I know a lot of people did not like the bazaar, but we can not argue that most people gathered in the Tunnels and then nexus because of it. It created a ground of a common meeting place for buffs and groups. I've always disagreed to an auction system but what if they combined SWG's marketing system with something like the bazaar? Give players the ability to create NPC's of themself, Have a NPC which was like the "Marketplace Manager" of sorts that could list items and point you to the NPC who sold them locally(similar to the old bazaar in EQ) or if the item was in a different location, it would list the city or town it was located in. This would still allow for the Regional Market but rid us of the awful auction style vendoring system.
That's a great list. I especially like the idea of localized Auction Houses and cultural crafting that can only be done in certain cities.
One thing that made EQ so great was how organically it unfolded - until it became TOO spread out and the population spread thin.
The main cities, Qeynos and Freeport, were always filled with people. Always. The secondary cities and areas, like Surefall Glade, Rivervale, etc - well they always had people in it, just not many (and sometimes they'd just be AFK). That felt right. It felt like life, where the main ports of call were always filled to the brim and the off the beaten track areas were less so, but still populated.
The amazing part is there weren't specific reasons to go to these places, aside from needing a bank. I mean, that was really it, right? Auctioning was done in the Tunnel (Or Gfay on my server), vendoring could be done anywhere, and so could crafting in some cases. The ONLY reason to visit a city was
There's something about that simplicity that really appeals to me. It just made sense, and it didn't seem forced. It didn't seem like they were trying to give us reasons to go to the cities - they just created a world, blew some life into it, and everything just ...happened. It really gives credence to the idea that less is more.
I really like some of your ideas, but I hope Pantheon becomes a game where those ideas aren't needed. I hope they're implemented in a way, and because, they make sense - and not simply as a way to funnel us into certain areas. I want points and locations and gatherings to happen organically, in a living and breathing world, and not because I have to be there for certain perks.
Tavern buffs,
bards who play music in the tavern and grant buffs?
maybe identify magic items by enchanters?
get blessings from clerics in the temple? (maybe clerics should /pray in the temple in order to be able to cast spells for the next day?)
rogues who open locked boxes in the city, any kind of non-combat player interaction that devs can implement in the game.