Increase trader frequency

[swisscheese2121]

When I reach a certain point in the game, I stop getting trade caravans and such I don't if its because I have relations with the surrounding factions or its just that Randy Random just be like that sometimes. But, is there a way to get more trading caravans/orbital traders or should I just switch storytellers or something?

[HunterSilver]

I feel like as your wealth increases, the event pool starts to get full of things other than traders. So it's not that your storyteller is trying to pick them less, but instead of 7 events to pick from, there are now 30, and so they just pop up less. These numbers are entirely made up.

It becomes more and more prudent to send your own colonists out to trade with nearby settlements instead. You can speed this up with mounts, pack animals, drop pods, psycasts, and noble favors for transport shuttles.

A psycaster can be drop podded onto a town, trade with them, and then cast far skip to teleport home, completing a round trip in just a few seconds. A noble with a transport shuttle can do the same thing in almost the same amount of time.

Even just a trader who's traveling on the ground can get trades done relatively quickly if you give them a couple of horses to travel with.

[Jaggid Edje]

Traders are a totally independent pool from other events for at least some of the storytellers. They arrive on a fixed frequency, but there are other things that can make them not show up.

@Astasia has explained it several times in multiple threads like this over the last several years.

This is the most recent thread that I could find with the information, but I know I saw one 3 or 4 weeks ago too.

[HidesHisFace]

Originally posted by swisscheese2121:

When I reach a certain point in the game, I stop getting trade caravans and such I don't if its because I have relations with the surrounding factions or its just that Randy Random just be like that sometimes. But, is there a way to get more trading caravans/orbital traders or should I just switch storytellers or something?

You can just increase your relation quite easily by sending drop pods with excess renewable material, like food, cotton or devilstrand - works like a charm.

As for storytellers. Perry Persistent from Vanilla Expanded series should work fine - he massively increases the number of various minor events without excessively increasing the number of raids. With him, you should expect a caravan every few days.

[Jaggid Edje]

I second the Perry Persistent recommendation. He's pretty awesome as a storyteller....there's never any long stretches of "nothing happening" with him.

[Steelfleece]

Randy does what Randy do. He always goes boring mode for me, so I've just not used him in ages. I don't know if he has a random schedule for trade caravans, but wouldn't be surprised.

Slaver caravans arrive more frequently when you have a very low population and taper off as that rises. Not sure with Randy, but I believe with Phoebe and Cassandra it drops to almost nothing by 8 population. They arrive on their own schedule separate from other caravans, but their presence early on can probably mess with your perceptions.

[swisscheese2121]

Thank this has been very helpful. But, is there a mod that just increases the number of caravans and orbital traders and such. Because, I don't think Ive had a single orbital traders since I built the Comms console

[Jaggid Edje]

This mod lets you customize the settings for traders to whatever you want.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2876541977

From the mod description page:
With this mod you can easily change:
• How frequently caravans, orbital traders or visitors will arrive at the colony.
• Change restock frequency of settlements.
• Change the departure time of caravans, visitors and orbital traders.
• Adjust the amount of silver in stock for any trader category.
• Modify the amount of other items in stock for any trader category.
• Make the amount of items and silver that traders have in stock scale with the wealth of your colony.
• Allow slaver traders to appear regardless of your colony population.

[Mringasa]

Originally posted by Steelfleece:

Randy does what Randy do. He always goes boring mode for me, so I've just not used him in ages. I don't know if he has a random schedule for trade caravans, but wouldn't be surprised.

Slaver caravans arrive more frequently when you have a very low population and taper off as that rises. Not sure with Randy, but I believe with Phoebe and Cassandra it drops to almost nothing by 8 population. They arrive on their own schedule separate from other caravans, but their presence early on can probably mess with your perceptions.

So this is why I can never get slaver caravans with my more developed colonies when I have some odds and ends to sell off. I had wondered why they stopped appearing, except as an extremely rare orbital trader. Thank you for that information!

One reason, if I'm playing as a friendly neighbor, I always try to keep relations at max. So I can call for a trader when I need one, and you can specify which type to call.

[The Blind One]

Doesn't Randy have different trading mechanics compared to the two other storytellers? I remember there being something weird about his trade caravans. I think they are treated like 'event' rather than normal trade frequencies which means Randy doesn't always give you traders.

I would recommend getting the Comms Console for orbital traders. That should double or triple the amount of traders you receive. Orbital traders have a much larger assortment of goods, have way more cash on hand and they are on top of your regular caravan traders so there's no reason not to get a comms console and go orbital trading.

The only annoying part about orbital traders is the trade beacon needing to be placed at the spot of the stuff you want to sell but I just run a mod that allows you to sell anything on the map that is accessible because the beacon mechanic is just stupid and annoying micro imho.

[Das Trojanische Pferd]

well traders can also be called if you at least try to make friends with your neighbors and thats pretty easy

[Narn]

Once your colony gets established you will be wanting to send out your own caravans for trade more then receive trades anyway. You have more choices when you do that.

[x]

I like this mod:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2023111461

[Slam]

just caravan dude