The Commodity Market
The market is a shared, player-driven exchange. Any player can list resources for sale at any price, and any other player can buy them. Prices are not set by the game engine — they emerge from aggregate supply and demand.
Open Market → Browse to see current listings sorted by price. You can filter by resource type and sort by price, quantity, or time listed.
Buying Resources
Click any listing to purchase. You pay:
Total cost = listed_price × quantity + transaction_fee
Transaction fee = total_cost × 0.02 (2%)
Democracy government players pay a reduced 1.8% fee. Dictatorship, Theocracy, and Anarchy pay full 2%.
Resources transfer immediately on purchase. The seller receives payment minus their 2% fee share.
Selling Resources
Open Market → Sell and set:
- Resource type
- Quantity (must be in your storage)
- Ask price per unit
Your listing stays active until it sells or you cancel it. You can cancel at any time before purchase for a full return. Maximum 5 active listings per player (10 with Admiral subscription).
Price Dynamics
Prices follow supply and demand across the entire active round. Expect these patterns:
| Round phase | Metal price | Crystal price | Deuterium price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticks 1–20 | Low (everyone has surplus) | Medium | Low |
| Ticks 20–60 | Medium | High (research wars) | Medium |
| Ticks 60–120 | High (construction wars) | Medium-high | Very high |
| End-game | Volatile | Volatile | Extremely high |
Energy is also listable on the market; its price-trend pattern is still being finalized as the resource beds in.
Selling Crystal early (ticks 10–25) and buying it back mid-round can net a 30–50% price arbitrage on active rounds.
Inter-Player Trade Agreements
Beyond the public market, two players can negotiate a Direct Trade Agreement (DTA). In a DTA:
- You set the terms (resource type, quantity, price, delivery ticks)
- The other player confirms
- Resources are held in escrow during transit
- Either party can cancel before the transit completes (resources returned)
DTAs bypass the 2% transaction fee. Use them for large-volume deals with trusted allies. The market cannot see DTA terms.
Trade Routes (Alpha Feature)
Trade routes automate recurring transfers between two of your own planets. This is useful when one planet has surplus income and another has a build queue that constantly needs resupply. Set a route in Market → Trade Routes:
- Source planet (sending)
- Destination planet (receiving)
- Resource type and quantity per tick
- Duration (in ticks)
Trade routes cost 5 Metal per tick in administration overhead. Cancel routes that are no longer efficient.
Market Manipulation
Coordinated alliances sometimes suppress prices by flooding the market with a resource to buy it back cheap. This is legal within game rules but burns resources. Counter: hold your own stockpile, do not sell during a dump, and buy when prices hit floor.
Economic Supremacy tech (Tier-4, Economic Branch) reduces your market fee to 0% and adds +30% income — the combination makes you the most efficient market participant in the round.
Continue to Achievements & Leaderboards for recognition systems.