[dev] Automated trading - design ideas / strategies

[max2veg]

Would it be possible to have X-universe like automated trading with a NPC captain? The captain's levels (like those of other NPC crew: gunner, miner, engineer, ...) should specify how many times to jump to reach a trading destination -

lvl1: has to be reachable within one jump, equivalent to manual jump routes, though AI captain evaluates profit opportunities at destination and can set new route automatically; if no trade route found (to buy in this system and sell in another), AI captain will jump ship back to previous system to continue existing or find new trade opportunities;

lvl2: reach within two jumps at most;

lvl3: reach within three jumps;

Maybe more levels can be introduced, to refine that more, with a lvl6 to have unlimited number of jumps.

 

The captain's level could also specify how many trading opportunities are being kept track of, to maximize profitability -

lvl1: take on new trade based on opportunity in current system, if none then jump to already explored friendly (any system that will allow trading at station) to find next opportunity;

lvl2: keep track of additional opportunities and jump there once current and previous system profit margin is less than opportunities present in current system;

lvl3: keep track of unlimited trading opportunities, to maximize trade routing based on jump distance.

 

This could also be combined with exploring via queued command, letting choose conditions (with varying risks):

* do trade, unless profit margin falls below x value, then jump to closest unexplored green blip system (if hostile, immediately set target jump to previous system and jump ASAP there, mark this system to avoid, until its status changes);

* do trade, unless unexplored green blip system is at the most n sectors away from current location and does not increase the total number number of distance of sectors to reach the next trade destination (in other words, it's on-route) - example: if n=3 then only jump to an unexplored green blip sector if it is reachable within 3 or less jumps and doesn't add additional sectors to the destination already set for trading.

* if no current trade opportunity, jump to closest unexplored green blip sector, to find new trade opportunities.

 

Previously unexplored sectors jumped to by AI captains are then set as explored.

There is probably so much more that can be done, through parameterization of various queued commands, allowing the game to be played from a grand perspective, rather than micro-managing everything.