A long suggestion on the Vendetta economy. I am pretty sure some parts of this have stated before. This is mostly to consolidate ideas I have heard, and present them.

This idea has two major parts. Technology, make-up of items. Stations, need versus have. The other parts work from this.

First would be what could loosely be called a "tech tree". For all items, what is the component parts. What are the base items that then go into the component parts. Working from this we could say that all items come from mining. We gather the ores, which are then turned into water, and refined materials. (Exception: this does not cover some of the organic goods such as spices, meat, and/or foods.) Those materials are then further combined and refined into higher items till you have weapons, ships, and goods. Once we have a tech tree we can move further into a structured economy. The basic item layout would be a gathered good, a manufactured good or part, or a semi static good such as the spices or other items that cannot literaly be gathered by a player.

Once a tech tree or item list is defined you can then move onto a more structured economy. Vendetta revolves around the players and the stations / npc's (non-player characters). So then should the economy. The stations are the life blood of space life. It is where a player goes for repairs, ships, weapons, and missions.

I will give the major points then expand into them.
1. Goods accountability. How much does the station have? How much does it need? What else has been sold to it?
2. Stations main function. This leads into what it gathers, supplies, and produces.
3. Procurement of items needed. How are the supplies needed received.

The first part, goods accountability. Each station has a cargo hold, which contains an actual number of items. Items sold to it end up here and items purchased from it or used are removed. Depending on the amounts available prices fluctuate. Estabilish a baseline. This may be galaxy level, system level, sector level, or station level. That this is the base amount that prices, at that level, are calculated. If more of that item exists at the transaction place the price reflects that by costing and selling less. If less is available at the transaction place then the cost or price rises.

The second part helps to define a station and the goods expected there. A station might have many roles (think like licenses here). A mining station gathers ore. A science / development station makes certain goods. A manufacturing station makes other goods. A capitol routes the information. This leads into the third part.

The third part, how stuff gets around, how it comes to be. The basic idea is that after you have defined the stations function you now make it work. Ideally you want the players to do as much interaction in this process as possible.

Using a mining station to start. First stage the station lists the ores running low, similar to the desired items list, and the amount that it needs. The ores stay on the list for three to six hours. The player gathers the goods and delivers them. No direct mission. When the time is up or if the amount drops too low, a mission is generated to gather the ore. It is available for three to six hours on the mission list. If not filled it is handed to the second stage, the first mission is closed and a new one is offered. Which is to escort the NPC's to do the mining. Stays in misson list for three to six hours. The miners are spawned and the player then has to protect the miners. Third stage NPC's just gather, prob shorter duration on this part as no direct player interaction. Once the ore is collected it is either stored or shipped to another location.

For other goods the process is slightly different. First stage, like the mininig, is the list of desired items and amount needed. The player gathers the goods and gets a decent profit. If the level drops too low a request is posted for the goods needed. (see below regarding message system) The order is picked up by another station, and a mission is generated to deliver the needed goods. It stays on the mission list for three to six hours. If the delivery is not made the next stage moves onto an escort mission of same delivery, again listed for three to six hours. The goods in the cargo holds of the ships reflects the good being transfered. And third stage if the escort is not filled, the convoy leaves anyway. Goods arrive at location (barring pirate activity). If the request is not filled in the time alotted (eighteen hours max), the request is sent again with a shorter duration time.

Goods upon arrival are either stored or used. If used they are made into other items at station. The station manufactures the goods, (side mission, the player gets a pattern, similar to existing missions). Items are then shipped to other stations that request the items to be made into other things, and so on till you have a finished product.

At almost every stage a mission can be generated that a player can interact with, whether it be doing the "work" themselves, or escorting the NPC's doing the work. And if no player takes the missions, the goods still get transfered.

With the side above, the idea is that if a player gathers the "ingredients" they could eventually manufacture most items in the game. Though many items can only be manufactured at certain stations and the time frame should be much longer then the waiting on an NPC manufacture. To boost interest is the idea that a player could tweak the final product somehow, slightly different/better stats. But to get the final product they need a certain amount of player made items or some other thing. The reasoning for the time constant and goods needed for it is to reduce the amount of boosted items, but also increase player interaction in the process.

Mentioned above was a message system. The stations post needed items to it, so that other stations that manufacture the good can pick it up. Sort of like a mission list for stations.

This also works with the pirates somewhat because then we can actually have shortages if pirates are raiding certain routes. You also have an idea of the material in the convoy. With the introduction of the Teradon Frigates I can also suggest that ships can be shipped. So that a station can "run-out" of a certain ship it doesn't have that parts to make or hasn't had it delivered. Same with weapons. An exception would be the "government sponsored" class or local "speciality" goods, like spices, which never run out.

I would also suggest putting the "Bar" in the stations to use for players to trade more securely to each other. That would boost inter player trade.

Sounds good. Until player levels higher don't know how well it would work. I especially like the auto NPC action to fill need if players don't do it. IF this worked well then when shipments are intercepted too much extra missions to guard convoys would occur. As all factions have a fair amount of capital ships a guarded convoy by major NPC military force (out of game right now) should solve shortages. (the cost of this action would have factions leave that as last resort but until player level higher and player capital ships a reality a total blockade should not be allowed to work based on what factions have as resources in the background) Even in a player capital ship world it must be careful thought out allowing decisive player action as you could see one group of players basically end the game by dominating everything else.

I would also suggest putting the "Bar" in the stations to use for players to trade more securely to each other. That would boost inter player trade.

While I suppose I could apply the following response to your whole idea, I decided to just quote and address the dumbest part:

Fuck no.

Ah, glad to see productive discussion is occurring here.

Milferd: In my suggestion no NPC forces are deployed to increase security beyond what already exists. The routine is that player delivers the cargo in their own ship nonmision, if not player delivers cargo as mission, if not a npc convoy is dispatched with a player escort, if not npc convoy dispatched no player escort.

If delivery not made in full allotted time, request for delivery is resent at shorter time interval starting at player delivery mission, and cycle continues.

A shortage caused by non arrival of goods due to pirating will either be solved by pirates missing a delivery / convoy, or players stopping the pirates. A shortage would also affect the pirate, as goods and repairs will cost more or not be available at the destination of the cargo. But if the pirate is selling the "stolen" goods at the station that is needing them anyways then there is no shortage anyways cause the goods still arrive anyways.

Dr. L: Please give a reason as to no, explaining or linking a prior explanation if one exists.

Most of this sounds like a good idea, though presumably the economy redux is going to work in something similar to this anyway.

Lecter, you quoted one of the most straightforward and sensible parts of his post. It just plain makes sense that players (through the bar or some other means) could transfer possession of goods in-station. It is rather stupid that to transfer cargo between players you must currently load cargo up in a ship, fly outside the station, drop the cargo, and then have someone else pick it up and dock with it.

This part of the suggestion is completely unrelated to the rest of the post, though, too.

A shortage caused by non arrival of goods due to pirating will either be solved by pirates missing a delivery / convoy, or players stopping the pirates.

Well, no, not really. If station A uses N units of item X in t hours, and pirates blockade the station for 5t hours, then the station is in a 5N hole. At some point it will drop below a minimum quantity of X in stock have to completely shut down normal operations (manufacturing or repair or life support or whatever), and even if, say, 2N of item X is successfully delivered, the station will still require more to return to standard operating quantities.

Yes, but where is the pirate selling the goods he got? To the station he is "blockading"? So the station still gets the goods, just the pirates get the profit, not the player who might have been moving it or the (well) NPC convoy that was.

Look up the word blockade.

When you finish: If I were blockading a station in a game that had a reasonable economic model, I would either stockpile the goods or sell them to a station that was in competition with the station in question.

I am using it correctly, but I should define what is being blockaded. I am using it to mean the blocking of traffic to and from a location. Since traffic is attempted to be stopped said station is blockaded. Which is the most common form in Vendetta. I do not think (not saying it is not possible) that someone has planned a blockade of goods at a station. But as that is also not possible in the present economy situation, I can understand.
But I also think it unlikely that the pirate which is preventing traffic to or from a station would also want the station non functional for his own uses.

Anyways this would only likely last as long as the interest or time constraints allow. The only thing this might do is make an area more ... hunted by a group for causing more goods to shipped to a station.

But I also think it unlikely that the pirate which is preventing traffic to or from a station would also want the station non functional for his own uses.

You are absolutely incorrect. This would give me a reason to head into UIT space more often, and completely shut down Axia or Biocom or something. Alternatively I would stockpile the goods the station is attempting to buy and then after they've gotten really desperate sell them 10% of the goods at a ridiculously inflated price, and keep the rest for my own stockpiles.

That is part of the point. To be able to do such things.

I really like the idea, but what I would do is (not to be confused with recent ideas to physically label cargo as stolen) to make (possible privately owned or maybe Corvus) "fence" stations that never have automated escorts between other factions but, instead, rely solely on cargo brought by players (it might fit into the devs' ideas of secret hidden pirate/black market stations) and then spread these stations around outside the confines of the only three grey systems that house Corvus stations currently (as in, they would even be ducked into some parts of nation space). The idea is that pirates would reroute the cargo to these stations rather than continue the same exact route of the previous owner. One problem is: how does one prevent traders from bringing all their cargo to these stations, instead? Well you could make it so that bringing cargo to normal stations that don't need that cargo would reduce its value by 50% or some drastic number, but all the "fence" stations (no matter if they really really need the commodity) would reduce it from its original value by maybe 5% or less, or maybe just stay the same depending on your faction standing with them. The point is that there are three places to bring your cargo:
1) A normal, honest, hard working station that doesn't need them but instead would reduce their value by around 50%. These things are absolutely everywhere. The idea is that nobody would want to bring unneeded cargo to these places.
2) A "fence" station, as described above, that would reduce original cargo value by 0% to 5% depending on standing. There would be atleast one of these in every grey system and then around one in every other system in nation space, reducing in frequency as they get closer to the nation's main capital system. The idea is that pirates would bring their cargo here because they didn't pay for it in the first place, but traders would not be interested as no profit is there for them.
3) Specific stations that need the specific cargo. There would be around four or five of these in the universe at a time, traders want to bring their stuff here but pirates might want to sponsor a source of weaponry that's closer to home.

The idea is to create a greater competition between normal law-abiding players' stations and these pirate stations who would be supplying their gear more cheaply to the people bringing their cargo to them (pirates or mercenaries bringing their cargo to these guys in form of charity because they like one of their ships or something). While these stations won't have automated convoys between other factions, there would be convoys between stations of their own faction much like how Corvus convoys function right now (and, of course, attackable by player-organized police forces such as VPR, privateers of a specific company or simply freelance pirates that don't care about a specific pirate clan) thus explaining why "fence" stations accept any commodity at fixed prices. Dynamic competition and war is fun!

-Chaakin Tockoa

My model still works for this also.

Remember there is other parts to it besides just the convoy and mission part.

The reason that missions are issued is because a station is low on something. And what the station has in stock and the amount of it also dictates price.

To implement your idea using what I have, just set the corvus stations to not receive convoys. They would be outside the automated economy and rely completely on players.

Downside to that set up though is the possibility of corvus stations more likely to run out of stuff.

A small note that was in the first part also that might peak some interests is the idea that WHATEVER is sold at a station can be purchased later by another player, cause it is then in the station stores. Though it is only available if a player has sold that item to the station. It would not be part of the automated stock system.

Some restrictions between which stations can fill other stations requests I thought would be a given, considering if it wasn't then you would have Serco and Itani convoys crossing Deneb. That could be extended to saying which station will trade with Corvus also.

Another point is people keep saying escorts, escorts are just one part, the request of goods:
1. The station in "normal" stock capacity. Players bring in goods, normal trade. List of items a little low that station wants.
2. Goods too low, place a request to the Market List (had to think of a name for it) for goods. Picked up by another station to fill the order. Mission created for normal player delivery.
3. Delivery not made. Old delivery mission deleted. New mission created to escort a convoy that will make the delivery.
4. Delivery not made. PLAYER has not escorted convoy. Mission deleted. Convoy leaves anyways without player escort.

Station points
1. There is an actual stock (cargo hold) in station.
2. Station has a list of required goods that it must have. Anything sold to it beyond this list just sits in storage till sold. If items on list go below a level, it requests those goods.
3. Depending on amount in stock, prices fluctuate.
4. When requesting goods, there is the above setup for receiving goods to bring the required items to the level the station needs.

There I pretty much restated quite a bit, in a different format. Hope that clarifies some questions. Ands set up more questions.