Another couple of n00b questions:

Specifically for L, H and O planets, are there population levels that are close to ideal? I have read about problems that can occur when populations get to high, but I'm not sure how to gauge what "too high" is.

Also, is there a secret to planet trading in terms of maximixing revenue or is this even the best way to make money from O planet farming?

Is it even worthwhile to even try and get O planets to level 6 citadels or should I just focus on making Hs as bada$$ as possible to protect the Os?

Thanks!

First try half the max population then see how it works and if the production drops when you add more then you know what it will be at then lower it below half max and note the same things and then figure where you need the pop at to get the best production.

I hope this helps!

Vulcan

quote:Originally posted by Vulcan

First try half the max population then see how it works and if the production drops when you add more then you know what it will be at then lower it below half max and note the same things and then figure where you need the pop at to get the best production.

I hope this helps!


Thanks for the quick reply, Vulcan. I had read the 50% of max suggestion elsewhere and forgot to mention that. How do I know what the max is? I see the "Planet Maximum" value in the planetary display but had perhaps erroneously assumed that was the maximum number of units of ore/organics/equip that could be on hand at once, not colonist units.

Was I wrong?

If you are playing a stock game this will help:

http://www.tw-cabal.com/formulas.html

Be sure to check out the rest of the site - it will answer many of your questions.

As far as O farming goes - it depends a lot on the game settings. With some edits/settings it's not worth while for others it is.

If you don't know the max colonists a planet can hold, just keep adding them to a group until the production starts to decrease. Once you go over 50%, the production decreases for each colo added. So, for example, if a planet max is 100k colos, 50k is optiumum, and both 40k colos and 60k colos will equal the same production. Also, the max for each production category can be different. In regards to O farming, unless the planets are edited, it isn't worth it. In a stock game, you are better off going strictly H's and selling ore as you need cash or as the planets max. Same cash/colo as O's, but they are a lot better for defense. Downside is you need more ports, but that typically isn't a a problem.

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated.

So, let's say I have a level 4 planet loaded down with organics (or ore). Is the best methodology just to transport that planet to a buying port and negotiate a planetary trade agreement or burn the turns and sell it 150 loads at a time?

Is it worth it to take a level 4 out and buy-sell Organics/Equipment in mass quantities between two "good pair" ports, basically using the planets like massive trading ships?

I'm several days away from being able to do this but I want to maximize my income.

quote:Originally posted by jfoobar

So, let's say I have a level 4 planet loaded down with organics (or ore). Is the best methodology just to transport that planet to a buying port and negotiate a planetary trade agreement or burn the turns and sell it 150 loads at a time?
turns = money. anyone who tells you different is playing in an unlimited.
Unless you are playing in an unlimited, it's best to move the planet to a port and negotiate. Your profit will be dependant on the planet trade setting, which is dictated by the sysop.

quote:Is it worth it to take a level 4 out and buy-sell Organics/Equipment in mass quantities between two "good pair" ports, basically using the planets like massive trading ships?

the short answer is yes. If you buydown all the product at one port, then move to another port and negotiate, then yes. do all the buydowns at once. then move. otherwise, you waste ore. Keep in mind that you can upgrade ports too. If you upgrade a sell port, the product is available immeadiately. If you upgrade a buy port, you will have to wait for it to regenreate before you can sell the product. Upgrading ports gives you alignment and experience, so you need to pay attention if you are trying to stay fedsafe or whatever. My website has formulas for all that in the formulas section. The long answer is it depends somewhat on the settings. In some games, it's not profitable at all to do planet trading. Better to be red.

quote:Originally posted by Traitor

the short answer is yes. If you buydown all the product at one port, then move to another port and negotiate, then yes. do all the buydowns at once. then move. otherwise, you waste ore. Keep in mind that you can upgrade ports too. If you upgrade a sell port, the product is available immeadiately. If you upgrade a buy port, you will have to wait for it to regenreate before you can sell the product. Upgrading ports gives you alignment and experience, so you need to pay attention if you are trying to stay fedsafe or whatever. My website has formulas for all that in the formulas section. The long answer is it depends somewhat on the settings. In some games, it's not profitable at all to do planet trading. Better to be red.

The games I am playing in now are completely stock. It is a new sysop and he left all the default settings for this first go around. Assuming it is profitable in stock (it is, right?), what setting changes away from stock would make this unprofitable or substantially less profitable?

Is there a methodology to maximizing profit when selling from a planet to a port? I am not in a position right this second in either game I am playing where I can look to see what the options are when you try and negotiate a planetary trade agreement. I assume you can sell just as much as you want to sell, so should I just sell 50% of the port's buying capacity and move on?

The quick and simple answer:
Selling off 50% of the port capacity will net you about 70% of the credits you'd get selling 100% of the ports capacity - also the ports will regen quicker. Also be aware that some ports pay better than others - you can test by selling a small amount and noting the initial offer they make.

in a pure stock game, the best cashing method is sst, planet trading is all but worthless. (60% ptrade and 5% regen is default stock)

quote:Originally posted by jfoobar

quote:Originally posted by Traitor

the short answer is yes. If you buydown all the product at one port, then move to another port and negotiate, then yes. do all the buydowns at once. then move. otherwise, you waste ore. Keep in mind that you can upgrade ports too. If you upgrade a sell port, the product is available immeadiately. If you upgrade a buy port, you will have to wait for it to regenreate before you can sell the product. Upgrading ports gives you alignment and experience, so you need to pay attention if you are trying to stay fedsafe or whatever. My website has formulas for all that in the formulas section. The long answer is it depends somewhat on the settings. In some games, it's not profitable at all to do planet trading. Better to be red.
The games I am playing in now are completely stock. It is a new sysop and he left all the default settings for this first go around. Assuming it is profitable in stock (it is, right?), what setting changes away from stock would make this unprofitable or substantially less profitable?

You can check the full (well, almost, some things you have to just test in game) settings from this menu, right before you start playing:
==-- Trade Wars 2002 --==
T - Play Trade Wars 2002
I - Introduction & Help
S - View Game Settings
H - High scores
X - Exit
Enter your choice:

instead of pressing 'T' to play, press '*'. That will show you all the settings, including planet trade %, and port regen %.
what you're looking for is:
Trade Percent=100%
it'll probably be some value between 100% and 60%. 100% is the most profitable. Anything less cuts into your profits. Ship trades, hold for hold, are more profitable than planet trades, but it's trivial when compared to the turns you save selling stuff in mass from a planet.

Production Rate=5
Production rate is how much the ports regen per day. This example shows that they regen at 5%. it can be as much as 200% i think. In pure stock, it's set to 5%. which means that it would take 20 days before the port would regen. but see below.

Max Production Regen=50
This indicates how much it will regenerate until it's visited again. This example means that it will only regen 50% until somone visits the port again. Once it's visited, it will start regen again. continuing with the above example, if you drained that port to 0%, then it would regen back up to 50% after 10 days, then stop regen until someone visited the port again, at which point, it would regen another 50%. (you just have to port there I think, you don't have to buy or sell anything to get it going again)

You can get a really good idea of what the game settings are from this screen, and I recommend you examine them before you play any game, and decide if you really wanna play it.
quote:
Is there a methodology to maximizing profit when selling from a planet to a port?

Short answer: Yes, pick good ports.
Long answer:
http://www.tw-cabal.com/strategy/economy2.html
and
http://tavern.homeip.net/TWGS/haggling_lessons.cfm
and
http://www.tw-cabal.com/strategy/economy3.html
EDIT: There is even more to it than that, but this'll get you started. I should take the time to rewrite some of that stuff to reflect what I've learned about haggling in the last few years...and to add some of the stuff I didn't tell anyone.
quote:I assume you can sell just as much as you want to sell, so should I just sell 50% of the port's buying capacity and move on?
yes, you can sell as much or as little as you want. To the 2nd part...depends on the settings. If the production and regen settins are at 100% then you should probably sell it all. You'll find that the "depends on the settings" is tossed around a lot on this board...

The games I am playing in are at 5% port regen, 60% planetary trade and 100% Max Production regen.

quote:Originally posted by Traitor
rewrite some of that stuff to reflect what I've learned about haggling in the last few years...and to add some of the stuff I didn't tell anyone.


Come on spit it out no keeping secrets around here! [:D]

heh, if you get to know traitor well he'll share his secrets.
of course, that doesn't mean you want to know them...
i still have nightmares

but ya, jfoobar, make sum H's for killing and banking and sleeping, and sst/grid. gridding is key. sst is best way to cash, but if you outgrid the enemy, it can be more advantageous than just outcashing them.