Real-Life Economics

Overview

Why this OXP?

For me, one of the least satisfying elements of this game (going all the way back to the good ol' days playing Elite on my ancient Commodore 128) has always been the extremely unrealistic economic model. It's just laughable to think that one star system could have a commodity-price (for Computers, let's say...) of 101.2 Cr. per ton while another system just a short jump away sells the very same commodity for only 61.2 Cr. and that such a price disparity could persist indefinitely.

Suppose, for example, that Wal-Mart® were to set up shop right next door to Tiffany & Co.®, selling the exact same merchandise at substantially lower price. What do you think might happen to prices at Tiffany's? While there might be a small handful of snobs willing to pay higher prices for the Tiffany® name, enabling Tiffany's to cling to their existing prices, sooner or later, competition from Wal-Mart® would compel them to change their business model.

In Elite, the economic model is hard-coded into the game, beyond the reach of all but Mr. Bell and Mr. Braben. Oolite, however, thanks to Mr. Williams and Mr. Ayton (among others) allows any clumsy, talentless hack (like Yours Truly, for instance) to pop the hood and monkey around inside...

So, I did.

The Lazy-Trader Shuffle

What is it?

Every new player figures it out almost immediately: Computers are cheap and plentiful in Rich Industrial systems, and they can be sold for an enormous profit to the Poor and Agricultural. Liquor/Wines (and Furs, when they're available) are cheap in PoorAg systems and pricey on RichInd worlds.

"How brilliant of me to notice this!" The New Player might beam as he pats himself on the back. "I must be some kind of a genius! I'll just find a Rich Industrial/Poor Agricultural pair -- reasonably close to one another -- and make a killing hauling Computers one way and Liquor/Wines back... it's idiot-proof!"

As a result, traders most often head for RichInd and PoorAg worlds, robotically shuttling back and forth between them. There's no good reason to go to a PoorInd or RichAg system. The prices are "wrong."

Why it shouldn't work

Prices aren't just random numbers arbitrarily pulled out of a hat. Rather, they are a compromise between what Buyers are willing to pay, and what Sellers are willing to accept.

Star Clusters and the Local Economic Balance

Star Clusters

A star cluster is just what the name suggests... a group of stars arranged around a common center, called the hub. Every system in the Ooniverse is the hub of its own cluster. Any star within jump distance (7 light-years) of that system is a member of the cluster.

The local economic balance

The EconBalance for any system is determined using a formula that takes a number of variables into account, including:

• Economy Type and Distance
  Wealthy systems (RichAg and RichInd) have the greatest influence on EconBalance. AvAg and AvInd systems have slightly less impact. PoorAg and PoorInd systems have even less influence, and MainlyAg and MainlyInd have the least of all. Distance is also a factor. A RichInd system at 5.2 LY distance will have less effect on EconBalance than that same RichInd system at a distance of 0.4 LY.
  
• Nearest Agricultural and Nearest Industrial Systems
  The distance in LY to the nearest Agricultural system (excluding MainlyAg) is subtracted from the distance in LY to the nearest Industrial system (excluding MainlyInd). The result is added to EconBalance.
  
• Agricultural Economies in Range and Industrial Economies in Range
  The number of Industrial economies in the cluster (MainlyInd count as 0.4) is subtracted from the number of Agricultural economies in the cluster (MainlyAg count as 0.4). The result is added to EconBalance.

How this OXP works

Effect on Prices

The lowest price you'll ever find for Computers (or any Industrial-type goods) will be in a Poor Industrial system in a heavily-Industrialized cluster. The highest price will be in a Rich Agricultural system in a heavily-Agricultural cluster.

By the same token, the lowest price for Agricultural goods will be found in a PoorAg system in an AG-heavy cluster. The highest price for those goods are at RichInd worlds in IND-heavy clusters.

Consequences for the player

Real-Life Economics will make it much more difficult to earn a living as a trader. You'll no longer be able to fill your hold with cargo and unload it for a huge profit at the system "next door." You may have to travel a long, long way to make a big score. You'll also find that, because movements in quantity are now directly (rather than inversely) related to changes in price, when prices are lowest, quantities available for sale will be pretty low, too.