6.16 Trade Networks

Player shops are handled "in the cloud," where any player can set up a  
digital shopfront and sell their wares via trade networks. Keep in mind 
that there are multiple trade networks throughout the Sector; not all   
are connected to each other.                                            

Buying through Trade Networks
-----------------------------
To browse items for sale, customers need to locate a trade terminal, the
basic syntax for which is TRADETERM or TT. Most stations and large      
cities have them.                                                       

   TT BROWSE                  See a list of all shopfronts, along with
                              samples of the goods sold there

   TT WARES <shop>            View all the goods sold at a specific shop.

   TT SEARCH <item> [minlvl] [maxlvl]
			Show a list of all matching items across the
                              various shopfronts. 

   TT INSPECT <item#> FROM <shop> 
                              Get more info on a specific item (shows 
                              the equivalent of PROBE)

   TT BUY <item#> FROM <shop> Make a purchase!

   TT BUY DESIGN <#> FROM <shop>
                              Buy an item from a design!


Selling through Trade Networks
------------------------------
To sell items on a trade network, merchants also need to visit a trade  
terminal. To see the full syntax, type TT. The basic functions are:     

   TT SHOP CREATE <shop>      Create a new shop with a brief unique ID word.
                              (e.g. tectonsguns)

   TT SHOP <shop> FULLNAME <name>
                              Give your shop a full name.              
                              (e.g. Tecton's Guns)

   TT SHOP <shop> STOCK <item#> FOR <amount>
                              Put up an item for sale.

   TT SHOP <shop> STOCK DESIGN <design#> FOR <amount> 
                              Put an item design up for sale, requires the
                              autocrafter feature.

   TT SHOP <shop> SHOW        View recent shop activity.

Boosting a Listing
------------------
Shop owners can also invest Marks to boost their shop's listing higher  
in the browse and search results.                                       

   TT SHOP <shop> BOOST <amount>

The position of a boosted listing is determined by how many marks have  
been invested. If you invest 1000 marks, you'll be above everyone who   
has boosted by less than 1000 marks (you lose 15% of your boost every   
in-game year). If someone comes along and boosts their shop by 1100,    
they'll be listed above you.                                            

Non-boosted shopfronts are shown in random order, so there's no point in
naming your shop AAA GUNS to get to the top of the list.                


Shop Feature Add-ons
--------------------
More recently, shop owners can update their shopfront with several      
features to make the store easier to manage, maintain, or catch more    
attention.                                                              

   TT SHOP <shop> PURCHASE <feature>

Currently available features are as follows:

Name              Price        Description                          
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOCRAFTER       20000        Allows you to stock designs directly
                               to your store, keeping them infinitely
                               supplied for a 5% surcharge on crafting
                               price. Use this command to stock a design:                  
                               TT SHOP <shop> STOCK DESIGN <design#> FOR
                               <amount>.                     

CAPACITY          10000        Adds 5 more item/design capacity to the
                               storefront, purchasable up to 5 times.

CATEGORY           5000        Adds an extra category to your storefront,
                               all stores have 3 categories available by
                               default for organizing items. Purchasable
                               up to 5 times.

COLOR             20000        Adds color to your storefront listing,
                               making it stand out in the shop list.
                               Purchase grants a one-time change and must
                               be bought again to change to another color.