Actually, trading is too easy :)

[markgritter]

I'm definitely seeing the effects of the server-side change; a lot more high demand on my usual trade routes.

But "usual trade routes" is actually sort of a grind. Move food to a mining outpost, minerals to a refinery, metals to industry, back for more food. While I'm happy working out a good balance of missions and private cargo for now, I think trading would have more long-term interest if you needed to put a little more work into locating where there's a real need and adjusting your route. It doesn't seem possible to exhaust either demand or supply right now (except for the rares.)

If your trade route is profitable, maybe NPCs *should* drive down the profit margin and force you to switch things up. (Or heck, maybe you could just *sell* that trade route info to the local corporation.) That would push players towards exploring a greater range of planets rather than running the same trade route over and over.

But the game would need better information-gathering capability to make this idea work, right now the trade route information is not really good enough and there's no systemwide futures market to tell you where to sell. It'd be great to have the different outposts bidding for my high-demand goods. Not that advertising your hold contents to the entire system is necessarily wise...

 

[PillowTalk]

I only think it's easy because it's pretty rare to be attacked by pirates/cops. I remember in the original game, you'd end up jumping into a system with a bay full of goods, and suddenly there's a swarm of pirates trying to rob you blind. You barely get interdicted, and it's pretty easy to escape interdicting NPCs anyway.

 

[Max Steele]

I've been reading today that it is possible to exhaust supply / demand with the new fixes in. Several people have reported that their profit margins have narrowed more and more as they go through a trade route they have.

Try some more trading today and see how it goes. I haven't had a chance to check any of this out today because I'm at work, but I'll be space trucking all night tonight.

 

[markgritter]

I did an hour-long experiment hauling Basic Medicines from Thiin (Kotov Terminal) to STK 626-1 (Fujimori Terminal.) The economy for Fujimori just says "refining", not small or tiny, so it might not have been the best target to try exhausting demand.

Here's my log for demand of Basic Medicines:

1:31 1385 Low, 317 Cr (none sold)
1:46 1385 Low, 317 Cr (sold 100)
2:01 1313 Low, 317 Cr (sold 100)
2:18 1253 Low, 317 Cr (sold 100)
2:32 1193 Low, 317 Cr (sold 100)

The demand doesn't update immediately upon sales (I didn't try quitting/reloading to see if that refreshed.) It looks like demand does decrease by my activity but goes up by about 160/hour once below its starting point. (Note that demand didn't go up at all on my first run, and only 30 units in the 15 minutes after my first sale.)

Unlike classical economics, the demand curve appears to be flat--- perhaps it's a step function and I just didn't get far enough along.

I've been reading today that it is possible to exhaust supply / demand with the new fixes in. Several people have reported that their profit margins have narrowed more and more as they go through a trade route they have.

Try some more trading today and see how it goes. I haven't had a chance to check any of this out today because I'm at work, but I'll be space trucking all night tonight.

 

[Shear]

Too hard, too easy, too hard, too easy... This is perfection.

 

[Helo]

Too hard, too easy, too hard, too easy... This is perfection.

Astute observation. If you can't please either camp, you found a middle ground

 

[Rearden]

I thought Michael said yesterday we were not supposed to see these kind of margins and less than 24 hours later they make a server side tweak to get easy routes again. Either a) I am confused or b) the guys are not talking between each other or c) this is going to get tweaked down again so enjoy while it lasts.

I just wish there was a way they could fix the open market without breaking the black market now.

 

[Amaze]

Its not too easy now.
This is how it should have been all alone.

 

[anday]

I've had to invest some effort to find trading routes for higher grade commodities though. Perhaps you should as well try that. Not too easy imho but can give you good profit/unit.

 

[Biscuit]

I've been reading today that it is possible to exhaust supply / demand with the new fixes in. Several people have reported that their profit margins have narrowed more and more as they go through a trade route they have.

Try some more trading today and see how it goes. I haven't had a chance to check any of this out today because I'm at work, but I'll be space trucking all night tonight.

Yup, ran out of slaves at one station in Sorbago.

 

[MACMAN86]

Is the server tweak official or was the trading server down for the past 2 days as some say? I have never seen moderators working here except to announce their employment!

 

[RedWizzard]

If your trade route is profitable, maybe NPCs *should* drive down the profit margin and force you to switch things up. (Or heck, maybe you could just *sell* that trade route info to the local corporation.) That would push players towards exploring a greater range of planets rather than running the same trade route over and over.

It's pretty clear that making good routes harder to find doesn't actually "push players towards exploring a greater range of planets", they just come here and complain.

 

[RedWizzard]

Is the server tweak official

Yes, it is official. There is a thread about sever changes made on the 23rd, which I'm sure you can find for yourself.

I have never seen moderators working here except to announce their employment!

Not sure what you're saying with this crack. In my experience the moderators are quite proactive and do a good job. But telling us what has changed is not their job. In case you're not aware, moderators are not Frontier staff and don't have any additional knowledge about what has been changed.

 

[Hooplah]

The recent server side updates to trading are starting to work and overall balance is returning. Thus as traders move up to larger ships they will no longer be penalized per the profit margins not enough to cover the costs of ship operation. Additionally I'm also starting to see unique short term opportunities for profits given faction issues and GalNet updates. There are some pretty cool deals with Imperial Slaves but one has to be in the right place at the right time. We're moving in a positive direction and the meter is swinging from frustration to enjoyment and wonder. It will still take forever to get the largest ships but with the current balance a player can afford to fly it as well as make good profits for all the hard work they did to get there.

So trading is too easy? Trading with decent profits is a necessity for any career one decides to choose. The balance is all about that career one chooses. Bounty hunting? You are not going to make huge profits to buy an Anaconda but you should make more than enough to fulfill your needs as a bounty hunter. Pirate? Same deal. Trader? You make good profits but then decide to outfit a combat ship and go for it. Without the combat skills someone in a Viper is going to waste you! This is balance.

BUT...FD has expressed plans in this Forum per the ability to leave your ship, walk around and even board ships possibly taking them over in combat. Let's enjoy what we have for now and have fun!