trading Bugged

[Zeabz]

I have multiple Weapon Factories and the AI will not buy from them. Even when they are set to the lowest amount.

Thinking it was perhaps the stations. I bought a Equipment dock thinking the AI would like that better and still no one will trade with me. Is this a bug? I am assuming it has something similar to do with the UT and ST not working either. Anyone else experienced this?


{moved from TC Tech Support - Carlo}

[euclid]

Like for most hightech wares the sink rate is very low and since only equipment docks will buy weapons the demand is low anyway. Whilst 1MJ shields sell like hot cake already the very basic IRE is bought distinctly less often. You can imagine how bad the sale of more advanced weapons will be.

Cheers Euclid

[Carlo the Curious]

In my experience, the demand for most weapons is actually quite low, so I'm not too surprised you're having trouble getting rid of them if you're relying on the AI traders.

Incidentally, ST/UT uses completely different code (mostly) to the AI freetraders, so it's unlikely a problem would be related unless it was something really fundamental.

Also, moved to main forum, since they're doesn't seem to be a technical issue here (yet, anyway).

[frymaster]

when an AI station wants to buy something, its ship will examine all the stations in the jump radius (no idea what that is for AI stations), pick the lowest selling station at that point in time, and travel to it to buy the goods. It'll then buy as many as possible and return to the station.

My point? With a fairly large jump radius, and a fairly slow ship (TS's are slow even ignoring the fact the AI doesn't fully upgrade them speed-wise), it can take a looong time for any stations you plop down to get attention. If there's low demand, or a large number of suppliers, the problem is worse as there's more chance of someone else undercutting you at the one point in the cycle when the AI makes the decision about where to go.

[alyoder]

So help me out here.....

....why couldn't I just produce weapons and then use my own traders to sell then all over the galaxy, seeing as how (at least in my game) almost every stinking place I go is 0/xxxx of all weapons?

Seems like I could make a killing... and I like the idea of being an arms dealer.

[Dragoongfa]

Weapons are the big trade money makers, the problem is that its difficult to automate it.

If you notice, you can sell every weapon and missile at any EQ dock, even those that are not listed for buying, using this you can (manually) sell an infinite amount of weapons.

EDIT: You can try and set the price 1cr bellow average, that should invite automated traders.

[ZaphodBeeblebrox]

I must have a dozen of what I call Military Complexes. Each complex has a number of weapon, shield and missile fabs (A distinct set for each race.) Initially, I built them to stock my growing defence forces. I fully expected to pump credits into them to keep them going. However, this does not seem to be the case.

Each complex is making money! They out perform all of the other complexes I have built.

A number items do not sell, notably 25MJ shields, HEPT, Aurora missiles and some of the other older missile types.

I also have the stock in trade of any major weapons dealer, the 1MJ, 5MJ, IRE. and PAC fabs dotted about the place. These still manage to turn a profit as well.

So I would recommend build complexes. Eventually you will put in a fab that sells and sells well. This will in effect make profit and pay for all the other weapons in the complex.

A win, win situation then.

[Tiedyeguy]

I suppose you already checked to see that your stations are set to "Other races can trade with this station: YES"?

[Rapier]

In Reunion I set up a network of trading stations and equipment docks to sell the products from my complexes (particularly weapons). The docks were supplied using CLS and had high level CAGs working for them to do the selling. This worked quite well once I'd tweaked the parameters for the CAGs. I expect it's possible to set up something similar in TC. It probably doesn't make financial sense, but it does have two advantages; it cuts down on the time and energy wasted when a selling ship is too slow reaching it's destination, and it stops factories getting filled with wares cutting out their downtime.

[ThommoHawk]

(X3R) although all of my weapons hubs are selling and now making 10x more profit than my stand alone stations, it took a while for AI traders to find them. Also, I think my unassigned UT's buy and sell wares from these Hubs too. These weapons Hubs have no 'sales' traders assinged to them, so they do quite well simply as 'shops' that other traders come to buy stuff from.

My biggest profit making hub I have is the HighTech Hub (located in Antigone Memorial) put together for supplying my HQ. This was made to produce a lot more than the HQ needed, to see if any excess can be sold. Even though the High Tech Hub has no 'sales' trader ships of its own, it is making a fortune (about 100mil every 1 or 2 game days now). Other than the necessary resource-producing stations, this hub also has 10 chip plants and iirc 10 computer component plants, about the same in Quantum Tube factories, as well as some Fighter Drone factories (the only 'weapons' it produces are drones), and I think these products are what are always selling, becuase they are constatly in production, even if I am not taking stuff for the HQ..