The Research and Shopping page outlines the structure and use of both the Stores and Item Research sections of the possessions system, which are the means by which members go about finding the items that they want and making purchases. The primary goal is to provide easy to understand tools and necessary information to evaluate the options available to make decisions about what a member wants to own. These tools are heavily managed by the Seneschal with input by the Regent to ensure the structure and logic that makes up the possessions system come through in the user experience and interaction on the site. Any concerns or problems with these tools should be directed to the Seneschal, while content and item related inquiries should go to the Regent.
Structure
The Dark Jedi Brotherhood possessions system was set up to be scalable and full featured, while also enabling certain experiences specific to the organization around exclusive perks and rewards that are intended to make it more fun and rewarding to participate in and stay engaged with. Following is the major structure around how items are stocked, purchased, and then possibly later sold back to the stores that make up the marketplace.
Item Stocking
Stocking rules are established for each prototype item that determines what conditions will result in an item being stocked, or unstocked from the stores. Managed by the Regent, a specific condition is specified including quantity thresholds, and then a specific store is stocked or unstocked with instances of an item. These rules are triggered on a brief delay from the exact moment when a transaction occurs that involves a prototype item. Without stocking rules specified, items would remain in stock when sold to a store, and not restocked when purchased.
Purchasing Items
The marketplace in the possessions system works by providing different stores that each stock a list of item instances that can be purchased with credits from a spending account. These transactions are carried out one at a time from inside the store. These transactions are subject to availability so if another member or unit purchases an item it becomes unavailable for anyone else to purchase. There is a refresh button at the top of a store's item listings to load only available items. When purchased, an item can be sold back at the same price for 1 hour reversing the purchase transaction.
Selling Items
Stores will each purchase items in certain Item Categories and will make an offer for that item that is some percentage of its value. This percentage can change over time, or between stores, as established by the Regent. If no store will purchase an item, or it has no value, it is unsellable and will remain in a member's inventory as is the case with Award or Ceremonial type items. When sold, an item will be reserved for a member or unit for 1 hour during which time it can be repurchased reversing the sale transaction. On sale, an item is renamed back to its original prototype item name and any custom member specific aspects are stripped from the item. Items cannot be sold as long as they have items slotted into them.
Stores
Stores are accessed under the Resource navigation list on the main site, and make up the marketplace where members and units acquire possessions. Each is represented by a graphical logo, a name, an identifier on if it will sell items to a member, a unit, or both, as well as a brief description to help visitors understand what types of items are available in the store's stock. Throughout the possessions system, these store logos will show up to highlight availability allowing additional navigation directly to the marketplace section of the system. Some stores will not always be available, with some persistent but others arriving for only limited periods of time and offering for sale a certain often special selection of items.
Purchase Items Tab
Within each store, there are two interfaces to facilitate transaction types. The Purchase Items tab helps with purchasing items.
- Item: This will list the name of an item available for sale in the store. Clicking on this link will bring up the details of the specific item instance being offered for sale in the store. Hovering over this item name will provide a tooltip with more information on the specific item without the need to click through.
- Price: The price is the amount of credits required to purchase a specific item from a store. If an item was sold within the last hour, this will include a reserved tag that notes how much time is left on the hold to reverse the transaction and buyback the item. This price could possibly differ from the base value of the item.
- Purchase: The purchase button will execute a transaction and exchange a member or unit's credits and deliver that item to inventory. A confirmation box will pop up to ensure ti was not accidentally clicked, and after purchase if clicked and confirmed the line item in the store will turn green with purchase successful. If for some reason an item has become unavailable before a confirmed successful purchase the line item in the store will turn red and note that it is no longer available.
- Requires: If a member doesn't meet the purchasing requirements of an item, instead of a Purchase button, the list will instead show specifically what requirements are not met.
- Displaying items: This provides information on how many items are currently displayed, and an idea of how many items meet the specific query on a store inventory. By default when entering a store it will list the first 25 items by price, and note how many total exist with page and navigation options to the right to move through these items.
- Filter: Expanded by clicking on the small funnel icon, this allow someone to reduce the number of items displayed in the item list of a store to specifically show only results that meet the query. The store list can be filtered by text in the name, type, category, size, value, and rarity depending on what a specific member is looking for. Left blank will show a store's entire inventory.
- Refresh: If the small refresh item is clicked, the possessions system will do a check on availability of all item instances shown in the latest store query and remove those no longer available and add new ones that are newly available. This will preserve any existing filter.
- Logo: On the right hand side of the store the logo for the specific store
- Spending Account Balance: For member stores, this shows the number of credits a member has in their spending account, available for use to purchase items as well as an icon that links to the member inventory screen. For members who are in a position that gives them access to a unit account and inventory looking at a unit store, this shows the number of credits a unit has in their spending account. For general stores both apply. Note that if a member or unit has credits in savings accounts, they must be withdrawn to the spending account in order to be spent on items.
Sell Items Tab
- Item: This will list the the name of the item in a member or unit's inventory, of all items that a specific store well purchase. If not renamed it will show the original item name which matches the prototype item name.
- Owner: The name of the owner of an individual item will show up here. Often for members, it will just show that member's name and link to their dossier.
- Value: The value is specifically tied to an item. This is often whatever a member paid for an item originally in credits, and that item will retain its value from that point forward.
- Offer: The offer is the number of credits that the store is willing to purchase an item for. Established at the store level and subject to change, it can vary as some percentage of the value of an item. If a store is set to purchase for full value, this offer will match the value of an item.
- Sell/Sellback: If an item has been owned by a member for more than the 1 hour grace period, it will show a sell button. If it has been owned less than an hour it can be sold back and the transaction reversed, this sell-back logic will always sell for 100% of the price paid and is not subject to any alterations in the offer by the store.
- Displaying items: This provides information on how many items are currently displayed, and an idea of how many items meet the specific query on a member's inventory that are also of a category that a store will purchase on a sale. By default when entering a store it will list the first 25 items by price, and note how many total exist with page and navigation options to the right to move through these items.
- Filter: Expanded by clicking on the small funnel icon, this allows someone to reduce the number of items displayed in the item list of what a store will purchase and only show those that meet the query. In addition to the same name, type, category, size, value and rarity options available in the purchase tab, it allows queries that look at custom names given to items versus the default prototype names.
- Store Purchase Categories: On the right-hand side of the screen while selling within a store, will list for reference all the different categories of items that a store will purchase.
Store Types
- Member: If a store is set as a member store, organized on the store list under a specific heading, it will only sell items to members.
- Unit: If a store is set as a unit store, organized on the store list under a specific heading, it will only sell items to units.
- General: If a store is set as a general store, organized on the store list under a specific heading, it will sell items to both members and units.
Item Research
Item Research is accessed under the Resource navigation list on the main site and is where members can go to research and find the items they want to acquire in the possession system. It will allow searching of the prototype items in the system that individual instances of items are based on and provide a means to do research without duplicate instances or fear of missing an item that might otherwise just happen to not be stocked. While also allowing a means to research items acquired by other means besides stores as well as limited edition items that may not always be stocked but exist in the system.
List Interface Overview
The list interface is what shows up when immediately entering the Item Research tool, it provides a full list of all the item prototypes in the possessions system that are active and not hidden. Some items may be hidden that are being developed and not ready for release, removed from the system and no longer available but archived, as well as some items that have no means to acquire them and would be otherwise unhelpful to show in a research tool designed to help members find the items they wish to own.
- Name: This will list the prototype name of an item, which is also the original name of any item instances created from that prototype. This name is colored based on the rarity level of the item and has a small picture of the item next to it.
- Category: The category will show on the main page the Item Category that a prototype is a part of. As a major categorization of items, this is a major attribute to help identify how an item functions and what it is in the possessions system. Also where it is likely purchased and where it can be sold.
- Type: The type will show on the main page since showing Item Type that a prototype is a part of. The main major identifier on how an item can be used in possessions. This has an impact on where an item can be equipped by a member in a loadout, and what other items an item might be equipped into in an open slot.
- Base Cost: This shows the calculated base cost of an item as determined by the possessions system item cost structure. This is the base cost that is used by stocking rules to determine the value an item will be sold for.
- Stocked: This shows how many items are currently stocked, how many instances of items are available for purchase, of each prototype item.
- Displaying items: This provides information on how many prototype items exist in the research tool in the possessions system by default, or with a query enabled how many prototype items match that query. It will list twenty items at a time, and allow navigation to an applicable number of pages to review everything matching a research query.
- Filter: Expanded by clicking on the small funnel icon, this allows someone to reduce the number of prototype items displayed in the list of items to assist in researching items, only showing those that meet the specified conditions set. This can be queried on prototype name, rarity level, type, category and size.
Prototype Item Specifics
While the prototype overview section helps review lists of items that meet certain search criteria, clicking on the name of a prototype item will bring up a detailed look at the specifics of a prototype item. These specifics are intended to provide all the necessary information for a member to make an informed decision about purchasing an item or seeking to obtain it. All of this information is just a display of what is set as part of a prototype item structure. With a few exceptions.
- Availability: On the right-hand side, this will display the name and icon of the store or stores that prototype item currently has instances available for sale in.
- Related Items: If an item is part of a visible grouping, as set by the Regent, then a prototype item specifics page will show related items to the one shown. This will often be upgrades or downgrades from the currently viewed item or similar items with slightly altered functionality. If not part of a group this will not be shown.
Application
Setup to provide a means to easily find and purchase items while being in depth enough to provide a detailed explanation of everything needed to understand how an item will work in the possession system. The Seneschal ensures the functionality and interface of the entire system and performs enhancements and improvements as necessary to help the membership interact with the system, while the Regent maintains types, categories, and stores to assist in managing decisions and ensuring an enjoyable Star Wars like experience for all members.