Proxy Bidding

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The Admin
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Proxy Bidding

Post by The Admin »

What is Proxy Bidding?
Basically, it is where you give the computer permission to bid on your behalf so that you don't have to stay near a computer to monitor an auction. You tell the computer the highest you want to bid on a horse, and it will make sure you retain the highest bid without over bidding, up to the maximum amount you authorize. That way, you don't spend more than you have to, nor do you spend more than you want to.

Example
You bid $500 on a horse and set your maximum bid to $5000. You now have the high bid at $500. If the auction ends, you win and pay $500. But along comes another bidder who bids $600 with a maximum of $1000. Their bid of $600 will cause the computer to raise their bid to their maximum of $1000 because your maximum is higher. Then it will bid $1001 on behalf of you. All this occurs without you having to do anything. You continue to have the high bid unless someone else bids over $5000. In that case, you will get an in-game private message alerting you that you no longer have the highest bid. If your original maximum was truly the highest you wanted to pay, then you are done. But, you can always enter a new bid up until the auction closes.

Do I have to have enough money to cover all my bids?
Yes, you must have enough money to cover all your maximum bids - whether or not the maximum has been reached. If your bank balance falls below the amount it takes to cover all your outstanding, active bids, then bids will be removed until the total is under your bank balance. This is the same as before.

Will there still be limits on how many horses I can win in an auction?
That has not changed. Each auction will tell you the maximum number of horses you can win. The same procedure will be used as before to determine which horse(s) you win and which have to go to other bidders.

Do I have to allow proxy bidding on auctions I create?
No. You will have the option to allow proxy bidding on your auction or not. We feel that proxy bidding is an advantage for everyone, so the option for non-proxy-bidding auctions may be removed in the future. But, for now, it's your choice.

What is the minimum I can increase my bid?
In a proxy auction, you may increase the bid by as little as $1. In many cases, you will instantly be outbid by a higher proxy bidder.
In non-proxy-bidding auctions, the minimum increment is determined by the player who sponsors the auction (as before).

What if Proxy Bidding is horrible and ruins the SIM?
Rest assured that we want the SIM to run smoothly and fairly just like you. As we have shown in the past, if a few feature has bad side effects, we will make changes to improve it. After all, the only reason we are introducing proxy bidding is because it was requested and we think it will be a benefit to our loyal players.

What if I still have questions or don't understand?
Post your questions in this thread and we will improve the documentation as needed.
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Eric Nalbone
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Re: Proxy Bidding

Post by Eric Nalbone »

Can you clarify the mechanisms of underbids & bid resolution? It seems like that's been the cause of a significant amount of angst as eBay-style bidding doesn't present the possibilities of winning on underbids like steward bred auctions do where you can be the high bidder on three (five in the current auction) but only resolve as the winner of one.

If you can describe the mechanics in these scenarios, it'll help me understand better:
  • Scenario #1) Player A places a $500k initial max bid, and is listed as the high bidder with a bid of $1. Player B places a $250k max bid, which is trumped by Player A immediately via computerized proxy bidding to $250,001. With no other bids on this horse, player A ultimately is listed as the "winner" of multiple horses, and the computer assigns the other horse in this scenario to Player A, opening our subject horse to an underbid. Is Player B listed as an underbidder, even though his name has never been listed as a high bidder next to the horse, and does he pay $250,000 [his max bid], or does he pay $1 [his minimum bid, given that the bid from Player A is now ostensibly nullified by winning another horse]?
  • Scenario #2) Player C wins two horses, and the computer selects one of the final 2 for him randomly, assigning the others to underbids. Player C has actively been bidding across a dozen horses in the auction, and as underbids resolve, Player C once again is listed as a "winner" of another horse as we sort backwards through the underbids. Is his winning final bid on the first horse the computer selected still final, or does the computer again make a decision between the "new" pair of horses?
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The Admin
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Re: Proxy Bidding

Post by The Admin »

Eric Nalbone wrote:Scenario #1) Player A places a $500k initial max bid, and is listed as the high bidder with a bid of $1. Player B places a $250k max bid, which is trumped by Player A immediately via computerized proxy bidding to $250,001. With no other bids on this horse, player A ultimately is listed as the "winner" of multiple horses, and the computer assigns the other horse in this scenario to Player A, opening our subject horse to an underbid. Is Player B listed as an underbidder, even though his name has never been listed as a high bidder next to the horse, and does he pay $250,000 [his max bid], or does he pay $1 [his minimum bid, given that the bid from Player A is now ostensibly nullified by winning another horse]?
The only reason that Player A's bid was raised to $250,001 is because Player B placed a $250,000 bid (by the proxy power B gave to the computer). Although no one ever saw Player B as the high bidder, it did happen for a few milliseconds. In this scenario, Player B wins the horse for $250,000.
Eric Nalbone wrote:Scenario #2) Player C wins two horses, and the computer selects one of the final 2 for him randomly, assigning the others to underbids. Player C has actively been bidding across a dozen horses in the auction, and as underbids resolve, Player C once again is listed as a "winner" of another horse as we sort backwards through the underbids. Is his winning final bid on the first horse the computer selected still final, or does the computer again make a decision between the "new" pair of horses?
The priority is to award as many horses as possible to the highest bidder. The algorithm doesn't award a horse and then take it back during processing. If you are the high bid on a horse and you haven't already been awarded more than the maximum wins, then you win. If you have achieved the maximum wins, all the rest of your bids are no longer contenders for any un-awarded horses.

I hope that helps.
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Eric Nalbone
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Re: Proxy Bidding

Post by Eric Nalbone »

Very helpful - thank you!
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