should ship prices vary around the galaxy?

Surely ships are a commodity like any other? Ships should vary from slightly cheaper than base to much more expensive. Areas where there is high supply, such as around well heeled systems with ship factories nearby would be cheapest and rarest and outlying systems off the main routes would be more expensive.

This would give players reason to travel to save a few credits and make the universe a little more dynamic.

Some ships like the fdl could be kept high has the prestige items they are meant to be.
 
Yes they should. Its a cartel at the moment. Should be cheaper in allied systems and central systems, more expensive in remote areas, simple supply and demand economics.
 
It'd be interesting, certainly an innovation if something as such were implemented as no Elite/Frontier game has yet had that kind of feature, nor have many of the fan spin-offs (in fact I think there may be none, although Oolite I am not sure about).
 
Other than discounts for Allied status, no. I really don't want to have to fly around the galaxy looking for the cheapest ships and modules. They are not a traded commodity, there is no supply and demand. There is no manufacturing of goods. Modules and ships are also much more expensive than traded goods, what's to stop people from flying back and forth trading them?

Look at it this way, the ship and module prices are agreed upon galaxy wide, controlled by the major powers and are thus fixed. Immersion.
 
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No i think the constant prices are just fine.
It's not possible to tell at which price any good is, even in a neighbor station (e.g. Abraham Lincoln doesn't know how much meat costs at Gorbachev right next to it?) so how would it be possible to see differences without traveling the whole galaxy (except forums etc)?
And why should a price fixing in 3301 not only be applicable to books but to ships as well?

The energy of the dev team should be diverted to more important systems.
 
I'd also add that all ships should be available at all stations.

No, not all ships in the shipyard for immediate purchase, but we should be able to order one not in the shipyard, with a delivery cost. You order a Car or Motorbike to be brought to your local garage for collection, don't you?

I state this as I understand that there is a future option to have your ships at other stations transported to your current location at a cost and no faster that it would take you to fly between the 2 stations.
 
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They sorta do through participating in community goals and founder world.

But yes there should be further variance, maybe even ships with faults (used Starship sales :D)
 
Not in general, no. As a side effect of events (can remember a 10% discount for some time in LHS 3447 when i started with ED) or as a reward for participating in a community goal its fine. But otherwise ship prices should remain the same across the board (or in this case, across the galaxy).
 
I'm mixed on this. It could add some interest and reason for traveling somewhere, and in a way i'd love the Elite fiction to match with any price variance (New Rossyth Shipyards in Alliance space etc), but i guess it also wouldn't take long for everyone to be buying from these few main manufacturing sites, and it might become a chore for some?

I'd take this further and make the Elite fiction shipyards always have more types of their models they make than other places, and maybe the newest/latest models and upgrades for them?

It might also help focus the spread of the players a bit, which can't be a bad thing?

On balance I think as long as any price difference isn't too great then it could add some needed diversity to the galaxy.
 
I would have a fixed retail price with a local variable discount of up to 5% depending upon supply and demand, local economics etc. I also think buying a ship should also go towards faction rep. Plus influence the discount if you are allied.. The Discount does not need to be percentage based but could be a margin and set amount of credits on the ship with a modifier that makes it harder or easier to achieve a greater amount of the discount. Selling the hull should also be handled similarly with a fixed 10% less than retail price and then modifiers for rep and supply and demand in that station. So if lots of cobra were being bought then they would be happier to buy the ship back so may only deduct 8% instead. but i would cap the best buy back at 8.5% if it was done quickly.

Another career would be the Transporter you could buy a hull at one location where supply is high and demand is low and ship it to high demand and low supply for a profit.would be interesting the mechanics of it but might be an option if FDev did something like this down the road. But this is not a priority right now. Again it would need some formula and then ships would become a commodity and as the background simulation is still being tweeted, it is not likely a viable option right now. though it would be nice to see some thing in the future.
 
The variation would have to be quite low to avoid people trading ships for profit. So routine variation in price would be flavour at best and probably more often annoying.

Currently discounts on ships and equipment are rewards. I'd prefer it stays that way.
 
Please clearify:

A "Shipyard" is a manufacturing facility.
An "Outfitter" is a parts manufacturer.
When an outpost only has an "outfitter", then someone (some faction) makes the parts on that station.
(unless Npc's are hauling Sheild Generators in crates)

So it comes down to 'Suspention of Disbelief'. Do you believe that a bunch of miners and thier slaves are
pumping out Pulse Lazers, because there is a profit in it? NO.

Could be Thagoids I guess.
 
in a way or another the prices for ships already changes.
indirect.
because the excangeprice for your old ship varies.

they vary from station to station and over time.
(yesterday: exchangeprice for my Type 7 at LTT 15278/Zholobov Enterprise = 27 244 827cr,
half an hour later = 25 844 557cr. On another station (I cant remember the name) about 28 500 000cr)

I would be interested in a clarification of this matter.

greetings
 
The variation would have to be quite low to avoid people trading ships for profit. So routine variation in price would be flavour at best and probably more often annoying.


Currently discounts on ships and equipment are rewards. I'd prefer it stays that way.

What would be wrong with selling for profit? You could have it that adding new modules or getting the hull damaged/repaired causes massive scaling depreciation, causing players to risk fortunes trying to get 'showroom clean' ships from one place to another, particularly to warzones where the risk, and therefore the price would increase, significantly.

More ways to make money is never a bad thing.
 
The variation would have to be quite low to avoid people trading ships for profit.

You lose 10% on the hull when you sell it, so as long as you are within that in the variance price you'd not be able to profit this way - but good thought and fair comment.

But remember to strip any modules before you sell it, or you'll lose 10% on them as well!
 
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OMG. That should have been implemented from the start for both ships and outfitting. Would make that part of the game so much more interesting.


The variation would have to be quite low to avoid people trading ships for profit.
I wouldn't even mind that, would still act more immersivity IMO.
 
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