Okay.. so traits are now with us and they are a great addition to the game : so many new ways to add value and to finesse our fleet strategies.
But the ship market doesnt show traits and having given it some thought... I think we are missing a great opportunity to add value and variety (and thus new tactics and potential surprises) to the game.
Examples : I am Capt PhatTrader : I got lots of LMM fleets with howker tails : them pirates want my gold. Traits give me potential but which ones? Extra cargo? Oh yes.. but maybe levi assault has value.. a nasty kick in the tail for pirates! Loyal crew? Nope.. not for my trade fleets but for my war fleet.. yes please!.
So off to market I go... mmm... lots of LMM but which do I want for my strategy... these are priced higher.. might have a good trait..but which one? Pot luck, Ronnie, cos nobody knows.
Same applies to the pirate and privateer... each will want, and pay for, specific traits on specific ship types. But Reggie... nobody knows...
Consider the ship builder... howkers with loyal crew or extra level.. meh.. howkers with extra cargo.. or levi assault.. or fire assault.. mmm... some-one might want those but how do I tell them?
Forum posts and link to market! Well.. yes.. lot of work cos its not one-off.. create post and keep it up-dated yep.. but watch it drop down and off the tavern pages within a few hours.. so.. bump it back up.. and watch 6 suggestion reviews knock it back off-page again.. ooops. So, is half-a-dozen ship builders bumping posts twice-daily an ideal solution?
Sellers reputations mean nothing if you cant see who is selling until you have bought the ship. If I over-price and you buy and get a ship you dont think is worth the extra cos you thought it might be good cos of the price well.. how can you avoid my over-priced ships in future? You cant.. cos you dont know which are Rotten Reggies rip-offs .. and which are Reasonable Rons wonderfully under-priced bargains.
What it comes down to is this : you wouldnt buy a car if you couldnt be told what engine it had or how many seats or even who made it. 'Its a car, mate! Thats all you need to know!'.
If we want a maket that truly reflects sellers reputation, value and realistic pricing.. for both buyer and seller.. then traits and seller need to be displayed.
If we just want a lottery where buyers gamble they will get want they want and sellers have to price at basic and never benefit from having built it (with cost paid in turns coin and materials) without they spam the forums daily with linking posts... then leave it as it is and waste the chance to do better.
Oh.. and change the name of the page to Casino.. cos thats what it will be.