Simple Trade Guide

[Hardrada992]

@MPMFV: Are you sure the ports in Boston and Florida are trade ports rather than fisheries or shipyards? A lack of trade ports would explain that message you get.

@Jaguar: I believe this problem has to do with a bug that is supposed to be fixed by a patch coming out next week. I don't know if you need a certain amount of trade ports to bring in goods from multiple nodes. Your problem could be a combination of these two things.

[ColdFire]

What nations make the best trade partners? Simply the biggest ones? Or is it more complex?

Of course a few of the trade routes need to be for making friends, I am talking about pure cash routes.

[Lord of the Isles]

@MPMFV I think Hardrada has guessed the problem - IIRC the port in one of the US provinces (Confederation of New England or something?) is always a fishing port in the games I have played (as other powers). Just needs the other one of your three to be not a trading port and you'd get the effect you were reporting.

What nations make the best trade partners? Simply the biggest ones? Or is it more complex?

Of course a few of the trade routes need to be for making friends, I am talking about pure cash routes.

Not sure what the algorithm us for determining the cash from a trading partner, but it doesn't seem too slanted towards European powers. Perhaps the most profit I have had as Britain is from trading with the Ottoman Empire. Minor powers bring in less than major ones but not so much less that they should be ignored.

The biggest factor I have found is whether trade ports are likely to be blockaded or trade routes pirated by war. And, as @Tiroth says, this includes your trading partner being at war. As Britain (with so many trade slots, Britain may have special issues with trade) in two games so far I find Sweden and Russia particularly bad - they show up each with between 1200 - 2000 of trade in the trade screen but almost every turn it is shaded out and has the ship-with-cross icon denoting it is being pirated/blockaded. There is little to be done about it beyond going to war to help them out but even that isn't any good when they are at war with other powers who are trade partners of yours.

The other issue is a lack of trading partners. I managed to fill up my nine trade slots but once that increased (when Liverpool became a trading port around 1723 or so) I couldn't get any more. Persia was the only power with a free slot and a non-hostile attitude to me but they were 'Indifferent' and wouldn't go for an agreement even with all the 3000 or so cash I had at the time. France & Spain were at peace, had free slots but were Hostile so no good there either. Of course, it may well be a good thing that I have to work to gain new trading partners, but it may also turn out that there is a natural limit to how many ever become free and it isn't worth building new trading ports beyond a certain number. We'll see. If so, it may be that the game needs a diplomatic option to bribe a power to cancel an existing trade agreement and make a new one with you. Make it expensive mind you.


Last note: as well as sending a ship to the trade zones, you can access (look at them) them more easily by just going to the bottom left of the campaign screen, clicking on the global map view circle and then selecting one of the four trade zone circles on the world map that comes up. There are 3 main theatres (Europe, America & India) and 4 trade zones (West Africa/Ivory Coast, East Africa/Madagascan Coast, East Indies and South America/Brazilian Coast).

[Kingdark]

I have skipped over most of these posts. The problem I have is that all factions are already on maximum trading points when the game starts. I mean, what the heck? I don't even have a chance to convince the AI to change trading partners. I've tried several factions so far with no luck. And pirating trade routs doesn't seem to add all that much cash

[Yoda Twin]

nice guide plus rep
What region would you suggest be the best to trade in? East Indies?

[Hardrada992]

I have skipped over most of these posts. The problem I have is that all factions are already on maximum trading points when the game starts. I mean, what the heck? I don't even have a chance to convince the AI to change trading partners. I've tried several factions so far with no luck. And pirating trade routs doesn't seem to add all that much cash

Unfortunately there isn't much you can so in this situation. You should have started with a few partners, so focus on keeping these at least. You can increase the amount of money made off these agreements by securing new resources and by keeping the agreement for an extended period of time. The more different types of resources you have (tobacco, cotton, ivory, tea, etc) the more money you can make.

What region would you suggest be the best to trade in? East Indies?

That depends on the current prices for each good, which can be found at the top of the trade window. I've found that Ivory catches a pretty good price consistently, so try for the Ivory Coast or Madagascar. I'm not sure how the prices for different resources are determined.

[aronnov]

Very nice thank you. answered alot of minor questions i had. Also had a couple more someone can maybe help me with.

1.) is there a point where diminishing returns on trade ships at a trading port? at what point do trade ships quit adding extra money? so is it best to have 5 per port? 1 per port? 15?


2.) do you have to have a trading port to ship off things like sugar from the new world or will any port work?


3.) you said the more trading ports you have the more trading routes / trade agreements you can have? do these trading ports have to be at your capitol to count towards this?

[Hardrada992]

@aronnov:

1. Two trade ships on one node will make more money than one ship on one node, but having two ships each on a different node will make more money than two ships on one node. It would be better to have 5 ships each on their own node than to have 5 ships on one node. I don't know what the limit is in terms of the amount of ships you can have on each port, but I'd think that anything past 5 is pointless, and if you have that many you should try to find new nodes.

2. Yes, you need a trade port to move trade goods.

3. No, they don't need to be in your capital. However, you can also upgrade trade ports to allow for more routes, so a level 3 trade port will give you more routes than a level 1 trade port.

[aronnov]

@aronnov:

1. Two trade ships on one node will make more money than one ship on one node, but having two ships each on a different node will make more money than two ships on one node. It would be better to have 5 ships each on their own node than to have 5 ships on one node. I don't know what the limit is in terms of the amount of ships you can have on each port, but I'd think that anything past 5 is pointless, and if you have that many you should try to find new nodes.

2. Yes, you need a trade port to move trade goods.

3. No, they don't need to be in your capital. However, you can also upgrade trade ports to allow for more routes, so a level 3 trade port will give you more routes than a level 1 trade port.

thank you +rep

[MPMFV]

@MPMFV: Are you sure the ports in Boston and Florida are trade ports rather than fisheries or shipyards? A lack of trade ports would explain that message you get.

They are trade ports, I triple checked and all three are Commercial Basin types. I just took over Spain and the port they had isn't trading either.

[Keyne]

Another trade route question - what do the different colors mean?

- Red = enemy trade route
- Green = your trade route and its running fine?
- Yellow = ?
- White/Greyish = ?

[aronnov]

Another trade route question - what do the different colors mean?

- Red = enemy trade route
- Green = your trade route and its running fine?
- Yellow = ?
- White/Greyish = ?

the yellow means it's shared with red and green i believe.

[Hardrada992]

They are trade ports, I triple checked and all three are Commercial Basin types. I just took over Spain and the port they had isn't trading either.

Hmm.... in that case I could only guess that there aren't resources in that region to export? But I don't think that's it. By "trading" you mean there aren't little dashed lines running out from the port?
Perhaps this is another bug. Try checking some of the bug threads to see if anyone else is having this problem.

Yeah, the different colors indicate who is trading on them. Yellow means friendlies and enemies, and white means non-enemies, and not you.

[Legio]

A nice guide, it has been posted in the Scriptorium.

[MPMFV]

Hmm.... in that case I could only guess that there aren't resources in that region to export? But I don't think that's it. By "trading" you mean there aren't little dashed lines running out from the port?
Perhaps this is another bug. Try checking some of the bug threads to see if anyone else is having this problem.

Yeah, the different colors indicate who is trading on them. Yellow means friendlies and enemies, and white means non-enemies, and not you.

Yes, I meant no dashed lines, just one port has tiny trade ships coming and going. I'll keep looking around.

[nodey]

3. No, they don't need to be in your capital. However, you can also upgrade trade ports to allow for more routes, so a level 3 trade port will give you more routes than a level 1 trade port.

Are you sure? I thought the number of sea based trade agreements you can have is based on your capitals ports.

[Roma]

I have merchant ships in the East Indies that are sat on a trade point but I cannot move them and they are not creating any trade, I had to destroy them in the end to negate upkeep, is this a bug?

100th post wooohooo!

+ rep for the guide - thanks

[aeoleron9]

How to trade via land?

[twisterdark]

Yes land trade is a problem. Playing as Maratha i had 3 sea trade partner and mor than 7 land trade partner. So i had like 30k incoming per tourn.

Now I'm playing with Knights of "San Giovanni" (Malta ^^) and it has only ad damn SMALL (sigh it won't grow) capital, so without schools I'll be able to use only the standard Trade Port who have only 2 trade partner free slot.

Because of it's an isle I cannot land trade...so I thought to buy Egypt from Octomans. Now I've the Egypt and wtf? Still I'm not able to land trade and of course I've still only 2 slot even though I've a second trade port.

So the problem is that:

Trade (land or sea) is based on your capital...so you could have all the world but if the capital is unable to land trade or have a small port, you cannot do nothing >.>

P.S. I'm sorry for my english...

[The-Tribune]

In each of the trading areas is a main dotted yellow line going through the area. I have ships in the Gold Nodes and I was getting trade along a green doted line from the Nodes to the centre yellow dotted line.

Now I am still getting trade from Brazil coast but now not from African coast, there is still yellow line going through but my nodes are not connected by green ones. I have trade ships there and I have a fleet of warships in the area. I have no ports in any of the areas being blockaded and no routes being raided by enemy ships. So why has my trade from Ivory coast tried up. When all other nation ships in that area are getting trade but my two nodes are not? Is This a Bug or is there something I don’t know about.