Markets require no resources other systems?

[RadiKyle]

Hi, is it true that the markets in colonized systems require no support from other systems (via BGS trade flow)?

Asking because it seems like everyone is building Refinery markets (to supply the ~85% of commodities needed for port/facility construction), which would intuitively need a supply of resources from other markets, especially Extraction. But I gather each market simply spams out commodities in isolation, without needing any actual BGS trade links from supplying markets. So there's no real incentive for players to make Extraction economies to supply them?

Edit: A related reddit post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/1kthlkv/how_do_two_systems_nearby_support_one_another

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/1kthlkv/how_do_two_systems_nearby_support_one_another/

 

[PilotB]

There are no supply chains between systems and under the current system attempting to supply a station with what it requires through links will remove goods from the market.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Hi, is it true that the markets in colonized systems require no support from other systems (via BGS trade flow)?

Yes. It's assumed that the NPCs travel as far as is necessary to provide a baseline level of supplies to each station, and take away a baseline level of outputs to stabilise the market's own supply rather than have it pile up indefinitely.

On the other hand it will be easier to find suitable routes for trade and more likely to generate better trade missions if there are diverse economies locally for CMDRs to use, so even if it doesn't directly make the markets larger or smaller it's still worth having diverse economies in a cluster if you want the systems to be used later.

 

[RadiKyle]

Ok thanks. This leaves me empty inside lol. Seems like so much more could be done here to make colonization offer more than just building refineries to build more refineries across the galaxy... The Extraction, Industrial, human, and financial elements are missing entirely. Instead of foraging out into the unknown to find resources to build/improve things closer to "home", it's like the opposite.

 

[Rock Hunter]

I think you’ll find some interesting pockets of diverse economies from Architects. It’s certainly my greatest interest from Colonisation rather than pushing out towards a favoured far-off system or nebula.

I’m attempting to foster some interesting mission offerings and trade routes between my systems and those around them and it doesn’t look like I’m alone in that from what I’ve seen locally to me. Though that may be the difference between my looking on a local level compared to a wider bubble expansion level.

 

[RadiKyle]

I think you’ll find some interesting pockets of diverse economies from Architects. It’s certainly my greatest interest from Colonisation rather than pushing out towards a favoured far-off system or nebula.

I’m attempting to foster some interesting mission offerings and trade routes between my systems and those around them and it doesn’t look like I’m alone in that from what I’ve seen locally to me. Though that may be the difference between my looking on a local level compared to a wider bubble expansion level.

That's fair. And FWIW I did see some stats recently that showed Refineries are definitely not the majority of the colonized systems, which surprised me. I assume that's partly because strong Refineries are very intensive to set up, plus from what I've seen it's really rare to find suitable systems with the primary port flag location above a Rocky Body, let alone an accessible multi-slot one. (And I guess that's actually a hidden meta balancer for them not requiring Extraction systems for support )

 

[PilotB]

I assume that's partly because strong Refineries are very intensive to set up

It's the opposite they're very easy to setup since you really want just a couple of things and then you're done. Any system with a rocky body and 1 slot without signals will do. You can just outpost the primary port slot if it's not helpful.

 

[RadiKyle]

It's the opposite they're very easy to setup since you really want just a couple of things and then you're done. Any system with a rocky body and 1 slot without signals will do. You can just outpost the primary port slot if it's not helpful.

I'm thinking of "maxed" refineries tho with as many production buffs as possible. So if I understand correctly, that means primary station is above Rocky Body, plus a bunch of hubs below and orbitals around it, plus pop centres. I forget the whole list but basically a lot of things to build.

I realize maxxing production is an optional choice tho. And maybe it's pointless, I dunno. It's just the guides/discussions I've read so far always seem focussed on max/max specialty system builds, so I got the impression that's mainly what people were doing and it mattered somehow (foolish assumption for this game ik lol ).

 

[PilotB]

I'm thinking of "maxed" refineries tho with as many production buffs as possible

The thing is that the base market volumes will be huge. There's no reason to max it but hubs are really cheap. 1 surface civilian port 1 coriolis and you've got more than a solo commander needs.

 

[Rock Hunter]

The one refinery system I’ve built, the only candidate with any rocky world, had bio signals on it. The T1 hub on the planet, as a result, doesn’t produce semi conductors or polymers. To solve that I put a Coriolis above the planet but a Colony Outpost would have been enough.

To be able to buy CMM and Ceramic Composite I need to visit the T1 Planetary Port. Everything else, including polymers and semi conductors, can be bought from the Coriolis.

I think the two biggest reasons for so many refinery systems are 1. They’re needed 2. They’re so easy to construct.

I wish I’d been so successful for so little work with some of my first, pre-update, systems!

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I realize maxxing production is an optional choice tho. And maybe it's pointless, I dunno. It's just the guides/discussions I've read so far always seem focussed on max/max specialty system builds, so I got the impression that's mainly what people were doing and it mattered somehow (foolish assumption for this game ik lol ).

Since Trailblazers Update 3, even the "smaller" markets have tended to produce a larger quantity of most commodities than an individual commander can ever use.

Obviously there are people - the same ones who fly out to Colonia to get lightweight G5 on their D-rated life support for their bubble ships - who cannot sleep if something they control is not at the maximum theoretically possible power. For them, working out how to pile six different refinery boosters onto a pair of T3 surface/orbital stations is the goal and they have the patience (or group size) to do that extensive building.

In practical terms, provided that you keep your economies to single-type ones [1], you don't need to do that. G3 engineering is far cheaper and in most cases nearly as good as G5.

[1] The other reason you might want to max something out a lot is if you're building in a second-class location, and therefore need to pile on as much as possible to overcome a secondary conflicting economy from the planet or weak links or similar. If you can avoid getting into that situation in the first place you can save a lot of time.

 

[RadiKyle]

Since Trailblazers Update 3, even the "smaller" markets have tended to produce a larger quantity of most commodities than an individual commander can ever use.

Obviously there are people - the same ones who fly out to Colonia to get lightweight G5 on their D-rated life support for their bubble ships - who cannot sleep if something they control is not at the maximum theoretically possible power. For them, working out how to pile six different refinery boosters onto a pair of T3 surface/orbital stations is the goal and they have the patience (or group size) to do that extensive building.

In practical terms, provided that you keep your economies to single-type ones [1], you don't need to do that. G3 engineering is far cheaper and in most cases nearly as good as G5.

[1] The other reason you might want to max something out a lot is if you're building in a second-class location, and therefore need to pile on as much as possible to overcome a secondary conflicting economy from the planet or weak links or similar. If you can avoid getting into that situation in the first place you can save a lot of time.

Perfect example haha It was starting to feel like that.
Knowing now that even "basic" setups provide plenty of cargo, and that markets don't rely on resources from other systems, it seems as kid-proof as possible. Even I can do this lol (tho it still leaves that empty longing for more substance...)