One aspect of the game that sometimes arise is the fact that trade in Empyrion is not really working as it could (or should) and the Trader speciality is basically a generic one. The marketplace is not functionning like a real market. The fact that some very low priced goods are not bought and at the same time the same good at much higher price is bought just proves that trade actually is working within factions or alliances, regardless of price - or precisely at higher prices in order to make CR transfer within fations, players or alliances.
This is not a bug, and not even a programming shortcoming, it s a game and players contingency. Also, the fact that this is not a real market and resources are not really scarce, specially for larger factions, the price ends up as not so important. Arrangements within a faction is more important. And factions do need a way to move goods and CR among themselves and members.
But a way to stimulate market exchange, promote the Elemental Marketplace as a meeting and trading point and promote the traders place in the game would be to set a daily cap (in CR) for transactions within a faction, plus a monthly cap. In that case, maybe players and factions in real need of materials might go to the martketplace in order to purchase offered goods. This could be tested in an variable and gradual way, so as to not disrupt organization of factions.
It may not please some, but as we see repeated, rules do not please everyone, or in other wirds, rules always displease some.
I guess I might ask for some more clarification on the change and what you would recommend implemented.
If what I read is understood, you’re suggesting a daily/monthly cap and restrictions on who can use EM and when – that doesn’t seem like a way to promote EM.
What I meant is a cap on the amount a faction can trade within its members daily + an overall monthly cap. That cap/amount could vary according to the number of members of a faction. That s it.
This is of particular concern for rookies / new players, who need to trade in order to earn CR and create their initial capital. Usually, these players tend to undercut market prices in order the get their first credits. However low is their price, trade occurs at much higher prices, which indicates that players are not really concerned about price, their use of the market is to transfer goods and credits among faction members.
Market is therefore not serving its main (ideal) purpose, which is to allow players to make market competition and raise money - specially new players without any resource… Maybe this is not the best way to promote “real” market trade, but the idea is to induce people to really look for available resources AT THE BEST PRICES. Is there any way to induce it?
Gotcha. Makes more sense. Aim being to discourage in-faction trading.
I guess there are plans for Marketplaces in 6.0, but we will see. I’m not sure how much this negatively affects the markets today.
Yeah it does happen, but what is significantly different than meeting in EM to make the trade? Or swapping money via eB transfer? The market is a bit generic, and I’d love to see it updated – but not sure what the cap would solve explicitly (and in stop bad behavior).
There’s already a cap of how much you can post, 30 items. By the way.
Good topic though. I’m sure there will be many opinions.
I think EM and marketplace can be upgraded somehow, I don’t deal with the marketplace because there is too many catalogs of items at so many different prices. (I.E, scroll through 10 pages of iron ingot at 5cr. then 7 Pages of iron ore at 3cr.[???])
What if only traders have the option to post on the global market and make everyone else go to Elemental to sell?
This is just silly. Honestly if factions wanted to move credits around, as you think is happening with more expensive trades, they could do it for free with no market 10% tax through the eb transfer. Ever thought that those cheap sales you see up are just posted to bad markets? Because they are. I monitor the market. Like a lot. While I agree that it is far less used since the update where you cannot trade from anywhere, it is nowhere near being exploited. If anything they need to make it so that all sales go to one giant pool, and all locations can pickup/drop off from it. This way no one posts a sale to a dead area, and gets butt hurt and blames people exploiting the system on their inability to make a sale.
As for cost, yes supply is theoretically infinite, but it is still bound by time. No matter how much you get, it still takes time to get it. So a free market will adjust to accomodate this, and has up til this point.
Yep, this may also be a good idea, to be able to trade (buy) from anywhere.and retrieve sale, o a global pool. There will be other shortcomings, for sure. (And a “I know it all - everything else is silly” attitude does not invite discussion, Mcprouty. Too categorical). Not all players like or have time, to become a market specialist and study the market, you know, like, a lot… If this were a condition to make good trade, pfff. New players in particular will simply suppose - lack of better, deep sophisticated knowledge - that the Marketplace is the right place to sell. How to stimulate traders to do these studies and work along the “invisible hand”?
And to allow only traders to access the global market would possibly distort the whole dynamics and demotivate players to mine (or any activity) related to trading.