AntiHaze
05-29-2012, 09:51 PM
I'm not sure if this was listed in another thread, but it is very important to traders:
Currently, at my planets, the harvesting and trade is mixed into one icon. Trading and harvesting both give you the resources needed to fuel industry. However, the information for trading and harvesting is used for fundamentally different purposes because using trade info to maximize trade volume is how you win.
Please add an icon similar to the harvesting indicator (the square with an arrow pointing into it) for trade, and have it both at my planet and the planet with which I'm trading. You could differentiate the trade icon by making it green and having arrows both going up and down. When clicking on it, it would look similar to the current interface, but would only show ships that are auto-trading with that planet. This would be both ships that I own that and the other player owns (but only ships which are trading between that player and myself). This would be confusing with the current colour scheme, but please refer to this thread for sorting out who's who: http://www.zarksoft.com/cms/showthread.php?567-Ship-colours
You may think that this would be too much information given up by the other player and you shouldn't be able to see their trade routes. However, if I can see them coming to my planet and picking up ore, why should it be a secret? This is information that is important to a trader.
As for the current red harvesting icon (assuming you have now split up the trade and harvesting into two separate icons), using the icon with a square and an arrow going down makes no sense at a planet where I am picking up ore. Change this to an up arrow. Then at the planet where you are dropping off the ore, have the arrow pointing down. If you have a planet where you are both harvesting and dropping off ore (I don't know why anyone would do this, but for argument's sake say this is the case), have the arrows going in both directions.
Currently, at my planets, the harvesting and trade is mixed into one icon. Trading and harvesting both give you the resources needed to fuel industry. However, the information for trading and harvesting is used for fundamentally different purposes because using trade info to maximize trade volume is how you win.
Please add an icon similar to the harvesting indicator (the square with an arrow pointing into it) for trade, and have it both at my planet and the planet with which I'm trading. You could differentiate the trade icon by making it green and having arrows both going up and down. When clicking on it, it would look similar to the current interface, but would only show ships that are auto-trading with that planet. This would be both ships that I own that and the other player owns (but only ships which are trading between that player and myself). This would be confusing with the current colour scheme, but please refer to this thread for sorting out who's who: http://www.zarksoft.com/cms/showthread.php?567-Ship-colours
You may think that this would be too much information given up by the other player and you shouldn't be able to see their trade routes. However, if I can see them coming to my planet and picking up ore, why should it be a secret? This is information that is important to a trader.
As for the current red harvesting icon (assuming you have now split up the trade and harvesting into two separate icons), using the icon with a square and an arrow going down makes no sense at a planet where I am picking up ore. Change this to an up arrow. Then at the planet where you are dropping off the ore, have the arrow pointing down. If you have a planet where you are both harvesting and dropping off ore (I don't know why anyone would do this, but for argument's sake say this is the case), have the arrows going in both directions.