I say "NO! To nearly limitless credits"

from GalCiv4 Forums

The price of durantium at the Galactic Bazaar is floored to 10 credits. When trading with a civilisation that has an abundance of durantium it values each unit at much less than 10 credits. So if you're short of credits, buy durantium at less than 10 credits per unit from that civilisation (or trade tech) then hammer the sell button over the durantium icon at the Galactic Bazaar to short out the cashflow problem.

I think the above is indicative of a bug in the economy model, and while I shoudn't give in to the temptation to exploit it, if it's a choice between surrendering the game after 70 hours gameplay, or leveraging the bug, I'm afraid I'm only human. Leveraging the bug it is then!

So I think either:

  1. Remove the price floor at the Galactic Bazaar or
  2. Ensure civilisations don't trade resources for less than the floored value at the Galactic Bazaar.
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2,830 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv4 Forums Top

This sounds not as a bug, bur rather an exploit. And not the strongest one, I have seen in games (including other games).
From role play perspective, one could say, that you are just making good trades (e.g. buying low, selling high). In theory, if there is only 1 race with durantium abudance, while others do not have such enormous stockpiles, it is logical to be able to trade into profit.

But I will be forwarding this to the team anyways, so that they can decide, if this fits into the game spirit or not.

Thank you for the report!

Reply #2 from GalCiv4 Forums Top

From role play perspective, one could say, that you are just making good trades (e.g. buying low, selling high)

I see what you're saying, but this doesn't fit the model for arbitrage. Going long and buying low to sell high usually requires taking on some risk. In that case, the value may decrease over time. There is no risk in this scenario, I literally buy and sell straight-away.

Or perhaps as an intermediary I have contacts that aren't available to all which would allow me to re-sell at a marked-up price. This would make sense for standard trading between civilisations, but the Galactic Bazaar is available to all, non?

Anyway, thanks for forwarding this on, the above points are simply additional musing for the team.

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Reply #3 from GalCiv4 Forums Top

I am not sure if AI makes use of the Galactic Bazaar. But even if they do, that specific ai may have not unlocked it 

Reply #4 from GalCiv4 Forums Top

yeah but you got to make it other real time strat games have a market besides profit from revenue minus cost is low sometimes negative.  Yet we have to buy up leaders like crazy and there is the events that cause a pandemic or something cost  x credits.

Reply #5 from GalCiv4 Forums Top

Quoting general, reply 4

yeah but you got to make it other real time strat games have a market besides profit from revenue minus cost is low sometimes negative.  Yet we have to buy up leaders like crazy and there is the events that cause a pandemic or something cost  x credits.

First Gal Civ 4 is a Turn Based Strategy Game second this has been mentioned before just like the AI not building proper fleets after their first ones are destroyed.

Reply #6 from GalCiv4 Forums Top

it should not make a difference if its turn based or real time but it works in real time ones

Reply #7 from GalCiv4 Forums Top

that specific ai may have not unlocked it 

Yes, if that's the case then that does explain why the civilization would be willing to sell me the durantium for less than it can be sold at the Bazaar. However I don't think it explains the floor in the sell price to 10 credits. I've literally clicked my way through several thousand sales which probably should have made the price of durantium worthless.