| Any cheat codes | Browse by game: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y 0-9 |
|
Space Bucks cheats / Space Bucks hints / Space Bucks faqs / Space Bucks solutions Space Bucks hints Beginner Economics: A Course On Successful Celestial Commerce by Tim Carter ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ah, empire building...the favorite past-time of megalomaniacs the galaxy DITCH THE FINCH To maximize over. In Sierra On-Line¦s SPACE BUCKS, profit, keep overhead to a the empire is economic, rather than minimum. With this in mind, sell military, and this simple fact should your starting Finch I ship in tailor the strategy of aspiring favor of the Sparrow I, which is intergalactic Donald Trumps. The goal is 2500 credit cheaper to maintain. profit, not conquest. The key to a quick start in SPACE BUCKS is keeping overhead to a minimum. Some costs are relatively fixed, and cannot be helped, but a little thought and planning can go a long way to turning an immediate and sizable profit. There are three general categories of expenses which comprise overhead costs at the beginning of the game: ships, planetary concessions, and planetary improvements. To maximize profits, move as much cargo as possible with the fewest and cheapest ships, across the fewest planets, and with the fewest improvements possible. With that in mind, avoid the temptation to oversimplify your trade routes by assigning only one ship to move between each pair of planets under your control. Many larger, sophisticated planets will generate enough cargo, even at the beginning of the game, to allow more than one ship to trade there, allowing you to develop two or more profitable routes without spending additional cash on starports. Having said this, it is also important to avoid the temptation to create overcomplicated routes. Routes that include more than two or three planets are likely to be wasteful, as cargo will sit waiting for the ship to arrive. When adding to your economic empire with bids on planets, look at the negotiation time; if it¦s too long, cancel the action and then send in your negotiation team again. The negotiation times are randomized, and can sometimes be shortened by this tactic. Adding Value Within a few years, the average trading empire will grow to somewhere between 6 and 12 planets. At some point, it will become much easier to build profit through improved cargoes than through additional planets. When building facilities to produce industrial goods or luxury items, try to maximize the number of shiploads of cargo that will be generated while keeping costs as low as possible. Producing industrial goods greatly increases the total cargo generated by a planet. Therefore, build your first KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID Building industries on centrally located planets, industries can realize a good so that cargo can go in many directions profit, but don¦t build them at once. A central planet with industry until you have sufficient capital should be able to service several raw to support the overhead. material planets, accepting the lower valued goods in return. Also, build your first industry within range of a Tesarian planet. Since Tesarians pay good money for toxic waste, it is important to include them in your initial industrial expansion. Selling your waste not only keeps storage costs down, it generates extra cargo at no cost to your company. When the Tesarian planet is ready, the waste will also allow you to produce exotic animals, another high value good. Therefore, when conceptualizing the overall structure of your initial empire, it is important to identify a planet with sufficient natural resources to support an industry and a Tesarian planet to buy the toxic waste. Once your Tesarian planet is in operation, begin looking for likely Secanii markets for the Tesarian exotic pets. The Secanii, of course, will eventually be able to produce arms, which you will want to ship to the Krec N'had. Keep these relationships in mind when you initially send your negotiators to annex planets. High profits are created by adding cargo runs without adding overhead. Every trade route that you can create without having to pay rent on an additional starport, or without building new industry, will add to your profit margin. Every time you expand geographically, on the other hand, your overhead goes up and your profit drops. Rather than spending money on every planet you can reach, think about the most profitable routes available. Consider the value of the goods available at the prospective planets, as well as the requirements of neighbouring systems. If you want to build a chemical plant on system X, and system Y can provide additional fuel, you may want to go after both at once. On the other hand, if system Y is not needed to meet any immediate needs (including markets for other planet's cargoes), then don't bother with it. Plan ahead as well. Eventually, you will need that Krec N'had planet to buy arms from the Secanii, so build it into your original economic system. This way, you can make the transition to high-profit cargoes without adding any infrastructural costs whatsoever. All you have to do is begin producing the relevant items and add another ship to go between the proper planets. As the range of your ships increase, you will need to expand more quickly. Fast expansion is necessary for two reasons: it brings in more profit and it hinders the other players. Of course, you will need money to expand, which probably will be in short supply in the beginning of the game. Of the two sources of venture capital available to you, the stock market is by far the best bet. First, there is no interest on money raised through the stock market. Second, the computer opponents will usually invest in your company if you issue more shares. While this can work against you later on if your shares rise tremendously in value and the computer players realize a large profit, early on it will deprive the competition of much needed cash, slowing their expansion just as yours is starting to take off. Wiping Out the Little Guys Of course, winning involves more than merely making money. Wiping out the opposition requires clever geographical planning. The trick is to isolate the computer players from as much of the galaxy as possible by hemming them in to unprofitable or relatively small areas. To do this, it is often necessary to expand to planets which are not likely to be profitable traders, but which could provide a springboard for your competition to reach more lucrative markets. Look to snap up your competitors stocks whenever possible. Allow the other NEVER PAY FULL PRICE Unless companies to buy some as well, however, you¦re in a competetive bid, as this may lead the computer to there is no reason to pay more overexpose one or more companies by than the minimum bid for a issuing more than 50% of the stock to planet¦s landing rights. the public. Once a controlling interest is available on the market, the company is doomed: it's just a matter of waiting for the other owners to sell. Of course, it goes without saying that you should never issue more than half of your own stocks. If your trade routes are planned properly, your company will be assured a constant flow of credits. Once the opposition is hemmed in to a relatively small part of the galaxy, winning is really only a matter of time. Playing the Stock Market Don't play the stock market too early. The first few years of expansion should be funded by operating capital or through bank loans. Although the interest is high and the quarterly payments can be quite brutal, until your company has been making money for a number of years, the value of your shares will remain quite low. Always avoid selling shares when you are losing money, as you will not get full value for them. In fact, any dealings with the stock market should be planned around the ebb and flow of your company. For instance, before issuing new stock, up your prices and cut your maintenance and security spending for a quarter or two. This will increase your profits, inflating the price of your shares. If at all possible, look to buy back your shares soon after your expansion spending is complete. Because the computer counts share revenue and loans as part of general income, your profits immediately after you raise the money for expansion will be high. However, if you just spent a year or two investing heavily in expansion, your profits will be low even if you have established many lucrative trade routes. Right after your year-end shows a serious loss, switch to the stock market and buy anything available. Borrow money if you have to, as the combination of additional profits and rising stock prices will easily cover the interest on the loan. Using the stock market can be a bit of a headache, but it can serve as one of your most lucrative sources of capital. Other Space Bucks cheats hints faqs solutions: 2. Space Bucks hints |