The Game: A 3D isometric SF RPG The Problem: Trying to make trade as interesting as combat, part 2 The Details: I''m stealing this from an old game called Starflight 2: You dock at a port. Certain commodities are available at a price above, below, or equal to a "galactic average price." To buy (or sell from your hold) you select an item. You can accept the offered price, or try to haggle. During the bargain, you can make offers, be stubborn, or refuse the offer flat out (which could blow the deal, or make the trader quickly lower their price). NPC Traders can do the same. Example: "Wouldn''t sell it to my own mother for less..." The port''s Trade Master says: "Stercasium Ore sells at this port for 150 credits/ton." You say: "I''ll give you 75 c/t." Trade Master: "Perhaps I could be persuaded to part with it at 130 c/t." You say: "Would you accept 95 c/t?" TM: "Well, for you, I''d take 115 c/t." You: "Deal!" ----- Unlike the e-bay idea, this is more interactive and has more character. But it doesn''t feel competitive. You''re supposed to be a small trader trying to outfox other traders, race to ports faster, and sell more quickly. Any suggestions. I wanted to combine the e-bay bidding idea with this one, but couldn''t see a way to do it. -------------------- Just waiting for the mothership...

Make bids for the business of the seller, not the goods themselves. In other words, you are trying to outbribe the other traders to get the seller to negotiate with you.

If you win, you get to haggle. If you don''t you get the leftovers, at an obviously higher price.


NPCs will be inherited from the basic Entity class. They will be fully independent, and carry out their own lives oblivious to the world around them ... that is, until you set them on fire ...

You could have a kind of info-network of products demands for the other planets, this way the first to ship goods with a very high demand would get the highest prices.
Information trading would also be very interesting : the first to bring news of some event to the interested people could get some rewards.
Smuggling goods without paying the custom taxes would be in option ( you have some secret rooms in your ship don''t you )
The info-network could also allow to gather informations, for who need what information or item.
eg. There is a civil war about to be fought in the Fomalhaut system, the Queen opponents are mounting an open rebelion.
So you gather that they will need weapons and medicines. Moreover you hear that in the near System cygnus 54, the Baron is very interested in the Fomalhaut system.
So why not sell the information to him, he would pay a high price to learn about this perfect time to invade...
Hey if you tell the Fomalhaut alliance about the baron plans, it could change the whole picture, and you would even be a hero...

I really think that information trading could be a plus.

Or the slaves in Vequess are planning an uprising ...


NPCs will be inherited from the basic Entity class. They will be fully independent, and carry out their own lives oblivious to the world around them ... that is, until you set them on fire ...

If you had not given them the new Psymitter wich will allow them to reprogram their opponents for a while it would not have arrived. Anyway, why didn''t you told them it works only 15% of the time...

quote: Original post by morfe

Make bids for the business of the seller, not the goods themselves. In other words, you are trying to outbribe the other traders to get the seller to negotiate with you.

If you win, you get to haggle. If you don''t you get the leftovers, at an obviously higher price.

Sweet! I really like this! But how would this work?

I''m thinking maybe there''s a General Market, and then there are a bunch of Specialty Merchants (sort of like wholesalers).

Maybe when you get in system, you broadcast a bid at a certain price. If a merchant accepts, you can haggle with him. Otherwise, you have to buy for a fixed price on the (more expensive) General Market?

I''ve been thinking about each system having more than one trade base, so maybe this would work (the other bases could be the Specialty Merchants). Maybe you get permission to dock & haggle if they like your bid price? (Or, maybe for convenience, there''s one station with multiple merchants on it?)

The cool thing about this would be that it would give you a reason to get on the merchant''s good side (by having a good reputation with the system)



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Just waiting for the mothership...

quote: Original post by DungeonMaster

You could have a kind of info-network of products demands for the other planets, this way the first to ship goods with a very high demand would get the highest prices.

Thanks DM! I''ve been struggling with the idea of whether planetary markets should be public (like today) or remote / private (like in the 1600s, when you didn''t know what was for sale until you got there).

I kind of like both. I like the idea of everyone racing to a system to be the first to sell something. But I like the fairly isolated feel. Hmmm... okay, I''m thinking limited communication ranges??? Or maybe traders pass along info, rather than broadcasts?

quote:
Information trading would also be very interesting : the first to bring news of some event to the interested people could get some rewards.

Nice.... This would definitely imply limited broadcasting.

I like the selling of political info, too. But I''d need to come up with a system of what such information would be worth, how to give it (or "know it") and when and why someone would buy it.

Maybe you could sell sensor information. Or you could sell info on a mission that you''ve accepted (double cross). Or somehow maybe you could intercept a communication.... Hmmm...

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Just waiting for the mothership...

I prefer limited broadcasting, because else there is no point in exploring... Perhaps the only thing that can travel faster than light are ships, so specific drone ships carry the information as fast as they can. This way the the time distortion can be the
communication limitation.

If you use a story network, each node would represent events, and each link would represent the actors relationship depending on these events. With a trigger system, you could generate informations depending on your story, or even intertwined with the story... that is if you go for non linear

so much to do and so little time to do it...

Give the traders personalities.

Eg. Trader "Bill" may be excessively greedy and will invariably try to rip you off when he knows he has a monopoly on a good

Other traders may prey on new pilots, using their inexperience against them. Some may be dishonest and sell you faulty goods.

Basically, instead of focussing solely on the monetary transaction, remember that the results of haggling are influenced by the character of the Trader.


NPCs will be inherited from the basic Entity class. They will be fully independent, and carry out their own lives oblivious to the world around them ... that is, until you set them on fire ...

I have never seen haggling done well. Or maybe it''s just something I''ve always sucked at. I never really know how high to start the bidding and when I bid too high the merchant gets ticked and either won''t talk to me or won''t budge on a rediculously low price. In the end I feel like the rewards of haggling are just too low or I never know if I really got a good deal or not. Not that haggling is necissarilly a bad element to add to a game, it''s just one persons experiences.