Merchant versus merchant

[Dmanwuzhere]

But in keeping with the topics original idea I would expect to be lit up upon port entry and need a warfleet to beat the other black friday shoppers off.

this is where i think you don't understand the game yet. why should you get lit up? there are already plenty of party traders stuck between a few ports because of their warehouses. do they get lit up all the time? are they lit up because they frequent a known port?
MvM is not a scheme to provide sitting ducks for pirates, it's providing competition between merchants.

That was added as sarcasm at any implied fight that a trader would willingly engage in. If I must fight then I will probably use voodoo and will have repairs to do as well. Or I may need part of a war fleet in my trade fleet. Whatever the case may be, it will result in coin being spent and being in a guild that has 20 contracts will not help in the slightest. Currently I trade and desire no trophy to fight over to prove it.

[William one eye]

based upon what dman said ( not taking it as sarcasm, I came up with this), if there is a desire to fight your way to the best prices, I suggest a new port, smugglers cove. In this port, a player will find bargain deals on reclaimed product.

So the premise is admin places a port on an island. The port is neutral or pirate. It cannot be claimed by a nation. To keep their own ports profitable Nations blockade the port in the form of NPC war fleets. This is automated and actual nations have nothing to do with it. However blockade ships should be generated based upon the largest nations and hostility should be incurred if you are fighting your way in. Smugglers cove is were all the looted goods are sold. A merchant must send a war fleet and fight past the blockade and reach the cove.
Basically to enter the cove, you select the cove on the map. You sail a fleet there. when you arrive you must then fight a series of NPC targets to proceed. Upon beating the NPC blockade and reaching the cove the merchant can agree to purchase lots of goods that are available. The merchant can only contract 1 lot at a time and the lot must be paid for up front. Once a contract is made the merchant can set a trade route and their fleets can acquire product until the
contracted lots have all been picked up. Contracted cargo is loaded to merchant fleets via trade route on the far side of the port out of view of the blocked fleets. So the actual merchant fleets do not need to fight the blockade.

Up to a max level each time you fight your way in make a deal your status as an illicit deal maker increases and the lots you can purchase become larger an more lucrative.

[Maha]

based upon what dman said ( not taking it as sarcasm, I came up with this), if there is a desire to fight your way to the best prices, I suggest a new port, smugglers cove. In this port, a player will find bargain deals on reclaimed product.

So the premise is admin places a port on an island. The port is neutral or pirate. It cannot be claimed by a nation. To keep their own ports profitable Nations blockade the port in the form of NPC war fleets. This is automated and actual nations have nothing to do with it. However blockade ships should be generated based upon the largest nations and hostility should be incurred if you are fighting your way in. Smugglers cove is were all the looted goods are sold. A merchant must send a war fleet and fight past the blockade and reach the cove.
Basically to enter the cove, you select the cove on the map. You sail a fleet there. when you arrive you must then fight a series of NPC targets to proceed. Upon beating the NPC blockade and reaching the cove the merchant can agree to purchase lots of goods that are available. The merchant can only contract 1 lot at a time and the lot must be paid for up front. Once a contract is made the merchant can set a trade route and their fleets can acquire product until the
contracted lots have all been picked up. Contracted cargo is loaded to merchant fleets via trade route on the far side of the port out of view of the blocked fleets. So the actual merchant fleets do not need to fight the blockade.

Up to a max level each time you fight your way in make a deal your status as an illicit deal maker increases and the lots you can purchase become larger an more lucrative.

i like this idea, please put it in a different thread.
it is imo merchant vs computer, not MvM. since it's vs npc's no danger will be gained.all safe for the trader but for the hostility to the major nations build up.
when the cargo on the island is limited it will create a rush to get the contracts, so that more battle fleets per player will be used. when the stock is as unlimited as the other ports, the small competetive elements loses out as well.

still i like the idea. i suggest that loot from skirmishing transfers to this island (maybe with a multiplier build in to provide more goods.

please keep this discussion apart from the MvM one

[Dmanwuzhere]

based upon what dman said ( not taking it as sarcasm, I came up with this), if there is a desire to fight your way to the best prices, I suggest a new port, smugglers cove. In this port, a player will find bargain deals on reclaimed product.

So the premise is admin places a port on an island. The port is neutral or pirate. It cannot be claimed by a nation. To keep their own ports profitable Nations blockade the port in the form of NPC war fleets. This is automated and actual nations have nothing to do with it. However blockade ships should be generated based upon the largest nations and hostility should be incurred if you are fighting your way in. Smugglers cove is were all the looted goods are sold. A merchant must send a war fleet and fight past the blockade and reach the cove.
Basically to enter the cove, you select the cove on the map. You sail a fleet there. when you arrive you must then fight a series of NPC targets to proceed. Upon beating the NPC blockade and reaching the cove the merchant can agree to purchase lots of goods that are available. The merchant can only contract 1 lot at a time and the lot must be paid for up front. Once a contract is made the merchant can set a trade route and their fleets can acquire product until the
contracted lots have all been picked up. Contracted cargo is loaded to merchant fleets via trade route on the far side of the port out of view of the blocked fleets. So the actual merchant fleets do not need to fight the blockade.

Up to a max level each time you fight your way in make a deal your status as an illicit deal maker increases and the lots you can purchase become larger an more lucrative.

It would at least provide those who wish to war and trade a chance for both and thus more excitement. I may possibly visit on a dreary rainy day with
a little extra coin to burn. I prefer Dmans One Eye Cove or One Eyed Dmans (Demons) Cove

[Most Lee Harmless]

Have you considered that the hostility gain could result in a citizen of one of the powerful nations running the blockade taking the black?

[William one eye]

Have you considered that the hostility gain could result in a citizen of one of the powerful nations running the blockade taking the black?

Yes like any Npc fight, a player would need to be careful not to gain to much hostillity with their own nation. You would be able to see the blockade fleets nationality before attacking. Potentially you may have to try a different entrance to the cove, should the first one you try be blockaded by your own nation. So maybe to entry points that could be selected like port travel. And a pickup point also selected like a port, but for cargo pickup.

Thanks Maha, I will move it later when I am not on my phone.

[Grimrock Litless]

PvP man, PvP is what we need, not MvM, that sounds terrible.

[Admiral Nelson]

PvP man, PvP is what we need, not MvM, that sounds terrible.

I find this to be nothing but trolling. But that is my opinion.

Guluere, why would a pirate attack a pirate for 100,000? When that pirate is just doing what you are doing? (Plundering)

When he could attack a merchant, and claim 1,000,000?

Adding to that - They are far more Merchants then pirates at this time (Which is good) but it would not make sense for pirates to wipe each other out.

[Captain dungeness]

This topic has gotten wildly off topic. Let's get it back now.

I'm one of the few merchants that has engaged in some "anti-merchant activities" while also being a trader. As a trader there are only a few weak reasons to ever fight another trader:

1. Everyone knows I pay 2.5M gold per bribe card. Da Vinci and Kart have tried to take the Bribe market from me but I have maintained my position as the top buyer. It is a major source of gold savings for me as well as a source of pride for my trade empire.

2. Da Vinci recovered an ungodly amount of shipwrecks so I regularly probed his fleets with Spy Networks and stole a few prized possessions. Similar to #1: there was a limited resource so we fought over the resource.

3. Da Vinci and I have also fought over the "top ships" statistic for a long time before the debacle that is shipwreck hunting was introduced. Again: limited resource: top spot.

See the pattern? Limited resource = competition and interesting decisions. Unfortunately the introduction of the Fertile Lands voodoo cards made for an unlimited supply of goods so now there is no Limited Resource in normal trading. Most of you won't remember this, but back before Xepshunall cast 100s of fertile lands we had only a few tens of thousands of each trade good in each port every day. This meant traders actually had to think about which ports to trade and we actually cared who else was also trading the same ports. I spent quite a lot of time tracking other merchants and figuring out the best routes for my fleets. Now it's way too easy: Goroum to Hannes. Everyday. All. Day. Long. No. Brain. Needed.

Solution: Keep it simple and bring back limited resources for port goods. Reduce the maximum from 2147M to 8M and you will get some interesting results!
You might even find that some guilds carve out their territory and defend it against other merchants. Tokelau wouldn't tolerate other nations using up their stores of tobacco in Thorakas...

-Captain D

[Mohammed]

Solution: Keep it simple and bring back limited resources for port goods. Reduce the maximum from 2147M to 8M and you will get some interesting results!
You might even find that some guilds carve out their territory and defend it against other merchants. Tokelau wouldn't tolerate other nations using up their stores of tobacco in Thorakas...
-Captain D

a huge +1 from me