Freighters and Trade

## Managing Import and Export Constraints

Here you set limits that Trade Route and Supply Route Freighters must adhere to when visiting a city. Any routes out of the City (or Star Base) will also adhere to the constraints set.

Settings on each of your Trade Hubs, both cities and star bases can be set by the player in order to determine how many resources that particular city or star base is willing to sell to incoming freighters, or purchase in order to increase local storage.

(double Arrow) - The Constraints Menu is very important for maintaining what amount of resources a particular Hub is allowed to Supply and Request. These constraints correspond to the Supply and Request Thresholds set up on every freighter for all of their routes.

If a freighter is trying to sell Ore to a particular city, that city will only purchase Ore (or Energy) from the freighter if local storage is currently below the amount in that Hub's Request Threshold. On the other hand, a freighter will only sell Ore (or Energy) to any given Hub if the storage on that freighter is above the amount set in that freighter's supply threshold.

Trade Routes - Import and Export Constraints on Trade Routes work very similar to Supply Routes, with the additional option of setting a **spending limit.** A Hub will never purchase any resources if doing so would bring the Empire's total revenue below the spending limit set.

## Moving Supplies Between Hubs

Freighters can be set on automated supply routes between your cities and star bases, in addition to Trade Routes that can be set up with Foreign Powers. Freighters are also the work horses of an empire and can be used for ferrying mechs across space.

Freighters are the key civilian unit to generate and maintain a supply line within your empire as well as trade with other empires. In addition to being able to move mechs and other units through star systems and deliver needed resources from one city or star base to another, the freighter can set up with automated **Supply Routes** and **Trade Routes.**

Freighters can be improved by unlocking new technologies that will allow them to move faster and handle more trade and supply routes. In addition, they can even be outfitted with cloaking devices to help smuggle important cargo across hostile space.

### Supply Routes

* Supply routes are routes set between your own cities and star bases which can pick up ore and energy and drop off as necessary. This is the most efficient way to make sure your economy is balanced and all the various cities and star bases that you own have adequate supplies.

### Trade Routes

* Trade routes work very similar to Supply Routes. The main difference is that instead of connecting your own cities and star bases, Trade Routes can be used to connect your supply lines with that of other players. You can buy and sell resources to bolster your own economy and as a bonus usually gain a favorable relationship with other players and Native Races.

## View Routes

The Routes menu at the top of the main game UI can be used to configure your Supply and Trade routes to help maximize their effectiveness. There are several options available that can be set up through the Routes menu.

View Routes - When clicking on the Routes Menu, you will see a list of all current Supply and Trade routes that have been set up across known space. These are all the routes that have been set by each of the Freighters that you own. Freighter details will display when hovering over the Freighter and when hovering over any of the cities or star bases, those city and star base details will appear on the right center portion of the View Routes Menu

## Configure Route Menu

Configure Routes - When clicking on any of the routes in the View Routes menu, you will bring up the Configure Routes menu which will allow you to change any of the values that are related to the Hubs on that Trade or Supply Route.

**Supply Thresholds -** Will supply Ore and Energy when storage is in surplus of the amount set here

**Request Thresholds -** Will request Ore and Energy when storage is below the amount set here

**Drop Off and Pick Up Toggles** - Check or uncheck these boxes to turn on or off any of the resources that are set to be dropped off to or picked up from a stop on that Route.