Warehouse Management

[Captain Jack]

This is an evolution of the ideas we have discussed before, starting from contract shipping. We made a real effort to proceed with contract shipping but the way trade is conducted, makes it uneasy. Even the follow up ideas about it were still problematic with a lot of... bureaucracy.

Besides the selling part, the warehouse capacity limits can now be flagged as implemented. Percentage would be awkward as both players and the server would have to spend some extra time calculating every time. Percentages will work better for plantation acres distribution though, as we have discussed elsewhere.

This will open at a new players market. It will have its own page and different interface than any of the markets we have today. I am currently testing it.

This will be player to player market directly. So cards that affect the port market will not affect these trades.

We thought to put some of the technologies as prerequisites but I think that such a feature should be available to everyone in order to work at its best. So this has been omitted.

[Sebena]

So west and East india has no affect there. Logical thing but thanks for clarifying it.

[William one eye]

@CJ - the percentage control of the warehouse was not important, only the ability to manage limits by resource.


also by this update the most important function of contract shipping has been implemented -
the ability to openly trade with other players.

Contracts could still be useful to ensure your needs are filled if you have a specific time frame you are trying to work within
for supplying a plantation or hideout. They would also mean you could choose who you are working with instead of an open order.





This is how I envision contracts working. This was also posted in the mixed market discussion.


Contract orders would involve a contract similar to a loan -
This is a guarantee between 2 player ID's or 1 port and 1 player ID

Contract would be x number of goods available for sale at set rate or x number of goods promise to buy at set rate and a time frame the deal must be completed within
Fine or fee can be set if the buyer arrives and the good are not there, or the the seller fails to make delivery

This is a possible basic framework for a contract.

requisition

cargo request - select port
select cargo
select payment per completion

duration - select # of days for order to be completed
Select # of days before contract becomes voided.

optional fines order behind schedule - took longer than requested duration - user defined amount in gc
failure to fill order - user defined amount in gc

optional bonus order delivered ahead of schedule - user defined amount in gc


shipper

set deposit - if warehouse space is not available when delivery takes place deposit is retained.
and contract is voided.

Contract is paid as a deposit when contract is created.
if contract becomes void money is distributed based upon deposits and fees negotiated.
if contract is completed money transfers to shipper

[Most Lee Harmless]

So cards cannot affect this p2p market. Does thst include blacklist and terrorize?

[Noffin]

[*]Sell to other players warehouses[/*]
Your warehouse will not sell resources above the minimum setting.
[/list]

The warehouse page displays the opposite and says it will sell resources above the minimum setting.

[Captain Jack]

[*]Sell to other players warehouses[/*]
Your warehouse will not sell resources BELOW the minimum setting.
[/list]

The warehouse page displays the opposite and says it will sell resources above the minimum setting.

Fixed, thank you.

[Captain Jack]

@william

I believe that contracts will not be avoided. They are needed and they should come. Sooner or later. I believe sooner.

This system will cover one basic need as you say but is still is going to be manual at the end of the one who wants the resources but it is not manual for the one who sells them. With contracts, we can cover the other end and make it work the other way around by utilizing max reserves setting. This time, the seller would do some manual work but the buyer will automatically fill up his warehouses with other player's fleets that take his contracts.

So in fact, the current system is the basis for a forthcoming contract system. Which however will have to be as simpler and as automatic as possible.

@Danik

I believe that Terrorize already affects them, I have not checked but I will. It would not make a big difference though as there is only a buy option there and not a sell. Still, it should be included.

Since payments are going to use Banks to be delivered, they are de facto affected by blacklist. The beauty of this huge coding monster called banks starts to pay off it seems as we get more features for less development time.

@Everyone
Release seems possible tomorrow. There are a few things left. Still, either it is tomorrow or in two days, you still can create your sell orders. Simply go to your warehouse, check the resource you want to sell and set the minimum reserves (optional) and price. You are done.

Now your warehouse will create orders whenever it has excess resources from your minimum reserves setting. These orders will appear to other players and the money will be added directly to your bank account.

Only do note 2 important limits:
-You cannot sell the port resource (the interface still lets you check it right now).
-If you set a price similar or lower than what the port pays, your warehouse will not create orders. This will help to prevent any exploitation. After all, at such case, you will get more if you sell directly to the market (thanks to bonuses and no tax).

[Captain Jack]

The market will open tomorrow. I have just finished tests and it works as intended. A few interface things remain which will be finalized tomorrow. These will not prevent release though.

I can see that some people have already put goods for sale. I wanted to tell you that these sales have registered fine. You can all put sales up.

This is the fastest way to put something on sale:
->Go to Active Ports (click on top left, on the ship at the image, where the anchor chain starts)
->Choose the port where you want to sell goods.
->At the far right of the port row, click on the Arrow pointing right. This will take you directly to your warehouse at that port.

Then choose the port you want to sell and click on the checkbox.
If you do not want to sell all goods in your warehouse, you can set a minimum reserves value.
Set the price.

Tomorrow, we will also add a control to update the prices of all your warehouses globally at the Set Global Rates page.

[Kangaroo]

Potentially dumb question, but I can't see it, where do I go to buy?
I can see (and have listed in) the sale section, but can't find where I go to see what's for sale in each or any port?

[Captain Jack]

This has not opened yet. It will open today.