I understand that players need to set prices but there still needs to be a baseline. If the price is set high because of recycling then that is bad design. The price hike is not the answer. Balance it on the other end.

I wouldn't cause the new player with little NIC to suffer because of the bad design or method that was used to set prices.

Once again bad game design. Refined materials/commodities should have less volume. Seeded items help stimulate a fledgling market system and new players.

I understand that the raw can be used to calculate the refined commodities. But like you said there are only base npc prices in place on two raw materials. Once again bad design.

I agree.

But the issue is a lot of issues working together that can cause low population. I just happen to be talking about one of them in this thread.

Multiple factors, just listed:

1. the item seeding is bad because its the same items as you can loot or build.

2. the interface sucks - its more a database then a market window.

3. everything is equal - no matter where you are, which faction you belong or which standings you have, nothing has a real influence on what you can build, so the only competition factors are extension-points, and prototyping database. a little bit there is transport of base mineral necessary

4. ~3/4 of the items availiable ingame are of no practical use, so trading them has more of a charity factor then as source of income

5. PvE is not designed to lose equip while doing it, so only demand is for accidental losses, PvP (which is better supported by "teamwork" production then market) and for first time equip

6. did i mention the interface?

I don't see a problem here.

So what should a market window that has a database look like?

I find nothing wrong with the window, except for it lacking some more information under the rates section.

No doubt these are small details that can improve the market and all of what you say can help. It was working quite well at its max player peak during 'Eve exodus'. My solution would come from the thought of what went wrong when we had a market, not how we can improve the market right now because we don't have enough market activity or facts to see what needs to be changed now, so this is all theoretical.

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The best way to make the economy work is to:

Improve solo combat PVE play with 1 account drastically ( PVE changes must do this). These new players should realise that specialising will make them loads of NIC and keep them entertained. Making them just want to buy ammo, bots and better mods for pvp/pve. Once we have the 'customers', producers, traders and gathers will see the opportunities and step in for the demand.

So from this standpoint, question is- how can we make it easier/ more entertaining for producers, traders and gatherers to supply the demands of other players?

Yes the market was okay when we had more players and seeded orders for all T1 items did not exist (I think the seeded orders for items should have existed then too). I think the other issues require another thread.

Because we know it is not just the market. It is a handful of issues that has now caused the exodus of perp players.

Well, I would say that ICE changes this.  The downside is that people are too greedy and ergo products are not attainable.

There are plenty of PvP players out there who are happy enough to run around having their bots blown up left right and centre: for this to be sustainable however they need to join a large Corporation or Power Bloc... outside of this there is no sustainable way to mantain a competative edge in PvP.  Without the backing of a large Corp these players lose access to Tier 4 equipment at a sustainable price. 

When(if) large Corps sell high tier modules on the open market they price them out of a range that is accessible to those who intend to engage in regular PvP.  The end result is, and always has been, a standoff between two or three major power blocs who run a semi-communal internal 'market'.

If you follow this to it's logical conclusion the idea of working to attain 'end game' content becomes absurd; better to join one of the uber blocs and get it all on easy street.

it doesn't mean he doesn't buy ANYTHING from the market - just there is no reason to buy EQUIP from it. Thats why the mineral market is the only one that works

and gremrod:
the inteface sucks because it doesnt show you whats there, and what the items are - even if you filter for only availiable items, the seeded ones fill the screen.
Just count the clicks you need to find/buy from market, each item in highest possible tier availiable for best price:

• Yagel

• 4 light em guns

• 1 small repair module

• 1 LWF

• 500 small slugs

• 1 sensor amp

• 1 field container

• 1 standard teleport beacon

Hey you 3 fanboys are whining about microfeatures nobody cares about since release, don't complain when I step down to the your level here and there.

And to boot, I've done mining on scales you couldn't dream of nevermind attempt.

Back to the topic its quite simple really;

Single toon combats can't make enough money fast enough to PVP off their PVE. Instead, they either do it themselves or join communist corporations. Demand is low. Producers get bored of playing 0,01NIC games and stop producing. Miners stop selling ore because the producers are gone, so the only way to get good mining gear is to join a communist corp.

ICE gets introduced. Suddenly everyone has a demand for NIC. However, the trainwreck already happened and it will take a long time for the pieces to gradually pick themselves up. Low population slows this down to a crawl.

Solution; balance around single-account players, remove Approach from game and let it gradually fix itself.

Its usually far sooner.

More people will sort this out.  Its getting there is the hard part.

Do remember that the people who decided to stay and mine and play the game, have a lot, I mean a lot of stuffz.

Those people might supply the markets at the correct timing.

for charity?