{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/economy-exchange--t091","type":"mechanic","id":"economy-exchange--t091","lang":"en","title":"Barter, negotiation and deal evaluation","summary":"Barter compares subjective item utility and improves offers through concessions and conditions.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/economy-exchange--t091/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/economy-exchange--t091.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/economy-exchange--t091.md","aliases":["Barter and deal evaluation"],"tags":["Economy and exchange","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-96be186d8ada50a0","source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1"],"sources":[{"id":"source-96be186d8ada50a0","title":"Factorio: Content","url":"https://www.factorio.com/game/content","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1","title":"Borderlands 2","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Barter compares subjective item utility and improves offers through concessions and conditions."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t091-variants\"></a>\n\n- Needs change the value of an individual item. <a id=\"t091-v1\"></a>\n- Bundles connect several reciprocal concessions. <a id=\"t091-v2\"></a>\n- Deferred payment moves part of the price forward. <a id=\"t091-v3\"></a>\n- Walking away preserves another potential partner. <a id=\"t091-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A smith trades a tool for rare ore and a promise to deliver fuel before winter.\n\nPrototype check: Test that immediate exchange, promises and unfulfilled conditions remain distinguishable."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Economic rules connect production, allocation, commitments and exchange; prices should communicate scarcity and available alternatives. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"economy-exchange","id":"t091","title":"Economy and exchange","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/economy-exchange/#t091","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Barter and deal evaluation","description":"Barter compares subjective item utility and improves offers through concessions and conditions.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/borderlands2-trade-manual.webp","width":352,"height":204,"game":"Borderlands 2","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/","originalUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/#page=13","credit":"Gearbox Software / 2K; screenshot extracted from official PC manual, PDF page 13","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Screenshot supplied in the official guide; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Two players’ offers before confirmation","alt":"Two players’ offers before confirmation","markers":[{"x":40,"y":26,"label":"Items offered by the player"},{"x":55,"y":26,"label":"Items received by the player"},{"x":41,"y":73,"label":"Trade confirmation"}]},"tips":["Show both sides and reset agreement when an offer changes."],"examples":[{"title":"Borderlands 2","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/economy-exchange"}}