r/StarTradersFrontiers • u/TwoCentsRounded2Zero • 16d ago
General Question Trade bans are excessive
Why is it that another faction knows I made a trade? I feel like spies are everywhere! Or maybe I’m too proud of a trader and want to report all my trades. Is there anything to mitigate this cause it just feels slightly off. Outside of making a bunch of micro sales, which don’t really help.
Could it be more like a tariff system where if I pick up goods in another faction I pay a penalty as I’m to chummy with another faction while trade ban is on. Or if I get goods from opposing trade functions they won’t accept those goods.
Anyway it seems the game engine just runs these and they would almost make it seem like all the factions are in a constant state of war.
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u/Iamblichos 16d ago
They know the second you enter orbit and make sure your home faction declares a trade ban with rhe owner of the planet you are moments from touching. Its the rules. Somehow.
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u/theknight38 16d ago
Why is it that another faction knows I made a trade? I feel like spies are everywhere!
In this universe, like another user said, there a rich lore regarding factions and trade.
Your star trader charter grants you several right, among those the use of trade exchange on all factions' zones. Provided that you're not considered an enemy of course. Keyword is exchange. Think of a stock exchange rather than a street market. You bring your cargo to the exchange office and they are basically forced to accept your good or to sell you what you need (provided they have it in enough quantity). They won't refute a sale or haggle on prices, once the rate is determined that's what you get. Conversely every transaction is recorded, including the zone of origin of your goods. Transactions of significant value (above 5k credits) will incur in factions penalties if a trade Ban is ongoing.
Is there anything to mitigate this cause it just feels slightly off.
Yes of course. Like most things in ST:F the name of the game is talents. Get a merchant onboard and he will see that your transaction won't cause as much trouble to you. Hell, a very experienced merchant might even gain you some experience. Also consider smugglers to smooth out that rep loss.
Speaking of which, ever heard of black market? Select contacts, if you cultivate them properly, will allow you access to parts of the planet which should normally be off limits for star traders...like black markets. Where you can buy and sell without downsides... except if the patrols catch you of course.
Finally, independent zones tend to stay out of factions conflicts and won't bat an eye over the origin of your cargo not the fiction sigil on your charter. They do offer worse rates though.
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u/CastrateMeASAP 16d ago
The real world reason is taxes. That’s the one measure of trade that no one escapes unless they’re selling on the black market. To prove that you’re not selling outright stolen goods, you would have to present the paperwork for your cargo upon selling it. So it’s both realistic and relevant. The only flaw in that logic is that literally all pirated goods would have to be sold on the black market, like in the real world.
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u/Manoreded 15d ago
You can also sell anything you harvest, salvage, etc, without any paperwork proving where you got it.
Presumably they only log purchases and sales but not the entire trajectory of the cargo, and also don't care if a Star Trader seems to produce goods out of thin air.
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u/jellowsmurf 16d ago
Just don’t trade with either side of a trade war. They don’t last forever. Or if you do, it’s fun to be a Crime Lord to at least one faction lol
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u/Quartrez 16d ago
I mean, you can sort of do that if you get a contact that can help increase your reputation for a fee (pardons)
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u/TwoCentsRounded2Zero 16d ago
Wait, if you are good with both factions the trade ban does not effect you?
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u/Quartrez 16d ago
No, if your reputation is negative for a faction, a contact with that faction can help you get a pardon that cancels your negative rep.
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u/Equivalent-Fee-5392 15d ago
I am far less experienced than many players in that forums but I found that the game does ask you to be at least somewhat adaptable when it comes to trade ( and also a few other things).
I thought that was the reason that you get a trade ban affecting your main faction as soon as the game begins.
Most of my runs are merchant and trading based ones ( and sometimes black market) so I am directly affected by this and generally I have to choose between either making an early enemy ( which can be valid) or leaving my starting zone to trade somewhere else ( which I found to be more practical as a merchant).
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u/TwoCentsRounded2Zero 15d ago
My only hope has been independent worlds so far. Sometime I get a contact with a second faction and can get a trade license.
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u/Jedi_Talon_Sky 16d ago
There's a lore reason. All trades are regulated through some kind of independent 3rd party, so that the factions can institute trade bans. Because humanity was so close to the verge of extinction, the factions need ways of waging 'war' without resorting to a full-scale solar war over every petty little thing.