I would add this.... TRADE ROUTES.



One way routes. Trade Loops. On the map, as a commodity and a gameplay mechanic.



Creating

> START ROUTE and FINISH ROUTE to start and finish creating a trade loop/route

> Let me CREATE STOPS on these trade routes by bookmarking a commodity+location from inside the commodity menu (buy, sell, add to route), creating a rally point.

> Now any commodity/system that I bookmark before clicking "end route" is logged in the route

> When I Finish the Route, I get to name it.... "Spatula's Rare Goods Loop - Lave > Witchhaul > Lave" or "The Beer Run - Sol > Maia" or whatever



Using

> Now it's saved in my "Trade Routes" and can be seen on the map

> If I go to the start location, I can "Begin Route" and the computer will automatically plot my nav points (oh wow, space trucking is easy now!)

> OPTIONAL: Maybe a "Trade Computer" module that works like an autopilot, similar to a docking computer (extra dedicated slot for all purist trade ships, optional module for non-trade ships)



Selling

> Allow me to sell my routes, like exploration data, with the value of route being based on the total possible profit margin with an average

> So my first route is 4 systems long and each stop has a different commodity, so the route value is based on, say 100 of each commodity's current price, with average travel time factored in, as well as other factors like system status.

> Trade routes that end in a loop (ie. where they began) sell for a bonus

> If you could figure out a way to increase a commodity price by manipulating the BGS, you could increase the route value before selling.

> Maybe add a crazy multiplier to the selling price if the "average profit per hour" is above a certain level, so if you create a "five star" route, you get a MASSIVE bonus.



Buying

> Let me visit bars on stations to get a chance to buy a route from a local smuggler, which will show me a very profitable slave circuit, or maybe get mysterious random messages with tips on where a hot route might have cropped up for sale.

> Let new players buy a bunch of stock trade routes from an Alliance contact with some hand-crafted routes that are better for smaller cargo holds (ie. rare good circuits and small haul profitable chains)

> Have the computer take a look at ideal trades within a certain radius and generate small routes.. so you fly into a new system, dock, visit the trade contact and buy a route for 1mil credits that shows an average $2mil per hour estimate in that area.



Expiring

> Set a threshold in your "trade routes" menu for "notify if below ____ average $profit per hour"

> Any route that falls below that threshold due to changes in the BGS, will put a "expired" marker next to the bookmark, so you know if a route has dried up and can remove it.

> Maybe players get X number of routes based on their trade ranking - the more you trade, the more routes you can store at once.



Rating

> Routes can get rated by players and the top routes might start leaking into the Galnews local feeds based on rating

> One day, a route i created and named "Spatula's Biowaste Bonanza" and sold into the system gets picked up by 23 other players who rate it higher and suddenly, it's popped into galnet for others to learn about within 50ly of that system

> Then everyone rushes to this new haul until the BGS economy ends up killing the route, at which point it fades into the annals of time....



That would be pretty cool to see... a system where you can create routes and sell them, or buy other people's routes, or randomly generated ones that pull the profit margin data and calculate an average trade route value. Then you wouldn't need to always look up trade calculators through third parties- there would be an in-game way to trade more efficiently.