Does the market really matter?

[John Cena]

The AI doesn't seem to use it much. Sure, I can get a few purchases here and there but nothing on the scale I would expect.

It's 1947 and Europe is still engulfed by war. England has less than a thousand planes left. They have almost no aluminum and rubber to produce planes with. They do have over 100 civilian factories. Instead of bulk buying my planes which I am selling at a discount they will buy like 6 planes. Biggest order I ever got was for a couple hundred trucks, some artillery, and some planes from Russia.

Does the AI ever make big purchases? Is it just tiny purchases even in late game? What gives?

[CatLoverJerryGarcia]

My guess would be it's trying to balance between home production and acquiring equipment from the market.

[Big [REDACTED] Marty]

you though that PDX would allow a player to actually war profiteer? lol

this system is such a joke

[Citizen X]

Originally posted by Big REDACTED Marty:

you though that PDX would allow a player to actually war profiteer? lol

this system is such a joke

This system has so much potential..

I have to try and stop my self from writing an essay. Bottom line is that along with the new Manufacturer trait system, countries / players should be able to specialize in certain equipment, producing the highest quality possible among everyone else, and then either selling it on the new market for profit OR sharing with your faction members.

Combine this with the fact that some nations have access to research bonuses within their focus trees, and we can see a cool dynamic market where each nation is trying to simultaneously get the new equipment out as soon as possible, but also with the best traits from their designer.

In multiplayer games, factions can now delegate better than ever players for specific pieces of equipment. Instead of everyone needing to research tanks and planes and guns, each player can pick one, and grind their Manufacturer to a very high level, but also keeping ahead of time on research.

[Big [REDACTED] Marty]

it has potential, but in singleplayer, which is what most people who play this game do, it's mostly pointless, you can't sell anything after the early game, no one will buy anything

you can buy stuff sure, but the AI sells mostly it's own trash, or the 3 biplanes it started the game with

just like how the AI struggles to understand how to properly use lend lease, they just don't do it right or at all

but in multiplayer, when the parties involved have a clue, yeah it's great, neutral minors can participate meaningfully without directly getting involved, and economies can be leveraged in a brand new way

Originally posted by Citizen X:

Originally posted by Big REDACTED Marty:

you though that PDX would allow a player to actually war profiteer? lol

this system is such a joke

This system has so much potential..

I have to try and stop my self from writing an essay. Bottom line is that along with the new Manufacturer trait system, countries / players should be able to specialize in certain equipment, producing the highest quality possible among everyone else, and then either selling it on the new market for profit OR sharing with your faction members.

Combine this with the fact that some nations have access to research bonuses within their focus trees, and we can see a cool dynamic market where each nation is trying to simultaneously get the new equipment out as soon as possible, but also with the best traits from their designer.

In multiplayer games, factions can now delegate better than ever players for specific pieces of equipment. Instead of everyone needing to research tanks and planes and guns, each player can pick one, and grind their Manufacturer to a very high level, but also keeping ahead of time on research.

it's just the AI that just, as always, fails to enable the system to work

[hannibal_pjv]

The market is early game boost!
Do you try to sell planes that are better than the other can make? I expect that AI is in so deep economical hole at late game, that it can not afford to buy then any more.

[Bored Peon]

I found the market to be a HUGE boost, especially for the minors. Early game go with normal price, after a few years drop it to low price.

The AI will CONSTANTLY buy convoys, civilian trains, and armored trains. I had Germany buy something like 150 trains from after it steam rolled Russia. Constantly selling off your excess gives a good boost in construction.

Trucks are so-so, you can sell some of the early models, later models sell pretty good.

When it comes to planes, if it can fly SOMEONE will buy it.

Tanks can be sold fairly well, especially light and medium tanks.

Other misc equipment (guns, arty, etc) it comes and goes, mostly after a peace conference and some puppet is rebuilding an army. It also depends if the tech level is relevant to the year as pointed out earlier by someone.

You also have to keep in mind the market follows trade rules. If you are at war with the then they cannot buy, The same if you get embargoed for creating too much tension.

Some countries get a nice starting boost selling off your excess convoys and getting rid of the interwar planes that you probably wont ever use.

My ONLY complaint with the market system is the AI will constantly try to buy from you without having the civilian factories to pay for it.

Now as far as buying goes, it is pretty decent. One game I bought a bunch of armored cars for garrisons.

[Delicia Suprema]

Originally posted by Big REDACTED Marty:

you though that PDX would allow a player to actually war profiteer? lol

this system is such a joke

Yep. I tried winning a war with a small nation by just focusing with civs and a few mills, but the market barely has enough equipment. It takes too long to come and when attacking you lose guns in a crazy amount.

[Bored Peon]

Originally posted by Delicia Suprema:

Originally posted by Big REDACTED Marty:

you though that PDX would allow a player to actually war profiteer? lol

this system is such a joke

Yep. I tried winning a war with a small nation by just focusing with civs and a few mills, but the market barely has enough equipment. It takes too long to come and when attacking you lose guns in a crazy amount.

You can change the frequency of the deliveries, but as you said if countries have none to sell then that kinda screw you a bit.

If you need something frequent enough I think you would be better off getting a production licence instead.

I also noticed that you do not receive the Military Designer bonuses on some of the stuff. Before they patched it the other day Australia did not have an artillery designer. I noticed the stuff I bought had the same bonuses as if I made it myself. The same with a production license.

[Citizen X]

Originally posted by Bored Peon:

I found the market to be a HUGE boost, especially for the minors. Early game go with normal price, after a few years drop it to low price.

The AI will CONSTANTLY buy convoys, civilian trains, and armored trains. I had Germany buy something like 150 trains from after it steam rolled Russia. Constantly selling off your excess gives a good boost in construction.

This is great info. I already liked to build Refineries in the past and sell rubber to an embargoed Germany. I had noticed to in my previous game (without the DLC) that Germany was short on trains. I will have a faction of my own and sell them trains on top of the rubber :)

[Bored Peon]

Originally posted by Citizen X:

Originally posted by Bored Peon:

I found the market to be a HUGE boost, especially for the minors. Early game go with normal price, after a few years drop it to low price.

The AI will CONSTANTLY buy convoys, civilian trains, and armored trains. I had Germany buy something like 150 trains from after it steam rolled Russia. Constantly selling off your excess gives a good boost in construction.

This is great info. I already liked to build Refineries in the past and sell rubber to an embargoed Germany. I had noticed to in my previous game (without the DLC) that Germany was short on trains. I will have a faction of my own and sell them trains on top of the rubber :)

Well one example, I been trying to do Iraq for the the Hooffin It achievement to unite Arabia. The generic focus tree that gives the dockyards were great for the economy. I could trade for 8 units of steel and produce trains and convoys and guns for myself and get construction buffs.

When the AI buys from you you basically get use of a civilian factory for a limited time. These can also be used towards to start special projects (spy agency, the 15 factories to drill), but beware you can lose trades when the temporary ones run out, but the project keeps going.

[John Cena]

Originally posted by hannibal_pjv:

The market is early game boost!
Do you try to sell planes that are better than the other can make? Imexpect that AI is in so deep economical hole, that it can not afford to buy.

I try to sell better quality equipment that the AI can't make for the cheapest price and the AI still doesn't buy it.

[Bored Peon]

Originally posted by Luke Skywalker:

Originally posted by hannibal_pjv:

The market is early game boost!
Do you try to sell planes that are better than the other can make? Imexpect that AI is in so deep economical hole, that it can not afford to buy.

I try to sell better quality equipment that the AI can't make for the cheapest price and the AI still doesn't buy it.

As I said earlier the best sellers is convoys and trains because they are constantly being sunk or blown up by logistics strikes. You kinda need to drop the price to low by around 1938 or so.

Tanks and planes seem to sell very well. I would only recommend selling off the older models and captured models. Speaking of which scavenger trait turns over quite a bit of stuff, I think Finland has Jaegers trait that give a 30% bonus.

I usually take all the captured and stuff form a capitulated country and throw it on the market, because never know what or when someone will buy stuff. It also clears out all those excess crappy planes so I aint gotta scroll through like 100 planes to make a new wing.

You also have to keep in mind it depends how many wars and such are going on. Some games I cannot even keep convoys in the market and other games there can be months and months before someone buys some.