OSC Trade Route changes

[Xoria]

I have thought for a long time that Orbital Spa and Cruise offered some very interesting role-playing opportunities, but I have been frustrated that the "trade runs" open to them force an OSC vessel to choose between authentic role-playing and making credits. So, I have designed trade runs for authentic OSC routes that would require some changes to the mod. In the real world such a business would be more profitable than the mere transport of lifeless commodities, but in order to prevent OSC routes from becoming a replacement for the power-trading Diamond-Niobium route, I have kept the profitability numbers from being as high as they realistically should be.

I have constructed these routes using these criteria :

- OSC should be able to operate by only visiting OSC bases and planets that are either population centers or major suppliers of goods needed by OSC. OSC primary "bases" are : Luxury Liner Shetland, Luxury Liner Hawaii, Planet Baden Baden, Planet Curacao

- OSC should be able to buy and sell role-play authentic commodities at each of the above bases on the route. Authentic commodities include : Passengers, VIPS, Luxury Food, Luxury Consumer Goods, Consumer Goods.

- Transactions on the route should have an average profitability that compares favorably with "life-less" commodity transactions that could otherwise be traded.

- I have used jump holes for all profitability calculations. If I don't, then the routes would actually be much more profitable than stated. I don't consider jump holes to be very role-play authentic for OSC, but it's a fact of life that can't be ignored. The last thing I want to do is inadvertently create new "power-trade" routes.

In each case, I indicate in parentheses what the prices should be to meet the above criteria. In some cases, no price change is needed.

1. Purchase Luxury Consumer Goods at Manhattan (no price change), Sell Luxury Consumer Goods at Curacao (sale price changed to 600) in Cortez for a profit of 534 credits / unit, 159 cents / second profit

Two notes about this transaction : A) Boron from Manhattan to LD-14 nets 199 cents / second, so we don't want to trump that

B) At this point there is a big problem in the current mod version. Currently there is nothing to buy at Curacao that can be sold for any profit elsewhere. So here is a change :

2. Purchase VIPs at Curacao (commodity added for purchase and priced at 4749), Sell at Luxury Liner Shetland (sale price changed to 9799) for a profit of 5050 credits / unit, 200 cents / second profit.

Note : it may be a good idea to remove VIPs from being available for sale at Planet New London

3. Purchase Passengers at Luxury Liner Shetland (commodity added for purchase and priced at 521). Sell at Planet Baden Baden (sale price changed to 2212) for a profit of 1691 credits / unit, 217 cents / second profit.

Note : I have looked at the prices you can receive for Passengers in Bretonia, and I don't think adding them as a purchase point at Shetland really changes much. Prisoners from Shetland to Baden Baden currently provide a profit of 1691, so the Passenger prices are adjusted to match that)

4. At this point, the current mod version allows the purchase of Luxury Food from Planet Stuttgart to Luxury Liner Hawaii for a good profit, and Artifacts from Luxury Liner Hawaii into Liberty. None of the "authentic" OSC commodities can be made available for sale at Hawaii without substantially changing other buy/sell locations and prices, so I'm at a loss about what to suggest for any change at that point. The only alternative to adjusting prices everywhere would be to introduce a new commodity just for OSC, but that sounds like a non-starter for new mod versions.

5. Separately from the above route, if Luxury Liner Hawaii purchases VIPs then OSC vessels can go directly there from Manhattan. This one price change adds a new option for OSC trading all by itself, since there is already a possibility of making a purchase headed back to Liberty from Luxury Liner Hawaii. Setting the price for VIPS at Hawaii to be the same as for Planet Honshu is the simplest : 10249

Summary :

1. Planet Curacao changed to buy Luxury Consumer Goods at 600 credits

2. Planet Curacao changed to sell VIPs at 4749 credits

3. Luxury Liner Shetland changed to purchase VIPs at 9799 credits

4. Luxury Liner Shetland changed to sell Passengers at 521 credits

5. Planet Baden Baden changed to buy Passengers at 2212 credits

6. Luxury Liner Hawaii changed to purchase VIPS for 10249

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Check out my
Trade Development Blog
for all the latest news on Nerfs and Final Nails, or to request trade changes.

An Interactive Tour of OSC Routes  | POB Supplies

[sovereign]

Looks good to me, I'd love to see OSC have some action too. Yeehaw for RP traderoutes!

Oh yeah, can we fix the tendency of OSC to fire on criminals? They let them dock left and right according to rumors and news, can they perhaps not automatically side with the local navy and police?

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[Knucklehead]

I'm all for having a more RP-appropriate trade route in place. I like the suggestions so far.

I have an idea for the Hawaii as well: The relaxing atmosphere of the Hawaii alongside the swirling mass of Planet Hiran has inspired a new form of art that is in high demand among collectors in Liberty. While being inspired by the artifacts so common around the area, they are all modern works that pose no threat to the general public, and as such would be considered legal for trade. Granted, the Corsairs wouldn't be too happy about the development, but the pricing (and profits) would be a fair step lower than the genuine artifacts that they distribute.

So, here's my proposed item and values, with current options for comparison:

Commodity: Works of Art (Icon would be a slightly modified Artifact icon, such as having the majority of the object be a dull gray instead of the orangish-brown on the artifacts)
Purchase price: ~150
Sell price at Manhattan (slightly lower at the other capital planets): ~1500
Profit per unit: 1350

Compare that to Artifacts from Hawaii to Manhattan. Buy at Hawaii for 645, Sell for 2250. Profit per Unit, 1605.

Other places could also be sources for this new artwork as well, such as Gran Canaria.

A commodity such as this would be a far better fit for our ships than what we currently have available, and would not be limited to just one source.

Oh yeah, can we fix the tendency of OSC to fire on criminals? They let them dock left and right according to rumors and news, can they perhaps not automatically side with the local navy and police?

I personally think this behavior is still in line with the rumors, as they tend to only tolerate the majority of the pirates. For that matter, we're specifically enemies of the Outcasts and the Gaians. Makes for interesting relations with the Corsairs, to say the least.

Let me put it another way. In order for OSC to keep operating, they need to give the Houses reason to doubt that they're participating in any less-than-legal dealings. So when the Police need something, they give assistance. Helps keep inquisitive officers away from the shady side of things.

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It's official, I have too few ships now...

[Xoria]

I like the idea of works of art. I think what we really need is a new "commodity" of human cargo. I would like to see "Tourists" added and used to construct OSC-specific routes. They would only be purchased and sold at locations that are authentic for OSC trading. Everywhere else they would sell for next to nothing. The best option would probably be to make them available for purchase at the 2 stationary luxury liners and sell at Planet Manhattan and Planet Baden Baden.

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Check out my
Trade Development Blog
for all the latest news on Nerfs and Final Nails, or to request trade changes.

An Interactive Tour of OSC Routes  | POB Supplies

[Vero]

Could a commodity be created to represent VIPs and/or passengers that are retuning home to House planets after vacation?
Then VIPs could be taken to the OSC destinations and returning VIPs could be brought home.

I really like the artwork idea too.

[Kuraine]

I really like this proposal and hopefully lots of trade routes will be reworked, these included. In any case, i'd also like to see quite a few new commodities, such as Liquor, Synth Paste, Tourists, Artwork, Recreational Narcotics (since surely Cardamine and Synthetic Marijuana can't be the only one), and all these could also be traded by OSC since it would interest them.

A number of people, including myself, were discussing the idea of Tourists as a commodity earlier today on Skype, although we were bandying around the idea of having four different tourist types: Liberty, Rheinland, Kusari and Bretonian. Also, Refugees and/or Immigrants. The advantages of having the different types of tourists would be that they'd "sell" for better prices in the other houses, plus of course people could RP an OSC liner with hundreds of Liberty and Kusari tourists, with a few VIPs onboard (slaves too, to keep the guests entertained), taking a sightseeing trip through a nebula etc.

So basically it would be:

Tourists:
Paying for a sightseeing trip/holiday around Sirius

Passengers:
Paying to get from A to B for business etc

Refugees/Immigrants:
Moving from A to B to escape warzones/persecution etc

VIPs:
Important businessmen and government officials being moved about on matters of state etc

Each of these groups of people would have their upsides and downsides. Tourists and VIPs would be targets for pirates, while passengers and refugees might not be looked favourably on by the house authorities for whatever reasons. Refugees could perhaps be sold on Crete for example, and they flee elsewhere looking for a better life away from the poverty and starvation of the Corsair homeworld. Just an idea, really. But good stuff, Xoria.

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Kuraine (Zoner tagged Trader)
Ravenholm (Zoner tagged Zoner Destroyer)
Bill Mason[Arms.Dealer] (Zoner tagged Arms Dealer)
LR-Drax (Liberty Rogue tagged Cruiser)
LR-Dravis (Liberty Rogue tagged VHF)
[RHA]Wilhelm.Wettin (Red Hessian tagged VHF)
[GC]-Ai.Takeda (Golden Chrysanthemum tagged VHF/Bomber)

[CCI45-px/Probe149]

I always thought the human part is a bit low in Freelancer. I mean, we here have 2 "human" commodities (passengers/VIPs) (slaves not counted). So i'll agree to any "human" commoditie like Tourists beeing added (if without the possibilities of powertrading.).


For the Drug thingy,

we could perhaps make new commodities like Beer (sold in Rheinland only), Scotch/Whisky (from Bretonia), Sake (from Kusari) and something typical American for Liberty (like Ale?)?
Oh, and as we have a Liner called Hawaii, make Blue Hawaiian?:laugh:

For the Tourists, i think they should be sold at the living planets only (Manhatten, Los Angeles, London, etc), so not on e.g. Pittsburgh or Kurilen, and should also not be sold at those planting Planets like Kyushu and Stuttgart.

Maybe there could also be 2 kinds of Passengers, those who want to travel long ways (Manhatten->Augsburg as exaple), and those, who would travel from e.g. Planet New Berlin to the Oder Shipyard. The short distance travelers should of course only bring low profit.

But of course, if we would put in all kinds of Travellers, it would be too much.....:(

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In a brilliant tactical movement, i charged backwards.

[Generation]

How bout workers? from say Manhattan to Pittsburgh, example.

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[El Nino]

Passengers are now a "one size fit's all", perhaps they should be replaced by Workers, and then turrists would be added, with a general supply of everything...

@ CCI45-px/Probe149: There is plenty of human cargo thou pilots of all factions and such... but that doesn't count;)

I like the whole OSC idea, I have a Liner that I can only fly once in a while, on a RP route, that makes little to no money at all... The changes suggested are all wonderful but why stop there, at the bare minimum, Ad turrists, workers, then flush in some Art... Althou Art could be found under luxury comodities...

//This here is a fine example, of how admins really keep the wishes of a common player at heart...

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Skype: jure.grbec
My primary char: Jose El Nino - Corsair Elder captain of the SS Greenhawk

Currently Inactive due to pursuit of life long dreams, will be back...*edited* As promised am back.

[CCI45-px/Probe149]

Well, pilots.... You can't really trade with pilots. I meant such cargo with which you can trade on the buy/sell base.

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In a brilliant tactical movement, i charged backwards.