X3-TC Would really appreciate Trade Software help

IcarusII · Post by **IcarusII** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 20:12

Hi Folks,

I used to play a lot of X3-Reunion and utterly loved it. Had a big, yummy empire and stacks of cash. However, its been about 1.5 years since i played it and I have literally forgotten almost everything.

i recently picked up X3-TC in the steam sale (Im sure you have all heard that a lot recently) and Im really enjoying the X-Universe all over again.

Ive been doing more reading on the forums than playing (which is a bit sad I suppose - but i love to understand things).

On to my question: In X3 Reunion, for the early to middle part of the game I made huge use of MORTing and probably more accurately the Manual Trade Commands which came in the X3-R bonus pack. Specifically these allowed me to tell a remote ship to go but say e-cells for the best price within say 4 sectors. Then once bought, to go to a specific sector (where I know there is a bit of an e-cell drought) and then sell them for the best price within say 3 sectors. The sector range being specified by me.

So, looking at the bonus pack for X3-TC, the manual trade commands arent there.

ive read all the software commands for Trade Commands software Mk1, 2 and 3 and whilst the commands in Mk2 SEEM to be what I need, they:
a) only seem to be aimed at supplying a base?
b) dont seem to mention a specified radius in which to look for best price.

So basically, how do I do this form of manual trading in X3-TC where i can get a ship to go somewhere and pick up goods within a specified sector radius for the best price and then do the same when selling.

i cant try any of this out yet as i literally dont have enough money in the game to buy a transporter, let alone the software.

Any help would be AMAZINGLY appreciated.

I want to use this process of manual trading to bridge the gap between doing missions and side missions and getting ST's and UT's working for me before I start to build factories and complexes.

Thanks again folks

Icarus

heratik · Post by **heratik** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 22:13

CAG/CLS may be capable of this task.

Otherwise, a strange workaround just occurred to me, specifically for E-cells (but could be adapted for other resources). If you were to build a Wheat farm (nice and cheap) and assign it two TSs. Set the buy price for energy nice and low, allow trade of intermediate wares, set the trade range to your desire, then command 1 TS to 'buy ware at best price - energy cells' and the other to 'sell ware for best price - energy cells'.

The station would act as a go between for more controlled trading!

I may talking complete nonsense, maybe I will try it for a laugh later...

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 22:28

With trade command softwares,and iirc navigation software ,plus jumpdrive(optional but recommended),
You can still do as we did in Reunion.
Trade command menu options 2 and 3 is all you really need activated for this.

2=buy for best price
3=sell for best price.

simples

heratik · Post by **heratik** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 22:39

@TTD

But will that order a ship to buy a particular product, and then sell it on with some control over price and range?

IcarusII · Post by **IcarusII** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 22:44

So did Egosoft deliberately block the X3-R Manual Trade Comands scrips from working somehow?

I checked all the X3 TC scripts and cant see one called Manual Trade Commands.

This really is a bit annoying. Ive only just started the game and I really enjoy the trading / building aspect more than the fighting aspect. So to find one of the most useful commands in X3-R gone in TC seems crazy.

I just cant believe we cant tell a craft remotely to do a best buy in a radius bigger than the sector its in

Post by **Nanook** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 22:48

Manual trade commands are in there. You may just be lacking some necessary software. I'm not certain, but I think MTC's need the Trading System Extension and the Best Buy Locators and Best Selling Price Locators installed on your traders in order to operate. You may also need all three on your own ship, as well, although I don't think that's required. Anyway, try adding some software to your traders until the commands become available. They are there, I've used them myself.

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 22:55

heratik wrote:@TTD

But will that order a ship to buy a particular product, and then sell it on with some control over price and range?

yes you tell it what you want to buy within range of #of sectors .Then when he has it you can the sell within #of sectors . Just the same as in Reunion.

Yes you do need the Trading System Extension on your ship.

I just put everything on all my ships,so I am painlessly ignorant of specific minimum software requirements for other ships.

SIMON POPPLEWELL · Post by **SIMON POPPLEWELL** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 23:23

Well it defiantly works as I've got my Enhanced Dolphin flying around doing manual trade while I'm doing transport passenger missions.

Like TTD I tend to add everything to my ships in anycase, so just add MK1, MK2, trade system extension and see what happens...

IcarusII · Post by **IcarusII** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 23:43

Guys - I love you all.

Thank you for the confirmation. I cant yet afford to put all the software on a ship (mainly becasue I dont have the transport yet0 but im close to getting the dollars and wanted to know i wasnt going to spend the next few days/weeks being very frustrated.

Thanks for taking the time to help

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Tue, 19. Jul 11, 23:50

wanted to know i wasn't going to spend the next few days/weeks being very frustrated.

That's the thing about this game.
We get frustrated...try different things...learn from our mistakes and experiments... look on here...ask on here...pass on our knowledge to those in need.

It can happen even after years of playing and decide to try doing something different , after reading about it on here.

IcarusII · Post by **IcarusII** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 01:19

Hi folks,

Sorry to bring this thread back again.

I now have enough money for a TS (got me a Baldric due to proximity and playing terran).

Ive equipped it with:
Duplex Scanner
Nav Software Mk1
Best Buys
Best Sells
Trade Software Mk1
Trade Software Mk2
Trading System Extension

Im not sure if I need all of these to do what I originally posted about, but I still cant figure it out. Im feeling pretty stupid (and yet found X3-R to be fairly straight forward - are the menus so different in TC?)

Anyhow I have a cople more questions and perhaps one of you kind souls could literally idiot guide me though but:

in order to get my TS to buy say e-cells for the best price within 5 sectors what do I need to say to it? I cant find any menus that allow me to input a range. Nor can I see e-cells to even select.

I would say at this point that I have no satellites in any sectors at all. Just my TS in PTNI HQ and me (in my fighter) in Black Hole sun as i type this.

Do i need a web of satellites up first before this whole best buys/best sells in a defined sector radius thing will work?

Sorry to sound so dumb but im trying to remember how I did this in X3-R and im struggling to be honest.

Thanks again

IcarusII

rwhiteruff · Post by **rwhiteruff** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 03:24

I think the easiest way would be to train up a CLS2 pilot and give them the following orders:

Comm > Trade > External Commodities
Waypoints > Generate Waypoints > (select 'nucleus' system for buying ecells) > jump range x (x being how many gates they can roam from the nucleus to get good deals) > buy ecells, best price, up to x cargo
Waypoints > Generate Waypoints > (select nucleus system for selling) > jump range y (y being how many gates they can roam from the nucleus to get good deals) > sell ecells, best price, up to x cargo

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 08:05

or...

if you just want him to sector trade and then gain enough experience to expand his radius of trade...
throw in Trade Software MK3.
You are near PTNI HQ , so you can get it from there , when you have enough creditsss.

Triplex Scanners give wider range of scan and can be got from the Boron,and some other places.

IcarusII · Post by **IcarusII** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 08:46

Well,

I could do the CLS thing, but that seems rather limited to one cargo type and I do know that they can handle more as they level up etc but i wanted to do manual trading as in my first post (for now). the e-cells was just an example.

I might want to trade e-cells then cahoonas then space fuel then whatever. I want the manual trading flexibility i had in x3-R

I want the control and the decision making to vary my cargo in the in trips and out trips etc but within a specified operational range as in X3-R manual trade commands bonus pack.

@TTD: in your post on the 19th at 22:25 you implied that i could tell the TS what to buy within a range of sectors just like in X3-R - thats all I want to do!

Please can someone explain how I do this? I would really appreciate it so much.

Thanks

epion · Post by **epion** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 08:58

I'm not sure but i think you are talking about the EST http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=222408. It will do what you want him to do.

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 09:25

@TTD: in your post on the 19th at 22:25 you implied that i could tell the TS what to buy within a range of sectors just like in X3-R - thats all I want to do!

Just make sure you have the required trade software and the navigation software (explorer command software ? maybe as well,not sure).

This will give you the options 2 and 3 in your trade menu.

Depending on what software you have the trade menu will open with ...

1 Manual Trade Run
2 Remote Best Buy...
3 Remote Best Sell...

click on option 1
Select any sector that has the item you want ,either as a resource or product.

For example, if you want Teladianium, click on Profit Share.

Then select station , in this case the Taladianium Foundry M alpha

This gives you three choices,
Teladianium
Energy Cells
Ore.

Select Teladianium

Your next screen asks for your maximum jump range.
you are told the command is accepted.
Make sure your ship is set to tell you when order complete.

if none are available within that range , he will inform you
Once he has got the product he will tell you.

Now repeat with option 2
This is simpler , because it just asks you which item on your ship you want to sell,and the jump range.

deca.death · Post by **deca.death** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 10:07

IcarusII wrote: I could do the CLS thing, but that seems rather limited to one cargo type and I do know that they can handle more as they level up etc but i wanted to do manual trading as in my first post (for now). the e-cells was just an example.

I want the manual trading flexibility i had in x3-R

I know I'm being a smartass now and I apologize in advance, but TC has so many fine tools for automatic trading that will allow hundreds of ships simultaneously building your trade empire and bringing you huge profits and will do so fully automated. You do need to set them up manually and do some babysitting while they level up but when they do eventually level up (I buy 10 TSes in one batch) they will do their thing alone. It's a thing of MK3 software, pilot really who levels up and gains new abilities, it will repair his ship, buy drones and deploy them in danger, jump out when attacked, etc. Some people have hundreds of those.

But, if doing manual trading is your thing ...

You should at least check this out.

IcarusII · Post by **IcarusII** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 11:05

@TTD - thanks loads for your post. What you described just made so many old neuron connections in my brain fire. It's amazing how much you can forget of this kind of detail after a year and a half. However I'm not out of the woods yet.

You described exactly what I want to do (for now) - and I have all.the software installed that I noted two posts ago. However the menu commands you described.aren't in my menu. So a couple of questions:

Am I looking for commands in MY Trade menu or should I go to my properties > the TS > ts trade menu?

Do I need a presence (ship or sattelite in each sector in which I want to trade like this?

Any idea what software I might be missing to get the menu commands you refer to? I have best buy and best sell, but not remote best buy / sell and i don't have manual trade run. Help!

@deca.death - I totally understand where you are coming from. But whilst I've only got one or two ts I want control. When I have more money I will automate and train but manual control means I learn the economy and learn to spot deals and good bad prices and opportunities. I used to have hundreds of cls and cags in x3r

Icarusii

SIMON POPPLEWELL · Post by **SIMON POPPLEWELL** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 11:12

IcarusII wrote:
Am I looking for commands in MY Trade menu or should I go to my properties > the TS > ts trade menu?

Do I need a presence (ship or sattelite in each sector in which I want to trade like this?

Any idea what software I might be missing to get the menu commands you refer to? I have best buy and best sell, but not remote best buy / sell and i don't have manual trade run. Help!

You need to check under the ship you want to do the trading, look in it's trade menu, there should be remote trade options and manual trade options. If they are not present then you are missing something. You may need 'best buys/best sells' software. Also do you have a jumpdrive installed on the ship? Not sure if this is needed but it will make it's job easier.

Edit - Yes you do need the Best buys/Best sales software, you can pick it up from Teladi Equipment docks.

IcarusII · Post by **IcarusII** » Fri, 22. Jul 11, 23:41

Folks,

(and in particular TTD and Simon) - thank you.

i now have the manual trade runs in a radius working. I was doing such a silly thing wrong.

i had all the right software, but my baldric was docked. i was clicking on the baldrick and then clicking trade, which traded with the station.

i should have been clicking on the baldric and then going to commands, trade (number 2) and then onward.

Im a dumbass. There I said it.

thank you so much for the help. No doubt ill need a whole heap more, so i thought i had better be nice to everyone!

Cheers again

IcarussII