Trade Prototypes

Trade Routes

Players start with one longstanding trade relationship, which is to represent a nation not having popped out fully formed from the brow of Zeus. Certain routes may end up increasing how many established trade routes you have.

An established trade route has a few advantages-first off, it increases disposition by that power bloc to you. Secondly, it makes both sides richer. Third off, you can start making money from it as soon as the game starts. On the other hand, well-known routes can be pirated and probably need escort.

Maximum Trade Routes

A power can only have some number of longstanding trade routes due to saturation of their domestic industry's capacity to supply all the goods you're selling for money. Tentatively I'd say that a power can only have (PIP+CIP+Wealth/500) trade routes, so an power will have a base of 3 and particularly well-off powers might have 4-5.

Trade Mechanics

Base Returns

Up until a market becomes saturated, a trade return is fixed. Technically there should be diminishing marginal return somewhere in here, but I hate calculating out equilibrium prices and quantities and if I'm studying economics that means I'm not going to subject you to it.

Every X cargo space (tentatively 10) provides 1 unit of base returns from trading. The other guy makes some money off of trade but not as much, so it's advantageous to both sides to trade with each other.

Trade Costs

Building trade goods will possibly have some costs, which means upkeep of trade routes, which I'll have to handle later.

Data Trade

Advantages of trading data:

1. It runs on hyperwave so it doesn't take up freighters.

2. Cannot be pirated (with ships, anyhow)

Disadvantages of trading data:

1. It still takes up trade routes

2. It needs that hyperwave infrastructure

3. Much lower returns due to piracy (lots of people own Space Bittorrent. How many people own a ship with guns again?)

4. Cannot oversaturate a market

5. Costs a bit for R&D and whatnot instead of just ships

6. Lower additional returns from higher tech (still have to get the software to run on the other guy's systems)

Trade Saturation

Trade saturation causes diminishing profits, although the point which a good becomes saturated is dependent on the good itself and the population. For every multiple of the saturation point, further goods only make half as much as they originally did. If you have three times the goods flowing in, your first multiple makes normal, your second makes half normal, and your third makes 0.25x normal, for a total of 1.75x the profit of just filling the market.

Restricted Goods

There are sometimes trade restrictions on goods, or the good is entirely banned. Restricted Goods make a lot less money due to the tariffs, regulations, and other paperwork hoops you need to jump through before you can sell it. A restricted good makes only 50% or 75% as much as it normally would.

Black Market Trade

Black Market trade requires a stealthy freighter to get things in, a working relationship with the underground, and a willingness to cover your ass in the event you get caught. On the other hand, black market goods make somewhat more.

Civilian Tech Level and Trade

Civilian Tech Level is a universal determinant of most trade returns-although all trade goods are made more profitable by higher technology in that field, all trade goods gain additional returns off of civilian tech level. This roughly represents how a power with higher civilian tech level is better at building iPods and Lexuses than a power with equivalent tech level in the field but lower civilian tech.

Trade Goods

Engineering

Construction Machinery

Requirements: Materials Tech Level higher than trade partner.
Market Capacity: 5 Cargo per Population
Banned by: None
Restricted in: None
Base Return And Modifiers: 1.5 Wealth/quarter per 10 Cargo Capacity

+0.1 Wealth per every +Materials Application/+Armor Application

+0.1 Wealth per every 5 Materials Tech Level over minimum

+0.2 Wealth per every 5 Civilian Tech Level over other

Vehicles

Requirements: Mecha, Aerospace, or Ground Tech Level higher than trade partner.
Market Capacity: 2 Cargo per Population
Banned by: None
Restricted in: None
Base Return And Modifiers: 2 Wealth/quarter per 10 Cargo Capacity

+0.2 Wealth per every 5 Vehicle Tech Level over minimum

+0.2 Wealth per every Additional Application in category.

+0.4 Wealth per every 5 Civilian Tech Level over other party

Electronics

Requirements: Electronics Tech Level higher than trade partner.
Market Capacity: 0.1 Cargo per Population
Banned by: None
Restricted in: None
Base Return And Modifiers: 10 Wealth/quarter per 10 Cargo Capacity

+1 Wealth per every 5 Electronic Tech Level over minimum

+2 Wealth per every 5 Civilian Tech Level over other party

Robots

Requirements: Electronics Tech Level higher than trade partner, AI Tech.
Market Capacity: 0.05 Cargo per Population
Banned by: Some Places
Restricted in: Other Places
Base Return And Modifiers: 20 Wealth/quarter per 10 Cargo Capacity

+5 for Busy Child

+2 for every +AI Application

+2 Wealth per every 5 Electronic Tech Level over minimum

+2 Wealth per every 5 Civilian Tech Level over other party

Biomedical

Pharmaceuticals

Requirements: Transgenic Tech Level higher than trade partner.
Market Capacity: 1 Cargo per Population
Banned by: None
Restricted in: None
Base Return And Modifiers: 3 Wealth/quarter per 10 Cargo Capacity

+0.5 Wealth for Garden World/Fascinating Pharmaceuticals

+0.3 Wealth per every 5 Transgenic Tech Level over minimum

+0.3 Wealth per every 5 Civilian Tech Level over other party

Bioroids

Requirements: Transgenic Tech Level 10 or more higher than trade partner.
Market Capacity: 0.5 Cargo per Population
Banned by: EU, PACT
Restricted in: Maybe China/CIS?
Base Return And Modifiers: 5 Wealth/quarter per 10 Cargo Capacity

+0.5 Wealth per every 5 Transgenic Tech Level over minimum

+0.5 Wealth per every 5 Civilian Tech Level over other party

+1 Wealth if Isolated/Go Weird or Magnate/Any

Data

Entertainment

Requirements: None
Market Capacity: 0.5 Sales Units per Population
Banned by: Certain very repressive Nations
Restricted in: Slightly less repressive Nations
Base Return And Modifiers: 1 Wealth/quarter per Sales Unit

+0.1 Wealth per every relevant Transgenic specialty (Creativity/Looking Good/etc)

+/-0.1 Wealth per every 5 levels of Civilian Tech higher/lower than trade partner.

Education

Requirements: None
Market Capacity: 0.25 Sales Units per Population
Banned by: Certain very repressive Nations
Restricted in: Slightly less repressive Nations
Base Return And Modifiers: 1.5 Wealth/quarter per Sales Unit

+0.1 Wealth per every +Intelligence (better lecturers)

+0.1 Wealth per every +AI Tech (smarter programs)

+0.1 Wealth per every relevant Transgenic specialty

+/-0.1 Wealth per every 5 levels of Civilian Tech higher/lower than trade partner.

Productivity

Requirements: Electronics Tech higher than trade partner
Market Capacity: 0.5 Sales Units per Population
Banned by: None
Restricted in: None
Base Return And Modifiers: 1.5 Wealth/quarter per Sales Unit

+0.1 Wealth per every +AI Tech (smarter programs)

+/-0.1 Wealth per every 5 levels of Civilian Tech higher/lower than trade partner.

-90% Wealth if you have Clippy in your programs.

Illegal

Armaments

Requirements: Active armed uprisings or extensive criminal element in trade "partner".
Market Capacity: 0.5 Cargo per Population
Banned by: Everyone
Restricted by: No-one
Base Return And Modifiers: Some Stuff