Gazillionaire
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Various Info
On the surface, Gazillionaire may appear to be a simple, uncomplicated game,but as most players quicklydiscover there are many subtle strategies and various approaches you can useto gain an edge over yourcompetitors.
Here a few helpful hints:
Good vs. bad luck streaks!
If you play the game long enough, you will notice that luck runs in streaks.You can be on a good luckstreak or bad luck streak. The general rule is that every time you havegood luck, the chance of havingmore good luck increases. On the other hand, every time you encounter badluck, the chance of havingmore bad luck increases. Also, if you are on a bad luck streak and you havea good event, then the streak isbroken.
If you are caught in a bad luck streak, it is wise to buy insurance. Thismay be the only way to keep yourcompany from going bankrupt.
One way to help improve your luck is to travel to planet Mira and visit theGrand Sages (click on the PlanetSpecial button). If you get blessed by the Grand Sages of Mira, your chanceof having good luck rises.
Always pay attention to the status of your LUCK!
Don't overextend yourself.
In other words, don't get excited and bid too high on a new ship orFacility. It is easy to go bankrupt if youdon't watch how much you are spending. No matter how good a deal seems tobe, don't bid more than youcan afford to pay.
The most important factor in determining how much you can afford is theCredit Limit on your Trader'sUnion Loan. If you exceed this Credit Limit, you will go bankrupt. It iswise to stay at least 50,000kubars below your Credit Limit. This will allow you to borrow enough moneyto purchase commodities,pay your crew and buy fuel.
No matter how well your company is doing, if you run into a streak of badluck and can't meet your loanpayments, you will go bankrupt. It is common for a company with a biggership, more warehouse space,more Facilities and a larger Net Worth to suddenly find itself in a positionwhere it is about to go bankruptsimply because it borrowed too much money and cannot make its weekly loanpayments. Don't letyourself fall into this trap.
Never pass up a chance to increase your Credit Limit.
If the Trader's Union or Mr. Zinn offers to loan you more money and increaseyour CREDIT LIMIT, youshould always accept the offer. As a company, you want your Credit Limit tobe as high as possible. Thiswill give you a cushion so that you won't go bankrupt in hard times. Forexample, what do you do if theTrader's Union offers to loan you 50,000 kubars and extend your Credit Limitby 50,000 kubars, but theinterest rate on the loan is a whopping 9% a week? What you should do isaccept the offer and pay backthe 50,000 kubars as soon as you land on the next planet. This way yourCredit Limit has been increasedby 50,000 kubars without costing you a penny. Later in the game, you mayrun into trouble and need toborrow money from the Trader's Union, and you'll be happy to have that extra50,000 kubars in creditavailable.
Is it a good idea to buy warehouse space?
If you purchase more warehouse space, its value will be added to your NetWorth and the Credit Limit onyour loan will be raised. This alone makes warehouse space worth buying.In addition to this, you nowhave the option of storing more goods on each planet.
You should buy a larger ship every chance you get.
Anyone who plays "Gazillionaire" long enough will discover that the bestinvestment in the entire game ispurchasing a larger ship. You can earn more money transporting commoditiesand passengers from planetto planet than you can by buying Facilities or putting money in the Bank.Every time you are offered achance to buy a new ship, you should buy it. Never pass up this chance toexpand your company.
Always try to fill up your ship with cargo.
If your ship can hold 100 tons of cargo, you should always try to buy 100tons of commodities. If you seea commodity which is a good deal, don't just buy a few tons, buy all of it.This maximizes your profitmaking potential.
It is usually better to buy the more expensive commodities.
It is much better to purchase an expensive commodity like Exotic rather thana cheap commodity likeCantaloupe. This is because the potential profit for Exotic is muchgreater. For example, if you purchase100 tons of Cantaloupe at 10 kubars per ton, and you sell it for the maximumprice of 40 kubars per ton,you stand to make a total of 3,000 kubars. On the other hand, if you buy100 tons of Exotic for 180kubars per ton, and sell it for the maximum price of 720 kubars per ton, youwill make a profit of 54,000kubars.
Look at each commodity's Profit Potential before buying.
When you purchase a commodity, don't just look at the price. Instead youshould look at the commodity'sProfit Potential, which is the difference between the commodity's currentMarket Price and the maximumPrice Range. This is the true value of the commodity you are purchasing.
For example, if you purchase Whip Cream for the low price of 50 kubars perton (Price Range 50 to 200),your Profit Potential is 150 kubars per ton (i.e. 200 - 50 = 150). Thismeans if you purchase 100 tons ofWhip Cream, at most you can make 15,000 kubars. On the other hand, if youpurchase Oggle Sand for thenot so great price of 300 kubars per ton (Price Range 140 to 560), yourProfit Potential is 260 kubars perton (i.e. 560 - 300 = 260). This means if you purchase 100 tons of OggleSand, you stand to make up to26,000 kubars. Even though Oggle Sand does not appear to be as good a dealas Whip Cream, it is actuallya better deal because it's Profit Potential is so much higher.
If the Profit Potential for two commodities is roughly equal, it is alwaysbetter to buy the commodity withthe least risk. For example, if Whip Cream is selling for 60 kubars per ton(Price Range 50 to 200), itsProfit Potential is 140 kubars per ton. At the same time, if Oggle Sand isselling for 400 kubars per ton(Price Range 140 to 560), its Profit Potential is 160 kubars per ton. TheProfit Potential for bothcommodities is roughly equal. However, you are taking a lesser risk buyingWhip Cream because the priceof Whip Cream cannot fall below 50 kubars per ton. That means at most youcan lose only 10 kubars perton (60 - 50) buying Whip Cream, while you may lose up to 260 kubars per ton(400 - 140) buying OggleSand. In this case, it is better to purchase Whip Cream because if theprice falls, you stand to lose less.
Another advantage of buying a less expensive commodity with roughly the sameProfit Potential is thatyou have more money left to pay down your debts or deposit in the bank. Inaddition to this, you end uppaying less in import and export tariffs, which also saves you some money.
Don't look at the Supply Chart until you have purchased commodities from theMarketplace.
Most first time players end up looking at the % Supply Chart beforepurchasing their commodities. Theytry to find a good planet to travel to before they have purchased any goods.This is a mistake. It is alwaysbetter to purchase the commodities first, then look at the % Supply Chart.The most important factor inbuying a commodity is the PROFIT POTENTIAL. This is the golden rule:
Profit Potential = (max Price Range - Market Price) x Tons for Sale
After you have filled up your ship with high Profit Potential goods, youshould go to the % Supply Chartand find the planet with the lowest % for those commodities.
Often you will discover that some of commodities are not compatible. Inthis case, you should sell off thecommodities with a lower Profit Potential and find other commodities whichare compatible. This involvesa lot of estimation and on the fly calculations. What you are looking foris the best possible combination ofProfit Potential, Tons for Sale, and low %. The more you play the game, thebetter you will become atmaking these sort of quick calculations in your head.
Don't be afraid to sell your cargo at a loss.
When you arrive on a new planet with a ship loaded full of commodities anddiscover that the market priceis lower than the price you paid, your first reaction will probably be togive up the idea of selling yourcommodities. This is not always a good strategy. If there is anothercommodity available on the planetwhich is a better deal, you should sell the goods on your ship at a loss andpurchase the other commodity.
Remember, every time you travel to a new planet, it costs your companymoney. You have to pay crewwages, buy fuel, pay interest on any loans, etc... In addition to this,your competitors are trying tomaximize their profits each turn. If you make less money than they do, youwill never win the game.What you want to do is maximize your profit making potential.
A good strategy is to always sell all of your commodities every time youland on a planet, even if it meanstaking a big loss. After you sell all your commodities, go back to theMarketplace and look at what isavailable to buy. You may end up buying back what you just sold. This isokay. You don't lose anymoney buying and selling commodities while you remain on a planet.
NOTE: You only have to pay import and export tariffs when leaving orarriving at a plant. As long as youremain on the planet, you will not accrue any tariffs. The only tax youwill encounter while you are on aplanet is the Passenger Tax.
Selling all your commodities no matter what the price will give you a moreobjective way of looking at theMarketplace. Some players often become emotionally attached to the goodsthey purchase and refuse tosell those goods at a loss, even if they could potentially make more moneyby purchasing anothercommodity.
Don't buy commodities that you cannot sell on the next planet.
A lot of players fall into the trap of purchasing commodities which theyplan on selling two or three turnslater. They look at the % Supply Chart and say, "First I'll travel to Vexxand sell off my Umbrellas, thenI'll travel to Stye and sell my Gems." This is a big mistake. If you can'tsell a commodity on the nextplanet you are traveling to, then don't buy it!
It is better to buy a commodity with a lower profit making potential than topurchase a bargain commoditywhich you don't plan on selling for a few turns. This is because the nextturn you may find a much bettercommodity for sale, and you will either have to pass up a better opportunityor sell the goods on your shipfor a loss.
Your ship can hold only a limited amount of cargo, and it is good tomaximize the profit potential eachturn. If you travel around with the same commodity from planet to planetlooking for a high selling price,you are losing money. In most cases, it is better to make a little profiteach turn than to travel around thesolar system for five turns searching for the highest possible price you canget.
Don't pay your crew every turn.
It is better to wait until the very last minute to pay your employees. Thiswill save you money becauseinstead of paying your crew, you can have that same money in the bankearning interest. Only pay yourcrew when they "DEMAND" to be paid. You will be alerted to this because thetext on the CREWWAGES button on the Main Menu will turn red.
If you don't pay your crew when they "DEMAND" to be paid, there is a goodchance they will go on strike.When your crew goes on strike, you will be forced to raise their wages by500 kubars per person a week.If possible, you want to avoid this situation.
Don't Pay your Taxes every turn.
It is not a good idea to pay your taxes until you absolutely have to. Ifyou pay your taxes every turn, thenyou are losing money because the same money could have been deposited in thebank and earning interest.The general rule is to pay your taxes only when the Tax Auditor "DEMANDS"that you pay. You will bealerted to this because the text on the TAX button on the Main Menu willturn red. If you do not pay yourtaxes at this time, there is a good chance you will be audited and have topay a large fine.
Don't set your Passenger Ticket Price too high or too low.
If you set your Passenger Ticket Price too low, you will be cheatingyourself out of a lot of money. On theother hand, if you set your ticket price too high, you won't get anypassengers at all. We found that settingthe ticket price at around 3,000 kubars works well. If you do this, be sureto invest in PassengerAdvertising. Generally, TV advertising works best. If you don't haveenough money to advertise, it'sprobably wise to set the Passenger Ticket Price at around 1,000 kubars. Theoptimum TicketPrice/Advertising is still open to debate. It doesn't hurt to experimentwith different values and find outwhat works for you.
Don't Pay Back Mr. Zinn Until You Have To.
If you are playing the Tutorial or Novice levels, it is best to pay back Mr.Zinn as quickly as possible. Thisis because your options are limited, and you don't have any better place toinvest your profits. However, ifyou are playing one of the more advanced games, it is best to wait as longas possible to pay back Mr.Zinn. You may have to pay a little more in interest, but it is good to havethe extra money to invest inupgrading your ship and buying Facilities.
Unlike the Trader's Union, you cannot borrow money from Mr. Zinn wheneveryou feel like it; hence, it issmart to owe him as much money as possible. If you use the borrowed moneywisely, you can usually earnmore money than you are paying out in interest. However, if Mr. Zinn raiseshis interest rates, it isprobably a good idea to pay Mr. Zinn back, unless of course you are earningan even higher interest rate onyour Bank Account .
In general, the higher the interest rate on Zinn's Loan, the sooner youshould pay him back. The lower theinterest rate, the longer you should wait before paying Mr. Zinn anything.For example, if Mr. Zinn ischarging you only 2% interest on your loan, you can earn more moneyinvesting in Facilities than you willsave by paying Mr. Zinn back.