World of Warcraft Beta Phase 2 Report

GameSpy continues its World of Warcraft coverage with a new article that discusses the changes in the second phase of beta testing and why the MMORPG shines in its current state. However, here's a quick snip about something the author feels should be changed:
The best thing to come out the beta so far has been watching the way that Blizzard deals with fan feedback. Despite all the praise heaped on it, World of Warcraft is far from perfect. Trade, for example, is currently a mess. Oh, individual-to-individual trade is fine, but right now, the only way to find buyers and sellers for various items is through an awkward and primitive "Tradechat" system. Any MMO with crafting should have some kind of central marketplace where trading can occur -- and the fact that their isn't one in World of Warcraft is surprising.

The silver lining in this is that Blizzard was quite candid in acknowledging the total inadequacy of Tradechat. It's currently in the process of developing some type of market system that it promises will be a big improvement. Whether that's true remains to be seen, but I'm willing to give Blizzard the benefit of the doubt because of its commitment to the quality of the game. Tradechat isn't fun -- Tradechat is gone. That's not only good game design, it's also good customer service.