Newcomer / Intro Commodity issues and pre-discovered systems/stars

[Metjammer]

Hello everybody,

I've been playing the game for over a month now and pretty intensely, too. Today I've encountered a problem that I cannot understand. I was and still am looking for combat stabilizers, so I edited the galaxy map accordingly (commodity menu with import/export + trading routes) and it did show me two systems that were supposedly selling the stuff. To be precise, several space stations in those systems were supposed to sell it. I know of the issue with planetary bases from Odyssey being listed in Horizons (which I'm playing) and noone from Horizons can find them (extremely annoying, by the way). But again, the commodity was listed as export commodity in space stations, some of them I had even visited before. Problem is, when I got there for the stabilizers - nothing. Same issue with both systems and all stations that should be selling it. Does anyone have the slightest idea what I am missing or is it even a known bug? It clearly showed me the export price in the map. I even relogged to main menu and to desktop, it would show me the same afterwards without the commodity actually being sold there.

Second question is, the stars one finds in pre-discovered systems (the ones that are already completely uncovered when you enter them without scanning) - don't they count as codex confirmation stars for your personal codex? I am missing (among a lot of other stuff) type O/A/B stars in my codex for example although I have encountered a few of those already but I don't remember if the systems were pre-discovered. I was too fresh to verify/even think of/understand that at that time. But is it a possible explanation for the missing confirmation for them to be located in pre-discovered systems? And if so, isn't that kind of nonsense? I thought that just seeing (as in encountering) stuff for the first time confirms said stuff in your own personal codex. So what am I missing here?

Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!

 

[Para Handy]

1 - Combat stabilisers are one of those things which depend upon the controlling minor-faction allowing them (making them legal) to be sold (traded). These changes can occur with the daily "tick" - so that could be your issue. Otherwise I have no clue.

2 - Entries in your codex require you to "discover" them - so in the larger population systems that are fully revealed on your entry you don't get a "discovered" message so they can't count in your codex.

 

[Metjammer]

1 - Combat stabilisers are one of those things which depend upon the controlling minor-faction allowing them (making them legal) to be sold (traded). These changes can occur with the daily "tick" - so that could be your issue. Otherwise I have no clue.

2 - Entries in your codex require you to "discover" them - so in the larger population systems that are fully revealed on your entry you don't get a "discovered" message so they can't count in your codex.

Hmm, I don't really understand why the map would show me that a commodity is available for export when it actually is restricted by the current government. Wouldn't it make sense for it not to be listed at all in such a case? Is that a known issue?
Regarding the stars, that thankfully confirms my assumption, so I'll have to keep looking. The codex system is a bit irritating for beginners, though...

Thanks a lot for your swift reply!

 

[varonica]

Hmm, I don't really understand why the map would show me that a commodity is available for export when it actually is restricted by the current government. Wouldn't it make sense for it not to be listed at all in such a case? Is that a known issue?

Because it doesn't confirm they have them, just confirms they are an exportable good. There's a limited supply of commodities in stations, if a player lands there just before you and buys them all there won't be any until the stock builds up again. For common goods this is quite fast, for hard to find goods this can take a long time. You are best advised to use something like Inara.

Looking at Inara it appears most places have these in the low hundreds, with just a couple with numbers in the thousands, for instance on Inara Burnham Station at HIP 10123 has 16,000 confirmed in the last 12 hours, Zhigang Point in Main has just 4 confirmed in the last 6 hours, chances are if you are only looking at the gal map to find stuff that's not common but in demand you will find empty stations where a lot of the low volume ones are, you have to be lucky to find a good supply using the galmap.

 

[Metjammer]

Because it doesn't confirm they have them, just confirms they are an exportable good. There's a limited supply of commodities in stations, if a player lands there just before you and buys them all there won't be any until the stock builds up again. For common goods this is quite fast, for hard to find goods this can take a long time. You are best advised to use something like Inara.

I get what you mean and it makes sense if someone just got the goods before I got there. But Para Handy suggested that the goods might be locked by the govs. In which case it shouldn't be shown at all. By the way, when I go to a market and stuff is sold out, does it show me the stuff with 0 available? Or, as in my case, not at all?

 

[varonica]

I get what you mean and it makes sense if someone just got the goods before I got there. But Para Handy suggested that the goods might be locked by the govs. In which case it shouldn't be shown at all. By the way, when I go to a market and stuff is sold out, does it show me the stuff with 0 available? Or, as in my case, not at all?

Not at all.

If it's a banned good it won't normally be sold, if it's showing as being tradeable and it's not that's a bug, but we don't know the situation in your case so it may just be they are out of stock.

 

[Metjammer]

...but we don't know the situation in your case so it may just be they are out of stock.

Um, I don't know if we're having a misunderstanding but I explained my situation in detail. Or what info is missing? Once again:

• GalMap says the commodity (combat stabilisers) is tradeable and gives export prices for a few different stations near me
• I visit said stations and the commodity is not being traded and - as stated above - does not even appear in the market

If I forgot something please tell me what other details you need.

I found out by now that the stabilisers are forbidden in most markets, as it was explained above. But the GalMap function for commodities becomes rather pointless if it shows prices and availability where none is given. At least it should explain under which circumstances the commodity might not be found there (i.e. forbidden, out of stock). In my opinion, it should actually only show prices if that commodity is available. I mean why would it show me prices when the market is out of stock or isn't allowed to sell them?

 

[varonica]

Um, I don't know if we're having a misunderstanding but I explained my situation in detail. Or what info is missing? Once again:

You seem to be misunderstanding what I said, we don't know the reason why they don't have the commodity you seek in stock, we don't know whether it's limited by factions governance or simply no stock. The fact they don't have any in stock doesn't indicate any reason for that lack of stock.

 

[Codger]

As a side note, the in-game trading tools are not very helpful, and often buggy. So, don't worry about it too much. Just move on. Learn to use the out-of-game websites provided by other CMDRs (unless you object to that, which is fine too).

This is the one I use the most: https://eddb.io/

 

[Codger]

I mean why would it show me prices when the market is out of stock or isn't allowed to sell them?

This is the Frontier way. Lots of stuff in the game will not work as you expect. You'll learn how it actually works, eventually (if it works).

 

[Metjammer]

This is the Frontier way. Lots of stuff in the game will not work as you expect. You'll learn how it actually works, eventually (if it works).

Problem is, I seem to have learned it now but it just doesn't make sense. I get that ED is a complex and complicated game and I like that. But being complicated cannot exclude making sense and this aspect isn't making a whole lot of sense to me.
I also have absolutely no idea why you can't see the module racks size when you browse for new ships. The pre-installed modules don't always represent the maximum rack size. Every sane seller would want a customer to see everything he has to offer so it simply is a programming failure. I wonder how hard it can be to add that feature in seven years.

 

[aRJay]

In Horizons we don’t get to go to an outfitters and just browse the stock we have to be in a position to buy what we are looking at which means we have to select a slot on our ship and then see what they have that will fit in that slot.
There is no point in the outfitters showing you any module that is too big for the slot in the same way that there is no point showing you Power Plants when you have selected the FSD slot.

 

[[PS4] Filthymick420]

@OP I've always used eddb to find my commodities for this specific reason. It will tell you the system, the station, the distance to system in LY, the distance to the station in LS, the cost, the amount available and how old the info is. You can filter it by all sorts of variable filters like horizon/Odyssey, fleet carriers, space stations, ground stations and so on. Honestly I'm surprised that as many responses as there are and this hasn't been said yet

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Um, I don't know if we're having a misunderstanding but I explained my situation in detail. Or what info is missing? Once again:

• GalMap says the commodity (combat stabilisers) is tradeable and gives export prices for a few different stations near me
• I visit said stations and the commodity is not being traded and - as stated above - does not even appear in the market

If I forgot something please tell me what other details you need.

I found out by now that the stabilisers are forbidden in most markets, as it was explained above. But the GalMap function for commodities becomes rather pointless if it shows prices and availability where none is given. At least it should explain under which circumstances the commodity might not be found there (i.e. forbidden, out of stock). In my opinion, it should actually only show prices if that commodity is available. I mean why would it show me prices when the market is out of stock or isn't allowed to sell them?

When you say 'stations' are we talking about a bona-fide station or a Fleet Carrier?

 

[Metjammer]

In Horizons we don’t get to go to an outfitters and just browse the stock we have to be in a position to buy what we are looking at which means we have to select a slot on our ship and then see what they have that will fit in that slot.
There is no point in the outfitters showing you any module that is too big for the slot in the same way that there is no point showing you Power Plants when you have selected the FSD slot.

I don't understand what you're saying.
1. I am playing Horizons (as I stated above).
2. I am not talking about an outfitter but about a shipyard (as I stated above).
3. I am not talking about the game not showing bigger modules but about it not showing the actual ship's possible module size when trying to buy a new ship (as I stated above).

 

[Metjammer]

When you say 'stations' are we talking about a bona-fide station or a Fleet Carrier?

When I say station I mean a station.

 

[Para Handy]

I don't understand what you're saying.
1. I am playing Horizons (as I stated above).
2. I am not talking about an outfitter but about a shipyard (as I stated above).
3. I am not talking about the game not showing bigger modules but about it not showing the actual ship's possible module size when trying to buy a new ship (as I stated above).

You are quite correct, the shipyard page just shows modules fitted in the optional internals section - empty hardpoints and utility slots are listed. It has always been thus and I presume it is the same in Oddity - I can't be bothered with that at the moment.

 

[Metjammer]

You are quite correct, the shipyard page just shows modules fitted in the optional internals section - empty hardpoints and utility slots are listed. It has always been thus and I presume it is the same in Oddity - I can't be bothered with that at the moment.

If you can't be bothered why do you reply? Would bored people, game defenders, people who don't know an answer please refrain from replying here? I would really appreciate real answers if someone has helpful information. Thank you.

 

[aRJay]

I don't understand what you're saying.
1. I am playing Horizons (as I stated above).
2. I am not talking about an outfitter but about a shipyard (as I stated above).
3. I am not talking about the game not showing bigger modules but about it not showing the actual ship's possible module size when trying to buy a new ship (as I stated above).

My apologies for totally misreading yet another post.

Unfortunately it is many years since I bought a ship solely relying on the in-game information, I have been doing virtual builds of new purchases using one of the third party tools, Coriolis.io https://coriolis.io/outfit/sidewinder, since just after I started so if there was a way to find the information in-game I have long forgotten it.

 

[[PS4] Filthymick420]

My apologies for totally misreading yet another post.

Unfortunately it is many years since I bought a ship solely relying on the in-game information, I have been doing virtual builds of new purchases using one of the third party tools, Coriolis.io https://coriolis.io/outfit/sidewinder, since just after I started so if there was a way to find the information in-game I have long forgotten it.

This^^

Of course after a few times per ship I don't have to look anymore. It is kind of stupid that fdev makes players rely on 3rd party sites in this manner. But it's awesome that these sites exist seeing as fdev can't be bothered to put this kind of information in the game themselves