It would be extremely convenient if there were some way to track the buy and sell prices for the various trade goods in all the ports the player has visited so far. I was thinking that a tab in the Gazetteer, called ‘Markets’ or some such would be a good place for that information. It could list all the trade goods and their buy and sell prices for each port in columns or something. Since this is information that a player could just wright down, there doesn’t seem to be any gameplay reason to hide it, and it would be convenient to have for deciding what goods to buy when you’re far out to zee. Perhaps there could be a storylet to peruse the papers to add the data to your tab, though that might just be an unnecessary layer of complication.
As a corollary, it would be nice to have a journal to make notes in.
This is a good idea. I think that the buy/sell prices should change over time as well, perhaps based on the players actions, and some sort of natural market forces.
The markets page could then only track changes as the player becomes aware of them, so that they cannot build an infallible trading system without putting in a little more legwork.
I don’t really mind the absence of a Market-meter, actually. I’m okay with writing stuff down as I develop my “system” of trading. (I also zuspect that it’d be a good bit of work to add features like that.)
I would really like this feature as well, although if it is not doable I can live without. I wonder if it could be done like recording snippets to your journal in Fallen London? Maybe with a limit on how much you could record if memory is a problem?
I would very much like to see a Market tab in the journal, just to record the prices as you last saw them. Journals are for making notes after all. Otherwise it is a case of having loads of scraps of paper lying about the desk, which is annoying and immersion breaking. Enjoying myself so far :) edited by ProfPlum on 5/1/2014
[quote=ProfPlum]I would very much like to see a Market tab in the journal, just to record the prices as you last saw them. Journals are for making notes after all. Otherwise it is a case of having loads of scraps of paper lying about the desk, which is annoying and immersion breaking. Enjoying myself so far :) edited by ProfPlum on 5/1/2014[/quote]
I’m doing about the same thing, and finding it more immersive, actually. Captain Swinburne is a ‘scraps of paper everywhere’ kind of a poet.
[quote=ProfPlum]I would very much like to see a Market tab in the journal, just to record the prices as you last saw them. Journals are for making notes after all. Otherwise it is a case of having loads of scraps of paper lying about the desk, which is annoying and immersion breaking. Enjoying myself so far :) edited by ProfPlum on 5/1/2014[/quote]
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This is something I support. It is a journal, after all–it’d make sense for the captain to use it to record the prices they’ve seen in it, if they’re acting as a merchant. Maybe encounters with other merchant-ships would result in those prices updating, depending on where the merchant has been.
I’d definitely be interested in this feature as well. Though if implementation would be difficult, I can certainly live without it. Related, I’d love to see price fluctuations in the various ports, but I imagine that’d be pretty tough to implement as well. Market tab being the greater desire if forced to choose.
I do wonder if the prices are going to be fixed (per each port), or dynamic (e.g. as in Sid Meier’s Pirates, or other even older games)
Dynamic prices add more variance to a trading approach to the game - each time you buy something you take a risk that you can indeed later sell it for some profit. Such a risk needs to be balanced by lower prices per item, though, so the player can control the level of risked capital.
We have a journal in Fallen London. Can we also have one here? If so, I think that would be the most realist way of keeping track of prices. If I have never been to Mutton Island, how do I know what prices are there? I don’t think those new fangled wireless communications devices have made it here yet. edited by progpen on 5/4/2014
[quote=progpen]We have a journal in Fallen London. Can we also have one here? If so, I think that would be the most realist way of keeping track of prices. If I have never been to Mutton Island, how do I know what prices are there? I don’t think those new fangled wireless communications devices have made it here yet. edited by progpen on 5/4/2014[/quote]
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I imagine you might find some sailors in the pubs willing to share that information with you.
Word of mouth market prices is actually what I was getting at. If prices will fluctuate at all the first I may hear about it is through talking to people at each of the ports, but this information may be current or horribly out of date. This means that when I stock up on an item and head out for that target port I’m doing so based on the value of the gossip at my current port. I could do well or lose my shirt. edited by progpen on 5/4/2014
Rather than being a random event when carousing (although I wouldn’t mind that), it could be a paid service provided by the Admiral or similar. Like in Rangers or Patrician IV.
Rather than being a random event when carousing (although I wouldn’t mind that), it could be a paid service provided by the Admiral or similar. Like in Rangers or Patrician IV.[/quote]
[/li][li]Much more accurate and insightful ("this item’s sudden rise in price will likely result in a crash soon so maybe hold off on buying it for a bit"), but expensive, and possibly harder to come by (I imagine the Admiral isn’t just sitting in his office, waiting for sailors to waltz in and ask about the price of silk on Mutton Island)?[/li][li]
I disagree with the idea of a market tab that would keep track of price in all discovered ports. It would make it too easy for prospective discoverer and merchantmen/woman/citizen/things. That and it would make discovering new ports with lucrative markets more important than just for the simple joy of discovering it. Besides, we already have the advantage of a market tab, its call “notebook” and researching/help from other players
However I agree with the idea of a journal since I have a nasty habit of not keeping it (my physical notes regarding SS) close to me at all time
It would be pretty cool to have a Ledger Tab. something on the order of:
Bought London Supplies 6 @ 10 Echoes Ea.
Sold Demeaux Supplies 2 @ 1 Echoes Ea.
It’s not critical for me though - I’m really spreadsheet-y and record that kind of stuff on my own.
While it would be interesting to see a fluctuating market that responds to what I buy and sell, I don’t expect it. And, really, unless I’m the only Captain on the Unterzee, I wouldn’t expect my actions to have a dramatic effect on prices.
On the other hand, I do want to see each game be slightly randomized on Buy/Sell prices. It would be cool if Palmerston paid a good price for Souls in this game, but in the next one they wanted Silk instead. Figuring out the lucrative markets was part of the fun for me in this beta. If those numbers don’t change from game to game, then I only have to research the markets once - every other game will be a bit grind-y in that respect.
I like the idea of prices being randomised between games - that increases the importance of truly discovering the world and new dynamics each time you play.
I prefer that to the idea of prices changing within a game (e.g. new prices each time you visit ports) - I think that would make things too difficult to play. I know it feels quite static at the moment, but I think once there’s a lot more story available, we’ll need a few things we can predict.
I do like the idea of a ledger. As the game gets more complex, and there are more items to trade over a longer gamespan, it would be handy to be able to remember what you paid for something (and where!)
It strikes me that in the current build the prices make a sort of sense. There are essentially only two proper shops (that I can find so far.) The Fallen London shop and the Venderbight shop. The Fallen London shop is duplicated in various placeholders like Chelonia, Polythreme and of course Mount Palmerstone. And Venderbight is just in Venderbight. It makes sense that one of the things sought after in Venderbight is Prisoners Honey. They’re in exile, they’ll miss the luxuries. And ditto spider silk being more available in the tomb colonies and sought in London. That makes sense too. I always forget the name of the 100 echo coral that sells for 95 in Venderbight. I suppose that makes less sense, but the margins are better so once I get my dreadnought that’ll be the intended freight south.
Palmerstone seeking souls makes sense. Parabola linen most likely will be cheapest in Polythreme. Small fluctuations in the prices would be interesting. I suspect that my actions will have flooded the market in the tomb colonies with prisoners honey by now. But the price still remains a competitive 3 echoes profit per unit. If only I had a bigger hold. Of course the only things that currently matter are honey, silk and (splinterlack or whatever the coral) because there is nothing but loss to be made trading anything else. Just don’t buy supplies or fuel in venderbight. And that again makes sense in terms of flavour.
A ledger would be ok, but if the prices remain static I am happier without one, as it won’t take long for players to work out and customise trading routes around the world. There’s a depressing lack of entertainment out east, and Port Cecil in particular is a terrifying place, you go there and you just get super scared no matter what you do. And fear is an expensive hazard, especially since you only need 50 of it before your men start jumping overboard like lemmings.
Still, however it is implemented, I think the trading with the small margins and the big fear outlays is a useful means of encouraging and rewarding exploration. Even the Iron and Misery company has some use being off in the darkness but carrying a free -5 terror reduction. Although you probably lose more than five getting to it unless you’re just passing by.