Do speed bonuses effect the mini freighters?

They do stack, and mini-freighters are affected by them. They are NOT affected by any empire-wide speed bonus though.

Keep in mind that if you make them go faster, you are effectively shortening your trade route, and thus making it slightly less valuable overall.

-EtherMage


~SDC~

Speed bonuses doesn't make your trade route shorter, a 118 move trade route is still a 118 move trade route. Your mini-freighters still generate income based on their position.

Your mini-freighters just travel faster and spend less time in the sector. If it's a low income sector, that's exactly what you want it to do, travel through it as fast as possible. By decreasing the amount of time spent in low income sectors, you can increase the percentage of turns when the mini-freighter is in high income sectors. This gives you a higher income. In many cases, a speed boosting star base will produce better results than trade centers.

Which position matters for the mini-freighter? Start of turn? End of turn? Average for turn?

If freighter passes through 2 or more sectors in one turn, does it get all bonuses? Has anyone performed an experiment?

Do your populated systems that exist in the path of the trade route affect the bc generated? I have a route that's 9 sectors long and in one sector I'm getting 500+ bc a turn. The sector has 4 trade bases and 2 planets in it and it's about midway in the route. This is compared to the measly 200+ bc I get in Earth sector that has 8 trade bases. But if I recall they told me ships made less money closer to home. The sector right before the end point also has 4 trade bases but is only generating 250 bc a turn.

What I'm not sure of is if it's really worth all the trouble building all those starbases in the middle of nowhere just for speed boost. I could be building Dreads instead of Constructors and stomping somebody's butt.

Trade income depends on several factors:

Base trade income:
The most important factor is total distance traveled from your own planet (more on this later)
A minor consideration is the age of the trade route measured by total distance traveled (a small bonus over time)

Bonus income:
Tech multiplier bonus
Trade starbase bonus

Note, in calculating the base income from a trade route it is total distance traveled by the mini-freighter since leaving your planet. There is an explanation for your numbers:

The 200 bc per turn in your home sector with 8 starbases for about 5x normal income. This is on the way out and the freighter has traveled at most 12 spaces. Your base income is about 40 bc which makes sense.

The 250 bc per turn in the sector before the end point with 4 starbases for about 3x normal income. Your freighter has traveled about 100 spaces if it's on its way out or about 120 spaces if it's on its way back. I would guess it's on its way out, and only has traveled about 100 spaces. The ~80 bc income is expected.

The 500 bc per turn in the sector with two planets with 4 starbases for about 3x normal income. Now I don't know how you are measuring these values. The freighter has traveled about 160 spaces and has a base value of 160+bc. The 160 is a bit high but still can be explained. First you'll have to remember how you got these 3 values. Were these three numbers retreived during the same turn? or were they recorded as the freighter traveled along the trade route.

If it is the former, the explanation is that the trade route is older, and enjoys a bonus to its income.

If it is the latter, the explanation is that the population of your or your trade partner's planets have increase, you have constructed some economy boosting social programs, or you have researched some trade/economy boosting tech.

The highest base income you will see is when the mini-freighter is just a few turns away from returning to your own planet. It has traveled the entire length of the trade route minus a few spaces. Watch your trade income when a mini-freighter does this. I would expect it to be 1100+.

~SDC~

You get income for position at start of turn. Bonus are only applied after the turn ends. Speed bonuses are used the next turn; trade bonuses are saved for the start of next turn. You will not get the bonuses for a sector just by traveling through it.



If you build them to improve trade income. You aren't building them just for speed boosting your military. That is the pleasant side effect.

I see your point, I was taking these numbers from three different mini-freighters in the same turn, which means I was dealing with three different routes created at three different times. The trader reporting 500bc for that turn was my 4th oldest route and had traveled 129/276. So in order to get a real feel for the route I need to follow one freighter through an entire cycle of the trade route.

There is one thing I think needs to be added when clicking on a mini-freighter. It would be nice if you were told which trader route this mini-freighters was not just the start and stopping point. (All my trade routes originate and end at the same point).


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