Making Trading harder: Take 2

[the570z]

Yhea, they dont have a lot going for them, but taking the TM back to a /12-13 like it used to be isnt that big of a drop, just leaves it in the slightly vulnerable category. If the rest of the trade ships are structured more on a risk/reward lineup then it would still be the safest and the most efficient trader in the game.

[silverx2]

but does removing the PSF really make trading harder? That's like removing the Fu there are still lots of viable options.

What about something a little more drastic, such as dynamic Exp.

every 24 hours in game the ports reset based on what was bought and sold to create that days Value for the goods. instead of ports only buy or selling they will buy and sell and have exp/cost based on that.

It would completely overhaul the trading system so not anything that going to happen anytime soon,

It may not even make it harder, so it may not even be worthwhile

[JettJackson]

but does removing the PSF really make trading harder? That's like removing the Fu there are still lots of viable options.

What about something a little more drastic, such as dynamic Exp.

every 24 hours in game the ports reset based on what was bought and sold to create that days Value for the goods. instead of ports only buy or selling they will buy and sell and have exp/cost based on that.

It would completely overhaul the trading system so not anything that going to happen anytime soon,

It may not even make it harder, so it may not even be worthwhile

Removing the PSF doesnt make trading harder, it makes hunting easier. Trading in of itself is fine, its the things around it that are at issue.

[the570z]

but does removing the PSF really make trading harder? That's like removing the Fu there are still lots of viable options.

What about something a little more drastic, such as dynamic Exp.

every 24 hours in game the ports reset based on what was bought and sold to create that days Value for the goods. instead of ports only buy or selling they will buy and sell and have exp/cost based on that.

It would completely overhaul the trading system so not anything that going to happen anytime soon,

It may not even make it harder, so it may not even be worthwhile

IF were going to overhaul trading to make it a challenge how does the following sound:

1. Make higher supply cause prices to drop, and higher demand cause prices to increase.
2. Remove supply and demand caps from ports, let them constantly build demand and supply if un traded. Alskant traders could trade with enemy ports over 30k in demand or supply(those goods only) NOTE: this change may need a slowdown in the generation of goods/demand as it could result in numbers growing too high too fast. Also demand/supply gen. rate should be based off port level and distance from goods(keep route building a viable strategy)
3. Change xp generation to be based on profit percentage, high relations still increase sell price and decrease buy price so super high relations along with out of the way ports=potential for large profits and good xp! Also goods like food should reach crazy percentages faster and thus give lots of xp without large actual profits.
4. Add in port relations, make port relations the ones that remove the need to negotiate so trading at certain ports will net you the fastest trade times. Make traders create a route instead of just wandering aimlessly


Since this would make hunting almost impossible without adding in some ways to help them find traders again here are some ideas for ways the above could be balanced out.
5. Allow hunters to bribe ports(10k money) to tell them which traders have high relations with them.
6. Double the time scouts last
7. Increase turn rate on hunter class ships
8. Decrease the number of bars in the game and have bars supply rumors about which ports in the area are traded frequently and which has the highest demand(tied distance=news at both bars). Giving both hunters and traders the highest demand info could allow traders to make extra cash and allow hunters to stake out ports that might draw somebody in who would have to sit there for a while to figure out his/her trades.
9. Have hunter class ships get a scanner that lets them scan up to two sectors away, thus letting them sit out of range on local and watch a port(however they would be exposed as they would be in scanning screen and not able to see current sector.)

[the570z]

Now I realize that the above is a big change, but if there is interest perhaps we could run a couple test games on the side featuring it and see if people like it before implementing it fully. Feel free to ring in with modifications to it, JJ feel free to tell everybody how awful it is as well

[silverx2]

Now I realize that the above is a big change, but if there is interest perhaps we could run a couple test games on the side featuring it and see if people like it before implementing it fully. Feel free to ring in with modifications to it, JJ feel free to tell everybody how awful it is as well

Anything that adds a dynamic element to the game is imo a great thing. However like you said this would be a complete overhaul and not something we would do without a bunch of test's and test games.

Also not a quick fix like removing the psf seems to be.

the pros are:
it would get traders out in the open much more looking for the best deals at different ports.
Less fed routes due to supply/demand restrictions.
Add a much higher replay ability to each game, each time you go to trade is going to be different. to me that adds fun.
Since routes are different and possibly farther away the PSF's low turn rate would turn into the Achilles heel its meant to be. Spending 30-40 turns looking for a decent route each time you go to trade will severely hamper its ability to be the best trader.
Alliances can work together keeping supply and demand at specific ports creating actual trade routes, instead of busting ports and loading them with cash to create routes.
Cons:
hunters would need to have a wider area of scouts just to find people.
No set routes means its harder to maintain a steady exp/cash.
Huge overhaul takes time.
Getting people to accept change.

[JettJackson]

I'm sorry but trading doesn't need a complete overhaul like that. The fact that it is a simplified aspect of the game is a good thing in the sense that newer players can easily grasp the concept of it. If we made it some overly complex system to trading it would be a complete turnoff for newbs and a great annoyance for vets. We have to remember what is desirable to the game, trading is pretty low on the list of desirability.

[Beausoleil]

We have to remember what is desirable to the game, trading is pretty low on the list of desirability.

I disagree.

[Pickles]

We have to remember what is desirable to the game, trading is pretty low on the list of desirability.

I disagree.

I agree with your disagreement.

There's a whole lobby here trying to relegate trading to a tertiary element of the game. Trading should be underpinning the game and it needs to be made more interesting and time consuming not harder. This whole "Making Trading Harder" initiative is a barely masked attempt to give hunters better stats at the expense of unallied/new players and is not a productive way to approach the problem.

[Beausoleil]

I agree with your disagreement.

There's a whole lobby here trying to relegate trading to a tertiary element of the game. Trading should be underpinning the game and it needs to be made more interesting and time consuming not harder. This whole "Making Trading Harder" initiative is a barely masked attempt to give hunters better stats at the expense of unallied/new players and is not a productive way to approach the problem.

I agree.