Ports and Trading

The best way to make cash in Quest for Yap is to trade at ports. Ports are generated at the beginning of each game and are different every round. You will need to scout out some good ports and find trade routes in order to make the most profit.

When visiting a Port, you will see a list of %s next to each good. This is the Demand for the good at the port. If the Demand is less than 50%, it is a Buy Port, otherwise it is a Sell Port. The higher the demand, the higher the price, so you want to sell where demand is highest.

Ports also have Supply, based on the trading you do at them. Buy Ports will slowly regenerate goods, but if you buy a lot and the supply runs low, the price will rise. Similarly Sell Ports will slowly lose their goods, but if you sell a lot at once and the supply gets high, the price will go down.

You can see a list of the Ports and their Demand by visiting the Ministry of Trade in Sector 1. However, this list will only tell you the Port Number, not the Sector the port is in, and it tells you nothing about Supply.

It is a good idea to write down ports that you find. All you need to know is the Port Number and Sector. You can always check at the Ministry of Trade to see which ports will buy what.

Once you have enough money to build Jump Gates, you can connect sectors that have ports to make even more cash.

Trading is best when done with multiple ships. The best trade ship that is available to all races is the Cog. Some races have ships with more cargo holds, however. Check the Ship Info for your particular race.

Upgrades for Ports and Trading

100 Cargo
Found At: Upgrade Center
Races: All
Use: Adds 100 Cargo to the ship, costing 1 upgrade slot. Good to put on Cogs to increase their cargo when your race doesn't have alternate trade ships.

Trade Upgrade
Found At: House of Artes
Races: Artes
Use: The Artes Trade Upgrade adds 500 cargo and takes up 1 upgrade slot. This upgrade is especially useful on Artes Mammoth Freighters.

Propulsion Upgrade
Found At: Upgrade Center
Races: All
Use: Arguably the most important upgrade in the game, the Propulsion Upgrade will cause your fleet to cost half as many turns to move. This upgrade can only be placed on ships in the Merchant line, including all Merchants as well as the Galley.

Adv Propulsion Upgrade
Found At: House of Draconian
Races: Draconians
Use: This is a more powerful propulsion upgrade that reduces turn cost to 1/3 of normal.