In order to be a successful trader, you need to know a bit about the history and geography of Evan. You also need to keep a close eye on the fluctuations of stock levels and prices of the various goods at different parts of the map. Darkwind's economy runs as a detailed systems dynamics simulation, with the flow and value of goods dictated by various factors such as distance, piracy, and recent demand.

The image above shows the significant production centres for the key game resources of food, water, car parts, and fuel. Typically, the further you are from a production centre, the more costly that particular resource is.

The image above indicates the lawlessness of different parts of the map. If the delivery route between a resource production centre and a shop crosses through a lawless area, the cost of the resource at that shop rises significantly.

The stock levels and price of goods at each shop are calculated by the game engine on a continual basis. The amount of incoming stock is affected by how much has been recently sold (to both players and NPC characters), and is negatively impacted by piracy (by player and NPC gangs). A delay effect means that a sudden increase in sales will not immediately result in an increase in incoming shipments: it will take a week or two for supply to catch up with demand. If stock levels are dangerously low, the local NPC shopkeepers take advantage by raising prices. Similarly, if a lot of piracy has been happening recently on a particular trade route, prices will rise to compensate the couriers for the extra danger involved.