Merchant versus merchant

[Haron]

I'm not sure resources should be reduced as drastically as that, but I definitely agree on the general principle: There needs to be competition between traders (that does not necessarily mean combat!). Limiting resources and changing the way supply and demand works is a good way to achieve this. Trade is core to the game. Thus, trade needs to have an element of competition (again, NOT the same as combat).

[Meliva]

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 very interesting suggestion. I admit at first I was immensely against it since it would hurt my play style, but I will instead analyze how it will affect the game on the whole instead of just me. And after thinking for a while I am still against it. What is there to stop a select few from monopolizing certain ports. What happens to the newbies who wish to build some ships are unable to because the vast majority of resources are taken? What if several players start buying all the resources and keeping it in a warehouse?
On the plus side it would make things more competitive, and would probably make fishing much more popular again.

[Most Lee Harmless]

I'd like to see a market system which pays more attention to port population and varied demand caused by that : greater population should mean more demand and more production of the 'home' resource, thus more trade and thus more tax income for the owners : falling populations should impact trade and production adversely with dire consequence for tax incomes.
But that will not create more 'action' for onlookers : it will create merchants forced to be more careful and active in planning trade routes and the cleverest will earn more profits.
Where a more dynamic population-related pricing structure could have a great impact is to make party routes more volatile, as throwing a party would remove that stock initially from the source port, thus pushing up prices, and as it is consumed instantly, further unbalance demand in the receiving port (they wont need it so prices would fall). Timing of your party would become a major aspect of making the best profit.
Example : Chalkos produces 1million crates of food per day : its population needs 600k to live on : more population needs more food internally = less available to sell in market = higher prices : along comes CDV and ships out 400k for a party in Hannes : now Chalkos has no food left to sell : prices spike to the point a party card wont earn any profit anyway : merchants will need to look elsewhere for goods until production catches up again, prices fall and its worth buying and shipping. meanwhile, in Hannes, the party CDV threw has soaked up the demand : Hannes doesnt need food for a while, prices plummet : merchants cant make a profit selling there, so again, they must look elsewhere for their margins.

[Maha]

I'd like to see a market system which pays more attention to port population and varied demand caused by that : greater population should mean more demand and more production of the 'home' resource, thus more trade and thus more tax income for the owners : falling populations should impact trade and production adversely with dire consequence for tax incomes.
But that will not create more 'action' for onlookers : it will create merchants forced to be more careful and active in planning trade routes and the cleverest will earn more profits.
Where a more dynamic population-related pricing structure could have a great impact is to make party routes more volatile, as throwing a party would remove that stock initially from the source port, thus pushing up prices, and as it is consumed instantly, further unbalance demand in the receiving port (they wont need it so prices would fall). Timing of your party would become a major aspect of making the best profit.
Example : Chalkos produces 1million crates of food per day : its population needs 600k to live on : more population needs more food internally = less available to sell in market = higher prices : along comes CDV and ships out 400k for a party in Hannes : now Chalkos has no food left to sell : prices spike to the point a party card wont earn any profit anyway : merchants will need to look elsewhere for goods until production catches up again, prices fall and its worth buying and shipping. meanwhile, in Hannes, the party CDV threw has soaked up the demand : Hannes doesnt need food for a while, prices plummet : merchants cant make a profit selling there, so again, they must look elsewhere for their margins.

+1
this is what Captain D, Haron and i am revering to. this game is for intelligent people. casting party cards is not high on a smart persons list. my original idea to fight boredom may not be the way. that's ok. i like the suggestions made to create need for competion and the use of braincells.

[Grimrock Litless]

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

If you take your time and look, you can actually notice that the stocks in the ports are dropping, it's slow, but it's dropping.

[Donald Trump]

If this gets implemented. I guess I will be forced to do trade in only Caspian - Goroum. Don't even think about starting your own nation or going into an empty one. Every nation will monopolize their ports and refuse access to others.

Newbies will be left out in the cold. Gameplay options will be massively restricted. People will be forced to join Kitts just to continue their trade. Now we will have a supersized nation and completely kill off diversity.

Too radical of an idea and definitely game-breaking for a small issue imo.

Massive -1.

[Bmw]

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

If you take your time and look, you can actually notice that the stocks in the ports are dropping, it's slow, but it's dropping.

if you took over 2 billion off the cap of resources it really would cause some more fighting it will take a very long time at the current rake to drain all the ports.

[Vane]

This idea would affect Merchants and trade in a great deal of ways. The vast majority of players opt for the easiest path, hence the large number of Merchants today. Making a change like this would forever change the balance of the game.

Far fewer large merchants sailing about is all I can see in this scenario and I am against that so -1.

[Donald Trump]

I dislike this entire thread completely actually. I don't think we should be rushing merchant vs merchant warfare. It is like a supernova. It doesn't happen much, but when it happens people will be quitting and people will be completely destroyed or wiped. I dislike this. We have too much if you ask me. What we do need is more spontaneous pirate raids, just enough to bring action; not enough to completely ruin people.

Pirate vs Merchant is all entertaining. No one is quitting and the hitting is never so tough. Pirates are there for profit (so they won't hit hard). Merchants try their best to get back at the pirate (and since it is hard and expensive to hit pirates, it won't kill the pirate).

Merchant vs Merchant, money is not even a thing taken into consideration. The entire goal is to demolish the opposition to the point that they are on the verge of wiped.

[DezNutz]

I like parts of both Captain D's and Danik's suggestions.

Port supply maximums need to be reduced, although I disagree with Captain D's maximum of 8M. I think that is way too low. That would snub out player growth and new players with supplies that low. I think currently, supply usage over 3 days is considerable over 8M (I think it is closer to 100M if not more). Would love to get a daily rate of supply usage (purchases)?

Now If that was the maximum amount the game (non-player) produced, I could see that being acceptable if player based resource production was allowed for all of the resources.

The rate of resource production should take into account both population as Danik suggested and the supply of other resources to the port.