Trading with AI: Black Market Only?

from Sins Forums

i'm trying to figure out what the trade buttons under the "Buy/Sell" mean. Is there potential here to set prices on goods to trade with the AI while beating black market prices?

 

strategy
5,589 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
No, but what you can do is get more money than the black market with them.

Single-player has two choices.
1) Sell on the black market for the quoted price (usually 220-250), and you get the money right away.
2) Place your resources UP FOR BID on the market (lower left button). They will earn you the full price (usually 440-500), but only give that amount if and when the AI decides they want to buy them, and they pay the market value at the time of purchase, not of placing the resource up for sale, so loading up the market during a boom likely won't help you.

The third "set-price" button can be clicked but doesn't do anything.

#2 does not allow you to set your own price - it always remains at the current level as if you were going to buy the resources yourself. But you get a heck of a lot more money for it when someone eventually does buy your metal or crystal.

#2 also works much better on larger maps where there are a lot more enemy AI's that might wish to buy crystal or metal. I've used it to great effect with the Vasari and their refineries and harvesting upgrades to likely out-income TEC AI players.

-- Retro
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
K looks like my reply was eaten.

Things you can do
- Immediately sell on the black market at current discounted prices (SP and MP)
- Put your metal and crystal on the black market at the going price (usually 450-500 or so) and wait for an AI to buy it (SP and MP)
- Put metal or crystal on the market at a price you prefer so you can control the cost of the market (MP only).

The difference between the first two is that you get less money in the first, but it's immediate. However, if you've a huge glut of one type of resource, you can make serious cash by putting hundreds or thousands of units up - when it does eventually sell, you'll get the full price for it. You just have to wait until the AI gets around to buying it, which usually happens a lot quicker on much larger maps. Vasari's resource focus can really take advantage of this.

-- Retro
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
THESE DAMN FORUMS DRIVE ME NUTS.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
One addendum to your post(s), Retro:

The "set price" button adjusts the price of the goods you're offering as a percent of the market price. It's default price is 100% of the market value, as stated. You can click to raise the price (left click) or lower it (right click) in increments of 2%, I believe. However, since you're not allowed to set your price greater than 100% of the market, left clicking won't appear to do anything (you're already at 100%).

I think you tend to sell a little more of your goods if you set the price lower than 100%, but I don't usually wait and watch the market while people are shooting at me.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Ah, gollies. I did not know that! I just assumed that price-setting was completely disabled in SP.

An interface improvement suggestion would be to break the button in two with an up-or-down arrow next to it.

-- Retro
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
Awesome! Thanks guys! I would often just sell a glut to balance my money. With TEC I often find myself churning out metal. Now i can make actual profit instead of wasing 50% of my production!