. Not enough space in the vault for it, the delivery is returned to sender.

[Falstar [MOD]]

I do think this would change the game a lot. However, loss statistics as mentioned before might make it risky enough that in person delivery would be better. Maybe a courrier service would appear to hand deliver the goods instead. If done, we could always use the paypal method - flat fee + %(of value of item).

I also agree that deliveries should be station based, and not magically appear wherever the toon is. That could lead to some abuse for sure.

[bolt212]

also. instead of instant delivery make it take a random 2 - 5 hours before the recover gets it. . makes no sense to have the item magically appear instantly. also makes it so that trades do not go obsolete.

[Mattsacre]

Actually they either need to have a time out, or a sender cancel option.
The reason? Imagine you send item x to another player....and that player, for whatever reason don't log on for months, that item is sitting out there in the ether just awaiting a delivery, this could cause tracking problems for one thing, and another, sometimes in the past items have been deleted, have had stats altered/retooled, or rolled back all together because they may be causing inbalance or shouldn't be in yet because of story progression etc., now all these things got deleted for whatever reason..but a month later player logs on and he receives one anyway?

If it's not to be a instant delivery, regardless of player log on, then it needs to be recendable by sender so they don't have a mail slot, or whatever, hung up because someone didn't log on. The way this game is coded many things have "item numbers" and stack sizes, and when you log on the game has to send that data to your account/game, if it didn't do that you would have a empty vault , so the game wouldn't register that you now own item x that player Bob mailed to you until you log on and the data updates to show so.

[Mattsacre]

[size=4][sub][size="2"]About the 2-5 hour thing, the reason for the instant delivery is for non-multiboxers to not be disatvantaged, they can either mail an item to a alt. (after crafting, looting whatever) and log on alt and have it, if they are say crafting ammo for a PS from their ammo builder...that 2-5 hour thing would defeat the purpose. Also many guilds have a guild vault toon, presently they have to fly to were ever the guild vault toon is and xfer it direct, most vault toon/build toon are in F7. If the new guild member being aided is halfway across the galaxy, it sort of defeats the purpose of the aid if they can't get to guild vault toon (F7), if it was mailable...the guild officer could log on the guild vault and sent what was needed. In live they had always held out the promise of guild vaults and guild home zones, but as we know EA pulled development resources, so that never got developed, a mail system would go a long way to help mitigate that lacking.[/size]

At present, if you need a build, and you ask market, you are going to be traveling to F7 , Most builders are very helpful and willing to build at a drop of a hat, but there are times when even THEY are face down into the keyboard hehe, and they shouldn't have to go sleep deprived for someone to warp all way to F7 to help someone out, we have a very nice and helpful community here, making it a tad more user friendly for fellow players would be real nice both for them, and the new player thats going to get welcomed into the same helpful community. Is 2-5 hour delivery sort of storylinish? Yeh it is, a item instantly appearing from VT to F7 don't make real sense given warp times..thats a given! lol, But for some things need we be slavish to storyline so much so that a simple convenience must be disallowed? Personally in my opinion no. But also in my opinion, there need be safeguards in place to keep griefing and abuse out of the process.[/sub][/size]

[Kyp [LDEV]]

[quote name='will' timestamp='1329829259' post='54176']
20% chance it arrives broken(-50%quality)
40% chance it arrives dented (-10%quality)
5% chance it arrives at someone else's doorstep
[/quote]

1% chance FedEx handles it and throws it over your fence.

[Zackman [LDEV]]

So to clarify, you are talking about an ingame mail-client like there was/is in the game "Vanguard"?
Where you can mail items?

[jrichards]

Sexting for too win!

Really not something most players are looking for. If the devs are interested in doing it I would recommend pusihing it back closer ro late Beta if at all.

If you are having a difficult time moving items to a friend I would just create a second account and give your friend the login info. Login in your 'transfer toon', trade with your toon, and then when you friend logs in he logs in the 'transfer toon' and move the stuff to his main toon. Most guilds have been doing this in the EMU for a long time.....as do most players and this was how people did it in Live as well.

[Mattsacre]

[quote name='Crichton' timestamp='1330988043' post='54965']
Sexting for too win!

Really not something most players are looking for. If the devs are interested in doing it I would recommend pusihing it back closer ro late Beta if at all.

If you are having a difficult time moving items to a friend I would just create a second account and give your friend the login info. Login in your 'transfer toon', trade with your toon, and then when you friend logs in he logs in the 'transfer toon' and move the stuff to his main toon. Most guilds have been doing this in the EMU for a long time.....as do most players and this was how people did it in Live as well.
[/quote]

It's not a "the masses are clammering for it" type of thing, it's more of a "do you think we can do it this way...and if so what else can we do?" type of thing. It was proposed, was considered by a Dev, and commented on that they think it's doable, and the rest of the comments are of the "what if this...what would happen?" or "it needs to/not do this becuase of -------" varity comment.


[quote name='Zackman' timestamp='1330877270' post='54883']
So to clarify, you are talking about an ingame mail-client like there was/is in the game "Vanguard"?
Where you can mail items?
[/quote]

Talking about doing it through the layered on proxy not the game client, since because of EA altering the game client is verboten, so what was proposed is possibly doing it as part of the other stuff being pushed through the intergalactic communications terminal in the stations (that one with the satellite symbol in most stations), the other proposals concerning the I.C.T. are primarily of the can we access info on other toons/alts, if so can we see holds/vaults, can we have search functions? etc. those are in another thread asking for suggestions on use of ICT.

[Zackman [LDEV]]

[quote name='Mattsacre' timestamp='1331009263' post='54992']
if so can we see holds/vaults, can we have search functions? etc. those are in another thread asking for suggestions on use of ICT.
[/quote]

Well, the search function is already there

With the latest update, there is a new display line when you look up item/search with the database.
If you search for (eg.) "Ward of Muck" the function would show you, what character owns this item and displays a line like "Avatars owning this item: Mattmule".

This function is looking up hold and vault. It's [b]not[/b] looking up items equipped tho (you should know what is equipped ).

[Pink]

I was told that that would be too much like WoW, which is to be avoided I brought it up because I had wanted to send a message to an offline guildie.

I do agree that it would change the game significantly, and think that the largest impact would be on player interaction (which appears to be what DEVs want to encourage, not discourage.) Interaction would decrease, just like human contact decreased in IRL these last few years: don't have to talk to anyone anymore, can just txt!!

[Mattsacre]

Now see thats what I don't understand...the old "it will cut down on player interaction" thing.
1.How so? If they raid, they can't "mail in" a raid..they have to get a group and raid...player interaction
.
2.If they want to mine, and do it in group, they can't "mail in" a mining session, sure they can mine solo, and if they were inclined to do so...how would mail effect that experience?

3.If they are a builder they are still going to have to get the material together to do so..most get it themselves or through a guild setting, they are interacting with the guild to get it.

3b.If they are the recipient of a build, they send material to builder via mail (paying mail fee and builder fee), builder returns the build...no "interaction"? Most likely not with the builder any more than a normal market session would be..BUT, not having to meander to builders location for build, they more likely don't have to leave the area were they are playing, most likely in a group...one coould argue that they are more interacting in a group playing than warping back and forth for a build.

4.Mail "may' effect it in the gathering aspect as a contractual basis, you go get this and I'll give you this, that happens on the market everyday, they still have to dicker over whats agreeable between both parties, the only change would be player A. don't have to trapse all over the universe to get it to player B. And if the contractor had to log to get some shuteye before the contract is filled? Player B drops it in the mail. they still had to interact by proxy.

I think people are equating mail with a auction house, AUCTION HOUSES ruin player interaction, Player A provides resource and throws it in AH for what he is willing to part for it, player B (never interacting with player A) buys it. There has been a thread about AH and IF and thats IF in caps...it was done properly the negatives atributed to a AH can be mitigated.