Why does FD want me to trade to make money?

[Gorr]

Main problem with trading is lack of challenge. You just find best A-B, B-A route, and rinse and repeat. This is just wrong, and boring.

For me, perfect trading would be like having highly oscillating market, so I would need to scout few systems every day to find current best profits, and even that "magic pair" would also change in like 4-5 hours span. Or maybe I should even have to trade 2-3 commodities because of some bonuses and penalties for high amounts with Type 7+ class trader ships.

I haven't played for like 2-3months before 1.3, and I did exact same route with my Type 7 when I entered game.
Guess what - profit was exactly the same, 440k for less than 10min total for A-B, B-A trip.

 

[Haggis McMoose]

Good evening everybody,

thanks OP for a (at least I think so) legitimate complaint. I think I should throw in my 50 cents for whatever that's worth

When reading the discussion I couldn't help but notice the numerous responses stating that you could make good money, quite a lot of credits, easy cash... with bounty hunting or conflict zone engagements or assassinations...
While that may be true depending on your personal judgement concerning the definition of good money, I don't see where this touches the OP's initial question.

If I interpret that correctly, then there never was a complaint about the absolute value/(game time) that combat endeavours net you, but a perceived discrepancy between the gains you get from trading vs. fighting...

I personally switch between combat and trading, a change of playstyle my trusty Python can easily support... and I make about 1.2 million credits per 11 minutes on a zero danger route! (Yeah, there is smuggling involved, but smuggling to a commercial outpost with absolutely no police force isn't really smuggling, right?). So that leaves me with more than 6 million credits per hour when trucking in a low danger environment.

Can we agree that you won't make that average profit with any other activity? Just to get that out of the way...

...and now things get a bit tricky, for the question if those relative profits are adjusted correctly massively depends on your personal perspective on the game...

I would call myself a roleplaying gamer, so what I wish for is a game world that offers me a weeee bit of credibility... and honestly a contract to take out a mass murderer with lots of lives to his or her name, in an Anaconda armed to the teeth with equipment ranging in a financial value of 500 million credits should give you a bit more cash and reputation than hauling 300 tons of Whateverium from starport A to starport B. Anything else is (and in fact, at the moment IT IS! ) immersion-breaking as hell.

So, OP, I'm on your side for my very own personal reasons

Oh, and concerning the question raised by other contributors about the need to make more and more credits: I participate in PP, so 50 millions translate into the option to raise system preparation or control by 5000 points within about 2.5 hours... those creds are my influence vector to promote my chosen faction!

Haggis McMoose,
tranquil trader

 

[Trenchfoot321]

Do what the rest of us are doing: RES sites, logging out and back in until they spawn elites. Combat is fun and you can get some good money from it. Make sure it's a high intensity zone.

 

[Alex Futura]

Good evening everybody,

thanks OP for a (at least I think so) legitimate complaint. I think I should throw in my 50 cents for whatever that's worth

When reading the discussion I couldn't help but notice the numerous responses stating that you could make good money, quite a lot of credits, easy cash... with bounty hunting or conflict zone engagements or assassinations...
While that may be true depending on your personal judgement concerning the definition of good money, I don't see where this touches the OP's initial question.

If I interpret that correctly, then there never was a complaint about the absolute value/(game time) that combat endeavours net you, but a perceived discrepancy between the gains you get from trading vs. fighting...

I personally switch between combat and trading, a change of playstyle my trusty Python can easily support... and I make about 1.2 million credits per 11 minutes on a zero danger route! (Yeah, there is smuggling involved, but smuggling to a commercial outpost with absolutely no police force isn't really smuggling, right?). So that leaves me with more than 6 million credits per hour when trucking in a low danger environment.

Can we agree that you won't make that average profit with any other activity? Just to get that out of the way...

...and now things get a bit tricky, for the question if those relative profits are adjusted correctly massively depends on your personal perspective on the game...

I would call myself a roleplaying gamer, so what I wish for is a game world that offers me a weeee bit of credibility... and honestly a contract to take out a mass murderer with lots of lives to his or her name, in an Anaconda armed to the teeth with equipment ranging in a financial value of 500 million credits should give you a bit more cash and reputation than hauling 300 tons of Whateverium from starport A to starport B. Anything else is (and in fact, at the moment IT IS! ) immersion-breaking as hell.

So, OP, I'm on your side for my very own personal reasons

Oh, and concerning the question raised by other contributors about the need to make more and more credits: I participate in PP, so 50 millions translate into the option to raise system preparation or control by 5000 points within about 2.5 hours... those creds are my influence vector to promote my chosen faction!

Haggis McMoose,
tranquil trader

Nice post. Now I'm thinking of taking my rusty Python out of storage and making money your way

 

[GammaPaladin]

Main problem with trading is lack of challenge. You just find best A-B, B-A route, and rinse and repeat. This is just wrong, and boring.

For me, perfect trading would be like having highly oscillating market, so I would need to scout few systems every day to find current best profits, and even that "magic pair" would also change in like 4-5 hours span. Or maybe I should even have to trade 2-3 commodities because of some bonuses and penalties for high amounts with Type 7+ class trader ships.

I haven't played for like 2-3months before 1.3, and I did exact same route with my Type 7 when I entered game.
Guess what - profit was exactly the same, 440k for less than 10min total for A-B, B-A trip.

Your "perfect trading" sounds like a horrible EvE (AKA Microsoft Excel: The Video Game) style system that would make me sick of it within an hour or two and have me go insane and just start griefing just to spread the misery around.

 

[Ozmodion]

FD are not trying to make you trade, they have many options, but by the read of it, you say you have the best ship you require then why bother with gaining credit.