Market Cooldown

This OXP gradually eliminates margins on simple trade routes.

Overview

An experimental OXP, that changes the game to remember markets when hopping systems. The memory gradually fades away over time. This encourages the trader to move around a little rather than just zip between the two systems of a Milkrun.

Ruminations

This makes a lot of sense. But: to what extent would market cooldown really happen?

There is no definitive model for how trading really works in Oolite. To what extent do the markets solely rely on the activities of a handful of traders whizzing around between systems? And to what extent do they rely on contract deliveries?

• What percentage of the goods on the planets actually go though the Space Station markets (ie regular traders with Cobras, Pythons, Anacondas & Boas)? *What percentage of goods evade the markets and are taken on contracts? (station market less volatile)
• What percentage are carried on contracts by Bulk trade carriers? (station market less volatile)
• And what percentage remains down at the bottom of the gravity well on the planet surface? (ie station market is more volatile)

• And surely the other free-lance traders should also have an impact?

In the Vanilla game (just vanilla trade ships and contracts) there are no bulk traders. See the critiques in Economics for more detail on this.

In summary: how big is the total market and to what extent would the station F8 market be influenced by player's actions? In the words of the Tionisla Chronicle: "Truth? We don't know!"

As with every other OXP, you need to decide if this OXP fits with your universe!

Tweaks

• Tweak to harmonise Market Cooldown with SW Economy (2021)
• For more details see How to tweak OXZ's

Links

• BB thread (2016)
• Author: Spara
• Oolite Trading
• Economics

Gameplay and Balance Indicator

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This OXP clobbers milkruns!