Question about game mechanics: Trade Ports

from Sins Forums
Lets say you have 5 planets with only one phase lane connection each one to the next (like a string of pearls).  Obviously, putting a Trade Port at the two planets on the ends will generate the most income.  But what happens if you place a trade port in any of the planets in the middle?  Will they generate income as well?  Will the trade ship stop at one of the middle ones and reduce the credits earned because he had a shorter trip?  What about putting multiple trade ports at the same planet?  Like if I have this one really remote planet, will filling up all its logistics slots with Trade Ports multiply my trade income by each additional port?  Or will the trade ships just fly inbetween the ports in that gravity well and basically make me no money? 

Essentially, I want to know what is the most effective way of utilizing Trade Ports.
42,708 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Short answer: yes. EVERY port pays the same amount of income per second unless it's still either building trade ships, or a number of its trade ships have been destroyed, or a planetary bonus changes its value. The trade ships themselves and their position is largely irrelevant as long as they exist and can travel. So say that you have 5 stations in a chain and you're making 1.4 income per second from each. Build a sixth in the middle somewhere, either on a new planet or as a second trade station at an existing planet, and you'll have six stations each making 1.4 income. But build a sixth at the end and you'll have six stations each making 1.5.

So, try to build trade stations at the ends of your empire, but build them at EVERY place that supports them to maximize your income, and if you explore a planet and find that it provides a bonus to trading, load that one up with trade stations. Note that dead asteroids break a chain.

-- Retro
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Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Originally Posted By theRetroboy
Note that dead asteroids break a chain.

-- Retro
Unless you're TEC.
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
...and invest heavily in two research upgrades. Considering they're 6th level research, they're far from automatic. :)

-- Retro
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
It is in some cases possible to shorten the amount of hops in the longest trade route, by building a trade port on a planet that links two other planets. If those planet were separated by a longer chain of planets before building the new trade port, the longest route shown in the map is shortened after that. Will the trade income from all trade ports drop in such a situation?
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
There is no point to building multiple trading stations per planet is there?
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes there is. Each one gives you a static amount plus the longest route bonus.

5 trade ports = roughly 5 more credits per second (plus bonuses) regardless of where you put them. If you have the Logistics slots to spare, pile them on.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Once I had a trade route that encircled the ENTIRE GALAXY, except for the one enemy planet I didn't conquer yet, and when I took over that planet and built a tradeport, the trade route reverted to a tiny section in the corner, although I expected to make a complete circle... :NOTSURE:

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
Bunnyh: consider

Your longest chain is 5 in the configuration below. * is a planet you conquered; E is an enemy planet:


*-----*---*---------*
|....................
|.......E............
|....................
*....................

5 trade planets total * (1.0 + [0.1 * 5 longest chain]) = 7.5 per second

So you conquer the enemy planet at E and build a trade port there.

*...*...*---------*
........|............
........*............
./-----/.............
*....................

6 trade planets total * (1.0 + [0.1 * 4 longest chain]) = 8.4 per second

Long story short: unless you have 9 or more trade ports, you'll do better by building another trade port even if it shortens your longest chain by one hop.

-- Retro