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Test of the Trade Route
Abstract (This is the Legacy Test chosen for the T7 Harmony Monument)
In the test of the Trade Route, you will participate in newly opened trade route with Greece. Those who profit and know the conditions of the trade route the best shall pass the test! In this test, a ship will depart for Greece each Egyptian month carrying crates of luxury goods. Before the ship departs, each player will be able to load crates of goods on it. When the ship returns the following month, each player who participated will receive an amount of Drachma based on the amount of crates they shipped and the uniqueness of each crate.
Types of trade goods
There are eight types of trade goods.
- Perfume
- Raeli Tile
- Paint
- Powdered Dye
- Beer
- Wine
- Dried herbs
- Cut Gems
Perfume is made in a kitchen from citrus fruit and is already used in tests such as Festivals. Powdered Dye is new type of complex item - it is made in a chemistry lab from fish scales. 10 db of a color of fish scales produces 1 db of powdered dye of the same color. Beer shipped in crates must be 'Very potent' in order to survive the trip. Dried herbs are a new type of complex item made from herbs in a drying hammock. 10 db of one herb type makes 1 db of Dried Herb:(herb type).
To open the test
A new tech at the University of Harmony will be available to research: Harbor Construction. Completion of this tech will allow the populace of Egypt to build a harbor along the Mediterranean Sea to facilitate trade with Greece. The harbor must be built on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and must be built near sea level, with a fair amount of flat land around it. The harbor is built in a Harbor Construction Site. This is an Egypt-wide project, so you will need to recruit others to help provide construction materials. Once completed, a harbor may never be torn down, salvaged, guilded, or have ownership transferred. Any paid player has access to use the functions of the harbor. The test may then be demonstrated (opened) by any owner of a completed harbor at the University of Harmony.
The ship from Greece
At 6:00 AM on Day 1 of each month, a ship from Greece will dock at the harbor. It will stay there until 6:00 AM of Day 15 of the same month, at which time it will depart for Greece. It will return the following month.
While the ship is docked, any player may submit a crate of trade goods onto the ship. The amount of crates you are able to ship depends on your nautical influence level. All players who begin the test are “Volunteers”. Volunteers are given the use of 1 crate on the ship, therefore they may ship one good type each month. You may advance in rank by paying drachma at a University of Harmony.
Volunteer → Quartermaster → Midshipman → Master's Mate → Lieutenant → Captain
Each increase in rank doubles the number of crates you are allowed ship per voyage. The Volunteer can ship 1 crate, and the Captain may ship up to 32 crates. To advance your rank, visit a University of Harmony. The 1st advancement costs 300 drachma and doubles each time, costing 4800 drachma to move from Lieutenant to Captain. If you can ship more than 1 crate, you can either ship various crates of different types or multiple crates of one type of good (or any combination). For example, a Midshipman could ship 2 crates of perfume, 1 crate of wine, and another crate of cut gem.
What goes in a crate?
Crate types:
- Perfume: this crate must contain exactly 1 db each of 2 different types of perfume.
- Raeli Tiles: 10 tiles each of 2 different colors
- Paint: 1 db each of 2 different colored paints
- Powdered Dye: 1 db each of 2 different colored Dyes
- Beer: 2 different barrels of beer
- Dried Herbs: 1 db each of 2 different dried herbs
- Wine: 2 different bottles of wine
- Cut Gems: 2 different cuts, each must be from a different type of cuttable gem
Players earn drachma based on the demand for that good in Greece. Demand is based on the uniqueness of your shipment. Uniqueness is calculated a by looking at what you shipped versus what other players shipped in the same voyage, as well as the previous 4 voyages to Greece.
A crate receives a 'major' penalty if it has a good type that is in another crate on the same ship, and a 'minor' penalty if it has a good type that was shipped in one of the previous 4 voyages. Each major penalty reduces the value of the crate by 30% (value*0.7). Then, minor penalties are calculated by reducing the value by 10% each (value*0.9).
Perfume trade
A crate of perfume is worth 1000 drachma. Perfumes are identified by the base fruit and adjective used to describe it. For example, Long Corian and Sweet Corian make different perfumes. Each crate contains two different perfumes.
Raeli Trade
A crate of Raeli tiles (2 colors of 10 db each) is worth 500 drachma.
Paint Trade
A crate of paint (2 colors of 1 db each) is worth 500 drachma.
Powdered dye Trade
A crate of powdered dye (2 colors of 1 db each) is worth 500 drachma.
Beer
A crate of beer (2 different barrels) is worth 1000 drachma. Only “Very Potent” beer may be shipped, so it may survive the trip. For the purpose of this test, a beer's 'uniqueness' is determined by the color and flavor combination. So, a Brown Nutmeg Cinnamon beer is considered unique from a Brown Nutmeg Clove beer, because the exact combination of colors and flavors is different. But, a Spicy Cinnamon beer and a Sweet Cinnamon beer would be considered the 'same' for the purposes of the trade route, since the color and flavor combination is the same (in this case, colorless and cinnamon). Only the color and flavors count - therefore potency, sweetness, and 'special properties' do not count. Beer cannot be spoiled if you are to load it into a crate.
Dried Herbs
A crate of dried herbs (1 db each of 2 different dried herbs) is worth 400 drachma.
Wine
A crate of wine (2 different bottles of wine) is worth 800 drachma. For the purposes of this test, a wine's uniqueness is determined by dominant flavor in the bottle, assuming it was drank with a quality 9999 glass. This would correspond to the strongest individual flavor in the bottle.
Cut Gems
A crate of cut gems (2 different cuts from a different cuttable type each) is worth 400 drachma. A cut lapis: Queen's tomb would be considered different from a cut sunstone: Queen's tomb. You cannot use cut zircon gems for this test.
The demand for your crate depends on the uniqueness of its contents amongst that shipment AND the previous 4 shipments to Greece. To maximize your drachma, you should ship as many crates as possible, ship different things each time, and don't ship what other players are likely to ship! When you start the test, you can only ship 1 crate, so you should spend drachma you earn at a University of Harmony to upgrade your rank so you may ship more. It's an investment that will pay off!
An example of a trade
Player 'Bob' is a midshipman. He decides to ship 2 crates of perfume and a crate of wine this month. He goes over to the harbor while the trading ship is in port and selects 'Load a crate onto the ship'. He then selects 'Crate of perfume' and picks 2 different perfumes (Long Lime, Sweet Corian) from his inventory. He gets a message that he successfully loaded a crate onto the ship. He repeats this, loading another crate of perfume and picks 2 different perfumes (Long Lime, Sweet Lemon) from his inventory. Then, he repeats this but loads a crate of wine (Nutmeg and Dust). He can load up to 4 crates this month because he is a midshipman, however he has decided to only ship 3. He waits until the 1st of the next month, and then receives his drachma. Since his 2 wine flavors (Nutmeg and Dust) was not sent by anyone else, and was not sent by anyone in the previous 4 shipments, he gets 800 drachma from that crate (the maximum value). However, his perfume crates (Long Lime/Sweet Corian and Long Lime/Sweet Lemon) were not totally unique. 5 crates shipped on the boat contained a Long Lime, and in the previous 3 months Long Lime and Sweet Corian were both shipped once each time. This means he gets 4 'major' penalties and 6 'minor' penalties for the Long Lime/Sweet Corain crate and 4 'major' penalties and 3 'minor penalties for the Long Lime/Sweet Lemon. The base value of his perfume crates were 1000 drachma. They would be modified as follows: ((1000*0.7^4)*0.9^6) and ((1000*0.7^4)*0.9^3) which would yield 127 drachma and 175 drachma respectively. His total for the month would be 1102 drachma (his perfume and wine crate totals added together). The math is a little complex, but really, you only need to worry about trying to ship interesting things each time and the drachma will flow in. Note that Bob made a bit of a mistake by using Long Lime in 2 different crates - he would have earned more drachma if both of his perfume crates were totally unique. One requirement of passing the test is possessing at least 25000 drachma – this basically makes you eligible to pass during weekly passes, but you'll need to do a bit more to actually pass.
Top Traders
To be recognized as a master of trade is part of this test; you must show you know the trading business inside out! If you earn more drachma than anyone else in one of the 8 trading categories during a single shipment, you are recognized as the top trader for that good for that month. In case of a tie, multiple people are deemed the top trader in that category. You can select the Harbor to view a list of the previous month's top traders for each category: it lists the top trader and the runner-up for each category. Additionally, you may visit an Essence of Harmony and submit a prediction on who you think will be the top trader in a certain category for the current month: you may designate one player for each of the 8 trades.
Passing the Test
You must possess at least 25000 drachma, have been recognized at some point as the top trader in at least 4 different categories, and have correctly predicted at least once the top trader for 4 different categories at an Essence of Harmony. Anyone who fulfills all three of these requirements will pass the test during the next set of weekly passes! Multiple people or none at all could pass each week. For example, a player would had 52000 drachma, was the top trader in cut gems, dried herbs, beer, and wine, and predicted the top trader in paint, wine, beer, and powdered dye would pass the test. Upon passing the test, the player's drachma total is reduced by 25000 (they spend this to pass).
Some other details
Drachma for the previous month's shipment are distributed to players when the ship returns to Egypt at 6:00 AM on the 1st day of the month. The top trader list at the Harbor is also updated at this time and players who were the top trader in a category or predicted the top trader of a category also receive credit for it at this time. You can view your current amount of drachma from your test menu, which also lists how much drachma you earned for the previous month's shipment and your current trader rank (volunteer, captain, etc.). The 'show status' submenu also indicates if you have ever been the top trader in a category or predicted successfully the top trader of a category. Harbor Costs - built in a Harbor Construction Site (same costs as a Throne Construction Site, needs project management 3 to build)
- 20000 concrete
- 50000 cut stone
- 75000 hard, rotproof boards
- 200 Onyx
- 25000 rope
- 300 tar
- 50000 nails
- 150 metal blue straps
- 1000 steel cable
- 2000 clay steeped canvas
- 2000 clay steeped wool cloth
- 5000 wood paper
- 5000 ink
- 4 quills
- 10 Intricately carved handles
- 300 Small wooden pegs
- 200 Rawhide strips
If multiple harbors are built in Egypt, only one of them will be selected each month for the trading ship to dock at. All harbors in Egypt are kept up to date with the list of top traders in Egypt from the previous month.
After the test
You may continue to ship and earn Drachma through trading with Greece. Drachma may be used to bribe instructors at schools to learn skills: you may pay 30,000 Drachma at a School in order to bypass the cost of learning one skill (you must still be the appropriate level and have other prerequisites fulfilled). You may only do this up to four times total during the telling. Additionally, there will be a new achievement added to the game: Trademaster - you will receive this achievement if you are selected at some point as the top trader in all 8 of the trading categories.
Note to developer
This test introduces some new complex items to the game, powdered dye and dried herbs. The worship test, Test of the Messenger, implemented in T6 to call for any number of complex item types as sacrifices, should be updated to call for these items (powdered dye and dried herbs) as a possible type of sacrifice.
Summary
In the test of the Trade Route, you will participate in newly opened trade route with Greece. Players will join together to construct a harbor upon the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and thereafter a trading ship from Greece will arrive every Egyptian month on the 1st at 6:00 AM, broadcast on the System channel. The ship will be docked for 15 Egypt days, and during that time players can travel to the harbor and load crates of luxury goods aboard it to ship to Greece. Players may ship crates of perfume, raeli tiles, paint, powdered dye, beer, wine, cut gems, and dried herbs. Players start only able to ship 1 crate per month, but can later earn the privilege of shipping multiple crates as they participate in the test. The goal is to ship as much as possible, and to ship items that other players do not ship (the value of your crate decreases if it contains items other players are also shipping or have shipped in recent months). When the ship returns the following month, you will earn Drachma according to how valued your crates were. You may use the Drachma to upgrade your rank, allowing you to ship more goods next time, or hold on to it in order to pass the test. Additionally, you must score the highest in at least four different good categories and predict the highest scorer at an Essence of Harmony in four different good categories - these achievements can be made over many different shipments, if needed.