The trading system governs how resources and tokens move between colonies and players. At its core are traders — non-combat units that physically transport goods across the world map. Every exchange, whether between players or with the Ancients, is resolved through their movement and interaction.
Trading is designed as a deliberate, visible process: resources are never teleported, and distance, capacity, and timing all matter.
Traders are universal carriers used in all forms of economic interaction. They are not created manually and cannot be destroyed. Instead, they exist as an abstract logistical capacity of a colony.
Each colony has a maximum number of traders, determined by the level of its market-related buildings. All traders belonging to the same colony share identical properties, including speed and carrying capacity, which can be improved through colony development. A trader always travels in a straight line between its home colony and the target location, completes its task, and then returns.
Traders are used in three main scenarios.
The first is market trading, where two traders are dispatched simultaneously: one from colony A to colony B carrying resources, and one from colony B to colony A carrying tokens. This form of trade is binding and cannot be canceled once initiated.
The second is trade routes (freight), which represent planned logistical transfers between colonies.
The third is one-way resource transfer, where a player simply chooses a target colony and sends a specific amount of selected resources.
For freight routes and one-way transfers, a trader can be canceled within five minutes of departure. If canceled, it immediately returns home with everything it was carrying.
Market trades do not allow cancellation under any circumstances.
The behavior of traders is fully deterministic even if colony ownership changes mid-journey. If colony A sends resources or tokens to colony B and, while the trader is en route, colony B loses its owner and becomes neutral, the trader turns back upon arrival and returns everything to colony A. If colony B changes ownership to a new player, the trader still delivers the cargo. Resources are deposited into the colony, while tokens are credited to the intended player account.
If colony A changes ownership or becomes neutral while its trader is traveling, the trader completes its delivery as planned. However, once its task is finished and it attempts to return, it is removed from the world and does not come back.
The market is a global system that allows players to buy and sell resources using tokens. Resources can only be traded for tokens — direct resource-for-resource exchanges are not possible.
The physical transfer of goods is still handled by traders. The number of traders available for market operations depends on the level of the market building, while their speed and carrying capacity depend on logistical upgrades in the colony.
They can create an order, specifying:
Alternatively, they can fulfill an existing order. When this happens, a trader carrying resources or tokens leaves each participating colony, and the exchange occurs when the traders meet.
Only one resource type can be involved in a single market order. Players cannot search for or sell multiple resources at once, though they may do so sequentially.
The market interface displays all active buy and sell orders globally and allows sorting by order type, resource, execution time, and price.
If a player creates an order but lacks enough available traders to send the required cargo, the order does not appear on the global market.
Orders must always be fulfilled in full — partial execution is not possible.
If a trader arrives with resources but the destination colony lacks enough free storage space, any excess resources are lost.
Trade is fundamentally a consensual exchange between two parties. Both sides must be capable of sending a trader at the same time. If either player cannot dispatch a trader, the deal cannot proceed.
When a trade is agreed:
Resources always belong to the colony whose trader transports them. Tokens always belong to the player whose trader carries them.
Players can also trade with the Ancients. In this case, only the player sends a trader, which travels to the Ancient location on the world map to complete the exchange.
A trader:
The trader’s movement speed increases with upgrades to logistical buildings. Its carrying capacity determines how many resources it can transport and scales with storage and trade infrastructure. When a trader departs, it immediately withdraws resources from the colony or tokens from the player’s balance in the same tick.
Once dispatched, traders involved in a mutual exchange are obligated to meet. Such trades cannot be canceled — even by mutual agreement between players. Only freight routes and one-way transfers can be canceled, and only within five minutes of dispatch.