Detailed shop economy

[aaronstatic]

The economy for Overthrow 2.0 should be more detailed and dynamic than in Arma 3, allowing the players more options to generate income in the early and mid game while also minimizing exploits.

Shops

• All shop types will maintain stock levels
• Local NPCs will randomly buy items during the day, reducing stock levels
• The amount bought by NPCs will be calculated as: population * stability. Therefore lower stability = less sales
• Prices will be calculated as: min_price + (1 - (stock_level / max_stock)) * distance_to_port Therefore..
• Prices will go up when stock levels are low
• Prices will go down when stock levels are high
• Prices will be higher in towns that are furthest from the nearest port
• Shops will cap their maximum buy of items according to population * stability also. Forcing the player to spread their item sales and try to find better prices
• Buy prices at shops will be the above calculation exactly. Selling prices will be that price + 25% always
• Selling to a shop will change the price as you sell each individual item, not a single price for the whole lot
• Stability in a town will decrease if a shop has absolutely no stock at all

Occupying faction

• The OF will deliver items to shops in towns and cities they control from the nearest port (virtually at first, and using a physical truck convoy when they can drive). Opening up avenues for the RF to ambush and steal goods.
• OF deliveries will never max out the shops stock, and aim for 50% stock levels. So players can still sell to them.
• Delivery schedules can be stolen from OF bases or you can ask the shopkeeper if support in that town is high enough
• A successfull delivery by the OF will lower support for the RF in that town or city and raise stability
• Successfull deliveries will also increase the OF resources by the profits recieved

Players

• An ambush of an OF convoy by the RF will lower support and stability in the town or city, but only if the ambush is within the borders of that town or city. It will also reduce OF resources and cut off one of their income streams
• Active RF checkpoints will stop the OF from sending deliveries if it's in their direct path. This will have no direct effect on support or stability, however if shops have no stock at all then stability will decrease. Entire regions could be cut off from these deliveries if they are placed in choke points
• Players can sell to any shop as normal
• Players in the RF can build shops in towns controlled by the RF, and can buy any existing shops in any town
• Player-controlled shops will not recieve OF deliveries and must manage their own stock
• NPCs will buy from player-controlled shops just like any other shops, but multiple of the same type in one town will generate competition and reduce sales. Income from these shops will be put into the personal account of the player who owns it, not the resistance funds.
• Players will NOT be able to control the prices in their own shops and must use the same prices as NPC shops

Trade skill

• The player's trade skill will gain XP when they buy and sell from shops, or a shop they own makes sales from NPCs (not players)
• Trade skill XP can also be bought with cash
• The skill will unlock the ability to import legal items from RF or OF controlled ports at wholesale prices from Level 2
• Wholesale prices at the port will drift according to a randomly changing "global economy index" to simulate global supply chains. Prices calculated by min_price + ((1 - economy_index) * min_price) - (skill_discount)
• The wholesale prices at ports will be reduced by the skill to a maximum of 10% at Level 5. It will have no other effect on prices at shops
• The skill will unlock the ability to remotely check all shop and import prices on the map at Level 3
• Players can automate stock management and imports for their own stores at Trade level 4, this will all be done virtually with no physical truck convoys, however the nearest port must be controlled by the RF. They will set desired stock levels per item and a daily delivery will occur in the mornings if they have the cash to cover it
• At level 5 they will unlock the ability to import illegal items at OF controlled ports

[KingOfCarter]

Any Idea why item thumbnails take time to register when in the shops? Is it a resolution issue? I believe they still populate slowly even in single player.