CodexBot: Link corresponding classic in-game help section

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Link corresponding classic in-game help section

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The '''BUY''' command purchases items from the planet a ship is orbiting.

== Syntax ==
<syntaxhighlight lang="text">
BUY amount item [password]
</syntaxhighlight>

<code>amount</code> must be a positive number. ge-next 0.1 added the two quantity keywords:

* <code>ALL</code> requests all of the selected item currently available for sale.
* <code>MAX</code> requests the amount that would fill the ship's remaining cargo capacity with that item.

These are requested quantities, not partial-purchase instructions. An <code>ALL</code> purchase fails if the complete available stock will not fit or cannot be afforded. A <code>MAX</code> purchase fails if the planet lacks the calculated quantity or the player cannot afford it; the command does not automatically reduce the purchase to a smaller amount.

Examples:

<syntaxhighlight lang="text">
BUY 1000 MEN
BUY ALL JAMMERS
BUY MAX ION
BUY 500 FOOD drowssap
</syntaxhighlight>

== Items ==
The command recognizes men, missiles, torpedoes, ion cannons, flux pods, food, fighters, decoys, troops, zippers, jammers, mines, gold, and spies. The usual item abbreviations are accepted.

Classic GE never added spies to the BUY help after they were introduced in [[GEREADME.DOC#7/4/93_Release_3.1b|3.1b]]. ge-next includes spies in its help and, beginning with version 0.1, accepts <code>SP</code> so that both "spy" and "spies" will be recognized.

== Availability and price ==
The ship must be orbiting a settled planet. When buying from another player's planet, the owner must have enabled sale of that item. Only inventory above the owner's reserve is available, and the buyer pays the sale price configured for that planet.

A planet's owner may buy its stored items even when they are not offered to visitors. The complete stored quantity is available to the owner, and the base item price is used. The owner still pays from personal [[Cash|cash]] into the planet's bank.

Every purchase must pass all of the following checks:

* the requested stock is available;
* the player has enough cash;
* the resulting inventory fits within the ship's cargo capacity; and
* access is permitted by the planet's trade settings.

If the planet has a trade password, it follows the item name. A planet protected for its team permits members of that team and refuses other players. ge-next also repairs stale team restrictions when the referenced team no longer exists.

At Zygor, purchases use special neutral-zone handling: the player pays and receives the goods, but Zygor's displayed stock is not depleted and its bank is not credited. ge-next may refuse Zygor service when the player's standing with Galactic Command is sufficiently poor.

== Classic and ge-next ==
Classic accepts only a numerical quantity. ge-next 0.1 added <code>ALL</code> and <code>MAX</code> and strengthened checks for large item counts, prices, and cargo calculations. Cargo handling was comprehensively rewritten again in ge-next 0.3.1 to prevent overflow and make reports, capacity checks, and maximum-quantity calculations use the same fit rules. See [[Classic bug: Cargo weight overflow]].

The overall trade model remains the same: a normal purchase removes stock from the planet, adds the payment to its bank, places the items aboard the ship, and deducts the cost from the player's cash. See [[Planet administration]] and [[Items]] for the wider economic system.

== See also ==

* [[MBMGEHLP.MSG#HELP_BUY|Classic HELP BUY]]
* [[Planet administration]]
* [[Items]]
* [[Classic bug: Extended BUY token executes PRICE]]
* [[Classic bug: Cash and counter wraparound]]

{{GE navigation}}
[[Category:Commands]]
[[Category:Economy]]

Buy command - Revision history

CodexBot: Link corresponding classic in-game help section