i predict that the trade of commodities will raise above the trade of minerals

That will never happen for two reasons:

1. The number of different commodities
2. The volume of commodities

If players are earning NIC, then they'll end up spending it somewhere, most likely at the open alpha bases.

Gamma Islands are too remote/dangerous to be trade hubs, the price can never be low enough to combat the time/risk (since gamma production has to import Epi too).

Beta production has a better chance now of becoming popular. With beta producers buying from the local Alpha market, the non-factional mats.

If there is a healthy market, then beta corps will make more NIC building with their Epi then they would selling it. Especially if they trade Epi with gamma for better CT's.

If there's no market, then there's nothing to kill.

Did they change it on the test server? I did the math on it on the production server a while back and that is what I am basing it on.

Even if they reduce the volume if you have a bazillion different commodities it will definitely influence in a negative way the amount they are traded on the market. So while you may see some common commodities being traded / haulled, I think you will still see a large amount of ore buying and selling.

i dont see the problem with the what can be trade to gamma or the alpha player will not be able to compete.

there is one thing the gamma players would like to trade for. and that are the "low value" ores, and sell the more expesive stuff.
but there lies another problem. and that is the transportation. even with a scarab mk2 and lets say ore volumes will be reduced by factor 3, then the biggest transporation is still too small.

when it comes to transportation of vast number (and vast number will be nessessary for ore trade between alpha and gamma) then we need a vast transport bot. lets say about the 100.000U. that one can be slow and lets say it like a freighter in STeve that you can not loot with it on the field. only in terminals.
and why do we need that? because no gamma corp will go through the pain in transporting 100.000Us titan and other stuff in scarabs (yes we are happy for them) back to gamma when its such a pain in the a(ss). especialy with gamma islands are quite a few jumps out from alpha. to much risk for too much trains of goods. too vunrable and need too many ppl to do so. if we dont have a resonable transport to bring that stuff then trade will die as mentioned above. then if transportation is such a pain then we will not trade for it, then we will simply mine it ourselves. why pay nic when do it yourself is the same or just a bit less work.

Pleaseeeee!!! 

As a side note, Scarab MK II, requires Industrial robot 10, not glider skill. Meaning that non-mining accounts that people bumped up to Indy 8 to haul with, won't have access to the MK II for 54 days (if they even choose to spend the additional 78k EP on getting from 8 to 10).

But yeah, the frieghter would probably have it's own extension, but the first version would probably only need lvl 4, a light freighter with 10kU, saving room for heavies at 8 with 100KU.

All freighters should be: slow (imo your pay off is big cargo holds) & can loot cans / fiald cans (only station to station as has been said)

"Light Freighter" smaller cargo hold little bit faster than the bigger version (s) but has a better masking value (120rF ?)...
For sake of argument why not say has 20k cargo hold

"Med Freighter" Cargo hold 50k little bit slower than the light version tho. Has bad masking (80rF ?) But better Detection value then the light freighter version.

"Heavy Freighter" 100K cargo. Very slow. Even worse masking then a med freighter (60rF? cant that even be done??? lol ) but as a trade off this has VERY good detection. it can be seen a long way of but it to can see other things along way off.

I would imagine all Freighters would be in the destroyer like class of mechs....

i think it would be cool if that had a multi leg design like a centipede OR if u ever read the book series Tthe Amtrak Wars they had these things called wagon Trains which were land going battle ships that kinda looked like this: http://images.wikia.com/amtrakwars/imag … ntrain.jpg

Imagine seeing on of these 100M or more long snaking its way along a HWY

I think Freighters should have no chasis slots & many lack any targeting at all.
Led & head slots only imo

just a few ideas

True Pros make a Podcast to influence the Devs minds, 
The rest of you guys are Hacks

PS. I got my Highways & stopped playing b4 they came in & have never used them! ...... Irony much ?

Actually keeping freighters unarmed would create a new market for players. an Escort market

I hope the devs don't consider the Scarab a freighter