On  the  surface,  Gazillionaire  may  appear  to  be  a  simple,
uncomplicated  game,  but  as  most players quickly discover there are
many  subtle  strategies and various approaches you can use to gain an
edge over your competitors.

Here a few helpful hints:

Good vs. bad luck streaks!

     If  you play the game long enough, you will notice that luck runs
in  streaks.  You can be on a good luck streak or bad luck streak. The
general  rule  is  that  every  time you have good luck, the chance of
having  more  good  luck increases. On the other hand, ev ery time you
encounter  bad  luck,  the  chance  of having more bad luck increases.
Also,  if you are on a bad luck streak and you have a good event, then
the streak is broken.

     If  you  are  caught  in  a  bad  luck  streak, it is wise to buy
insurance.  This  may  be the only way to keep your company from going
bankrupt.

     One way to help improve your luck is to travel to planet Mira and
visit the Grand Sages (click on the Planet Special button). If you get
blessed  by  the  Grand Sages of Mira, your chance of having good luck
rises.

Always pay attention to the status of your LUCK!

Don't overextend yourself.

     In  other words, don't get excited and bid too high on a new ship
or Facility. It is easy to go bankrupt if you don't watch how much you
are  spending.  No  matter how good a deal seems to be, don't bid more
than you can afford to pay.

     The  most important factor in determining how much you can afford
is  the  Credit  Limit on your Trader's Union Loan. If you exceed this
Credit Limit, you will go bankrupt. It is wise to stay at least 50,000
kubars  below your Credit Limit. This will allow yo u to borrow enough
money to purchase commodities, pay your crew and buy fuel.

     No  matter  how  well  your  company  is doing, if you run into a
streak  of  bad  luck  and  can't meet your loan payments, you will go
bankrupt.  It  is  common  for  a  company  with  a  bigger ship, more
warehouse  space,  more Facilities and a larger Net Worth to suddenl y
find  itself  in  a  position  where it is about to go bankrupt simply
because  it  borrowed  too  much money and cannot make its weekly loan
payments. Don't let yourself fall into this trap.

     Never pass up a chance to increase your Credit Limit.

     If  the  Trader's Union or Mr. Zinn offers to loan you more money
and increase your CREDIT LIMIT, you should always accept the offer. As
a  company, you want your Credit Limit to be as high as possible. This
will  give you a cushion so that you won't go bank rupt in hard times.
For  example,  what do you do if the Trader's Union offers to loan you
50,000  kubars  and extend your Credit Limit by 50,000 kubars, but the
interest  rate on the loan is a whopping 9% a week? What you should do
is  accept  the  offer  and pa y back the 50,000 kubars as soon as you
land on the next planet. This way your Credit Limit has been increased
by  50,000  kubars without costing you a penny. Later in the game, you
may run into trouble and need to borrow money from the Trader's Union,
and  you'll  be  happy  to  have  that  extra  50,000 kubars in credit
available.

     Is it a good idea to buy warehouse space?

     If  you purchase more warehouse space, its value will be added to
your  Net Worth and the Credit Limit on your loan will be raised. This
alone makes warehouse space worth buying. In addition to this, you now
have the option of storing more goods on each pl anet.

     You should buy a larger ship every chance you get.

     Anyone  who  plays "Gazillionaire" long enough will discover that
the  best  investment  in the entire game is purchasing a larger ship.
You  can  earn more money transporting commodities and passengers from
planet to planet than you can by buying Facilities or putting money in
the  Bank.  Every time you are offered a chance to buy a new ship, you
should buy it. Never pass up this chance to expand your company.

     Always try to fill up your ship with cargo.

     If your ship can hold 100 tons of cargo, you should always try to
buy  100  tons  of commodities. If you see a commodity which is a good
deal,  don't  just  buy a few tons, buy all of it. This maximizes your
profit making potential.

     It is usually better to buy the more expensive commodities.

     It  is much better to purchase an expensive commodity like Exotic
rather  than  a  cheap  commodity like Cantaloupe. This is because the
potential  profit  for  Exotic  is  much  greater. For example, if you
purchase  100 tons of Cantaloupe at 10 kubars per ton, and you sell it
for  the maximum price of 40 kubars per ton, you stand to make a total
of  3,000 kubars. On the other hand, if you buy 100 tons of Exotic for
180  kubars  per  ton, and sell it for the maximum price of 720 kubars
per ton, you will make a profit o f 54,000 kubars.

Look at each commodity's Profit Potential before buying.

     When  you  purchase  a  commodity,  don't just look at the price.
Instead  you should look at the commodity's Profit Potential, which is
the  difference  between  the commodity's current Market Price and the
maximum  Price Range. This is the true value of the comm odity you are
purchasing.

     For  example,  if you purchase Whip Cream for the low price of 50
kubars  per  ton (Price Range 50 to 200), your Profit Potential is 150
kubars  per  ton (i.e. 200 - 50 = 150). This means if you purchase 100
tons  of Whip Cream, at most you can make 15,000 kuba rs. On the other
hand,  if  you  purchase  Oggle Sand for the not so great price of 300
kubars  per ton (Price Range 140 to 560), your Profit Potential is 260
kubars  per ton (i.e. 560 - 300 = 260). This means if you purchase 100
tons of Oggle Sand, you stand to make up to 26,000 kubars. Even though
Oggle  Sand  does not appear to be as good a deal as Whip Cream, it is
actually  a  better  deal  because  it's  Profit  Potential is so much
higher.

     If  the Profit Potential for two commodities is roughly equal, it
is  always  better  to  buy  the  commodity  with  the least risk. For
example,  if  Whip Cream is selling for 60 kubars per ton (Price Range
50  to  200), its Profit Potential is 140 kubars per ton. A t the same
time, if Oggle Sand is selling for 400 kubars per ton (Price Range 140
to  560),  its  Profit  Potential  is  160  kubars per ton. The Profit
Potential  for  both  commodities  is  roughly equal. However, you are
taking  a  lesser  risk  buying  Whip Cream bec ause the price of Whip
Cream  cannot fall below 50 kubars per ton. That means at most you can
lose only 10 kubars per ton (60 - 50) buying Whip Cream, while you may
lose  up  to 260 kubars per ton (400 - 140) buying Oggle Sand. In this
case,  it is better to purchase Whip Cream because if the price falls,
you stand to lose less.

     Another  advantage  of  buying  a  less  expensive commodity with
roughly  the same Profit Potential is that you have more money left to
pay  down  your debts or deposit in the bank. In addition to this, you
end  up paying less in import and export tariffs, which also saves you
some money.

     Don't   look  at  the  Supply  Chart  until  you  have  purchased
commodities from the Marketplace.

     Most  first  time  players  end  up looking at the % Supply Chart
before purchasing their commodities. They try to find a good planet to
travel  to before they have purchased any goods. This is a mistake. It
is always better to purchase the commodities first, then look at the %
Supply  Chart.  The most important factor in buying a commodity is the
PROFIT POTENTIAL. This is the golden rule:

     Profit Potential = (max Price Range - Market Price) x Tons for Sale

     After  you  have  filled  up your ship with high Profit Potential
goods,  you  should  go to the % Supply Chart and find the planet with
the lowest % for those commodities.

     Often  you  will  discover  that  some  of  commodities  are  not
compatible.  In  this case, you should sell off the commodities with a
lower   Profit   Potential   and  find  other  commodities  which  are
compatible.  This  involves a lot of estimation and on the fly calcula
tions.  What  you  are looking for is the best possible combination of
Profit  Potential,  Tons  for  Sale,  and low %. The more you play the
game,  the  better  you  will  become  at  making  these sort of quick
calculations in your head.

     Don't be afraid to sell your cargo at a loss.

     When  you  arrive  on  a  new  planet  with a ship loaded full of
commodities and discover that the market price is lower than the price
you  paid, your first reaction will probably be to give up the idea of
selling  your  commodities.  This  is  not always a good st rategy. If
there  is  another commodity available on the planet which is a better
deal,  you  should  sell the goods on your ship at a loss and purchase
the other commodity.

     Remember,  every  time  you travel to a new planet, it costs your
company  money.  You have to pay crew wages, buy fuel, pay interest on
any  loans, etc... In addition to this, your competitors are trying to
maximize  their  profits  each turn. If you make less m oney than they
do,  you will never win the game. What you want to do is maximize your
profit making potential.

     A  good  strategy is to always sell all of your commodities every
time  you  land on a planet, even if it means taking a big loss. After
you  sell all your commodities, go back to the Marketplace and look at
what  is  available  to buy. You may end up buying bac k what you just
sold.  This  is  okay.  You  don't  lose  any money buying and selling
commodities while you remain on a planet.

     NOTE: You only have to pay import and export tariffs when leaving
or  arriving at a plant. As long as you remain on the planet, you will
not  accrue any tariffs. The only tax you will encounter while you are
on a planet is the Passenger Tax.

     Selling  all  your commodities no matter what the price will give
you  a  more objective way of looking at the Marketplace. Some players
often  become  emotionally  attached  to  the  goods they purchase and
refuse  to  sell those goods at a loss, even if they could potentially
make more money by purchasing another commodity.

     Don't buy commodities that you cannot sell on the next planet.

     A  lot  of  players  fall into the trap of purchasing commodities
which  they plan on selling two or three turns later. They look at the
%  Supply  Chart  and  say, "First I'll travel to Vexx and sell off my
Umbrellas,  then  I'll travel to Stye and sell my Gems." This is a big
mistake.  If  you  can't  sell  a commodity on the next planet you are
traveling to, then don't buy it!

     It  is  better  to  buy  a  commodity  with a lower profit making
potential than to purchase a bargain commodity which you don't plan on
selling  for a few turns. This is because the next turn you may find a
much better commodity for sale, and you will either ha ve to pass up a
better opportunity or sell the goods on your ship for a loss.

     Your ship can hold only a limited amount of cargo, and it is good
to  maximize the profit potential each turn. If you travel around with
the  same  commodity  from planet to planet looking for a high selling
price,  you  are  losing  money. In most cases, it is better to make a
little  profit  each  turn  than to travel around the solar system for
five turns searching for the highest possible price you can get.

     Don't pay your crew every turn.

     It  is  better  to  wait  until  the very last minute to pay your
employees.  This  will  save  you money because instead of paying your
crew,  you can have that same money in the bank earning interest. Only
pay  your  crew  when they "DEMAND" to be paid. You will be alerted to
this  because  the text on the CREW WAGES button on the Main Menu will
turn red.

     If  you  don't pay your crew when they "DEMAND" to be paid, there
is  a  good  chance  they  will  go  on strike. When your crew goes on
strike,  you  will  be  forced  to raise their wages by 500 kubars per
person a week. If possible, you want to avoid this situation .

     Don't Pay your Taxes every turn.

     It is not a good idea to pay your taxes until you absolutely have
to.  If  you  pay  your  taxes  every  turn, then you are losing money
because  the  same  money  could  have  been deposited in the bank and
earning interest. The general rule is to pay your taxes onl y when the
Tax  Auditor  "DEMANDS"  that  you  pay.  You  will be alerted to this
because  the text on the TAX button on the Main Menu will turn red. If
you  do  not  pay  your taxes at this time, there is a good chance you
will be audited and have to pay a large fine.

     Don't set your Passenger Ticket Price too high or too low.

     If  you  set  your  Passenger  Ticket  Price too low, you will be
cheating yourself out of a lot of money. On the other hand, if you set
your  ticket  price  too high, you won't get any passengers at all. We
found  that  setting  the  ticket  price at around 3,000 kub ars works
well.  If  you  do  this,  be sure to invest in Passenger Advertising.
Generally,  TV  advertising works best. If you don't have enough money
to  advertise, it's probably wise to set the Passenger Ticket Price at
around  1,000  kubars.  The  optimum Ticket Price/Advertising is still
open  to  debate.  It doesn't hurt to experiment with different values
and find out what works for you.

     Don't Pay Back Mr. Zinn Until You Have To.

     If  you  are playing the Tutorial or Novice levels, it is best to
pay back Mr. Zinn as quickly as possible. This is because your options
are  limited,  and  you  don't  have  any  better place to invest your
profits.  However, if you are playing one of the more ad vanced games,
it  is  best to wait as long as possible to pay back Mr. Zinn. You may
have  to  pay  a  little  more in interest, but it is good to have the
extra money to invest in upgrading your ship and buying Facilities.

     Unlike  the Trader's Union, you cannot borrow money from Mr. Zinn
whenever you feel like it; hence, it is smart to owe him as much money
as  possible.  If  you  use the borrowed money wisely, you can usually
earn  more money than you are paying out in interest . However, if Mr.
Zinn  raises his interest rates, it is probably a good idea to pay Mr.
Zinn  back,  unless  of course you are earning an even higher interest
rate on your Bank Account.

     In  general,  the  higher  the  interest rate on Zinn's Loan, the
sooner  you  should  pay  him  back.  The lower the interest rate, the
longer  you  should wait before paying Mr. Zinn anything. For example,
if  Mr.  Zinn  is  charging you only 2% interest on your loan, you can
earn  more  money investing in Facilities than you will save by paying
Mr. Zinn back.