GT: Far Trader Trade Routes

[ovka]

In reading through the section on establishing and mapping trade routes, a couple of things occurred to me.

First of all, it is established canon that the mega-corps have J4 freighters that run along the xboat routes. It seems to me that there would be cases where a main route running between two worlds in different subsectors (e.g. Efate (SPIN 1705) and Rhylanor (SPIN 2716) ) would have a couple of J4's in their routes between worlds that are both on xboat routes. Efate-Roup and Risek-Rhylanor come to mind. Because we know that J4 freighters are there, why wouldn't they be used to their full capacity? Or do the J4 freighters only jump back and forth between two worlds that have a J4 xboat connection?

Second, the description of main and feeder routes says that the routes are J2 (or J3 where a jump can be saved). In looking at the maps, a jump can be saved in most cases except where worlds are only a few parsecs apart (1, 2, or 4). If I were to draw in the most economical trade routes (i.e. least number of jumps) wouldn't it be more appropriate to say that feeder and main routes are J3 routes except where a J2 ship can handle the job in the same number of hops.

What am I missing?

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[tjoneslo]

I'm assuming you have seen the generated trade maps and map key

How the routes get laid out in the PyRoute program depends more on the definition of what is the optimal for the area, limited only economics of shipping. In general, the trade route and the x-boat route are completely divorced from one another.

For most of the trade system, using J2 ships is the most economical, followed by J3 and J1. So most of the routes generate are J2 unless there is a specific reason to make a J3 or J4 jump. Reasons would include no intermediate system, systems with red zones or a lack of ports. And this would be true for main, feeder and minor routes.

 

[ovka]

I have, thanks! How far out are the trade routes calculated. Do you start with all of charted space as a baseline?

I'm guessing that you are using GT:FT for the calculations. You might want to think about incorporating xboat routes since we know canonically that mega-freighters use them.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[tjoneslo]

The routes are calculated to an approximate maximum distance of 200 parsecs. The process does a fair amount of filtering to remove unproductive routes from the calculation process. I use all of the sectors (132 at last count) in Traveller Map which encompasses most of the charted space.

I don't incorporate the J4 xboat routes for two reasons. First, the data files I'm using don't include the information. There is a discussion ongoing of how to include the known x-boat routes in the sector data, but no resolution.

Second, despite the canon statement that mega-freighters travel the x-boat routes, there is no economic argument for that to make sense. Depending upon your version of Traveller, the cost of running a J2+J2 ship to haul freight vs a single J4 ship, the former is cheaper. Sometimes by a lot.

I know there were earlier discussions about the economics of this, in great detail, with spreadsheets and number and everything. Here is one and anonther one. The latter has more specific information (debate) about the trade maps process and GT specific economics.

 

[ovka]

The routes are calculated to an approximate maximum distance of 200 parsecs. The process does a fair amount of filtering to remove unproductive routes from the calculation process. I use all of the sectors (132 at last count) in Traveller Map which encompasses most of the charted space.

Good to know. My work, thus far, has been to take a subsector + its eight surrounding subsectors. The results look similar to the trade maps you generated.

I don't incorporate the J4 xboat routes for two reasons. First, the data files I'm using don't include the information. There is a discussion ongoing of how to include the known x-boat routes in the sector data, but no resolution..

I pulled them from the MSEC files generated in the poster maker on the Traveller Map site.

Second, despite the canon statement that mega-freighters travel the x-boat routes, there is no economic argument for that to make sense. Depending upon your version of Traveller, the cost of running a J2+J2 ship to haul freight vs a single J4 ship, the former is cheaper. Sometimes by a lot.

A valid point!

I know there were earlier discussions about the economics of this, in great detail, with spreadsheets and number and everything. Here is one and anonther one. The latter has more specific information (debate) about the trade maps process and GT specific economics.

Thanks for those links. That's the sort of discussion I was hoping for, though perhaps a bit less ... spirited.

I have some thoughts on this :CoW:, but I'll put them into another thread.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[maksimsmelchak]

Good to know. My work, thus far, has been to take a subsector + its eight surrounding subsectors. The results look similar to the trade maps you generated.

I pulled them from the MSEC files generated in the poster maker on the Traveller Map site.

A valid point!

Thanks for those links. That's the sort of discussion I was hoping for, though perhaps a bit less ... spirited.

I have some thoughts on this :CoW:, but I'll put them into another thread.

Cheers,
Baron Ovka

Baron Ovka,

I'd love to coordinate with you and start naming some of the trade routes that do not already have names. Such trade routes also need to have world lists attached to them.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.