Prices

jlangsdo · Cutthroat Posts: 400 **10932 Gold** -

Another factor is a single bit, which I had labeled "defeated pirate nearby"
City_x_2_2 (2nd to the least significant bit).

If that bit is not set, then the prices are 500 higher than quoted above for the same Wealth level at the same city.

I don't know if this price cut is only scored by defeating a nearby pirate, or if it also extends to anything that makes the governor happy. It might also apply if you defeat Indians or European raiders sent to attack the city. I don't know how long it lasts.

But that gets me only to 2750, and Roland has seen prices up to 3750, so there are more factors. I need to sail around and find a more expensive city.

Roland · Helmsman Posts: 4085 **22541 Gold** -

jlangsdo · Cutthroat Posts: 400 **10932 Gold** -

Ok, this time I looked at item price while varying Population and Wealth.

On Swashbuckler, the price moved in increments of 300.

In my test city, it varied from 1500 to 4500

(In this test, I did not have the grateful population price reduction)

The price went up linearly with population, going up one increment for approximattly every 1500 residents.

As wealth increased for the same population size, it went up 5 increments.

The price maxed out at 4500, which you hit for the richest city at around 9,000 population, and for the poorest city around 14,000.

The breakpoints for wealth levels varied depending on the population. Sometimes they were right on the "baking in the sun" description levels, other times it shifted up and down so I could observe a breakpoint between two cities both rated "brimming with wealth" or "quiet and desolate"

So perhaps part of the function is something like this:

increment = 50*(difficulty+1)
multiplier = (population/1500 + wealth/40 )
price = increment * multiplier

with a floor and ceiling applied to the multiplier. Wealth is on the 1-199 scale, so wealth/40 would be the "baking in the sun" rating.

The grateful population price reduction factor is not a simple bonus added to the multiplier. In a little bit of testing, for a very poor poor grateful city the price stayed at 1500 even when the population was all the way up at 48,000.

jlangsdo · Cutthroat Posts: 400 **10932 Gold** -

Whoops, missed at +5 in the multiplier somewhere.

Dave the Knave · Rigger Posts: 1210 **22948 Gold** -

Interesting computations, mateys. There is a need for a Compleat Pyrats Booke, with all of these calculations and variables.

I suggest that the Land Grant might also be varied by the prosperity of the port visited. A richer town would be in a position to be more generous...

Also, I never, ever upgrade my ships, until I can get them for free. At that point, I start keeping my ships and redrawing the political map as it pleases me to do!
_________________
Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never shall be slaves.

Roland · Helmsman Posts: 4085 **22541 Gold** -

Great work! Putting everything into a table of population by wealth, here are the multipliers:

Roland · Helmsman Posts: 4085 **22541 Gold** -

jlangsdo · Cutthroat Posts: 400 **10932 Gold** -

But that's not quite right.

It's actually horrendously complicated if you want to be dead on.

I tracked the 2400-2700 transition on swashbuckler across several different population and wealth combinations:

Pop Min wealth to hit price=2700
200 156
400 152
600 148
800 140
1000 136
1200 132
1400 124
1600 120
1800 112
2000 108
2200 104
5600 8

I thought I saw the pattern (4,4,8,4,4,8,4,8....) but then trying to fill in the middle of the table, nothing worked. I just gave up trying to work out the right wealth for 3200 population... it seemed like it was being inconsistent, but there might be issues with incomplete reloads. Phooey.

The "grateful population" discount seems to be that in a grateful city, the prices are set by wealth alone, regardless of the population size. So if you are headed for a large, poor city, save them from pirates first to get a huge discount.

Roland · Helmsman Posts: 4085 **22541 Gold** -

jlangsdo · Cutthroat Posts: 400 **10932 Gold** -

Thanks for the suggestion, Roland. Much more fun than entering the tavern and buying items over and over.

I started just playing a normal game, saving after everything that seemed significant, and particularly around attacking pirates and Indians, then checking the savegame files for "grateful population" bits.

Apparently, the grateful population bit has nothing to do with pirates or Indians. I must have been confused earlier.

I could reliably get the bit in a city by installing a new governor. I also got the bit in a settlement by delivering the mayor or sugar plants.

Roland · Helmsman Posts: 4085 **22541 Gold** -

jlangsdo · Cutthroat Posts: 400 **10932 Gold** -

When you escort a governor, you get the 'grateful population' bit only in the source settlement, not in the destination.

I was wrong about the sugar plant delivery; that has no effect. I had my settlements mixed up.

The actual cause was that the settlement was captured by an invasion force, and that made the settlement grateful!

I wondered about the ultimatums too... but I don't know how to force one to spawn for testing. I wonder if they are random, or if a city is ripe to send out an ultimatum. Next time you are offered an ultimatum, reload the "arrival" savegame and see it if happens again.

Roland · Helmsman Posts: 4085 **22541 Gold** -

Roland · Helmsman Posts: 4085 **22541 Gold** -

jlangsdo · Cutthroat Posts: 400 **10932 Gold** -

Ship prices are related to the minimum crew on the ship... a plain ship sells at port for 37.5 gold pieces per member of the minimum crew.

It's actually set by the same bits in the executable, similar to the linkage between the daughter's pulchritude and the shipwright's expertise.