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, every 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 you 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 suddenly 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 bankrupt 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 pay 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 planet.

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 of 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 commodity 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 kubars. 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. At 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 because 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 calculations. 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 strategy. 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 money 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 back 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 have 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 only 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 kubars 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 advanced 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.