Buy low, sell high games with travel
March 3, 2012 3:29 PM Subscribe
Can anyone recommend games with buy-low, sell-high trading systems like the one present in GTA Chinatown Wars, a DS game? My boyfriend just picked it up and he's having a lot of fun with the drug economy part of the game. Could be on PC or nintendo DS. He's tried eve and didn't really like it, and there's no travel involved in playing the AH in WoW so those don't work, but you do get bonus points if you can suggest a multiplayer game of some sort.
Lots of that in Facebook-based Civ World.
posted by steinsaltz at 3:42 PM on March 3, 2012
posted by steinsaltz at 3:42 PM on March 3, 2012
EVE's trading game is well-loved by a lot of people. It requires a monthly subscription, but you can legally turn in-game money into subscription time, so if pick up the month (?) free trial and you're successful enough at playing the market, you can pay for your subscription indefinitely. I have a couple friends who do this. One just stays at one station and trades a little bit every day. The other flies from station to station, aiming to get the best deals.
posted by introp at 3:46 PM on March 3, 2012
posted by introp at 3:46 PM on March 3, 2012
I don't know the game you're asking about, but you should check out Tradewars 2002 or variants thereof. It is multiplayer, but not graphical. It is one of the most fun games I've ever played, and there are still active games. Also, Privateer, if I remember correctly. These are old school, but a ton of fun.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 3:49 PM on March 3, 2012
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 3:49 PM on March 3, 2012
Best answer: The X space trading games might be up his alley.
The entire game universe holds thousands of persistent stations and ships, with a varying economy which the player is encouraged to take part in through trading, construction, and in some instances combat.
posted by helicomatic at 3:51 PM on March 3, 2012
The entire game universe holds thousands of persistent stations and ships, with a varying economy which the player is encouraged to take part in through trading, construction, and in some instances combat.
posted by helicomatic at 3:51 PM on March 3, 2012
There's the browser game High Tea about opium trading.
posted by XMLicious at 4:22 PM on March 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by XMLicious at 4:22 PM on March 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
There is a game out there called "puzzle pirates" that you can play free on steam, where all the various things you do to make your ships go, craft goods and generally be little animated noseless pirates and tetrisesque puzzles.
The part he might really get into is running a shop. You need various materials to create various goods that people need, so the difference between success and failure for a shop keeper is knowing where to get stuff cheap and playing the market just so.
Or you can avoid that part of the game like a plague - whichever.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 4:55 PM on March 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
The part he might really get into is running a shop. You need various materials to create various goods that people need, so the difference between success and failure for a shop keeper is knowing where to get stuff cheap and playing the market just so.
Or you can avoid that part of the game like a plague - whichever.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 4:55 PM on March 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Dopewars/Drugwars is my favourite drug dealer game. Basically you have a bunch of different kinds of drugs in your stash and they vary in price as you visit different neighbourhoods in the town. Bonus things like huge coke busts happen, prices skyrocket and you make a tidy sum if you're in the right place at the right time.
It also happens that you lose money if the market is flooded with "cheap home-made acid" or a "huge shipment of hash comes in from Marrakesh" Your character also gets shaken down by the cops from time to time, and there's also loan sharks that front you the cash for your business and you have to pay them off.
It's available in all kinds of forms: crappy flash version, online multiplayer, open source download... Good fun.
posted by empatterson at 5:18 PM on March 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
It also happens that you lose money if the market is flooded with "cheap home-made acid" or a "huge shipment of hash comes in from Marrakesh" Your character also gets shaken down by the cops from time to time, and there's also loan sharks that front you the cash for your business and you have to pay them off.
It's available in all kinds of forms: crappy flash version, online multiplayer, open source download... Good fun.
posted by empatterson at 5:18 PM on March 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
I quite like the Escape Velocity series, it's an open-ended space trading and combat game. You can engage in combat as much or as little as you like, and there are plenty of interesting missions.
posted by ripley_ at 7:10 PM on March 3, 2012
posted by ripley_ at 7:10 PM on March 3, 2012
Old school Apple II game: Taipan, also playable online.
posted by Ian Scuffling at 2:13 AM on March 4, 2012
posted by Ian Scuffling at 2:13 AM on March 4, 2012
Best answer: The Patrician games really develop the trading concept as far as I've seen any game do it. Might be worth looking at (they're on Steam) if he wants something deep; I haven't played it enough to recommend it, though.
posted by kprincehouse at 3:04 AM on March 4, 2012
posted by kprincehouse at 3:04 AM on March 4, 2012
Why not play all of the Grand Theft Auto games available for the PC via Steam. The price for these games that will keep his attention away from you for weeks on end is hard to beat.
posted by kuanes at 9:08 AM on March 4, 2012
posted by kuanes at 9:08 AM on March 4, 2012
Response by poster: We checked out all the suggestions and marked some best answers, thanks everyone!
posted by kavasa at 2:36 PM on March 4, 2012
posted by kavasa at 2:36 PM on March 4, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 3:35 PM on March 3, 2012 [1 favorite]