Trade Routes

Status: Planned Feature - This system is currently in development. This article describes how trade routes will work when released.

Trade routes are the backbone of automation. Once set up, your ships run these routes continuously - buying, transporting, selling - without your intervention.

Creating a Trade Route

Step 1: Open the Route Editor

Navigate to: Fleet Management → Trade Routes → New Route

Step 2: Add Stops

Each stop defines:

Location - Where the ship goes
Action - Buy, Sell, or Wait
Commodity - What to trade
Quantity - How much
Price Limits - Maximum buy / minimum sell

Step 3: Configure Conditions

Optional conditions for each stop:

Price thresholds
Cargo requirements
Stock availability
Time windows

Step 4: Assign Ships

Select which ships run this route. One route can have multiple ships.

Route Types

Simple Loop

The most basic route - two stops, one commodity:

Stop 1: Mining Station Alpha
  → Buy: Ore (up to 100, max price 15)

Stop 2: Processing Hub Beta
  → Sell: Ore (all, min price 20)

→ Return to Stop 1

Profit per loop: ~500 credits (100 × 5 profit margin)

Multi-Stop Route

More complex routes hit multiple stations:

Stop 1: Mining Station
  → Buy: Ore (50 units)

Stop 2: Processing Hub
  → Sell: Ore
  → Buy: Refined Metals (30 units)

Stop 3: Manufacturing Plant
  → Sell: Refined Metals
  → Buy: Electronics (20 units)

Stop 4: Consumer Station
  → Sell: Electronics

→ Return to Stop 1

Higher profit per trip, but longer cycle time.

Supply Route

Keep your own facilities stocked:

Stop 1: Supplier Station
  → Buy: Raw Materials (fill cargo)

Stop 2: Your Production Module
  → Unload: All cargo
  → Priority: Own facility

→ Return to Stop 1

Supply routes ensure your production never stops.

Collection Route

Gather goods from multiple sources:

Stop 1-5: Various Mining Outposts
  → Buy: Ore (whatever's available)

Stop 6: Your Processing Hub
  → Sell: All Ore

→ Return to Stop 1

Good for consolidating production from multiple small sources.

Price Conditions

Buy Conditions

Setting	Effect
Max Price	Only buy if price ≤ this value
Min Stock	Only buy if seller has ≥ this stock
If Cargo Has Space	Skip if cargo already full

Sell Conditions

Setting	Effect
Min Price	Only sell if price ≥ this value
If Cargo Has Item	Skip if cargo doesn't have this item
Sell All	Sell entire cargo, not partial

Example: Conservative Pricing

Buy Ore:
  Max Price: 12 credits (market average is 15)
  Only buy when you find deals

Sell Ore:
  Min Price: 18 credits (market average is 15)
  Hold until price is right

This route only executes when conditions are favorable.

Route Priority

When a ship has multiple possible routes, priority determines which runs:

Priority	Meaning
1 (Highest)	Emergency routes, critical supplies
2-3	Primary trading routes
4-5	Secondary/opportunistic routes

Lower priority routes only run when higher ones can't execute.

Route Status

Status	Meaning
Active	Running normally
Paused	Temporarily stopped
Blocked	Can't execute (missing conditions)
Error	Something wrong (check logs)

Route Optimization

Calculate Profitability

Route profit = (Sell price - Buy price - Fuel cost) × Volume × Trips per day

Example:

Buy at 10, Sell at 18 = 8 profit per unit
100 units × 8 = 800 per trip
Trip takes 2 hours = 12 trips/day
Daily profit: 9,600 credits

Optimize for Volume

More cargo capacity = more profit per trip:

Upgrade to larger ships
Fit cargo expanders
But: bigger ships are slower

Optimize for Speed

Faster cycles = more trips:

Use faster ships
Shorter routes
Skip unnecessary stops

Find the Balance

The best route maximizes: Profit per hour, not profit per trip.

A fast ship on a short route might beat a slow ship on a "better" route.

Route Problems

"Ship stuck at stop"

Common causes:

Price conditions never met
Station out of stock
Cargo already full

Fix: Adjust conditions or add "timeout" setting

"Not profitable anymore"

Markets change. Your route that made 1000/hour now makes 50.

Fix: Monitor route performance, adjust or abandon

"Ships colliding on route"

Multiple ships on same route arrive together, deplete stock.

Fix: Stagger departure times, or split to different routes

Advanced Features

Conditional Branching

IF price at Station A < 10:
  → Buy here
ELSE:
  → Skip to Station B

Emergency Triggers

IF own station stock < 100:
  → Priority supply run
  → Override normal route

Route Templates

Save successful routes as templates. Apply to new regions.

Route Management

Route Dashboard

Monitor all routes:

Current status
Ships assigned
Profit/loss
Problems

Route Reports

Weekly summaries:

Total volume moved
Total profit
Average efficiency
Problem routes

Best Practices

Start simple - Get one route working before adding complexity
Test manually first - Run the route yourself to understand it
Set safe limits - Price limits prevent disasters
Monitor regularly - Routes break, markets change
Document your routes - You'll forget why you made that choice
Backup good routes - Save configurations before changes

Next Steps

Automation Basics - Overview of automation
Manager System - Let managers optimize routes
Ship Types - Choosing ships for your routes