Market(s)! - Shop 'till you drop

[Kidswatter]

Before you close this page, let me explain what I mean by 'Market(s)'

-What is the idea?
I think that there should be an option in the Comms Console to contact a market. The market should have the items you pretty much want\need. Maybe, not all but still. Maybe there should also be an option for a black market in which you can buy illegal stuff like slaves and organs.

-What's the point of the trader ships then?
Fear not! The trade ships will still be valuable because you will not get the stuff right away, you have to order them and wait.. say, up to 30 days (random amount, not less than 5-15) before it gets delivered from space to the orbital trade beacon or even by a courier NPC. Perhaps, the trade ships could have some special items that you can't get on the market. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-Making easier to get stuff kills the 'distant planet survival' vibe!
Well.. It's not like you're obliged to use the market if you think that it'll ruin your experience. I mean, look at graves - you have a way better option to cremate corpses but you can bury them if you prefer

-Can you also sell stuff to the market?
I haven't thought of this BUT maybe it can work similarly:

   
• You sell the stuff to the market
• You shoot it to space OR a courier guy takes it
• You wait up to about 30 days^*
• ? ? ? ?
• Profit! _{aka get the silver}

^{* - Again, just a random suggestion, can be longer, can be shorter.}

-I have more questions!
Feel free to ask questions, I won't bite ^{(I hope I won't)}

[AnalBuccaneer]

I like the RNG of the current trader system. the problem is money. it's hard to make money so with early traders it doesnt matter what they sell because you cant afford it... and then late game you have all this money, and your colonists are losing limbs faster than you can purchase replacements.

Traders do not come by frequently enough and i dont think there is enough variety in their pricing. you should have the option to buy low and sell high... or buy low, craft and then sell substantially higher.

having a instant market system would be too easy imo, so i like your idea of "ordering" things, with a delay for shipping. Maybe instead of ordering shotgun, you could call in a combat merchant etc...

or maybe if you really need a limb, ordering from the "market" would cost a premium.... if you need it that badly.

though the whole thing doesn't gel with the "build a ship to get off this rock" strategy.... hell, if you didnt want to be there couldnt you just pay your way onto one of those ships after a month or two?

I got it... maybe instead of a global market, use the faction system to do your bidding?