trade and random questions for ss 6.1

**MazinGol** · February 25, 2009, 11:42 AM

Hello,

First mod I've played, didn't even know there were such until last week and I have played Total War quite a lot since Rome...

Anyway, as I have found normal unmodded total wars not that challenging, ss 6.1 has been a pleasant (and at the same time troubling) encounter.

I have few questions which I haven't had to answer before since things have gone smoothly without them.

1) trade and merchants

Found some threads here saying best way to trade is to "trade with yourself". How does that work exactly? Does it just mean building all trade related buildings?

Are merchants only helpful at some resource like silk / silver or does it help having them in town? How to maximise their profits in that case?

2) Computer cheating, a lot...

I get the impression computer cheats. Having the largest faction population and having been building only commercially related buildings (markets, roads etc.) I cant even have 40% of the strongest faction's army strength when I start doing losses / round. I haven't really optimized everything (I just learned moving the capital trick reading this forum for example), but still it seems quite impossible computer could actually have that many troops. Is this really the case?

3) Any other money related hot tips? I try to have basically 1 castle / 3-4 cities and build always all trade related buildings first trying to find good spots for merchants... Any other big issues I should consider?

4) I have never bothered to concentrate on making "strong families". Any easy tips to have good stats for family member?

5) Chivalry / dread, does it matter?

6) does occupying / sacking / exterminating settlement affect corruption (if for example foreign religion) ?

Thanks in advance,
Maz

**django333** · February 25, 2009, 04:30 PM

1. At the start of the campaign have your diplomat get as many trade agreements as possible as fast as possible.

Merchants must be on a resource to gain money. You can check to make sure your merchants are doing their jobs in the lists category under agents. The further a resource is from your capital the more money it will make. It's a good idea to train all your merchants in one settlement to get the merchants guild as soon as possible. Training merchants in a city with a merchants guild will give them more finance ability upon recruitment and sometimes an ancillary/trait.

2. The AI does cheat. It's really the only way to make the game harder as the AI is pretty dumb even with the improvements SS makes.

3. Use at least the first 50 turns taking rebel settlements and advancing your economy before you declare war on anyone. However, don't neglect your gonvernment buildings because these increase happiness and population growth which translates into a bigger economy.

4. In those first 50 turns use your family members to take rebel settlements and kill rebel armies in the field. Try to win battles where you are out numbered. This will give you heroic victories that will reward your family member with command stars, traits, and ancillaries.

5. Chivalry increases population growth when your General is in a settlement. Dread will make enemy armies rout faster. I usually try to have a couple "dread" generals and the rest "chivalric". It's always a good idea to have administratively minded generals chivalric as they will spend most of their time in cities and dread decreases population growth.

The easiest way to gain chivalry is to always release captives, always occupy settlements and park your general in a settlement with taxes set to low.

The easiest way to gain dread is to execute captives and exterminate populations when sieging.

6. I'm not sure I understand your question. Occupying will give your general chivalry. Sacking obviously gives you money, I'm not sure what the negative would be. Exterminating gives your general dread. It may be a good idea to exterminate a population if the majority religion is diferent than your own to prevent any unrest.

**Caesar Clivus** · February 25, 2009, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by django333

It may be a good idea to exterminate a population if the majority religion is diferent than your own to prevent any unrest.

So long as you dont give a crap about your global reputation

**django333** · February 25, 2009, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Caesar Clivus

So long as you dont give a crap about your global reputation

Meh, they are all going to die anyway.

**Mega Tortas de Bodemloze** · February 25, 2009, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by MazinGol

Hello,

First mod I've played, didn't even know there were such until last week and I have played Total War quite a lot since Rome...

Anyway, as I have found normal unmodded total wars not that challenging, ss 6.1 has been a pleasant (and at the same time troubling) encounter.

I have few questions which I haven't had to answer before since things have gone smoothly without them.

1) trade and merchants

Found some threads here saying best way to trade is to "trade with yourself". How does that work exactly? Does it just mean building all trade related buildings?

Are merchants only helpful at some resource like silk / silver or does it help having them in town? How to maximise their profits in that case?

2) Computer cheating, a lot...

I get the impression computer cheats. Having the largest faction population and having been building only commercially related buildings (markets, roads etc.) I cant even have 40% of the strongest faction's army strength when I start doing losses / round. I haven't really optimized everything (I just learned moving the capital trick reading this forum for example), but still it seems quite impossible computer could actually have that many troops. Is this really the case?

3) Any other money related hot tips? I try to have basically 1 castle / 3-4 cities and build always all trade related buildings first trying to find good spots for merchants... Any other big issues I should consider?

4) I have never bothered to concentrate on making "strong families". Any easy tips to have good stats for family member?

5) Chivalry / dread, does it matter?

6) does occupying / sacking / exterminating settlement affect corruption (if for example foreign religion) ?

Thanks in advance,
Maz

Maz....

Welcome to the TWC forums and thanks for giving Stainless Steel a test drive. There's also the Sub-Mod forum here with I think over 100 sub-Mods for Stainless steel. If you stick with it I think you will find it a very rewarding experiance. The folks here are VERY friendly and will be happy to help you out.

I'm the welcome wagon guy so please come find me {click on my avatar and post on my page} if you have ANY questions about the forums.

Thanks for trying TWC we hope you enjoy your stay...

**Deadly Rabbit** · February 25, 2009, 07:24 PM

Merchants can be very useful at swallowing enemy merchants. Park him somewhere busy and try and eat any merchants coming past, it can be a useful increase in income.

**MazinGol** · February 26, 2009, 10:47 AM

Thanks for the replies and for the warm welcome!

At the question number 6 I tried to say does having a foreign religion and people mainly in the city have effect to the amount of corruption or should I wipe them clean to have a productive city in the long run?

**Spartan90** · February 26, 2009, 10:57 AM

1) trade and merchants

Found some threads here saying best way to trade is to "trade with yourself". How does that work exactly? Does it just mean building all trade related buildings?

Are merchants only helpful at some resource like silk / silver or does it help having them in town? How to maximise their profits in that case?

Trading with yourself means having your primary money-making trade routes (generally sea-routes) between your cities, and not another faction. The game should automatically calculate the most profitable trade route for you, so it doesn't really matter. What it basically means is that you're making money from both of your cities, instead of just one, and trading to another faction's city. Hope this makes sense..

Merchants have to be on a resource to make money. They will have no affect anywhere else on the map.

2) Computer cheating, a lot...

I get the impression computer cheats. Having the largest faction population and having been building only commercially related buildings (markets, roads etc.) I cant even have 40% of the strongest faction's army strength when I start doing losses / round. I haven't really optimized everything (I just learned moving the capital trick reading this forum for example), but still it seems quite impossible computer could actually have that many troops. Is this really the case?

SS includes a money script which automatically gives the AI heaps of money to provide more of a challenge to the player.

3) Any other money related hot tips? I try to have basically 1 castle / 3-4 cities and build always all trade related buildings first trying to find good spots for merchants... Any other big issues I should consider?

You seem to be pretty spot on here

4) I have never bothered to concentrate on making "strong families". Any easy tips to have good stats for family member?

Don't build 'brothel' related buildings, unless happiness is absolutely necessary. This gives your Governor the Adulteress retinue, which increases dread, and lowers their fertility.

5) Chivalry / dread, does it matter?

Chivalry gives a population boost. Dread I think provides a law boost, therefore making your city less vulnerable to rebellion. In battle, chivalry increases your morale, dread decreases your enemy.

6) does occupying / sacking / exterminating settlement affect corruption (if for example foreign religion) ?

Never sack / exterminate Christian cities, as the Pope will hate you! Also, sacking and exterminating lowers your reputation, so only do it if necessary. Or if you feel that way inclined

**Awellesley** · February 26, 2009, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by MazinGol

Found some threads here saying best way to trade is to "trade with yourself". How does that work exactly? Does it just mean building all trade related buildings?

If anybody remembers MTW, you could not trade with yourself. So once you took over more than half the coastal regions, you started losing money. It was pretty frustrating to be the Byzantines, defeated the Mongols, secured your position, expand around the Mediterranean and start losing money. I usually took the lesser victory because I could not afford my troops any longer. Be gald this was remidied for RTW and the following ones.

**Spartan90** · February 26, 2009, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Awellesley

If anybody remembers MTW, you could not trade with yourself. So once you took over more than half the coastal regions, you started losing money. It was pretty frustrating to be the Byzantines, defeated the Mongols, secured your position, expand around the Mediterranean and start losing money. I usually took the lesser victory because I could not afford my troops any longer. Be gald this was remidied for RTW and the following ones.

Wow, I can't remember that far back, but that is a HUGE bug I would've thought they'd have fixed by now. But in MTW2 trading between yourself is literally twice as profitable.