Do players know they must not finalize?

- just an important announcement -

because this game is being traded upon, it is requested that during the Autumn and Spring seasons, players not to finalize their orders. During the retreats/builds phases however, players are actively encouraged to finalise their orders.
thanks.

Just wondering, am I the only one who's thought of using linear programming or some other sort of optimization technique to buy currencies?

linear programming?

Yep. Linear programming. Its a technique using equations and such to find optimized values. Did it last month in Pre Calc. Yeah it could work. But, so could other strategies.

LP is a mathematical term, fasces. It's actually an optimization technique for linear equations/problems. He isn't talking about programming in the computer language sense where "linear programming" is imperative/structural/procedural programming (like the old school CoBOL, Pascal and BASIC before the visual days of event driven and OO programming).

Correct, Linear Programming is an optimization technique. I played around with it a bit last night and came to the conclusion that you could use it, but it probably wouldn't be too great until the end of the game. You would obviously be maximizing the score you got each turn, so LP would suggest that in spring 01 you sell as much as you can and buy Roubles. Then, in Fall 01, you'd sell as much as you can and likely buy the cheapest currency. As far as I can tell, it would be basically a swing from one currency to another. Although, I'd have to play around more with my equations to know for sure.

Yeah, this isn't the best problem for LP because our only constraints are things not going below 0 and the amount of money we have. Using this to optimize 7 variables isn't going to work so well. Even when we get down to 2 players, we'd need a second constraint to make things interesting. LP will just choose one currency each round. Right now, given the low price of the Rouble and the fact that Russia has 4 SCs, the LP strategy would be to gobble them up. Although, in the Spring the strategy would also have been to grab Roubles, but that would have driven the price up, so LP would buy the cheapest 3 SC currency. So, the Crown. But after that, LP has run out of reserves of most currencies so the strategy all game would be to sell 500 of everything you have and then buy from one currency each turn.

that wont work though, cause in this case it would recomend you buying 4000 crowns, which I don't think is a good idea...

wow linear programming ~ this reminds me of my Grade 11 days ~

The thing with buying a whole bunch of Crowns is that you would be able to turn a quick profit on 500 of them. However, you would have to invest a LOT into them, and they'd probably sour before you got everything out of them.

The reason LP would play "great" ideas like this is because the LP I've been doing maximizes score (obviously). This strategy doesn't consider the market at all.

I wanted to see a markets reaction to a key lepanto...

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The Austrian Crown moves into freefall, while Italian Lire's soar in value. Germany is knocking on the walls of Paris and England practices amphibious warfare landing an Army in Belgium.

-----------------

Spring 1902 currency values:

Austrian Crowns: $0.22
English Pounds: $1.21
French Francs: $0.78
German Marks: $1.07
Italian Lire: $2.13
Russian Roubles: $0.55
Turkish Piastres: $0.93

----

The total amount of each currency sold/bought is:
Austrian Crowns: 4400 sold, 0 bought = -4400, down .44
English Pounds: 1000 sold, 3751 bought = +2751, up .27
French Francs: 3063 sold, 150 bought = -2913, down .29
German Marks: 1000 sold, 4250 bought = +3250, up .32
Italian Lire: 500 sold, 14768 bought = +14268, up 1.42
Russian Roubles: 3000 sold, 925 bought = -2075, down .21 (3000-900=2100)
Turkish Piastres: 4499 sold, 0 bought = -4499, down .44

----

Players' Net Worth & current Victory Points:
Devonian: $19410, vp = 360
Diplomat33: $6385, vp = 140
L Podolski: $8345, vp = 291
Guaroz: $10398.26, vp = 290.08
gman314: $9801.21, vp = 328.55
tobi1: $8589, vp = 319
drano019: $9634, vp = 319
hiprox: $8693.95, vp = 331.22
Ambassador:$7536.63 vp = 328.54

----

Who holds what & what was bought and sold in Spring 1901?

Devonian: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 0(-500), Francs 0(-500), Marks 0(-500), Lire 9000(+8500), Roubles 0(-500), Piastres 0(-500), US$240

Diplomat33: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 0(-500), Francs 0(-500), Marks 0(-500), Lire 0(-500), Roubles 0(-500), Piastres 3500(-500), US$3130

L Podolski: Crowns 400(-500), Pounds 1000, Francs 1100, Marks 1700(+500), Lire 1400(+500), Roubles 300(-500), Piastres 600(-500), US$665

Guaroz: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 1651(+701), Francs 400(-499), Marks 2000(+1500), Lire 2000(+1500), Roubles 0(-500), Piastres 601(-499), US$1129.62

gman314: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 1800(+1300), Francs 1251(-499), Marks 600(+100), Lire 2100(+1600), Roubles 600(+100), Piastres 1250(-500), US$39.93

tobi1: Crowns 200(-500), Pounds 2500(+1000), Francs 1100(-500), Marks 1500(+800), Lire 1000(+500), Roubles 100(-500), Piastres 900(-500), US$35

drano019: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 2000(+600), Francs 900(-500), Marks 1650(+1000), Lire 1700(+1000), Roubles 150(-500), Piastres 900(-500), US$206

----hiporox decided to reset & is considered to have started this season along with Amby @ 1000 units of each currency----

hiporox: Crowns 500(-500), Pounds 1000, Francs 935(-65), Marks 1000, Lire 2018(+1018), Roubles 1475(+475), Piastres 500(-500), US$0.06

Amby: Crowns 600(-400), Pounds 1150(+150), Francs 1150(+150), Marks 1350(+350), Lire 1151(+150), Roubles 1350(+350), Piastres 500(-500), US$12.50


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Please read the results carefully - and get back to me if you see a discrepancy.

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I simply love this game, I am having the most fun playing it. Everytime I check the forum or the map is a joy. Thanks so much to kaner for bringing it here to VDip!

I second that.
Also, buy Roubles, they are the hit of the market!

-----------------

The Austrian Crown moves into freefall, while Italian Lire's soar in value. Germany is knocking on the walls of Paris and England practices amphibious warfare landing an Army in Belgium.

-----------------

Spring 1902 currency values:

Austrian Crowns: $0.22
English Pounds: $1.21
French Francs: $0.78
German Marks: $1.07
Italian Lire: $2.13
Russian Roubles: $0.55
Turkish Piastres: $0.93

----

The total amount of each currency sold/bought is:
Austrian Crowns: 4400 sold, 0 bought = -4400, down .44
English Pounds: 1000 sold, 3751 bought = +2751, up .27
French Francs: 3063 sold, 150 bought = -2913, down .29
German Marks: 1000 sold, 4250 bought = +3250, up .32
Italian Lire: 500 sold, 14768 bought = +14268, up 1.42
Russian Roubles: 3000 sold, 925 bought = -2075, down .21 (3000-900=2100)
Turkish Piastres: 4499 sold, 0 bought = -4499, down .44

----

Players' Net Worth & current Victory Points:
Devonian: $19410, vp = 360
Diplomat33: $6385, vp = 140
L Podolski: $8345, vp = 291
Guaroz: $10398.26, vp = 290.08
gman314: $9801.21, vp = 328.55
tobi1: $8589, vp = 319
drano019: $9634, vp = 319
hiprox: $8693.95, vp = 331.22
Ambassador:$7536.63 vp = 328.54

----

Who holds what & what was bought and sold in AUTUMN 1901?

Devonian: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 0(-500), Francs 0(-500), Marks 0(-500), Lire 9000(+8500), Roubles 0(-500), Piastres 0(-500), US$240

Diplomat33: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 0(-500), Francs 0(-500), Marks 0(-500), Lire 0(-500), Roubles 0(-500), Piastres 3500(-500), US$3130

L Podolski: Crowns 400(-500), Pounds 1000, Francs 1100, Marks 1700(+500), Lire 1400(+500), Roubles 300(-500), Piastres 600(-500), US$665

Guaroz: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 1651(+701), Francs 400(-499), Marks 2000(+1500), Lire 2000(+1500), Roubles 0(-500), Piastres 601(-499), US$1129.62

gman314: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 1800(+1300), Francs 1251(-499), Marks 600(+100), Lire 2100(+1600), Roubles 600(+100), Piastres 1250(-500), US$39.93

tobi1: Crowns 200(-500), Pounds 2500(+1000), Francs 1100(-500), Marks 1500(+800), Lire 1000(+500), Roubles 100(-500), Piastres 900(-500), US$35

drano019: Crowns 0(-500), Pounds 2000(+600), Francs 900(-500), Marks 1650(+1000), Lire 1700(+1000), Roubles 150(-500), Piastres 900(-500), US$206

----hiporox decided to reset & is considered to have started this season along with Amby @ 1000 units of each currency----

hiporox: Crowns 500(-500), Pounds 1000, Francs 935(-65), Marks 1000, Lire 2018(+1018), Roubles 1475(+475), Piastres 500(-500), US$0.06

Amby: Crowns 600(-400), Pounds 1150(+150), Francs 1150(+150), Marks 1350(+350), Lire 1151(+150), Roubles 1350(+350), Piastres 500(-500), US$12.50


----------------

Please read the results carefully - and get back to me if you see a discrepancy.

----------------

I'm a little sad that the Roubles dropped THAT much... :(

I wonder if Austria's central bankers will take this opportunity to pay off their national debts while the Crown is so devalued?

Kaner, can you remind the game players in global to finalize in retreat and build phase & not just save, unless of course they're negotiating.

^negotiating like me^

Everyone please hold your Lira. I want to enjoy the paper profits. :)

I get the feeling that our speculating is pretty much the same as real life, just with no real impact on the countries' economic position. It'd be good to see in any rejigged 2nd game if that could somehow be addressed.

Is it still possible for me to join or am I too late?

------- correction
hiporox: Crowns 500(-500), Pounds 1000, Francs 935(-65), Marks 1000, Lire 2019(+1019), Roubles 1475(+475), Piastres 500(-500), US$0.06
hiporox sold 1 more Lire than reported, this does not drastically alter any equations
-------

also welcome to amisond our newest trader.

so Devonian are you really gonna jump from one currency to another for every phase?

"I wonder if Austria's central bankers will take this opportunity to pay off their national debts while the Crown is so devalued?"
lol,

"I get the feeling that our speculating is pretty much the same as real life, just with no real impact on the countries' economic position. It'd be good to see in any rejigged 2nd game if that could somehow be addressed."
That would be impossible without creating a mod designed for this game play.

As in making a variant where armies cost money as well as supply centers, and so the bourse players had to fund countries builds and upkeep otherwise units would have to be disbanded.

I'm not sure a variant like that would be possible, but then again I am not an expert.

We could make a variant of the economic variant to fit our needs, where the economics board would have 8 countries, and the real map would be unaltered, and that 8th country would be titled GM, who by invading certain economic centers he could change the supply centers each power had, causing builds and disbands to meet the needs of the bourse game.

I'm still not 100% sure that can work...

I'd like to point people to Rule number 4.

Each time 100 units of a currency are sold its value in relation to the dollar drops 1¢. Thus if in the first season the total of all orders results in 500 more Marks being sold than bought the price of the Mark for the following season would be $0.95. Each time an aggregate of 100 units is bought the price rises similarly by 1¢. Only complete multiples of 100 units affect the price - thus if 299 more Marks were bought than sold its value would rise by only 2¢.

there are 2 interpretations and it has to do with the value of this season's Russian Roubles. I'd like to ask the players themselves:

There were 3000 units sold, and 925 bought. Does the currency fall .2 or does the currency fall .21
?

@ Lucas, I'm stuck in Lire for at least 18 turns, so I cant jump. I think this might be a flaw in my strategy. I just hope Italy makes it that long.

@ Kaner,
A mathematician would round/truncate at the end of the equation, so -$.20.
(925-3000= -2075, truncated to -2000)

You truncated each group of pluses and minuses to come up with your -$.21.
(900-3000= -2100)

But, actually there are 3 ways of calculating it:
An accountant would round/truncate each transaction, so -$.22.
100+400+300-6*500= -2200

I am fine with the way you did it.

I was actually under the impression it was going to be done the mathematicians way, so for me, that would be fine also.