Trade for Commander's Build Storage

[Money]

Ok, this command has NEVER worked for me. Finally decided to try and figure it out. Google doesn't really turn up any fixes.

The resource I need to build is one sector away.
I have a 2 star manager, who's limit is up to 2 sectors away
I have a 2 star pilot, who's limit is up to 2 sectors away
I have funds in the build budget and in the station logistics view estimate.
No trade rules, just have the buy order as low as possible so I don't over pay NPC traders.

Ships say no trade found in allowable sectors.

I don't have any sectors off limits

[Bobucles]

Lol I dunno. The construction fleet has never worked for me. Try putting your trade ships in the production factory and telling them to work the trade fleet.

[Money]

I don't understand how this game has been around this long and something as simple as a fetch if/then command doesn't work.

[Wraith]

Differing experience?

It working for me atm so I don’t know what different

[mhent]

Originally posted by Money:

...just have the buy order as low as possible so I don't over pay NPC traders.

So you need a sell order with lowest possible price. I don't think you will ever find one...

[trooperrob]

your station should have a buy for that resource in the build storage.

Can you order your build storage ship to do the trade manually?
If a large ship you need cargo drones on either ship or stations.
If the ship can't dock at the target station it can't....
Check the price - is the price you are willing to pay high enough for the target station?
are there any trade / sector restrictions ?
If your buy price is too low (as you say) then they probably have a better offer.
Try a small or med ship as well just in case it is the dock size issue.

I don't usually have problems with this, until I find them trying to get terran parts deep into cw space.

Try setting the price at least 2 -3 above the station to buy from if you don't get a bite, getting the station up and running asap is prob better than insisting on cheap parts.

make sure the buy price is above the avg price per ware, but I would set it to max initially, just to get it working, then reduce it bit by bit for the next station (or now, and cancel the trade if you like)

[Mouse Rat]

Originally posted by Money:

Ok, this command has NEVER worked for me. Finally decided to try and figure it out. Google doesn't really turn up any fixes.

The resource I need to build is one sector away.
I have a 2 star manager, who's limit is up to 2 sectors away
I have a 2 star pilot, who's limit is up to 2 sectors away
I have funds in the build budget and in the station logistics view estimate.
No trade rules, just have the buy order as low as possible so I don't over pay NPC traders.

Ships say no trade found in allowable sectors.

I don't have any sectors off limits

Maybe the price is too high?
You can remove autoprice and set the value to highest, and they will always buy if there is anything on the market.

[Vheissu]

Build storage traders work OK for me but yeah it seems as though they are pretty limited if prices in nearby sectors aren't good. NPC universe traders do most of the work, probably because better prices are available further away.

Sometimes I have a couple L and XL traders move materials manually and intentionally buy way too many materials - that way the build storage has a stockpile of all the the construction materials available that can immediately jumpstart the next station build.

[Money]

Originally posted by Vheissu:

Build storage traders work OK for me but yeah it seems as though they are pretty limited if prices in nearby sectors aren't good. NPC universe traders do most of the work, probably because better prices are available further away.

Sometimes I have a couple L and XL traders move materials manually and intentionally buy way too many materials - that way the build storage has a stockpile of all the the construction materials available that can immediately jumpstart the next station build.

Really wish they would focus some development on these smaller systems that are overly fragile/nonfunctioning.

Conceptually, recognizing a shortage of building material and searching for the best deal within the range of the manager seems like an easy thing to implement

[Paradox]

Originally posted by Money:

...
No trade rules, just have the buy order as low as possible so I don't over pay NPC traders.
...

Why do you have it priced so low that you'll never find a seller and then wonder why you can't find a seller?

Also, your use of the term "buy order" makes me think you're talking about the "logical overview" screen instead of the "plan build" screen.

[Money]

Originally posted by Paradox:

Originally posted by Money:

...
No trade rules, just have the buy order as low as possible so I don't over pay NPC traders.
...

Why do you have it priced so low that you'll never find a seller and then wonder why you can't find a seller?

Also, your use of the term "buy order" makes me think you're talking about the "logical overview" screen instead of the "plan build" screen.

So, i messed with it a bit more.

To answer your questions:

Because there are stations within range already selling below my buy price. I’m intentionally pricing low because I don’t want NPC traders profiting off supplying my station—I want my own ships to handle that logistics loop.

Setting the buy order in the build menu to the minimum value is the only way I’ve found to discourage NPC traders, since trade rules don’t let you filter by ship ownership—only whether factions are allowed to trade at all.

For example, claytronics:
My minimum buy price is 1,734, while there’s a station in-system selling at 1,703. NPC traders don’t seem interested in that margin, which is what I want—but that same behavior appears to apply to my own ships as well, which isn’t what I want.

If I raise the buy price, NPC traders immediately step in, buy the goods, and flip them to me at a profit. My ships respond too, but now I’m paying extra for something I could have sourced myself.

The goal is simple: I want only my ships supplying materials so I’m not bleeding money to NPC middlemen.
Right now, there doesn’t seem to be a way to enforce that behavior.

[Paradox]

Originally posted by Money:

Originally posted by Paradox:

Why do you have it priced so low that you'll never find a seller and then wonder why you can't find a seller?

Also, your use of the term "buy order" makes me think you're talking about the "logical overview" screen instead of the "plan build" screen.

So, i messed with it a bit more.

To answer your questions:

Because there are stations within range already selling below my buy price. I’m intentionally pricing low because I don’t want NPC traders profiting off supplying my station—I want my own ships to handle that logistics loop.

Setting the buy order in the build menu to the minimum value is the only way I’ve found to discourage NPC traders, since trade rules don’t let you filter by ship ownership—only whether factions are allowed to trade at all.

For example, claytronics:
My minimum buy price is 1,734, while there’s a station in-system selling at 1,703. NPC traders don’t seem interested in that margin, which is what I want—but that same behavior appears to apply to my own ships as well, which isn’t what I want.

If I raise the buy price, NPC traders immediately step in, buy the goods, and flip them to me at a profit. My ships respond too, but now I’m paying extra for something I could have sourced myself.

The goal is simple: I want only my ships supplying materials so I’m not bleeding money to NPC middlemen.
Right now, there doesn’t seem to be a way to enforce that behavior.

Your ships need to make a profit to be motivated too. If they are buying at 10 and selling at 10, I'm not sure they'll even move. IE. your buy price has to be higher than the sell price.

Could you not restrict trade with other factions at the station level (for the build storage) and disable it at the specific ship level (IE don't follow commander's orders for that one) and raise your buy price to lowest+1? IE. prevent ships that aren't your own from trading with your storage while encouraging a profit motive.

[Mouse Rat]

Originally posted by Money:

So, i messed with it a bit more.

To answer your questions:

Because there are stations within range already selling below my buy price. I’m intentionally pricing low because I don’t want NPC traders profiting off supplying my station—I want my own ships to handle that logistics loop.

Setting the buy order in the build menu to the minimum value is the only way I’ve found to discourage NPC traders, since trade rules don’t let you filter by ship ownership—only whether factions are allowed to trade at all.

That isn't how it works.

You can very much block NPC from interacting with your stuff, and only let your own traders assigned to the build storage.
More your own traders are forced to look up trades with that value, so no you will NOT get anything on minimum.

Originally posted by Money:

Ok, this command has NEVER worked for me. Finally decided to try and figure it out. Google doesn't really turn up any fixes.

Its even funnyer to come here and claim some bug when your prices are set to minimum.

It doesn't work because you set them to minimum.

Set them to maximum and they will work, and if you must put in a trade rule they are only allowed to interact with your own faction.

Plus even if the rule is set to max, traders will pick lower prices IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE.
So if you set max 40 but there is something at 32 they will buy at 32 , again even if you set the buy to 40.

Originally posted by Money:

For example, claytronics:
My minimum buy price is 1,734, while there’s a station in-system selling at 1,703. NPC traders don’t seem interested in that margin, which is what I want—but that same behavior appears to apply to my own ships as well, which isn’t what I want.

If I raise the buy price, NPC traders immediately step in, buy the goods, and flip them to me at a profit. My ships respond too, but now I’m paying extra for something I could have sourced myself.

The goal is simple: I want only my ships supplying materials so I’m not bleeding money to NPC middlemen.
Right now, there doesn’t seem to be a way to enforce that behavior.

There is.
Trade rules.

Create an ONLY ME , and remove everybody else but your own faction, and set it as the trade rule for the build, inside the build menu, not on the logic overview.

AND set the prices to max.

[Paradox]

Originally posted by Mouse Rat:

...

There is.
Trade rules.

Create an ONLY ME , and remove everybody else but your own faction, and set it as the trade rule for the build, inside the build menu, not on the logic overview.

AND set the prices to max.

While I believe it is possible, as mentioned in my previous post. You would have to do as I suggest. Set up the restriction "only me" for the build storage, but disable it on the ships. So that the ships can buy from other factions and then sell to you. You also wouldn't want to set it to max, because then your ships would look for up to maxprice-1 to trade with you. You would want to set it to minpriceinrange+1. That way you would buy at the minimum price in range, without the +1 markup. Though, why you would want to go through so much trouble for the +1 markup, idk.

[Mouse Rat]

Originally posted by Paradox:

You also wouldn't want to set it to max, because then your ships would look for up to maxprice-1 to trade with you. You would want to set it to minpriceinrange+1. That way you would buy at the minimum price in range, without the +1 markup. Though, why you would want to go through so much trouble for the +1 markup, idk.

They look at range and then at price, and still pick up the "best" price even on max.
Max just gives them "trade range".

I'll test it just to make sure i don't talk trash.

Also most of the time i don't fiddle with build storage prices, i have a trade station set up to buy closed loop mats on the less than average.
And then sell the mats to my own faction at a minimum when i build in range.
So i don't have to fiddle with the restrictions on the ships as well.

Most of the time the sellers of the trade station will fill the build up without issues.
Or use manually 3 large transports to move the mats to get it going.
etc.

This is also very good to have to train managers, just buy -1 and sell +1 over average, as you said, when i don't plan to build soon, or just have like a sell until limit, and keep some in the back just in case you need to start something.
Also if there is some other materials that have motion around, add them in.


I'll check if the buy and the trade orders are as i said, i remember being true, and i've used them as such recently, but you never know.

[Serikos]

Never had a problem building, just pay a fair price but also be worried about the words "Teladi Vulture Sentinel" appearing on your build supply because then you are not getting those resources till next century