I Hate Food

[Anaris]

Did you miss where I talked about enabling remote access to home markets?

OK; so then the selling Lords don't have to go home and put up their market offers.

But Lords of food-consuming regions are still functionally unable to go to war, because they'll still have to go home to a market to accept the sell orders.

[vonGenf]

But Lords of food-consuming regions are still functionally unable to go to war, because they'll still have to go home to a market to accept the sell orders.

I understand they could put buy offers remotely. Someone will have to be home at some point, it could be the city lord or steward, the rural lord or steward or a trader. This gives a lot more leeway than what exists.

[Foundation]

Yes, traders will actually have something to do then. -_-

[Tom]

OK; so then the selling Lords don't have to go home and put up their market offers.

But Lords of food-consuming regions are still functionally unable to go to war, because they'll still have to go home to a market to accept the sell orders.

Uh, no?

They could put up buy orders.

There's usually someone back home who can then complete those orders. Or you have traders - domestic or foreign.

It might not solve the problem under all imaginable circumstances, but it would solve most of the problem under most conditions.

[Azerax]

OK; so then the selling Lords don't have to go home and put up their market offers.

But Lords of food-consuming regions are still functionally unable to go to war, because they'll still have to go home to a market to accept the sell orders.

Not entirely true, it just requires a bit of planning.  I just spent the better part of 3 years fighting a war, and being away from my starving region.  When I had to refit and my region was low on food, I made the trek back there, built a 2nd granary put up multiple 100 open buy offers at 50 which got filled pretty quick.  It delayed my return by a couple days, once every couple months.  Seemed to work ok.

[^ban^]

Uh, no?

They could put up buy orders.

There's usually someone back home who can then complete those orders. Or you have traders - domestic or foreign.

It might not solve the problem under all imaginable circumstances, but it would solve most of the problem under most conditions.

Trading really, really, really, really is not as profitable as you seem to think it is, Tom. Prices are either matched exactly or there is extremely minor profit: on the order of 2 to 5 bushels per 100 brokered. Also I think brokering isn't properly increasing skill, so I guess I'll look into that...

[Foundation]

If you don't have a realm wide set limit on food prices, why would food be not profitable? There should be more than enough incentive for lords to put up offers if they can do so remotely. All margraves have to do is put up corresponding buy offers remotely.

[Indirik]

Because lords want to charge extortionately high food prices. The system let's them charge up to 50, so they feel they should be paid 50. Sales outside the realm on Dwilight are pretty much exclusively done at a rate of 50/100, or very close to that. And to get that requires some kind of inter-realm agreement.

On EC, I do occasionally see some open sales, but very rarely for under 30/100, mostly nearer to 40/100. But people won't pay any higher than 20-25/100.

Like I was saying before, gold is so plentiful that lords have little or no incentive to sell, except for patriotism or a desire to help the realm. This is especially true for lords of high food regions, because they are also high gold regions, too.

[Azerax]

Trading really, really, really, really is not as profitable as you seem to think it is, Tom. Prices are either matched exactly or there is extremely minor profit: on the order of 2 to 5 bushels per 100 brokered. Also I think brokering isn't properly increasing skill, so I guess I'll look into that...

I agree - I think I've actually lost money on tradnig and brokering.  Now, this is not a game issue, just Lords who won't pay a better price for food, and my own issue about letting them starve.

Now, as a duke of a city, I pay top dollar, so someone is making money.

[Foundation]

Because lords want to charge extortionately high food prices. The system let's them charge up to 50, so they feel they should be paid 50. Sales outside the realm on Dwilight are pretty much exclusively done at a rate of 50/100, or very close to that. And to get that requires some kind of inter-realm agreement.

On EC, I do occasionally see some open sales, but very rarely for under 30/100, mostly nearer to 40/100. But people won't pay any higher than 20-25/100.

Like I was saying before, gold is so plentiful that lords have little or no incentive to sell, except for patriotism or a desire to help the realm. This is especially true for lords of high food regions, because they are also high gold regions, too.

50 is not extortion nor is it too high. On Atamara when food prices weren't capped, I constantly bought around 55-60 from one realm and sold at 60-70 in another. It's the Margraves who think that because they have a city, they deserve the food either free or basically free for 10-20, who are complaining.

If gold is so abundant, why aren't all buy offers everywhere 50/100 all the time? I don't think "lack of incentive" is the problem here. It's the prejudice that "Lords and filthy rich and hate doing anything so they deserve nothing" attitude that almost all Margraves/Dukes have.

As Scott said, if a Margraves post as many 50/100 buy offers as they need food and then go away and then repeat when they're filled, then they have a right to complain the system is broken.

[Gustav Kuriga]

50 is not extortion nor is it too high. On Atamara when food prices weren't capped, I constantly bought around 55-60 from one realm and sold at 60-70 in another. It's the Margraves who think that because they have a city, they deserve the food either free or basically free for 10-20, who are complaining.

If gold is so abundant, why aren't all buy offers everywhere 50/100 all the time? I don't think "lack of incentive" is the problem here. It's the prejudice that "Lords and filthy rich and hate doing anything so they deserve nothing" attitude that almost all Margraves/Dukes have.

As Scott said, if a Margraves post as many 50/100 buy offers as they need food and then go away and then repeat when they're filled, then they have a right to complain the system is broken.

Except I do I DO put out 50/100 buy offers. ALL. THE. TIME. And they don't get filled. So I feel I do have a right to complain.

[Kwanstein]

Lords charge what dukes are willing to pay. On Atamara, there's a large food surplus in my area. Due to the surplus, it's rare to find a duke who's willing to pay the maximum fee. As a result, Lords have to adjust their rates accordingly and their food is usually sold at around 30/100.

Dwilight is another matter. My realm on that continent has a very slim surplus, and there's steep competition for food from neighbouring realms. Consequently, it's easy to find offers for 50/100, and only generous Lords are willing to sell for less.

It's the law of supply and demand which drives food prices. 50/100 isn't extortionate at all, in fact I consider it a very moderate price. I could easily see desperate Lords willing to pay 75/100, or even, in extreme cases, 100/100. Those would be extortionate prices, but 50/100 is basically just a middle ground, it's suitable for realms that are in need of food, but not necessarily in dire straights. I actually think that the maximum price should be raised, as that would make trading more dynamic as well as provide more incentive for Lords to participate in it. I'm unsure of why the cap is so low to begin with.

[Gustav Kuriga]

Probably because you would never be able to feed Golden Farrow if prices were so high. Not if you planned on doing anything else with the gold...

[Chenier]

I remember brankrupting Paisly, and it did not require prices of 50 gold per bushel, but more an average of around 35 I think, 40 tops.

Having food so expensive that cities can't financially feed themselves even if they wanted to doesn't add anything to the game, other than a ton of frustration.

[Foundation]

Except I do I DO put out 50/100 buy offers. ALL. THE. TIME. And they don't get filled. So I feel I do have a right to complain.

You certainly do, but I doubt many others can say the same. :)

Probably because you would never be able to feed Golden Farrow if prices were so high. Not if you planned on doing anything else with the gold...

True, if food costs so much due to the area you're in not producing enough of a surplus, why should you expect to be able to spend that additional gold from the additional population on anything else?

It's the law of marginal utility. If you want your city to get to full population, you will increase demand for food and thus drive up prices. It's nothing unnatural if you hit a point where you can't afford to increase the population of a large city.