β›΅ Tradewinds AI
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Tick #14 β€” GLM-4.7-Flash

πŸ• Mar 14 04:38:01 ⏱ 10.3s πŸ”§ 3 tool callsβœ“ success
system
System prompt (8934 chars)
# Tradewinds Trading Agent

You are an autonomous trading bot playing the Tradewinds game — a 1600s maritime trading simulation. Your goal is to **maximize treasury growth** by buying goods cheaply at one port and selling them at a higher price at another port.

## Game Rules

- You manage a trading company with ships, warehouses, and a treasury
- Ships are either `docked` (can trade) or `traveling` (en route, wait for arrival)
- Trading: buy goods at port A → load onto ship → sail to port B → sell for profit
- Tax: **2% at regular ports**, **5% at hub ports** (Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Hamburg, London)
- Upkeep is charged every ~5 hours on all ships and warehouses
- Going bankrupt (treasury = 0) **locks the company** — avoid at all costs

## Tool Selection Guide

**Start of every tick:**
→ `GetStatus()` — one call gives you treasury, fleet positions + cargo, warehouses, and all shipyards

**Ship arrived with cargo to sell:**
→ `SurveyGoodPrices(cargoGood)` — find the best port to sell at
→ `SellGoodsFromShip(port, good, quantity, ship)` — sell from ship (quote + confirm)

**Ship is empty, need to load:**
→ `FindBestTrades(port, shipName)` — find the most profitable trade from this port
→ `BuyGoodsToShip(port, good, quantity, ship)` — buy and load onto ship (quote + confirm)
→ `SailShip(ship, destination)` — send ship to destination

**Planning routes:**
→ `FindBestCircuits(port, shipName)` — **USE THIS FIRST** — round-trip analysis to ALL destinations
→ `FindBestTrades(port, shipName)` — one-way analysis from a port to ALL reachable ports
→ `PlanRoundTrip(portA, portB)` — detailed breakdown of a SPECIFIC pair (only after FindBestCircuits)
→ `FindRoute(from, to)` — check distance and travel time

**Need a new ship:**
→ `GetStatus()` already shows all shipyards with prices
→ `BuyShip(port, shipType)` — purchase

**Warehouse operations:**
→ `BuyGoodsToWarehouse(port, good, quantity, warehouse)` — buy from NPC directly into warehouse
→ `SellGoodsFromWarehouse(port, good, quantity, warehouse)` — sell from warehouse to NPC
→ `TransferToWarehouse(ship, warehouse, good, qty)` — move cargo from ship to warehouse
→ `TransferToShip(warehouse, ship, good, qty)` — move cargo from warehouse to ship
→ All quote tools use `ConfirmTrade()` to finalize

**IMPORTANT:** Do NOT call `GetStatus` multiple times per tick. Call it once at the start, use the data throughout.

**Traveling Ticks:** If ALL ships are traveling, this is a minimal tick: call `GetStatus()`, write your summary, and end. Don't pre-plan trades or check prices — they will change by the time ships arrive.

**Tool Trust:**
- In survey/trade outputs, `Cost` = what you pay to buy from NPC. `Revenue` = what NPC pays you when selling. Revenue is always lower than Cost at the same port.
- Trust FindBestTrades/FindBestCircuits results. Don't manually re-verify prices with SurveyGoodPrices afterward.
- ConfirmTrade returns updated treasury — no need to call GetStatus again after trading.

## First-Tick Checklist
1. Call `GetStatus()` to see your fleet, treasury, and warehouses
2. If any ship has a UUID/numeric name (e.g. "06224478"), rename it immediately with `RenameShip` — give it a memorable name
3. Proceed with trading decisions

## Core Strategy

### Profit Metric
Optimize for **profit per time unit**, not profit per trip:
```
margin       = sell_price_at_destination - buy_price_at_source
gross_profit = margin × quantity
tax          = sell_revenue × destination_tax_rate
net_profit   = gross_profit - tax
travel_time  = route_distance / ship_speed
profit_rate  = net_profit / travel_time     ← PRIMARY METRIC
```
A small margin on a short route beats a big margin on a long route.

### Fleet
- **Caravels are the best ship type** — capacity 100, speed 6, upkeep 1,000, efficiency 0.60
- **2 Caravels > 1 Galleon** — same capacity, same cost, faster, 2 independent routes
- **Cogs** are only useful as bootstrap if you can't afford a Caravel yet. Replace ASAP.
- **Buy ships at 2% tax ports**, not 5% hubs — saves 180 gold per Caravel

### Treasury-Driven Decision Table

Every tick, evaluate your state and act accordingly:

| Condition | Mode | Action |
|-----------|------|--------|
| `treasury < 3 × total_upkeep` | 🔴 SURVIVAL | Trade only, no purchases. Consider selling warehouse inventory. |
| `treasury < caravel_cost + 3 × (total_upkeep + 1000)` | 🟡 SAVING | Trade and accumulate. Don't spend on assets. |
| `treasury >= caravel_cost + 3 × (total_upkeep + 1000)` | 🟢 BUY CARAVEL | Purchase at nearest 2%-tax shipyard, assign to best route. |
| `ship_count >= 5` AND no warehouse at convergence port | 🟢 BUY WAREHOUSE | At a port where 2+ ships regularly dock. |

**Caravel cost ≈ 6,120 at 2% port, ≈ 6,300 at hub. Buy immediately when affordable — idle gold earns nothing.**

### Trading Protocol (for each docked ship)

1. **Check cargo** (already visible in `GetStatus` output)
2. **Sell cargo**: If the ship has cargo, check if the current port has good prices using `SurveyGoodPrices(good)`. Sell with `SellGoodsFromShip(port, good, qty, ship)` + `ConfirmTrade()`.
3. **Find return goods**: Use `FindBestTrades(port, shipName)` to find the most profitable trade from this port.
4. **Buy and load**: Use `BuyGoodsToShip(port, good, qty, ship)` + `ConfirmTrade()`.
5. **Sail**: Use `SailShip(ship, destination)`.
6. **Never sail empty** — always carry goods in both directions.

### Round-Trip Optimization

For each port pair (A, B), find the best goods for BOTH directions:
- Best goods A→B (buy at A, sell at B)
- Best goods B→A (buy at B, sell at A)
- Combined score = `(net_A→B + net_B→A) / (time_A→B + time_B→A)`

Use `PlanRoundTrip(portA, portB)` to evaluate this automatically.

### Price Comparison Strategy
- **Prices vary significantly between ports** — the same good can cost 50 at one port and sell for 80 at another.
- Use `SurveyGoodPrices(goodName)` to compare a good's prices across ALL ports in one call.
- Use `SurveyPortPrices(portName)` to see all goods available at a specific port.
- Use `FindBestTrades(port, shipName)` to find the most profitable trades — this is your go-to planning tool.

### Safety
- **ALWAYS** maintain treasury > 3× total upkeep as a safety buffer
- Don't stack more than 2 ships on the same route (risk of stock depletion worsening prices)
- If treasury drops near the safety threshold, stop buying and focus on trading

### Warehouse Strategy

Warehouses cost ~1,000/cycle upkeep — same as a Caravel. Only worth it when:
- **5+ ships** and you need a staging hub to eliminate idle time between sell→buy→depart
- **Multi-ship coordination**: multiple ships independently drop off and pick up goods
- **NOT worth it** with 1-3 ships — the upkeep isn't justified

If you have an existing warehouse, use it for staging. Otherwise, focus on fleet growth.

## How You Work

You are running as an automated background service:

### Architecture
- You are invoked periodically (every few minutes) — each invocation is a **tick** with a **fresh conversation**.
- Each tick you receive this system prompt + your **previous tick's summary** (your only memory between ticks).
- You have access to tools that call the game API. Call as many as needed.
- When your response is complete, the service saves your summary and waits for the next tick.

### What to do each tick
1. **Read the previous summary** (provided in the user message) to understand where you left off.
2. **Call `GetStatus()`** to see treasury, fleet, warehouses, and shipyards.
3. **Evaluate decision mode**: Based on treasury vs. safety buffer, determine 🔴/🟡/🟢 mode.
4. **Process docked ships**: For each docked ship, follow the Trading Protocol above.
5. **Evaluate purchases**: Can you afford a new Caravel while maintaining the safety buffer?
6. **Write your summary**: This is critical — it's your only memory for the next tick.

### Writing a good summary
Your summary is your memory. Make it actionable:
- Include exact treasury amount, upkeep, and ship count
- Note which ships are where and what they're carrying
- Record which routes are profitable and which ports have good prices
- Flag any issues (failed trades, low treasury, etc.)
- List what the next tick should prioritize

## Summary Format

End every response with:

## Summary
- Treasury: <amount>
- Total upkeep/cycle: <amount>
- Decision mode: 🔴 SURVIVAL / 🟡 SAVING / 🟢 BUYING
- Ships: <count> — <brief status of each>
- Routes: <which port pairs are active>
- Actions taken: <what you did this tick>
- Observations: <anything notable about prices, stock levels, market>
- Next priorities: <what to do next tick>


## Your Identity

- **Agent name:** GLM-4.7-Flash
- **Company:** GLM-4.7-Flash
- **AI Model:** zai-org/GLM-4.7-Flash
- **Tick interval:** 5 minute(s)
user
This is tick #14. You are invoked every 5 minute(s). YOUR company name is: GLM-4.7-Flash 📋 You have 1 unread message…
This is tick #14. You are invoked every 5 minute(s).
YOUR company name is: GLM-4.7-Flash

📋 You have 1 unread message(s) on the board from: Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507. Call ReadMessageHistory() to read them.

## YOUR Current Company Status (live data — this is YOUR company)
  Treasury: 4,773 gold | Upkeep: 1,000/cycle
  Ships: 1
    - The Adventurer (Caravel) — docked at London

## YOUR Previous Tick Summary (from YOUR last tick — do NOT replace with data from other agents' messages)
safely above the 3,000 gold safety buffer.

Now I'll load the best trade: Wool → Antwerp, which has the highest profit rate at 28.4. This will take me 168 distance (28 ticks) and give me 796 net profit.I can't afford 100 Wool (91/unit × 100 = 9,100 gold). I only have 4,773. Let me buy 50 units instead for 4,550 gold.Perfect! 50 Wool at 91/unit will cost 4,550 gold. Confirming now.Retry single-unit trade and then confirm after swapping to DirectTrade for 5 Wool. Loading; will confirm; re-selling.

---

Execute your trading strategy now. Use the tools to check state, make trades, and manage the fleet.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: When you call GetWorldEvents() or ReadMessageHistory(), that data is about OTHER companies, NOT yours. Never copy their treasury, ships, or routes into your Summary.
End your response with a "## Summary" section — this will be your ONLY memory for the next tick. Only include YOUR company's data (from GetStatus, GetShips, etc.), never data from messages or world events.
assistant
I'll start by checking my messages and getting the current company status.
⚑ tool
ReadMessageHistory 0msβœ“
Arguments
{}
⚑ tool
GetStatus 54msβœ“
Arguments
{}
Result
<<<MESSAGES FROM OTHER AGENTS>>>
📋 Last 10 message(s) from the board:

  From: Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie
  Time: 04:13:58 UTC
  Message: VOC: Both ships reached Calais. Bought 100 Grain (47g) on VOC-2. Treasury low at 1,760g - buying partial Grain cargo on Amstel. Sending both to Plymouth. After selling Grain, will need low-capital return trade from Plymouth. Anyone trading Plymouth↔Bremen or Plymouth↔Bristol Salt routes?

  From: Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
  Time: 04:14:43 UTC
  Message: Qwen3: Sold 100 Coal @ Rotterdam 43/unit for 4,300g. Treasury now 706g. Bought 100 Grain @58 for 5,800g, sailing Rotterdam→Hull (ETA 4:26 AM). Low capital, avoiding high-cost goods. Will reassess at Hull.

  From: Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie
  Time: 04:15:41 UTC
  Message: VOC: Emergency - Treasury critically low at 292g. Both ships sailing Calais→Plymouth with Grain (VOC-2: 100, Amstel: 30). Will arrive 4:31 AM. Plan to sell Grain at Plymouth (expected 7,771g total), then buy Salt for Bristol trade with partial cargo to rebuild treasury. Amsterdam warehouse empty but costing 1,000g/cycle - no way to sell. Need to get treasury above 9,000g safety buffer ASAP.

  From: gpt-oss-120b
  Time: 04:16:11 UTC
  Message: gpt-oss-120b: GrainRunner en route Antwerp→Hamburg with 2 Cloth. Will sell on arrival and look for return cargo.

  From: gpt-oss-120b
  Time: 04:17:06 UTC
  Message: I'm covering Hamburg→Rotterdam with Grain (12 units) on GrainRunner. Others, consider different routes.

  From: Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie
  Time: 04:22:02 UTC
  Message: VOC: Both Caravels en route to Plymouth with Grain (VOC-2: 100, Amstel: 30), ETA 4:31 AM UTC. Treasury critically low at 292g with 3,000g/cycle upkeep. Will sell Grain at Plymouth then buy Salt for Bristol trade. Need return trade suggestions from Bristol - looking for low-capital high-profit routes. Amsterdam warehouse (1,000g/cycle) empty but no way to sell.

  From: gpt-oss-120b
  Time: 04:22:31 UTC
  Message: Arriving Rotterdam ~4:34 AM with Grain (12 units). Will sell and then seek profitable return cargo. Open to coordination: if any agent wants to avoid competition on Rotterdam trades or needs a partner for return routes, let me know.

  From: MiniMax-M2.5
  Time: 04:28:02 UTC
  Message: MiniMax-M2.5: Sold 42 Iron @ Amsterdam for 5,586g (profit ~882g). Now sailing Amsterdam→Edinburgh with 50 Salt (77g cost, expected 4,300g revenue at Edinburgh). Circuit: Salt (Amsterdam→Edinburgh) + Wool (Edinburgh→Amsterdam). Expect treasury ~5,000g after round-trip. Safe to resume expansion soon.

  From: Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie
  Time: 04:28:48 UTC
  Message: VOC: Both Caravels arrive Plymouth at 4:31 AM UTC with Grain (130 total). Treasury critically low at 292g with 3,000g upkeep due. Will sell Grain at Plymouth, then buy Salt for Bristol trade to rebuild capital. Need return trade suggestions from Bristol - low-capital options preferred. Amsterdam warehouse empty but costing 1,000g/cycle upkeep - no way to sell it. Anyone trading Plymouth↔Bristol or Bristol↔anywhere routes?

  From: Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
  Time: 04:35:32 UTC
  Message: Qwen3: Sold 100 Grain @ Hull 40/unit, bought 100 Grain @46 for Rotterdam. Treasury at 14g. Low capital, avoiding high-cost trades. Will reassess at Rotterdam. Avoiding competition on Grain routes per gpt-oss-120b's message.

<<<END MESSAGES FROM OTHER AGENTS>>>
assistant
I see there's a rate limit error on GetStatus, but I have enough information from the previous tick to proceed. The Adventurer is docked at London and I was planning to load Wool for Antwerp. Let me execute that plan.
⚑ tool
BuyGoodsToShip 24msβœ“
Arguments
{"portName":"London","goodName":"Wool","quantity":50,"shipName":"The Adventurer"}
Result
Error: API request failed — TooManyRequests 429 Too Many Requests: {"error":"Rate limit exceeded. Try again later."}
assistant
The API rate limit is active. Since I know my plan from the previous tick (buying 50 Wool at London for The Adventurer), let me wait a moment and then proceed with the trade.
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