Global Economics and Trade Help Desk and Q&A

[Lamoni]

I've found that most people avoid converting prices into other currencies altogether by the simple expedient of displaying all prices in standard dollars. Things like taxes and fees are just fitted into the price, which should be near what the same object would cost IRL, so there is somewhat less thought involved in any of it.

[Costa Aluria]

True. In RL we have the advantage of a universally accepted currency conversion, whereas there is no universally accepted NS conversion tool. While there are a number of NS economic calculators which might give a currency conversion, there is no way to guarantee that nations are using that, and since those are based on the numbers on your nation page, it is unlikely to be congruent with in-character stats that nations have themselves. It may be less work involved to just list in the NS standard currency unit, but that is not necessarily out of laziness or lack of quality, but out of necessity.

[Southwest Eastnorth]

What can I do to flesh this out a bit? viewtopic.php?f=6&t=336648

[Lamoni]

What can I do to flesh this out a bit? https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopi ... 6&t=336648

You've got somewhat of a niche storefront there. Given the theme that you seem to be going for, maybe you could go for different types of train engines, as well as other train cars and train related things. That would flesh your storefront out a bit.

[SpitfireYG]

Nstracker is not working

[Yohannes]

Nstracker is not working

Damn that's annoying eh they have this also though maybe you won't like it: http://www.broomdces.com/nseconomy/nati ... =NSTracker

I like NSTracker too let's hope it's coming back this summer

[SpitfireYG]

Nstracker is not working

Damn that's annoying eh they have this also though maybe you won't like it: http://www.broomdces.com/nseconomy/nati ... =NSTracker

I like NSTracker too let's hope it's coming back this summer

well its better than nothing anyway thank you

[Neo Nakano]

Is it okay to storefront an escort service

[Yohannes]

Is it okay to storefront an escort service

In short, it's pretty legal

I am unsure of the official line (as put together as consensus by the roleplay focused forum and game moderators), but I personally have seen a few here and there. There was one quite well made one. It's not a simple yes or no answer because the trick is to make sure that you shy away from the more explicit details and focus more on the history of that business (as related to why it is a well known fictional business from your nation), organisation (how the organisation works), application process (customer interaction), etc.

anything but the explicit stuff. Demographics of the NationStates diplomacy forums (Factbook & National Information, NationStates, International Incidents, Global Economics & Trade, NSSports) are the reason why; quite some school accounts and even more early teenagers. The more mature audience usually concentrates on cool storytelling like Future Technology stuff and more restricted regional storytelling, so they are not the ones who will mostly interact with your fictional business

so yeah as your target audience will probably be younger I'd say try to make it subtle and pretty much harmless. Best way is to give you an example of one from the past. I'll browse through the database to see if I could give one good thread to you

Edit:

International Free Labor: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=208650
Scandinavian Pimping Corps Academy: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=335788
I like reading this one; Losieda: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=303729
Sodom and Gomorrah Pleasure Services: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=292158
(I am a bit unsure about this one it's pretty explicit to me personally but I am biased so don't listen to me) Sex Trade (by Spaß Mädchenneg Corp.): viewtopic.php?f=6&t=243445
Chattel Trade & Exchange Expo: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=235498

[Jamesvang86]

I am newbie to this forum but i like the thread. Right now I am not in a position to contribute any good stuff but able to do it soon. I just wanna say good work guys and keep it up.

[Common Territories]

To the person behind the "Surplus" puppets. Please stop and try and make an actual attempt at storefront owning.

I am newbie to this forum but i like the thread. Right now I am not in a position to contribute any good stuff but able to do it soon. I just wanna say good work guys and keep it up.

Welcome and thanks. Good luck to your future goals on NS!

[Eletan]

So I am starting an airplane manufacturer company called Majoris. Is there any significant competition? I mean, RMA is dead and Monteluci is inactive ATM so...

[Common Territories]

So I am starting an airplane manufacturer company called Majoris. Is there any significant competition? I mean, RMA is dead and Monteluci is inactive ATM so...

That depends on what kind of aircraft you are going to sell. If memory is right, I believe there's a few storefronts around that produce/sell civilian aircraft. The same can be said for military aircraft. I think if you work hard on products and a page you can outdo most of your possible competitors.

[Aurora Confederacy]

As for aircraft, there is Genesis Aerosystems, its quiet but everynow and then it gets an order.

Genesis deals primarily in the civilian sector

here it is

[SpitfireYG]

im planning to start a storefront that sells nuclear weapons like atomic bombs,etc i need some tips in how to make it successful

[Aurora Confederacy]

im planning to start a storefront that sells nuclear weapons like atomic bombs,etc i need some tips in how to make it successful

to quote Common territories...

...if you work hard on products and a page you can outdo most of your possible competitors.

[Neu Engollon]

So I am starting an airplane manufacturer company called Majoris. Is there any significant competition? I mean, RMA is dead and Monteluci is inactive ATM so...

That depends on what kind of aircraft you are going to sell. If memory is right, I believe there's a few storefronts around that produce/sell civilian aircraft. The same can be said for military aircraft. I think if you work hard on products and a page you can outdo most of your possible competitors.

Alas, advice might not have been heeded, but there's still hope...It's a WIP. (Someone help the poor lad!) Sound advice given, but there are a few aircraft manufacturers around, both military and civilian side, that have put in due diligence, research, and effort, as well as persevered and maintained to have some staying power. It's a tight, crowded field.

[Aurora Confederacy]

So I am starting an airplane manufacturer company called Majoris. Is there any significant competition? I mean, RMA is dead and Monteluci is inactive ATM so...

heya.

You need a to find images, (not big ones like I used on genesis, but some smaller ones, similar to the ones I have used on Orbis i think would be a good idea,
eg: (click on pic for write up)

You may notice I photoshopped a TGV for that one, again if you are willing to take time photoshopping an image to make a suitable product it may well pay off and then you could work to create something unique.

The image it does not have to be a photo like I used, but a 2 dimensional lineart or plan profile off a schematic could be used, or you could use a 3-d screenshot off a flight simulator, just like I used a 3-d truck screen shot off ETS2 for my latest creation, Valiant Trucks, again click on the link to see what I did with the write up.
.

Once you have found your images, then come the specifications and write up, this is probably the hardest part, however for realism, if you are using an F16 image for a fighter plane, your dimensions will probably be that of an F16, speed within a similar ball park along with range, after all its a small fighter plane so it won't have intercontinental go on for ever range, so performance at least will be similar to the F16, anything else you could free-form such as what I did with my GA11, a take on the MD11. click on the pic and it will take you to the GA11
.

In the write up, I chose to edit a cockpit of an A340, (spot the error in the cockpit display if you can) and freeformed the write up though kept her performance realistic to the the real MD11 and the dimensions to the same degree, but used elements taken from elsewhere in the real world such as a composite skin (dreamliner anyone??) and solar panels on the wing to provide power when the aircraft is on the ground - this is a totally freeform idea but not beyond the realms of possibility as a trailer manufacturer in the UK made a solar powered fridge trailer for Sainsbury's - a UK supermarket chain.

Once you have created your product and are happy with it, the next job is to stalk the boards of GE&T and look for potential customers, you know the treads
"Wanted - Jets for my airforce" or if its an airliner you have created find an active airline and hit them with a sales pitch and make it a good one, complete with a description as to why your airliner is better than say a montelucci Bora or Genesis Mako or perhaps a 747, and if the price is right (people wont pay a billion NS dollars for a DC3 for example - unless its made of unobtanium) they might just order a few.

The Diamond Star storefront was created back in 2012, probably due for a rework however it i think would be worth a look over as to what kind of detail you could put in, however as its aircraft you want, Montelucci would still be worth a look into. In the case of Montelucci, VL has put the write ups on iiwiki with each lineart image acting as a link, where as his VLT storefront has taken a more NS based approach keeping everything on the NS boards with a link to each product, giving clear descriptions and details into every product. It is VLT that I was looking at when I created Diamond Star Automotive though I took my own take on the products I was working on at the time however.

But please DO NOT COPY the author of Montelucci and VLT , (Van Luxemburg), or for that matter ANY storefront author as they tend not to like it and it could land you in hot water with the mods!!!.

Also, before making claims into performance, be careful what you write otherwise you may get into a bit of bother [click here]

[Lamoni]

Aurora has done a pretty decent job of describing how to design things. I want to add this, though: "If you don't know, ASK!"

It will save you a lot of time and trouble to simply ask someone knowledgeable in the field, if you don't know the answer to something yourself. No one designer has become great on their own, it took time, effort, and *LOTS* of research for all of us to be able to come up with great designs that can compete with other top-tier designers in our respective fields.

Research is something that will help to either make or break your design(s), so make sure that you research the crap out of what you're going to design before you do design it. It helps to know what all the pieces in your design do, and how they do it, after all, and it makes you more knowledgeable, which is also a big plus for any designer. It also makes you look more professional in the eyes of your customers, when you can actually answer their questions about your design, which is something that will help to earn you customer loyalty, which is another big thing when it comes to storefronts.

[Aurora Confederacy]

"If you don't know, ASK!"

ah yes...

as I was one told, the silliest question is the one that is never asked.

When you design a product it does help to have a source of reference handy such as wikipedia, or even an NS Rival. I make NO SHAME in looking at VLT's C2, C3 and C4 trucks when I did my DS900 and Kvasir trucks, as well as looking at Freightliner's Argosy and MB's Actros MP2 (and the MP4 when I did the Mjolnir) but also Volvo's new FH. That gave me a feel for whats out there and how to NSify (is that a real word - hell i don't know???), so if you do your research on a product it will therefore give you a feel as to what your NS product will eventually look like.

For air liners, have a look at what NS Airlines offer their customers, have a look at what REAL airlines offer REAL customers as chances are an NS Airline will demand that of your NS product such as first class individual occupancy pods, wide seats, FUEL EFFICIENCY!!!!, the list could go on and on and chances are if i did I'd probably bore you studpid!

Once you have done your products, hosted the images on a host somewhere like photobucket or imgur, even flickr if you desire, got your write-ups written up, the next task is to lay out your storefront and this can be the tricky part. Diamond Star is one of my biggest storefronts, its also probably because its gotten so big become cluttered with products dotted throughout the thread, however the OP is the important bit, give your company PLENTY of detail, nothing customers like to read more is a good opening post as that is the click bait to coin a modern term, it is after all like the front window of a highstreet store, get it right and you will be struggling to keep up, get it wrong and you will sink down the NS boards faster than a piece of ordanance dropped from a B52.

Though your product might be aircraft, at the end of the day a storefront selling a product is a storefront selling a product no matter what that product is, after all product is product be it a tank, pistol or rifle, car, motorcycle or plane, their manufacture's goal is to shift as much of it as possible, so whether the storefront is the RL world Colt armaments, Boeing, Airbus or Freightliner, OR their NS equivilents, chances are they will all have the same basic content. "WHO are we, WHAT do we sell, WHEN were we founded, WHERE can you buy our product and WHY choose OUR product

[Aurora Confederacy]

ps...

has anyone spotted the error in the GA11 cockpit yet?

[Lamoni]

ps...

has anyone spotted the error in the GA11 cockpit yet?

It could simply be a weather radar or something, but it looks like you might have the radar display from a fighter aircraft in there.

[Aurora Confederacy]

nope....

I modified the throttles to have 3 instead of 4, though the engine display panel still has 4 ENGINES on display. whoops

[Stormwrath]

Question: Subsidiaries? What should be the best course of action in this point? I was considering adding more small arms to my storefront, but don't like the idea of "one company makes all things in armaments" kind of storefront. I was considering making a subsidiary, but I am divided whether to make a separate storefront for it or incorporate the subsidiary into my storefront. Which one I should choose, and what would you recommend in this case?

[Yohannes]

Do whatever you feel like doing; there's no rules or guidelines that say you can not do this or do that

Short of spamming (like an adbot) the forum (which tbh is still alright to an extent as well considering the definition of 'spam' would differ for different players) you can do whatever

edit: if you want to you can create separate subsidiary threads but link all of them (make sure people can see the link easily) to a central thread. And write in a way that people will easily understand that that [central] thread is the boss business of the rest of em