Automatic updates on exchange

[pliqui]

Hello Corey,

First let me congratulate you for the game, it's really cool.
Playing as a merchant, in fact the only class I played. But my suggestion is a way to keep all the exchange synced with the latest prices. Right now it's very hard to make money by doing trading, you think you have a good deal 30 Au, but when you arrive the price it's other and 90% it's a bad price.

Look that as a broker tool, a way that people can find the best price at one any planet. Perhaps paying a fee each time you want to refresh prices, a merchant award, etc.

Take care

[xdesperado]

For straight trading there are several short routes that you can turn a profit on quite regularly.
Buying Spice, Chemicals and Electronics at Gamma-Javat II and selling to Ursae-Thulun, Hydri-Thulun Prime or Xi Clan World is my favorite. Can often turn a very small profit buying Artifacts on the later 3 planets and selling them back to Gamma-Javat II.
Bellix-Thulun I and Tucanae-Javat Mining are good places to pick up very cheap Metals and Chemicals. You can also useually get some Electronics to sell for a profit to Hydri-Thulun Prime, Ursae-Thulun and Xi Clan World.

There are several similar short runs for the Syndicate worlds if you prefer them or can keep good relations with more factions.

Trying to do longer runs without shortages/surpluses generally won't be worth the effort.

For Shortage/Surplus check your rumor list in the cargo section. If it is at or near the top of the list and some distance away, you run a high risk of it expiring before you can reach it. Look for shortage/surplus rumors near the bottom of your list.

Also on surplus rumors be wary of those from Independent planets. They often have very limited resources so traveling 30AU to get to that Artifact surplus may prove disapointing when you find their "Surplus" is only 6 units.

[pliqui]

Thanks for the tip, will check that.

[slayernz]

The shortage/surplus thing makes trading an amazingly good way of earning money. If you go to DeValtos Prime, you get a high number of rumors. Usually there is at least one shortage rumor there. Even with a starting ship, you can earn $50k-100k per trade easy. Within a few years of game play, you can be in the multi-hundreds of credits with a new tricked out ship.

[Cory Trese]

Javat Prime is also a good place to get rumors.

If you are using the Resource report to predict profit, you may run into trouble if you are traveling long distances.

Over 5 months in space, commercial situations can change. Using the resource report can get you into trouble.

I would focus on two trading methods -- known Routes and Rumors.

If you can stack Routes and Rumors, or multiple Rumors, you can be very successful.

I understand your suggestion to try to show more up to date prices but the game isn't hiding anything from you.

Beyond the data in the Resource report, the Star Traders simulation is tracking supply and demand, not individual unit prices.

However, the simulator is predictable because each planet has a type that generates a reliable supply and demand curve.

That's why Routes work, because they map to the supply and demand of the worlds.

[pliqui]

OK, I understand now. But like you said it's economic 101, supply and demand and it's working very good, after selling some amount of goods I can see the price drop. But would be nice to have a method to have updated prices for the ones who want a more realistic merchant experience.

Will keep practicing until I get the hang of it :-D

Thanks all for the responses.

Regards

P.D: at some point I need to start playing with other classes to get the awards I guess lol