Navy and Trade

[Rothgar]

Is there a correlation between your navy and trade increases? I mean, can we use our navy in anyway to boost our income through trade or otherwise? This was huge in the first Total War, and I am hearing some things about naval benefits to trade from others, but I am not quite sure. Is there something that DLV adds to make ships increase trade, or does M2TW add this or am I just completely insane? Thanks!

[GODSTATUS]

ur insane

[Rog]

Hmm... can´t remember if in any of previous TW games there was a connection between navy size and naval trade... did I miss something?

I would say, nice idea (and realistic too, the nations with extensive naval power logically had their appropriate share of naval trade), but I think income is tied to buildings not to units... another flaw of the engine...

[Rothgar]

In the first medieval total war, one needed to have a link of naval units from their home port to other ports all around Europe in order to gain trade income. I personally like/ miss this feature, it actually gave me a reason to use ships.

[Rog]

I just recalled the navy link was necessary to be able to travel over sea... never noticed /or at least don´t remember now/ that income was generated that way... Given, that the seas on the map are not separated into sections anymore... But I agree with you, naval warfare badly need to gain real depth in future TW games, it is badly neglected...

[Pizza de Oveja]

[...] But I agree with you, naval warfare badly need to gain real depth in future TW games, it is badly neglected...

You got my vote there.

It could work as in most games, which allow you to produce trade fleets (or caravans for land trade). Those naturally should be subject to interception. Attacking saracen caravans in the crusades was a crucial aspect that has sadly been left out of med II. Adding merchants in med II was a great adition to the total war envirorment but they sadly left supply lines out of it leaving much to be desired IMHO. Trade and supply lines is a must(especially as we get into more modern times with TW games).

I find it quite frustrating too that the AI decides what products you trade and to which ports(same things for land trade it seems). Sadly like in my current campaing the AI decides to trade with my next door city instead of a huge far away capital that has a trade treaty with me which would be much more profitable. One would think that the trade is governed by the village idiot...like retarded mercantilism or separatist stupidity or something..sighs

State controled trade might be a bit too much unrealistic(and pretty micromanagment intensive of course for the regular TW fan) perhaps but this kind of AI retardness is way too less for me. Im sure something intermediate could easily be found.

My guess is that I dont understand really how trade works but I suspect that it goes at ramdom disregarding the most basic notions of how to get more money out of trade transactions.

I wish people in the forum demanded those kinds of things from CA and not obscure bugs about stats in units which quite frankly I never even noticed before they got mentioned again and again like if they really crippled the game (which they dont IMHO).

I realise the name of the game is total war, but after all wars without fire are like sausages without mustard and in order to wage them you need money, money and more money so giving more depth to the process of getting your hands on the sweet ol gold definetly is a must for an upcoming TW game if not for an expansion or patch.