Intergalactic Market and the Federation Smuggler

The Federation market trades resources using a shared reserve for the universe. It does not depend on an offer posted by another player.

This system applies when the redesign has been explicitly activated for a universe; historical offers and convoys are then processed until they close.

Iron, Crystal, and Aether stocks start with the equivalent of 10 24 h resource chests for the universe. Every Monday at 00:00 UTC, the market tops up only stocks below this starting level. Surpluses and prices are not reset. If a resource is depleted, it cannot be bought again until a supply convoy arrives or the weekly top-up replenishes it.

Each resource has an index between 75 % and 125 %. The reference values are Iron 1, Crystal 1,5, and Aether 3. Only the index of the resource you buy changes the conversion; the resource you sell retains its reference value. You pay this rate, plus a market commission of 10 % and 6 Echoes.

After explicit activation, v7 accepts only whole delivered quantities and whole payments. The market total is calculated exactly, then increased once by 10 % and rounded up. The receipt shows the base rounded up, the commission that completes the total—which may be zero for a small trade—and the 6 Echoes. When you enter a budget, the server delivers the greatest whole quantity you can afford, limited by stock, and charges only its actual cost: the unused balance stays with you. An exact quantity that is underfunded or unavailable is refused. A stock of 1 or 2 units can therefore be bought in full. The estimate updates as you type; the server checks the price, stock, and balances when you confirm. A new price or a changed quantity requires another confirmation, with no automatic debit. After a confirmed market trade, wait 1 h before the next one in the same universe, regardless of your planet or the resource.

Each market or smuggler trade sends two convoys together. Each occupies a slot in the global active-mission quota, so two free slots are required to confirm the trade. For a market trade, your payment goes to the Federation and the purchased resource goes to your planet. The payment destined for the market joins available stock only when it arrives, even though it already affects the price when the trade is confirmed.

The Federation remains visible on the map, but players cannot launch any direct action toward this hub.

In v7, after explicit activation, the smuggler allows resource trades only when the market has no stock at all of the requested resource. It also delivers and receives whole units. Historical v5/v6 rules continue to apply to transactions and convoys already accepted until they close.

You choose the resource to pay, the quantity, and the resource to receive. The server refuses trades involving the same resource and calculates the quote using only the index of the resource received. It adds a surcharge of 25 points directly to that index. The offer remains locked for 5 minutes.

You can negotiate an active quote multiple times for 150 Astrium. Each roll selects an integer surcharge between 15 and 25 points, so it can improve or worsen the result. Your personal surcharge stays the same until a smuggler transaction is confirmed, then returns to 25.

Confirmation costs 6 Echoes. The weekly limit is shared across all your planets and resources and equals five times the value of one reference chest: 5 × (Iron + 1,5 × Crystal + 3 × Aether). It consumes the reference value of the payment sent; any remainder does not carry over to the following week.

For the smuggler, your payment goes to the Federation and the resource it creates arrives on your planet; the routes and shared quota are described in the convoy rules. Its payment is consumed without adding to the market or changing prices.

Previously accepted v5/v6 market transactions and convoys, and v5 smuggler transactions and convoys, retain their amounts and deliveries to the player. When an old market payment arrives, only its whole-number part adds to the market; the discarded fraction is recorded. A v6 smuggler payment remains consumed.