Shop Module Difficulties

[cdl3050]

Hello Everyone,

I have recently (28 Dec 2016) been toying around with the shop module block on my planet base, and it doesn't seem to be working right.

1. I can connect it to cargo modules and storage blocks (which have their own cargo modules and contained items), but I cannot pull anything into the shop's inventory using the shop module's pull function.

2. I can not add any item from my player inventory to the shop module's expanded inventory.

3. I still don't understand the buy and sell prices. - If someone fully understands this, please give a detailed and expansive explanation. (a simple explanation would answer: If I, as the shop owner, want to automatically buy low and sell high, how should I set the buy and sell prices?)

One other thing that I have noticed is that there are times when shop stations (of neutral alignment who are set to sell to any non-enemy) won't allow me to (as a visiting customer) buy or sell even though the shop contains items and has sufficient money.
A. What controls or causes this? Is this an error?

Thank You for your assistance.

 

[ForgottenPrime]

I'm unable to do any thing except add money and add owner. Whats up? .

 

[Batavium]

I'm unable to do any thing except add money and add owner. Whats up?

Your screenshots show one Tab in a total of five. The others are:

Repairs look here to repair armor and reboot systems.

Options here you set permissions of who can buy and sell, shop owners and here you can add or remove credits like a bank.

Beware that permissions are currently Bugged! They do not save and must be reset every time you log back on. This Bug was fixed but is back in the last StarMade version.

Trade here you can add your shop to the Trade Network. All other shops in the Trade Network are also listed. Click on one to see if and what they are selling or buying and make a deal no need to go there your self!

Set Prices here you set your own items for sale and the price. You can add categories or individual blocks.

1. I can connect it to cargo modules and storage blocks (which have their own cargo modules and contained items), but I cannot pull anything into the shop's inventory using the shop module's pull function.

2. I can not add any item from my player inventory to the shop module's expanded inventory.

Look into the Shops OPTIONS Tab "see ForgottenPrime's screen shot" and make sure all permissions are set correctly with you as shop owner.

3. I still don't understand the buy and sell prices. - If someone fully understands this, please give a detailed and expansive explanation. (a simple explanation would answer: If I, as the shop owner, want to automatically buy low and sell high, how should I set the buy and sell prices?)

Look into the Shops SET PRICES Tab "see ForgottenPrima's screen shot" and add a block or category then edit the prices. Make sure you sell for a lower price then what a normal Trade Guild Pilon Shop would give you if you want the NPC to buy from you.

One other thing that I have noticed is that there are times when shop stations (of neutral alignment who are set to sell to any non-enemy) won't allow me to (as a visiting customer) buy or sell even though the shop contains items and has sufficient money.
A. What controls or causes this? Is this an error?

NPC shops and stations are broken and will not sell to you directly when you are there. If this is a Players shop then it might be because you do not have the cargo space to hold the amount of blocks you are trying to buy. Did you try buying a single block? I have found that i could not buy from a shop with in a Ships Core when i got out i could buy and sell.

 

[ForgottenPrime]

Thank you Batavium. I'll try that when I get back on.

 

[Batavium]

I'll try that when I get back on.

Here is some more info. I been toying with shops in getting the NPC to buy my items.

The whole setup of shops though is again one of those major pains. That makes you wonder why they did it like this. It isn't intuitive at all. Made worse by the fact that you can not place items in the Shop directly. The add items on the first Shop Tab stays greyed out even if i select the blocks in the Shop Tree to the left. If someone knows how to do that than please elaborate!

How to get items for sale in your shop:

Step 1.

Make sure your Shop Block has Cargo blocks added to it to ensure it has enough space to hold your blocks for sale. Select the Shop Block "C" and add Cargo Blocks.

Step 2.

Place a Storage Chest and link it to the Shop Block. Add Cargo Blocks to that Storage Chest. The Blocks for sale go into this Storage Chest. Yes you need a buffer chest to load the Shop with items!

Step 3.

From the Shop OPTIONS Tab enable Storage Auto-Pull. From the menu right of that Change Items to Auto-Pull. Select a category and amount of blocks to pull from the Storage chest to the Shop Block. If you do not use the category that correspond to the blocks you are trying to sell or if you do not set what amount of blocks to pull then nothing happens! The Blocks for sale should now be in your Shop Block. Open the shop and check if they are in there. See Shop SHOP tab.

Step 4.

Under the Shop TRADE Tab Add your shop to the Trade Network. On the Shop SET PRICES Tab add a Sale Category that is the same as the blocks you are trying to sell. If you want the NPC to buy them from you. Then lower their price by 4 to 5 credits from the default sale price.

Step 5.

From the shop Options Tab if you have not done already select Add Shop Owner and add your Name. Under the permissions select No Enemies can Shop. From the second permission select this Shop is Owned by Everyone! Only with that setting will the NPC trade with you. However the permissions setting is bugged! It does not save and defaults back to Owned by the Faction when you leave the sector or log off from the game.

This means you can only trade while you are there. Though trades will continue if you leave the sector. They will stop when you come back to your shop. You then need to reset the permissions again.

Good Luck

 

[Lord_Greyscale]

Actually, your last instruction is flat wrong.

NPCs and Other players are able to trade with your shop, so long as the first setting is "All can shop" or "no enemies"
That setting, and that setting alone, controls the "who" portion of who can shop.

For example, under "no enemies" a faction you are at war with, cannot simply waltz up to your station, and buy all the crap they want.
Because "no enemies" means enemies cannot shop there.
Under an "allies only" setting, only other factions that you are allied with can shop here, in addition to your own faction.

The "owner" controls, are there specifically to allow other players (presumably of your own faction, but nothing stops you from adding an out-of-faction owner) the ability to:
A: set more prices/stock counts
B: adjust existing prices/stock counts
C: turn on/off block pulling (effectively, "embargo on")
D: to TAKE blocks out of the shop, without having to fuck-around with cargo.

That's it.
If you have NPCs that won't trade with you without "everyone is an owner" set, then something is dreadfully wrong with your other settings, (like, perhaps, the prices being higher than an NPC wants to pay, or being at war with all of them) or the server is being a snot.

Now, as to the "they won't trade if I'm not there!" argument/complaint.
YOU ARE CORRECT!! The sector is not loaded, and is not "owned" by an NPC, so it doesn't "fake" being loaded for trade purposes.
This is easy enough to cure, use an Alt and an old PC to keep the shop-station loaded.
Doesn't even matter if the alt is an owner, because the sector is loaded, trading happens.
Or, y'know, use that homebase invulnerability, and have IT be the shop. (and a shipyard, and the prime factory) practically garunteeing that someone in your faction is there, keeping the sector loaded.
Sure, this "totally" gives away your location. Not like your enemies couldn't just check your faction entry to find the sector its in anyway. (yes, it really does tell what sector your faction's home-base is in.)


As to the "add quantity as owner" for any given block? I'm fairly certain that functionality was removed with the cargo update.
Prior to that update, the button wasn't greyed out, and so long as you had some of whatever the block was, you could directly add it.
(and shops back then had basically infinite inventory, whereas now they straight-up don't)

 

[Batavium]

If you have NPCs that won't trade with you without "everyone is an owner" set

If i did not set it like that then they did not trade with me on there own accord. I could set up trades via the TRADE tab and it would be fine. Like force feeding them my blocks for the price they have them listed as as willing to buy. But they would not so to speak come to me and buy if i used any other setting. Though it could be that at the time i had an other setting they simple where not interested in my offer.

(yes, it really does tell what sector your faction's home-base is in.)

Oh i have used the Trade Tab to my advantage for sure no worries.

It is great for finding NONE Home Bases.

And a shop with NO owner is the most fun free cash and blocks!

I'm fairly certain that functionality was removed with the cargo update.

You are probably right there. Though they should have removed the user interface for it as well. Since now that only leads to confusion.

 

[DrTarDIS]

If i did not set it like that then they did not trade with me on there own accord. I could set up trades via the TRADE tab and it would be fine. Like force feeding them my blocks for the price they have them listed as as willing to buy. But they would not so to speak come to me and buy if i used any other setting. Though it could be that at the time i had an other setting they simple where not interested in my offer.

Distance between trade nodes matters a lot. If yer only 4% cheaper they better be very close to you. if you're 50% cheaper you should see a lot of npc activity on your shop every simulation-tick

 

[DoomCarrot]

I am encountering a similar problem. I built my station around a rod shop, and I have a shop module. Everything should work fine, but the shop module just won't pull from amy storages, no matter what I do. I can manually drag and drop into the shop, but that is extremely tedious.

I even had server admins look at the problem, and they could not resolve it. They believed that it might be glitchy because my station is right next to a rod shop.