Auto-trade

[Cabrelbeuk]

Hi people !

We are now surpisingly very close to the release, and I was asking myself a question I couldn't find the answers in the Q&A topics here...

Will the Auto Trade (mk3 or other ways) will be back in X4 foundation ?

What made me ultimately leave Rebirth was how tedious it was when you were owning more than 8 trading ships always beeping you for new trade orders (especially when you are in the middle of a fight). That was a huge step back as it made building an trade empire very VERY boring thing.

[Alan Phipps]

From the X4 Devs' Q&A Index Sticky:

Q. Will Trading Software MK3 with the Sector/Universe Trader option be making a return (for a steady profit even if not the best profitss)? What about the Explorer Command Software?
A. The exact software commands from X3 won't be "making a return", but there may be some equivalences.

[Cabrelbeuk]

From the X4 Devs' Q&A Index Sticky:

Q. Will Trading Software MK3 with the Sector/Universe Trader option be making a return (for a steady profit even if not the best profitss)? What about the Explorer Command Software?
A. The exact software commands from X3 won't be "making a return", but there may be some equivalences.

Yeah is from an old Q&A, i got this one but here is the thing :

May be

So for now nothing has been confirmed offically. So didn't considered it as a fact.

[StoneLegionYT]

Devs Facts are not official.? What happen to these forums

[Alan Phipps]

I understand, but if the devs haven't made any further official announcement about it so far then nothing has really changed since this thread. I'm sure we will all hear more on this and in a very obvious manner when the devs want to tell us about it.

[Drewgamer]

Yeah is from an old Q&A, i got this one but here is the thing :

May be

So for now nothing has been confirmed offically. So didn't considered it as a fact.

I have to believe the developers know that "auto-trading" is/was a very popular feature and they are at least attempting to work it in. These sorts of things aren't usually as simple as transferring a system from one game to the other (especially considering it seems like X4 has a new method of controlling NPC ships).

Sounds to me like they are working on a solution that will fit the way ships will be controlled in the new game (X4). We will know more once they have a concrete answer to give

[Falcrack]

Yeah is from an old Q&A, i got this one but here is the thing :

May be

So for now nothing has been confirmed offically. So didn't considered it as a fact.

I have to believe the developers know that "auto-trading" is/was a very popular feature and they are at least attempting to work it in. These sorts of things aren't usually as simple as transferring a system from one game to the other (especially considering it seems like X4 has a new method of controlling NPC ships).

Sounds to me like they are working on a solution that will fit the way ships will be controlled in the new game (X4). We will know more once they have a concrete answer to give

If they can make the NPCs "auto trade", there should be very few technical roadblocks preventing them from allowing it for the player. The only reason they wouldn't have it in is because it is a deliberate design decision to omit it. One which I would think would be a mistake.

[Tenlar Scarflame]

I hate to be that guy that always says "someone will mod it if it's not there", but...

Just saying, the MK3 trade software, when it originally made its debut in X2, was in fact a script mod. It got wrapped up into one of the first X2 bonus packages as an official part of the game later on.

[LameFox]

With the video on steam talking about having a 'fleet of increasingly larger trade ships' I sure hope they don't mean ones we have to direct manually. Can't buy their games if I go mental before they make any more of them.

But yeah it's hard to imagine it wouldn't get modded in if some bizarre design choice has killed it.

[StoneLegionYT]

Yup, Not only that the Bonus Package back then was beyond important because it was serialized or whatever they called it. It prevented your game from having modified and ruin your achievements, etc.

Those days are gone with thankfully so you can mod your game simple or complex but not ruin achievements.

So I'm sure someone make more like what it was before if it's not quite up to spec that people need.

[Vandragorax]

A "universe trader" might not even be necessary due to changes in game design, UI, AI, etc. in X4. We really don't know yet. Just stating if it's in or not wouldn't actually be beneficial without knowing all the rest of the details.

It's highly likely that something "similar" to that will be possible, as managing a large trading fleet would be tedious without a decent level of automation. Let's wait and see how X4 actually works before requesting features that may only make sense in the old iteration of the game, and not in the new

[Karvat]

Without an auto trade system, the game becomes impossible to play after buying a couple of transport ships, and also giving them the same orders every time becomes frustrating
An auto trade system is something that cannot be missing in a game like this

[jocan2003]

The similarity could be that once you have a player HQ you can upgrade it to be a trade hub? or something similar a centralised center of operation and trading maybe?

[euclid]

Mind you, the MK3 trader always was a bit of a controversial subject as many player think it's just a money printing mechanism, too easy, too fast. So with respect to X4 we will just have to be patient and see what "equivalences" there "may be".

Cheers Euclid

[Solflame]

I mean, didn't we see Auto-Trade (Sector) and Auto-Trade (Galaxy) in the map in one of the early trailers? I keep seeing people asking whether or not it is in for players but I know I saw it there! I'll try and find a timestamp.

EDIT: Found it! Very first large gameplay reveal too! XCON 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeYbb0hf10U&t=10m46s, pause as soon as the context menu opens!

[Cabrelbeuk]

I hate to be that guy that always says "someone will mod it if it's not there", but...

Just saying, the MK3 trade software, when it originally made its debut in X2, was in fact a script mod. It got wrapped up into one of the first X2 bonus packages as an official part of the game later on.

They tried for Rebirth and it was a mess, mainly because of the system's system (sorry ) and sector.

And as Falcrack said here, if the economic system simulation is working well already for NPC, it shouldn't be an asshle to adapt it for player. Unless you make it a design decision. Which would betray the idea of making your own empire. Which wouldn't make sense since this X4 Foundation is already announced like a huge pure sandbox without main plot (but lot of stories).

Yes we have seen hints, but we haven't seen any official confirmation announce about it. That was my point in my answer to Alan Philipps.

I don't mind if it is from giving order to your commanders to "go find the best deals until you are attacked or i change my mind", from a software or any way you wanna put in the game. Just want the auto trade feature Automation is key for this kind of game. For the player as well as for the simulation.

[Karvat]

Yea, if it works like that is perfect

[DaMuncha]

Micro managing your trade fleet gets REALY tedious when your in the middle of a war. Thats what station managers were supposed to be for... but we all know how that turned out.

[PudelHH]

I don't mind if it is from giving order to your commanders to "go find the best deals until you are attacked or i change my mind", from a software or any way you wanna put in the game. Just want the auto trade feature Automation is key for this kind of game. For the player as well as for the simulation.

Cant agree more. When I realized in rebirth that you had to manually send your trade ships from A to B and again from B to A, i instantly uninstalled and never looked back again. I dont need the crazy good customisation of trade like it was in X3 (of course would be great to have it), but at least some way to keep my ships busy on their own without giving them commands every 5 seconds.

[Karvat]

I don't mind if it is from giving order to your commanders to "go find the best deals until you are attacked or i change my mind", from a software or any way you wanna put in the game. Just want the auto trade feature Automation is key for this kind of game. For the player as well as for the simulation.

Cant agree more. When I realized in rebirth that you had to manually send your trade ships from A to B and again from B to A, i instantly uninstalled and never looked back again. I dont need the crazy good customisation of trade like it was in X3 (of course would be great to have it), but at least some way to keep my ships busy on their own without giving them commands every 5 seconds.

Me too, quitted the game immediately for this reason