Header

Exchange

Exchange

The Universal Exchange is the player market. It lets you buy and sell resources and ships across the universe using live exchange ratios, then claim the results through My Deliveries.

If you are new, the most important thing to know is this:

  • listings are not instant
  • purchases are not instant
  • completed trades do not land directly on a planet

Everything moves through the Exchange hub first.

Quick Facts

Topic Rule
Exchange coordinate 0:0:8
Supports Resources and ships
Price basis Live Metal / Crystal / Deuterium / Fuel Cell ratios
Delivery method My Deliveries

How The Exchange Ratios Work

The Exchange looks at how much of each resource exists in the universe right now, then converts those live totals into four exchange ratios.

For Industry players with Moon Base Research, those same live ratios also decide which resource receives the biggest Exchange receipt bonus on completed resource trades.

The Resource Ratio Formula

The Exchange first totals all four tradable resources in the universe, then compares each one against its target share.

The target shares are:

metal_share      = (3 / 6) * (699 / 700)
crystal_share    = (2 / 6) * (699 / 700)
deuterium_share  = (1 / 6) * (699 / 700)
fuel_cell_share  = 1 / 700

Then the live ratios are:

universe_total   = total_metal + total_crystal + total_deuterium + total_fuel_cells

metal_ratio      = total_metal / (universe_total * metal_share)
crystal_ratio    = total_crystal / (universe_total * crystal_share)
deuterium_ratio  = total_deuterium / (universe_total * deuterium_share)
fuel_cell_ratio  = total_fuel_cells / (universe_total * fuel_cell_share)

What That Means In Plain English

  • Each resource is measured against the amount the Exchange wants to exist in the universe.
  • Ratios above 1.0 mean that resource is more abundant than its target share.
  • Ratios below 1.0 mean that resource is scarcer than its target share.
  • Fuel Cells are intentionally much rarer than Metal, Crystal, and Deuterium, so they use a far smaller target share.
  • Trade values are then built from the relationship between the resource you pay with and the resource you want.
  • Moon Base Research bonus payouts follow that same ordering:
    • lowest ratio resource gets +4% per Moon Base level
    • next lowest gets +3% per level
    • next gets +2% per level
    • highest ratio resource gets +1% per level
  • That bonus only applies to the Industry player receiving the completed Exchange payout. It does not change the counterparty's price.

That is why Trade missions and Exchange purchases both feel different as the universe economy changes.

Why Ratios Move Gradually

The Exchange does not recalculate from scratch every second.

It works like this:

  • the game stores a full economy snapshot once per hour
  • the displayed ratios are interpolated in 5-minute steps between the previous and latest snapshots

For players, the practical takeaway is simple:

  • ratios can move during the hour
  • the movement is based on the latest hourly universe snapshot
  • very large universe-wide shifts will still appear gradually, not instantly

Resource Trades

Resource listings can use Metal, Crystal, Deuterium, or Fuel Cells on either side of the trade.

Selling Resources

When you create a sell listing:

  1. You choose the world sending the goods.
  2. You choose the resource and amount you are selling.
  3. You choose which resource you want back.
  4. A transfer mission carries your goods to the Exchange.

The Exchange automatically counts the selected world's Small Cargos, Large Cargos, and Colony Ships when working out whether the transfer fleet can carry your listing.

Your listing remains Pending Transfer until that fleet arrives.

Once it arrives, the listing becomes Active and other players can fill it.

Buying Resources

When you use Buy Now:

  1. You choose the resource you want.
  2. You choose the resource you will pay with.
  3. You choose the sending world.
  4. A payment mission flies to the Exchange.

When that payment arrives:

  • you cannot buy your own listing
  • the Exchange fills as much of your order as possible immediately
  • any unfilled remainder becomes a market listing at the current ratio

That means a large Buy Now order can turn into both:

  • an immediate purchase
  • a leftover standing order

Ship Trades

Ship listings can be priced in Metal, Crystal, Deuterium, or Fuel Cells.

Selling Ships

When you list ships:

  • the ships are transferred to the Exchange first
  • the listing becomes active only after arrival
  • you can cancel the listing later, but canceling costs 5% of the build cost paid from your currently selected planet

If you cannot pay that cancellation fee, the ship listing stays active.

Buying Ships

When you buy ships:

  • you cannot buy your own listing
  • your payment flies first
  • when it arrives, the ships go to My Deliveries

If the payment fleet is recalled before arrival, the listing unlocks and becomes available again.

My Deliveries

Every Exchange result ends up in My Deliveries.

That includes:

  • resource payouts from completed sales
  • purchased resources
  • purchased ships
  • recalled goods
  • canceled listings returned to you

Resource Deliveries

Resource deliveries can contain Metal, Crystal, Deuterium, or Fuel Cells.

If you launch a pickup flight, the Exchange counts the chosen world's Small Cargos, Large Cargos, and Colony Ships there too.

Ship Deliveries

Ship deliveries use a deploy action to send the ships to the world you choose.

This extra step is why Exchange trades are flexible, but not instant.

Common Statuses

Resource Listing Statuses

  • Pending Transfer: your goods are still flying to the Exchange
  • Active: other players can match the listing
  • Filled: everything sold
  • Canceled / Recalled: returned through My Deliveries

Ship Listing Statuses

  • Pending Transfer: ships are still flying to the Exchange
  • Active: the listing is live
  • Pending Transfer (Buyer): a buyer's payment is on the way and the listing is temporarily locked
  • Sold: the trade finished
  • Canceled: ships were returned to My Deliveries

Delivery Statuses

  • Pending Selection: waiting for you to choose a destination
  • In Transit: the delivery mission has launched
  • Returning: your pickup fleet is on its way back from the Exchange
  • Delivered: the order has arrived

How Exchange Value Is Estimated

When the game shows a price estimate, it is using the current live ratios.

At a high level, the conversion shape is:

estimated_receive
  = pay_amount × (pay_ratio / receive_ratio)

The exact result still depends on:

  • current market ratios
  • listing availability
  • partial fills
  • how much of your order matches immediately

That is why the estimate is useful, but the exact final result can still differ slightly depending on what happens by the time your transfer arrives.

Beginner Tips

  • Do not confuse the Exchange with Trade. Trade is a deep-space mission; the Exchange is the player market.
  • Check My Deliveries after every successful purchase or sale.
  • Large orders can sit in Pending Transfer longer than you expect because they still have to fly.
  • Watch your ratios before pressing Buy Now. A small ratio swing can matter on very large trades.
  • Check Fleet Mechanics if your pickup or transfer fleets keep failing launch because of cargo and fuel limits.

Related

  • Fuel Cell - Fuel Cells are a tradable Exchange resource
  • Fleet Mechanics - Travel and cargo rules for transfers and pickups
  • Trade - Deep-space mission that also uses live exchange ratios