Trade Good Thoughts...

When you trade a trade good, you're not trading the actual item, you're licensing it to them. Once they know how to make it, they can keep on making it whether you like it or not. So if you trade it, they always have it.

We're working on an info screen that you will be able to call up by right clicking on items in the list boxes.

Ok, so you should always get the money up front, just in case the empire yo sell it to doesn't finish paying for it before they declare war on you. Or at least money over shorter periods of time.

How about some sort of trade income bonus for every trade good that you have exclusive rights to. I know you get advantages for the trade good, but what if there was a small trade income advantage as well....maybe something like 5% for each trade good you develope. It is a "Trade Good" after all.

SaintP --

Tributes continue during war, to prevent being able to duck out of them that easily.

As for income... the income comes from your willingness to trade them. Bear in mind that, unlike technology, the recipient CANNOT resell a trade good to anybody else. That means that if you like, you can sell a trade good to everybody who you want to have it, without worrying that it'll go to your enemies. If you aren't willing to sell it to anyone, you'll simply have to be satisfied with exclusive use of the possibly substantial benefits.

"2. When you take out an empire, shouldn't you get any trade goods that they have developed during the game?"

That's what I was wondering about. What happens when you destroy an empire that had a trade good?

For instance, in a game I have the Carinoids have/had like 4 trade goods (Diplomatic Translators, Ultra Spices, Frictionless Clothing, Tritanium Steel). If I kill them, all the trade goods just go away. At least of the player has traded for them they still seem to get the bonus, at least.

It does seem logical that if you destroy a race or they surrender to you, the ownership of all their trade goods should pass to you; this could be like giving you a license to use them, or you could/should be given control of them so you can trade licenses for them as well.

Or it could be made where if a race that has trade goods is destroyed, the goods are again available to be produced as though they hadn't already been built.

Regardless, it seems that they shouldn't just go poof if a race is destroyed. I hope the races that the AI players destroyed in my game didn't have any Trade Goods...

Since you guys are so willing to discuss trade, and I don't want to start a new thread on something that I'm sure has been heavily discussed already: could you guys give me some tips on how to make money on trade? I've made good amounts on trade, but I'm sure there are things I could do to improve my trade-generated income.

Harver,

I normally build freighters from my best star system, and send them as far as possible to the other races' best systems. If you build a starbase (or more) in that sector and max out on economic modules, then you'll greatly increase your trade income. I read that if you place starbases (with economic modules) along the trade route, the trade bonuses add up.

Trade modules only give the bonus when the little ship is in their sector. I usually go from a frontier world to a world close by, preferably on a straight path between sectors. That makes it easier to set up Trade starbases to cover the whole route, but your trading partner might not like it if you put starbases in his sectors.



~SDC~

So how do trade goods help us exactly if we could make them ourselves anyway???

The people that developed the trade goods should get the bigger cut of profit (more value to the trade routes)

Alzandrion -- The interesting part about a trade good is that it's a monopoly. That is, you *can't* build it if somebody beat you to it, unless you strike a deal with the original builder. And if you're not willing to trade it away, you shouldn't get any additional TRADING benefit unless it's inherent to nature of the product.

"It does seem logical that if you destroy a race or they surrender to you, the ownership of all their trade goods should pass to you; this could be like giving you a license to use them, or you could/should be given control of them so you can trade licenses for them as well."

When you take over the planet that built the trade good you get it. So if they surrender to you you get their planets and so get any trade goods (and wonders!) they have built.