There is going to be a completely new economy in the next version that Xoria has worked on tirelessly.
Powertrading is (imo) using routes that are vaguely oorp, such as taking the shortcut through chugoku on the diamond run, to increase profits. Other symtoms include "lulz dying is cheaper" and "i report u pirat" when getting blown up.
How not to powertrade...
1. ROLEPLAY YOUR TRADER! Nameless and faceless people don't exist, try to find a personality for your trader or multiple personalties if you RP a whole crew of folks on board.
2. Fear death. Blowing up in dangerous and (in roleplay at least) very expensive as you'd have to pay salvage fees, repair bills, and possible, maybe, might even die in the explosion.
3. Bargain with pirates. Make their life interesting as well as yours. Try to worm your way out by talking in character to them. Roleplay your way out of sticky situations.
4. Find a company that you work for. Interspace Commerce, BoWEX, Samura, Kishiro, whatever. Do a little background reading and have fun with it.
5. If you're a smuggler, try smulling cardi to Rochester and Beaumont in a OC tagged and ID'd pirate transport or train, or the Borderworlds transport. It's a lot of fun.
6. Find routes that suit your roleplay. Profit isn't everything. Most people regard trading as a chore, but if you're having a good time then why not take your time over it?
7. Hire escorts. It's good roleplay and increases the amusement.
honestly - i believe that the term and the association of the term "powertrader" is mostly made up. that doesn t mean its less real. - but it means that its a self made problem.
we have freely labelled players that run niobium to the ring and diamonds back to kyushu to be "powertraders" - instead of laballing those that use the chogoku system as ooRP ( or simply be inRP and shoot them down, since the blood dragons could/would do so )
now - every trader that is hauling niobium is suddenly a powertrader - and how many of those that cry out "powertrader!" take their time to check if the trader in question maybe runs through all the systems he is supposed to take? ( kyushu, new tokyo, honshu, sigma-13, frankfurt, new berlin ) - thats quite some systems when you run it honestly - and it would be unfair to label those to be powertraders.
about ships hauling crew and parts ( or supplies ) in their cargobay... - ships are supposed to have the crew and all they need elserwhere but the cargobay. - so a battleship that does not haul a pilot or crewmembers is not flying with zero crew, nor is the player ooRP for not carrying them.
powertraders are what you think they are. - when i am on my pirate, i care little if i encounter a "powertrader" or a "trader" - they are all asked for the SAME amount of money and given the SAME chance to obey or disobey.
it would be nice to stop labelling players and simply RP according to the role YOU play. - it is not my business when a trader carries niobium or oxygen. - unless it is of any concern for my char.
so my Gaian makes a difference between goods taken to LD-14 or terraforming gases, - but if it does not aid BMM or planetform, they are all treated the very same. my char does not know the term powertrader - but if she did, she d be happy to encounter ANY trader that may or may not pay that is not escorted.... the least thing my pirate would do is to complain.
the problem with powertraders is solved when we stop thinking as a player and start thinking as a character.
hmm...now i dont really know if i am a powertrader
i have a container transport with dauman IFF and daumann ID
i go from the ring (dauman base) with engines to planet cambridge and sell em there (export our engines)
then i take berillium from cardiff (IMG base) back to the ring cause we built new engines with that
i dont have a crew or such stuff in my cargoby cause the C-transport only have a small cockpit and no lifing areas
i also dont have medicine on board cause if i was ill i can dock the to next base and visit the medicinedeck
or i dont go to work (number of staff ill)
i dont post a story in the forum cause im not good a things like that...
he is a trader who life on new berlin and works for daumann... after work he goes home
There is a certain lack of satisfaction with persons maintaining the routes that give the best returns (though my friends in the IND will doubtless testify their disgust with my oft dropped Zomg guys forget Newcastle well be taking a hit to our credits per second as opposed to spreading out the love a little bit, as it impacts the health of those regions where players enjoy the cycle of piracy/fighting pirates/etc. Rheinland has good runs into every house as well as the Omegas, they dont pay the giddy credits that the ol diamond run puts out, but wont somebody please think of the Gaians?
Even if youre saving up for that cruiser, take a look at the player list now and again. If you spot a sad sap [NLH] player sitting in Leeds by his lonesome, grab up some goods and head out to Gaia, you can pick up prisoners for the voyage back to Rheinland to resume your max return trading.
As to stuff in the cargobay. If someone told me that I had spaceship crew in my cargohold I would only be able to make one assumption: My paid crew has abandoned their post and is sitting back there smoking and joking. Im not giving them food and water to occupy good cargo space and while away company time over a game of poker.
In the meantime, Im going to keep flying all over Sirius, putting the money away to buy that cap 8 for my Whale.
' Wrote:my friends in the IND will doubtless testify their disgust with my oft dropped Zomg guys forget Newcastle well be taking a hit to our credits per second
Enough, leave the power traders alone. You lot have been harassing them for ages.
Power trading is essential to keep the BH BC shipyard alive, just imagine all the jobs lost.
Where are Liberty lawfulls suppost to acquire a ninth Dreadnought if not for power trading.
Do you think those Zoner Cruisers are given as a free gift every time one opens a bank account?
Of course not silly, it's all due to the benefits of power trading. Support it.