AristoShares

Stockbroker to the Stars.

"Stockbroker to the Stars." (tm)

Overview

AristoShares introduces a hybrid economic model to Oolite, blending traditional cargo trading with long-term financial investment. This OXP adds three new commodities to the Co-operative trading markets: one premium physical good, and two high-value financial instruments.

By purchasing bearer shares in fictional corporations, players can speculate on market prices as dividend dates approach, or hold onto their investments to collect variable quarterly payouts—introducing a compelling new time-based gameplay loop to the Ooniverse.

New Commodities

Aristo-Cheese

• Type: Standard Cargo (Consumer / Luxury)
• Unit: Kilograms (kg)
• Description: The finest Digebitian Aristo-Cheese, gently infused with the quintessence of aristocracy.
• Mechanics: Aristo-Cheese functions as a standard, high-value trading good. Its price fluctuates based on the standard supply and demand of the station's economy. Buy low, sell high.

Cholzburton

• Type: Financial Instrument (Bearer Shares)
• Unit: Grams (g)
• Description: Cholzburton Dairies class B non-voting bearer shares.
• Mechanics: Represents a stake in the very company that manufactures Aristo-Cheese. Weighs virtually nothing (1g), similar to gem-stones. Subject to dynamic market pricing and pays a variable dividend every quarter.

Hoopy

• Type: Financial Instrument (Bearer Shares)
• Unit: Grams (g)
• Description: Hoopy Casinos class B non-voting bearer shares.
• Mechanics: Represents a stake in the popular casino ship chain. Like Cholzburton, it is a lightweight, high-value financial asset with its own unique dividend cycle and dynamic pricing.

How Investment Works

AristoShares fundamentally changes how you interact with certain cargo items. Shares are not meant to be traded across systems for arbitrage; they are time-based investments.

The Dividend Cycle

Corporations pay out dividends to shareholders every 90 days. If you are holding shares in your cargo hold when the pay-out day arrives, you will receive a direct credit to your bank account. You do not need to be docked to receive your money.

• Variable Pay-outs: Dividends are not a fixed amount. Each quarter, the pay-out is multiplied by a random market factor (ranging from 0.8x to 1.2x of the base dividend), meaning some quarters are exceptionally profitable, while others are more modest.
• Staggered Paydays: Corporations operate on different fiscal calendars. They do not pay out on the same day!

   * Cholzburton pays out **7 days *before*** the standard 90-day quarter mark.
   * Hoopy pays out **14 days *after*** the standard 90-day quarter mark.
   * This creates a rolling cycle of potential income throughout the quarter.

Market Speculation (Dynamic Pricing)

The market price of shares is not static. It is driven by the time remaining until the next dividend payout, simulating real-world "buying before the ex-dividend date."

• Early in the cycle: Right after a dividend has been paid, shares settle back to their base market price. This is the best time to buy.
• Approaching the pay-out: As the dividend day gets closer, market speculation drives the price up exponentially. The closer you get to the pay-out, the more expensive the shares become.
• The Choice: You can choose to hold your shares to collect the dividend, or you can exploit the price spike and sell your shares at a massive premium right before the pay-out occurs.

Smart Notifications & UI Feedback

The OXP uses your ship's standard interfaces to keep you informed of your portfolio's status without requiring any special equipment:

• Cargo Manifest: When a dividend is less than 10 days away, the short description of the share on the market screen will change to "Div. soon" as an alert.
• Detailed Projections: Highlighting a share in your manifest will display the long description, which dynamically updates to tell you the estimated dividend amount and the exact number of days until payout (e.g., *"Next Dividend: ~120 Cr in 7 days."*).
• In-Flight Payouts: If a dividend pays out while you are flying, the message is logged to your **Docking Report** so it doesn't block your screen during combat. If you are docked, it prints immediately to your console.

Installation

Download

File:AristoShares.oxz

To install AristoShares, simply place the `AristoShares.oxz` file into your Oolite `AddOns` directory.

OXP Structure

If you are modifying or inspecting the pack, the folder structure is as follows:

AristoShares.oxz/
├── manifest.plist
├── Config/
│   ├── trade-goods.plist
│   ├── descriptions.plist
│   └── world-scripts.plist
└── Scripts/
    └── aristo_financial_commodities.js

Credits

• Concept & Design: Wildeblood
• Implementation: Wildeblood & GLM-5.1
• Special Thanks: The Oolite community and wiki contributors for scripting references.