Ideas for improvements to gathering trade info

[Sam L.R. Griffiths]

@Len5: You have a point about the not being able to walk up to a station manager and ask (without small talk). However, there are times ITRW where companies do keep their trading information semi-secret and often for good reasons too. In X-Rebirth, the rationale may be to try and not make the game too easy.

The drone spys would be for sabotage/espionage related trade bonuses.

@Zaphod: I made a similar suggestion wrt hiring trade agents previously...

[nalim27]

Hello Waza,
just enable Trading Agent in every station that you are visiting (or at least do it on every importing station).
You must do it personally via Smallk talk with any trader on station

[Zarjazz]

Well I can understand the pricing not being available outside the zone, in the historic pats many merchants or ship captains wouldn't know the price in the town or port until they arrived. However this whole smalltalk game mechanic is just tedious, especially as its the only way to get the Trading Agent.

Having to dock at every station, wait around for someone to finally gain the speech bubble and then listen to the same limited audio messages every time. It's barely interesting the first time, it's irritating the 2nd or 3rd, after that it's just flat out annoying. It's not even close to fun.

There should be other methods to gain the prices remotely.

How about an upgrade to the trading computer that also updates the pricing?

How about being able to hack the stations with the Trojan, install some malware that gives you the updates?

[Earth Ultimatum IV.]

Yes, the trade agent gathering activity has to be reworked.
Smalltalking is not the right thing for this, IMO.

Ability to buy trade offer updates should be simply added to conversation with station manager of desired station.
You can simply open the zone map, select the desired station, and press COMMS, then select the manager and select the updates.

[Lord Crc]

Yes, the trade agent gathering activity has to be reworked.
Smalltalking is not the right thing for this, IMO.

Ability to buy trade offer updates should be simply added to conversation with station manager of desired station.
You can simply open the zone map, select the desired station, and press COMMS, then select the manager and select the updates.

Heck if they just do it like you say, they can still keep the small talk game for giving "good deals". After all, that's what the NPC's say, so they wouldn't have to change the audio or nothing, just what the menu option says and what a successful "chat" does.

That would not make people want to throw their computer through the wall, and yet it would reward going to the stations and tell people about AI and holo dancers.

[Nagittchi]

Smalltalking is the worst. I have to mute my volume while he talks about VR holograms for the 100th time. And even more tedious, not all of them activate the smalltalk minigame. You could stand there for five minutes only to realize that bubble will never pop up.

And what's the deal with these temporary discounts? I thought you got some kind of bonus if you scan all the way to 100% but nope. Beholder minigame just to scan to 100% isn't worth anything. All those discounts you get from scanning only less than a hour, then you cant get it again (until the rare chance that you have to rescan).

I understand smalltalk discounts expiring but for scanned trade discounts?

[Sparky Sparkycorp]

I look forward to being able to tell NPCs than an alternative to the flat out annoying repetition has been evelopted!

[Earth Ultimatum IV.]

And what's the deal with these temporary discounts? I thought you got some kind of bonus if you scan all the way to 100% but nope. Beholder minigame just to scan to 100% isn't worth anything. All those discounts you get from scanning only less than a hour, then you cant get it again (until the rare chance that you have to rescan).

Smalltalk and scanning discounts give a large temporary boost.
But if you want a permanent discount, you have to improve your reputation:
You will get a -15% discount at +20 reputation, everytime you are buying something.
At +30 reputation you will get a -20% discount when buying something (Iam not sure if its -20%, but it's definitely not less).

[Waza88]

I think smalltalk is a great idea for those who have time and will to do it.

Why not have multiple options to give players the freedom to choose which way to do things?
I think some kind of central hub in each system should offer subscription to trade update for a reasonable price.

Satellite networks are not stupid idea either. I mean why not?

For pirates, illegal drones might be a sound choice.

These are things that are not very hard to add to the game and in the end more choices just adds to the experience.

What bothers me in many games is that players are forced to do things certain ways instead of giving them a choice.

[Santi]

Trade agents concept is good, but the smalltalk shouldn't be the only option to get trade updates. It kills the replayability of the game. I am just finishing putting Trade Agents in every station and no way I am going to start a new game and do it again.

[Silla]

Concerning the updated tradelist.. the question at hand is why it is so tedious (also its by far better than the scanning part) As someone said before I also think the manager should do that without much talking as he should be interested in having coustomers... but cus the manager is bussy. As long as you are in good relation with the stations faction you'd simply go to the stations terminal show your ID and press the button... "keep me posted". If you are not on a good enough term ... well than hack that terminal with your magical hands and some hacker chips.

One of the problems with some game mechanics in XR is that its ...
a) sometimes totally unrealistic from what most people are used too and I'm not talking about physics here
b) it often turns out tedious without much variety

I think what would make sense ...when talking to people and they offer you a reward for trading is that this person becomes an "insider". Rather than just beeing an update terminal for you (thats the managers job as I said) a real "insider" gives you inside of whats going on , hence you might get good information! As alternative for scanning of every (i) Thats what it should be about.

So I suggest different kind of insiders here which could work next to each other:

a) Insider that tells you one certain information about some station (we have that one already)
b) Insider that tells you information about the station your at the moment (for a certain timespan)
c) A paid insider that gives you any inside he might stumbel on as long as you can/do pay him
d) A paid insider that gives you any inside he can get hold of even by illegal means but he has to be paid as well at a higher rate. However as he might do illigeal stuff he could be captured ..once that happens you wont get new information and also if he is talketive you might get some bad reputation

In additon insiders could come at different level skills...also you could have several insiders working at a station to maximise the possibilty of unlocking "rewards".
Secondly insiders (especially these that are paid) could work as missiongenerators as well. I mean by that ..instead of:

"Hey you look sexy I will do work for you untill Im dead"

it should be:

"Hey sexypants I could give you some information but its gonne cost ya. I have a small problem at hand, soo if you help me I'll help you , if you know what I mean ^^"

And instead of flying hours over some stupid symbols ...you'd actually go out do stuff. And if EGO also comes up with some more (creative) types of missions (put a story behind it, into it)..well you get the idea

e) Insider that does the deed because you actually did something worthwhile. Comes in different skill levels and for different timespans (including forever or he might ask you for help again) depending on the mission..

[vladi8505]

Why just they give us a particular mission with reward trade agent it will be much more easy for them or option when you attack particular person for criminal mission give us option to talk with him and ask him to work for us like spy agent on particular station it will be easy too:)not this small talk nonsense!!!