Trading Window - Third Tab

[LadyMarmalade]

I am probably just being dense - but I can't work out what the third tab on the Trading Window does and the explanations of the Trading Window that I've found online never mention the third tab! It says Auto-Purchase but I don't understand how it works.  I tried it out by asking for 500 logs to be purchased when the Trader arrived( at least I think thats what I asked for)but nothing happened.

Can anyone explain how it works to an idiot, please?

[RedKetchup]

1. make sure you specify when boat arrive or leaves cause if you left it there at 'never' you will never buy.
2. in order to buy 'wood' for example, you need to wait the appopriate merchant to come, one that sell what you want to buy. which can take several years.
3. make sure you have enough things to sell to pay your marchandise. and sell the things that specific merchant will agree to buy. the ressource merchant wont accept apples

[irrelevant]

@LadyMarmalade you really need to place orders for those things you wish to auto-purchase. Otherwise, as @RedKetchup has said, you may have a very long wait.

There are five different merchants--general goods, resource, food, livestock, seed--and of those, only the first two bring logs, That means two visits in five. If you do not place orders, they may not bring logs when they do come.

Just be aware, once you have placed orders with a merchant, that merchant will bring only what you have ordered.

[RedKetchup]

4. Yeah as Irrelevant said : place orders to your merchants. keep in mind that every trading post will have their set of merchants that will go at that specific TP. you cannot have a merchant from 1 TP going to visit another TP another year... it can happends to have copy of 'names' but it is just a coincidence and they all unique and specified to their own TP.

[LadyMarmalade]

Thanks to RK and Irrelevant for their replies and explanations.

If I'm understanding it right then the Auto-Buy option isn't really worth bothering with. I assumed it meant I could just put in a repeat order, make sure I had goods to pay for it and forget about it and that the goods would just automatically transfer into storage.

I find the Trader part of the game the most irritating as I have to keep stopping every two minutes to see what a Trader has brought, check if I need it,etc. I was just hoping a smallpart of it could be made simpler - never mind!

[irrelevant]

I assumed it meant I could just put in a repeat order, make sure I had goods to pay for it and forget about it and that the goods would just automatically transfer into storage.

This is exactly what it means! But the limitations of trading (merchants arriving that you don't want, merchants bringing stuff that you don't need) still apply.

There is a nice mod that eliminated the seed and livestock traders. If you get to the point of wanting to do autotrading, this is a must. http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=16

Once you get to the point where you need the same stuff over and over, auto trade is the way to go. Have you read this: http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=1014.0

[LadyMarmalade]

Thanks again, Irrelevant.  I feel a bit stupid now as I totally misunderstood what both you and RK had written.

I followed the link to the post you made about Auto Trading too - very interesting and well written. I have never thought about running a town overnight - the longest I leave mine running is when I go and make a cup of tea or wash the dishes.

Im guessing you can only do that when the town is already quite well established and you have tons of labourers spare to take over jobs when people die? I'd be really interested to hear more about your over night runs!

I will also try the mod you suggested - thanks again.

[RedKetchup]

Thanks again, Irrelevant.  I feel a bit stupid now as I totally misunderstood what both you and RK had written.

i am so sorry , i m french :S my primary language isnt english ^^

[LadyMarmalade]

Oh no. It was not your english - that's excellent. I think I was half alseep and not thinking properly - thats why I misunderstood!

[irrelevant]

Im guessing you can only do that when the town is already quite well established and you have tons of labourers spare to take over jobs when people die? I'd be really interested to hear more about your over night runs!

You're absolutely right, having tons of laborers is indeed crucial there.

I blogged that town here: http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=726.0