We seriously need a new shop/trading plugin.

Which would solve idea emerald currency issue. Only problem, as I see it, is that some NPC trades are really ridicules, and might cause a huge inflation in the currency, as the NPC's are pretty much an infinite source of emeralds.

I'll stick with being able to trade everything for now. Would be easy to convert if something else is decided.

Three options.

Make it use some mineral item as currency. Personally, I see this as having the disadvantage of meaning that the economy will revolve around that item.
Be bold and have it use a super-rare or otherwise impossible-to-get item as currency and distribute a certain amount to people. Examples might be music discs, XP potions, technical blocks, etc.
Use a barter-centric system like we did before. This is fairly hard to mess up.

Also, I think the idea of using the chest GUI is, to be honest, a bad idea. Text-based might be a little more tedious to do, but it's also easier for people to understand. Modifying how the chest grid system works is bound to not work.

Three options.

Make it use some mineral item as currency. Personally, I see this as having the disadvantage of meaning that the economy will revolve around that item.
Be bold and have it use a super-rare or otherwise impossible-to-get item as currency and distribute a certain amount to people. Examples might be music discs, XP potions, technical blocks, etc.
Use a barter-centric system like we did before. This is fairly hard to mess up.

Also, I think the idea of using the chest GUI is, to be honest, a bad idea. Text-based might be a little more tedious to do, but it's also easier for people to understand. Modifying how the chest grid system works is bound to not work.

discs are really easy to get , all you need is a skeleton and creeper.

Bitcoins anyone? :>
Making a plugin that receives/checks bitcoin transactions should be doable though I suspect the bitcoin currency and how to handle it is too complicated for most, especially the younger, players.

Using real money might not be the best idea. There will be too much stealing. But the idea is good.

Also, I think the idea of using the chest GUI is, to be honest, a bad idea. Text-based might be a little more tedious to do, but it's also easier for people to understand. Modifying how the chest grid system works is bound to not work.

The design I'm currently working in, will be very easy to work with, once it's done. It will support shift-clicking items into the chest when buying stuff. On top of that, I'm working on making it absolutely foolproof, but we'll see how that goes. The only thing that people will have to learn, is where to put the items initially, and the plugin even tells you that, and explains what you have done wrong.
I played a bit around with the idea of making an ingame tutorial to it as well.. But we'll see about that.
It's currently at a bit of standstill, as I'm moving to my own apartment this weekend, so I have been busy packing. But once I'm settled in, I'm starting development again.

Worked a bit more on it today, as I had some free time. You can now add shops and access shops. Next part is the actual transactions.
This is the case of adding and shopping in a shop:
Create chest, (single or double, doesn't matter), write /adshop add. Next interaction, (left or right-click), with a chest will try to add it as a shop, (checks itemplacement in the chest), tells you what you did wrong, like placing the items at a wrong spot in the chest. (Will tell you where to place them, depending on the chest size)
Now that the chest is added, you can shop in it. If anyone besides the owner tries to interact with the chest, they are prompted to turn on shopping-mode, (/adshop shop), in order to use the chest, and turn it off again with the same command.

Next on my agenda:
Make transactions possible, and making them foolproof by bypassing looting from the chest altogether, and instead making the shop transfer it's items to you, if you have deposited enough currency.
Add fail-safe so the user can't turn off shopping mode, while having a shop open.
Also make the player able to refund within X amount of time of the purchase, if he miss-clicked.

Day 23:
Ate a peanut butter sandwich.
Still haven't found cure for cancer.
Successfully programmed shop plugin for minecraft.

Just thought I would let you know that I'm actually working on it, and giving you a chance to comment and discuss if you want something changed.

EDIT: I have realized that making the buyer-end of this plugin also chest based, is a stupid idea, and will probably end up being more of a hassle for the one buying, so I'm making it text based instead, and the seller part will be chest-based instead.

would it be possible to add a clientside addon.
not required to use the shop, but to merely simplyfy it.

If you ask i can provide the GUI for it.

would it be possible to add a clientside addon.
not required to use the shop, but to merely simplyfy it.

If you ask i can provide the GUI for it.

Well that would require modding the actual files in the jar, wouldn't it? Or using some kind of mod-loader?
I can't see how you would make this easier than it is, though. You simply punch the chest that contains what you want, and then write "/adshop buy X" replacing X with the amount you want. Everything else is automatic.

would it be possible to add a clientside addon.
not required to use the shop, but to merely simplyfy it.

If you ask i can provide the GUI for it.

Well that would require modding the actual files in the jar, wouldn't it? Or using some kind of mod-loader?
I can't see how you would make this easier than it is, though. You simply punch the chest that contains what you want, and then write "/adshop buy X" replacing X with the amount you want. Everything else is automatic.

Well i was thinking about Risugami's Modloader.

But if the user interface is that easy , then okay.