How quickly do trade routes get "bombed out"?

Odan Brota · Mar 9, 2015

I've recently figured out how trading works in this game (call me stupid, but it wasn't exactly intuitive for me), and have noticed that people no longer share trade routes for fear of them getting annihilated by the unwashed masses. I myself have figured out several "decent" routes (I usually cap around 2-2.5 million creds per hour in my 212 cargo clipper), and have considered sharing them with my friends.

However... I am grinding away to outfit my clipper, and it'll take about 30 hours worth of trading to kit it out... so I would like to milk my run dry before moving on. How quickly can a run be destroyed by sharing it?

As an additional question, is all the secrecy surrounding trade routes harming the game? I personally learn best by watching what works, and then I can emulate it. Thus, since I didn't really think about trading until Frontier nerfed it, I was not able to watch someone who knew what they were doing, so it took me longer to understand how trading works.

Midian27 · Mar 9, 2015

Depends on the size of supply. I have a route that I can in one night run to the point of it not being profitable. I have another route that has never dipped no matter how many hours I grind.

49rTbird · Mar 9, 2015

The one I do seems to fluctuate even as I do the runs. An item will go from 13000 to 12900 to 13200. It all depends on how much traffic that system has it seems and how often I do the run without a break. Good luck out there.

Tuzmaal · Mar 9, 2015

Depends on if there is a braindead publishing it on pubic tools/sides for the lazy leechers to crush.

Ari Ben Zayn · Mar 9, 2015

Where I am currently there's a ~750000 supply of Palladium on one end and a ~30-50000 supply of performance enhancers on the other end. The palladium system has 100-250 people each day and its prices rarely moves, and if they do only by single digit ranges.

The performance enhancers on the other end are gobbled up by only 20-40 people per day. Last week there seemed to be a lull and I could get profits of up to 1360 per ton for a precious few hours. This quickly changed and it dropped to ~800 in short time and has not recovered, because even more people are coming to the system.

Super_Duty · Mar 9, 2015

Same here, one route has 200K+ Palladium at a station at $12,600ish per that I can move day and night with minimal change in my Clipper at 208t. Others are just the opposite...always looking for those "golden" supply points. Though sometimes they are found in the oddest locations. Also, I still haven't quite figured out those systems with pristine metals with the stations that just sell dog food...

Midian27 said:
Depends on the size of supply. I have a route that I can in one night run to the point of it not being profitable. I have another route that has never dipped no matter how many hours I grind.

Odan Brota · Mar 9, 2015

Midian27 said:
Depends on the size of supply. I have a route that I can in one night run to the point of it not being profitable. I have another route that has never dipped no matter how many hours I grind.

Interesting. I have not stumbled on a good route like that yet, but I'm keeping my hopes up.

Tuzmaal said:
Depends on if there is a braindead publishing it on pubic tools/sides for the lazy leechers to crush.

Do you suppose that's harming the game, since people won't share information? Should they increase supply?

Ari Ben Zayn said:
Where I am currently there's a ~750000 supply of Palladium on one end and a ~30-50000 supply of performance enhancers on the other end. The palladium system has 100-250 people each day and its prices rarely moves, and if they do only by single digit ranges.

The performance enhancers on the other end are gobbled up by only 20-40 people per day. Last week there seemed to be a lull and I could get profits of up to 1360 per ton for a precious few hours. This quickly changed and it dropped to ~800 in short time and has not recovered, because even more people are coming to the system.

Interesting. I wish the in-game tools were a little more advanced, I'd like to see how long I can put pressure on the supply in my run before it starts to crap out.

Ari Ben Zayn · Mar 9, 2015

Odan Brota said:
Interesting. I wish the in-game tools were a little more advanced, I'd like to see how long I can put pressure on the supply in my run before it starts to crap out.

That's the easy part - when prices start dropping!

But seriously, I believe there will be some adjustments to the ingame-trade-route-tool-thingy in 1.2. But that won't change the "problem" of medium five digit supplies being eaten up by 26 Type9 transporters with 500t cargo holds each.

specialsymbol · Mar 9, 2015

Five runs in a T9 I'd say. Haven't even seen anyone but me working that specific route.

daddyNumbers · Mar 9, 2015

I've been running a trade route with Performance Enhancers-Gold and getting a solid 2500cr per return trip since 1.1 ... haven't seen any fluctuation at all - i am running them 45ly each way though, so maybe thats the way to keep a strong route

CMDR Reza Malin · Mar 9, 2015

Tuzmaal said:
Depends on if there is a braindead publishing it on pubic tools/sides for the lazy leechers to crush.

This +1000

ErgotMagni · Mar 9, 2015

Isn't this analagous to how it would really be? prices change as supplies change as goods move.. the 'brain dead publishing' is very much like modern media

(meaning the internet not necessarily fox news et al)

Marek15 · Mar 9, 2015

Also keep in mind that stations with higher population have a bigger supply and produce more goods. Right now i have been trading palladium from the same station with a supply of over one million ton for days making over 10000 Cr/ton/hour.
It's rather silly that you can find a single high population system with an inexhaustible supply of "high supply" goods and find several systems with high demand for those goods all around it.

CMDR Reza Malin · Mar 10, 2015

ErgotMagni said:
Isn't this analagous to how it would really be? prices change as supplies change as goods move.. the 'brain dead publishing' is very much like modern media (meaning the internet not necessarily fox news et al)

I play games to avoid real life frustrations such as modern media. So while i agree with what you are saying, i don't want it in my video games.

Not only that, the principle here is very simple for me. People work hard to find good trade routes, nothing is more annoying that some dudes turning up in type 9's and leeching it for 80 or so return journeys each like many of the no life type 9 drivers i have seen so far.

Its not even hard to find a good trade route for anyone with half a brain, what is hard to find though is good trade routes that haven't been split wide open. All because one dude who also finds it decides to go and make the information available to a 3rd party program. Its moronic.

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Marek15 said:
Also keep in mind that stations with higher population have a bigger supply and produce more goods. Right now i have been trading palladium from the same station with a supply of over one million ton for days making over 10000 Cr/ton/hour.
It's rather silly that you can find a single high population system with an inexhaustible supply of "high supply" goods and find several systems with high demand for those goods all around it.

Its not silly, the stations are merely go betweens for the planets they orbit. You think one ship can satisfy or even make a dent in the supply for some of the huge populations on the larger planets?

Synther · Mar 10, 2015

I was hitting up a trade route last week and I noticed it started to drain today (gold was 1500 profit but now it's like 800. Gave up and outfitted the Asp in preparation for tomorrow's patch!

NewYears1978 · Mar 10, 2015

I've been using he same rates trade route for two months. I don't play a lot but in the last week I racked up 15m...I don't know how much per run. I think a mil or so... I always multitask so never paid much attention.

Marek15 · Mar 10, 2015

CMDR Reza Malin said:
Its not silly, the stations are merely go betweens for the planets they orbit. You think one ship can satisfy or even make a dent in the supply for some of the huge populations on the larger planets?

I meant it is silly that you can find a system with high demand right next to one with a huge supply. I would have expected the game to simulate NPC trading between systems reducing the demand of systems that are next to ones with high supply.

SirAdelaide · Mar 10, 2015

The first trade run I got excited about was 2Ls in system 1000CR/t. I bought my first trade ship to run it (T7). In half an hour the profit dropped by half due to only 1000 supply dropping to 500 supply.

I've found bigger and better now, but it was a good evening at the time.

Stumbling · Mar 10, 2015

I've been running a route found using Slopey's excellent trading tool- not one of the shortest routes, nor are the bases right next to the stars, and i find that sort of route doesn't get affected by the hordes like any short route 'max profit' does.

The highest profit short routes get eaten very fast, much better to find a longer 2-3 jump route with a bit of travelling time with a decent profit that will stay around longer, saving you time having to relocate!

Captain Willard · Mar 10, 2015

Slopey's LOLOLOO why not just have someone else play the game for you.