Chat with merchants should reveal surplus/deficit for directly connected regions

[Azerax]

Title:  Chat with Merchants should reveal surplus/deficit for directly connected regions

Summary: When a trader chats with local merchants they are currently told about if a marketplace exists in
a directly connected region.  They should also be told about the daily surplus/deficit of that region

Details: In regards to the surplus/deficit of the directly connected region, you can use the traders skill to determine the accuracy of the information.  If they had a high skill you could see the existig total surplus or deficit of that region.

Benefits: It allows traders to establish talks with local Lords and to plan future trading missions.  This also enhances the Trader class as they employ local connections to increase their knowledge base.  As a trusted advisor, this information can be very valuable.

Possible Exploits: This is just information (which is power), the character has no ability to do anything with it except to report it.  In a time of war this would provide useful among allies, but may also provide a reason to distrust, or exposure.

[Tom]

I'll add a basic piece of info next revision, just telling you if there's a deficit or surplus. I'm not sure how much details to provide, it should definitely not be exact to the bushel.

[De-Legro]

I'll add a basic piece of info next revision, just telling you if there's a deficit or surplus. I'm not sure how much details to provide, it should definitely not be exact to the bushel.

Maybe some flavour text, similar to how we handle morale etc.

"Merchants report the granaries are overflowing with food"
"Merchants are worried that rationing might be needed" etc

[egamma]

"two of the three granaries are full of food"

[Azerax]

"two of the three granaries are full of food"

That's good wording, it's vague yet informative, I'd be happy with that.

Now, what about allowing the trader to bribe the local merchants for better accuracy?

[De-Legro]

That's good wording, it's vague yet informative, I'd be happy with that.

Now, what about allowing the trader to bribe the local merchants for better accuracy?

I wouldn't support that. Realistically I don't expect that the Lord provided accurate information to mere merchants about the entirety of his supply. Secondly I don't like features like this unless you also provide a way for the Lord to counter them, at which point things start getting needlessly complex.

[Telrunya]

Visiting a Temple already gives you an estimation on how much food is stored in the region, as the local Priests bless the grain stores. Doesn't visiting a Family Home also give you this estimate? Apparently this kind of information already floats around the region. I figure local warehouse workers also have an idea on what is stored. Surely a skilled merchant can get his hands on that kind of information and would be willing to share that with the proper motivation.

I'd like the ideas proposed so far, giving varying levels of accuracy.

[De-Legro]

Visiting a Temple already gives you an estimation on how much food is stored in the region, as the local Priests bless the grain stores. Doesn't visiting a Family Home also give you this estimate? Apparently this kind of information already floats around the region. I figure local warehouse workers also have an idea on what is stored. Surely a skilled merchant can get his hands on that kind of information and would be willing to share that with the proper motivation.

I'd like the ideas proposed so far, giving varying levels of accuracy.

A well connected  merchant could probably get a estimate. After all lets remember that MOST the workers in the granary are unlikely to have the skills to actually count the produce stored. Some sort of range estimate like there are 100-200 bushels currently stored might be a reasonable compromise. But then egamma's suggestion provides that anyway.

Temples and Family homes do provide info about this, but I can't remember if it is a value provided or just some text.

[Azerax]

Visiting a Temple already gives you an estimation on how much food is stored in the region, as the local Priests bless the grain stores. Doesn't visiting a Family Home also give you this estimate? Apparently this kind of information already floats around the region. I figure local warehouse workers also have an idea on what is stored. Surely a skilled merchant can get his hands on that kind of information and would be willing to share that with the proper motivation.

I'd like the ideas proposed so far, giving varying levels of accuracy.

I think the varying levels of accuracy is key here.  If a warehouse workers spends all day offloading food it doesn't matter if they can count or not. (if they spend half the day then its obviously not as full). 

[Alasteir]

I believe a vague information is better... or we can kill the banker, definitly. As he goes now, without the option to do an intervention on the economy/food distribution, he just become the boring one who asks Lords to put the food on the market, and seeing wich place will starve in a few days. If a simply merchant could get this information, well, we will not need the Banker anymore.

[Tom]

"two of the three granaries are full of food"

I like that.

[Charles]

"two of the three granaries are full of food"

"with more food being added each day" or "with food being removed each day" 
I thought we wanted to know if the region had a surplus or deficit.

[Bael]

"two of the three granaries are full of food"

Are we talking about granaries being the 1000 bushel granary stores? In which case this would only be useful for cities...

[Charles]

good point.  Before the decay I had several granaries filled in a townsland.  I doubt that happens often, even in cities.  Perhaps especially in cities.

[Foundation]

Hehe, I'm pretty sure we'll do our best to keep that from happening on a widespread scale.  The recent food nerfs and buffs were aimed at temporarily balancing supply/demand until we finish working out a full rebalance method.