Hostile Takeover-Merchants in MTW2

**Markas** · July 18, 2006, 04:57 AM

HOSTILE INTENT
Also adding to the campaign map's strategic depth are merchants, a group of money-grabbing capitalists whose sole purpose in life is to amass money and resources through any means necessary.

"If you want to delve a little deeper into the economy, you'll be able to move merchants to pockets of resources dotted around the map," reveals Roxburgh. "If allied factions have merchants guarding a resource, you can attempt a hostile takeover and force them off. It's like an economic rivalry that's totally separate to being at war with a faction."

One of the features of MTW2 that doesn't seem to have sparked interest in anybody but me is the role of Merchants. Personally I want to know more but from what we have it seems a clever tactic to economically trounce your opponent by nicking their resources before clobbering them with Feudal Knights.

With assassins, this feature could be pretty close to actual Medieval business practices! Any thoughts?

**mark0701** · July 18, 2006, 05:20 AM

Has the potential to add some much needed depth to the economics of the game. My fear is that the AI will handle it about as well as it did sea trade in MTW giving the player yet another unfair advantage!

I hope there is some kind of automation for agents, as i got very bored moving them around in MTW and by the last 1/4 of the game stopped bothering!

**Giurza** · July 18, 2006, 05:36 AM

yes I think that too. the feature is fine alright, but having this crap AI from RTW it is only a one more step to trash the computer player...

**Markas** · July 18, 2006, 06:14 AM

And another thing- Will Province bonuses be added? Surely the Venetians would have +1 valour to Galleys or Merchants, or England +1 Valour Bowmen.

**Shaun** · July 18, 2006, 06:44 AM

Bah, this hostile take over thing sounds way too artificial. Just exactly how can a merchant force another merchant off of a resource? I say if one merchant can do it, then why cant your army do it?

Has the potential to add some much needed depth to the economics of the game. My fear is that the AI will handle it about as well as it did sea trade in MTW giving the player yet another unfair advantage!

Yes, that is the main concern. Its all very well giving the game all these new features, but when the AI cant handle them, its pointless and gives the player a huge advantage.

**hsimoorb** · July 18, 2006, 07:06 AM

I'm just hoping that there will be less money than there was in RTW. In that game, no matter how big my faction was, no matter how many people I was at war with, I could always build anything I wanted in all my cities, and if I wanted I could produce a unit of anything in any city and recruit a whole stack of mercenaries in a turn, and never ever run out of money. If that dosen't change, there's no point in including a unit like merchants in the game. i won't need them...

**Markas** · July 18, 2006, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by Shaun

Bah, this hostile take over thing sounds way too artificial. Just exactly how can a merchant force another merchant off of a resource? I say if one merchant can do it, then why cant your army do it?

Maybe its based on how the province owner likes you, or maybe you have to by the rights to a resource or maybe its random like assasinations with a % chance of succeeding. Probably the latter.

**Hanno the Navigator** · July 18, 2006, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by Shaun

Bah, this hostile take over thing sounds way too artificial. Just exactly how can a merchant force another merchant off of a resource?

In real life? Get to the guy who oversees the resource and make him a better deal.

Originally Posted by Shaun

I say if one merchant can do it, then why cant your army do it?

They can, simply by conquering the land. But this will be a bit more... obvious...

**smoke** · July 18, 2006, 10:35 AM

I think this is a promising feature. It still remains to be seen how it'll work out in practice, but it sounds good.

**Lord Kal** · July 18, 2006, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by CA

money-grabbing capitalists whose sole purpose in life is to amass money and resources through any means necessary.

CA tell it like it is.

**Ituralde** · July 18, 2006, 03:51 PM

I have also noticed their inclusion and I am very happy that they are in. I share the same hopes as most in this thread but also the same fears. It all comes down to the improved AI anyways so no reason to spill ones guts about it yet.

The question is how mercenaries will behave once war starts in the province where their resource is. Probably your armies will be able to do something against them if you declare war against the other faction. Or you will only be able to 'use' resources with your merchants as long as your at peace with the faction in whose territory the ressource is. This would really add to the gameplay experience and I hope it is implemented somewhat similar to that

Cheers!

Ituralde

**Oxberger** · July 18, 2006, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by Markas

HOSTILE INTENT
Also adding to the campaign map's strategic depth are merchants, a group of money-grabbing capitalists whose sole purpose in life is to amass money and resources through any means necessary.

"If you want to delve a little deeper into the economy, you'll be able to move merchants to pockets of resources dotted around the map," reveals Roxburgh. "If allied factions have merchants guarding a resource, you can attempt a hostile takeover and force them off. It's like an economic rivalry that's totally separate to being at war with a faction."

One of the features of MTW2 that doesn't seem to have sparked interest in anybody but me is the role of Merchants. Personally I want to know more but from what we have it seems a clever tactic to economically trounce your opponent by nicking their resources before clobbering them with Feudal Knights.

With assassins, this feature could be pretty close to actual Medieval business practices! Any thoughts?

I am very interested in this aspect. I hope that having many merchants around the world will play a huge part in your economy. It would be nice to be a dominate faction without having a huge army to back your dominance.

**Space Voyager** · July 19, 2006, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by Markas

One of the features of MTW2 that doesn't seem to have sparked interest in anybody but me is the role of Merchants.

That's a bit presumptios, don't you think? :wink: Most of us are very interested (I'm sure of it), but we don't know enough about this even to ask questions. :original: I also hope it won't make the game too micro oriented. If such a merchant can bring half the income of a city it's role is definitely far too big and the game will revolve around it too much. If this is just a cherry on a cake of intrigue, which means that you don't NEED to deal with it but it still pays off, than it's ok.

I guess I'm waiting for further explanation about how deep the impact of the merchants is... :hmmm:

**Markas** · July 19, 2006, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by Space Voyager

That's a bit presumptios, don't you think? :wink: Most of us are very interested (I'm sure of it),

Yes but I was in a very dark place when I wrote the thread... and I don't mean my bedroom.

The merchant feature must surely be coupled with a reduction in the amount of money available, personally i'd rather husband the precious army I have than just trounce people with XXXXX amount of troops. It'll be more realistic for a start.