I can't trade as Sparta

[Signus]

I don't understand this. The ONLY faction I even have the potential to trade with is Athens.

At first I thought I needed a port, I got a port.
Then I thought I needed a special commercial port, so I built one of those.

But still every faction in the game says I can't establish a trade route to their capital. What gives?

(PS, is there any way to abandon a settlement? I left things as as possible in one region hoping they'd rebel. Instead, the region I had a garrison in, and good buildings for had a slave revolt, and the OTHER settlement got happier.)

[TheChronoMaster]

You need to share access to a Sea Zone with that faction, I think.


Forgive me if I'm wrong, since I haven't looked around too much in trade.

[kujirakira]

That's because Athens is the only region which you have a connection to.
Once you establish an overland route to a port city to Sparta, you can trade with others.
Essentially, you have to conquer Athens.

[Dresden]

Sparta is not a port city.

[Signus]

Sparta is not a port city.

So you're saying that it doesn't matter AT ALL that I own port cities north of Athens?

This doesn't make any sense at all to me. To trade by sea, I need my port to touch my capital city? But it does, across a tiny ocean gap that units can walk over.

I seriously can't trade with anyone unless I kill my only ally? What idiot thought this was a good idea?

[Arcani 4 Ever]

So you're saying that it doesn't matter AT ALL that I own port cities north of Athens?

This doesn't make any sense at all to me. To trade by sea, I need my port to touch my capital city? But it does, across a tiny ocean gap that units can walk over.

I seriously can't trade with anyone unless I kill my only ally? What idiot thought this was a good idea?

Yeah, CA are idiots for only allowing provincial capitals to be able to set up trade routes. That screws factions like Sparta and many other non-playable factions.

Also that gap your units can walk is a landbridge CA created for you to send troops outside of Greece without passing through Athens over and over.

The solution to your problem is...Capture a provincial Capital...

The 3 closes provincial capitals to your location are. Athens, Pella and Illyria. Once you got either of those you can trade.

[mellow87]

Yeah, CA are idiots for only allowing provincial capitals to be able to set up trade routes. That screws factions like Sparta and many other non-playable factions.

Also that gap your units can walk is a landbridge CA created for you to send troops outside of Greece without passing through Athens over and over.

The solution to your problem is...Capture a provincial Capital...

The 3 closes provincial capitals to your location are. Athens, Pella and Illyria. Once you got either of those you can trade.

Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. I am playing as Sparta, and I have conquered Pella, built a trading port in it but I still cannot trade. I believe you need a direct route (territories owned by you) between your Capital (Sparta) and your trading port. So, I need to conquer either Athens or Larissa (which are owned by my allies the Athenians) .. and that's out of question. I am not starting a war with Athens just to trade..

[Gaius Germanicus Gabinius]

I have Apollonia, Pella, Larissa, Pulpudeva, Antheia and Odessos, besides Sparta of course, and I cannot trade as well. Although Athens is an ally, I cannot trade but with Athens. I'll see if I can trade after having conquered either Athens or Hierapytna; provided I can manage that. Anyhow, I cannt understand why one is only able to trade with other nations when the main capital has a port. That's nonsense!

[Brusilov]

and that's out of question. I am not starting a war with Athens just to trade..

The main thing is to control provinces - so as Sparta you need to add Athens and Crete to your empire at some stage to do this!

As it happens I think Athens took Larissa and Epirus took Athens - so in the end I did not have to go to war with Athens to take the provincial Capital.

[Swamidude]

They should make it that that little landbridge between sparta and larissa also counts as an direct link via land. If armies can march over it, merchants can to

[Jofoblie]

In my Sparta campaign I went to war with Macedon and Athens joined them, so I just took Athens over. It's too much of a handicap not to be able to trade at all. And yes, it's a stupid system.

[wulfgar610]

The Spartans thought trade was for degenerates. They forced their people to use iron money because foreigners wouldn't take it as payment.

[Dago Red]

Another failing of this province system, which seems cool at first pass, but is really just a way to simplify everything down to the lowest common denominator so that even a child can play the game and manage cities in Rome II.

Gone are the more complicated trade mechanics, building chains, and economic systems, along with the ability for the smaller cities to grow into regional powers, capable of defending themselves by building walls and powerful ports.

The least skill, thought, or creative solutions required. And the only part you have to manage is the most tedious thing in any total war, shared squalor and food. It's sad as hell.

[krisslanza]

Another failing of this province system, which seems cool at first pass, but is really just a way to simplify everything down to the lowest common denominator so that even a child can play the game and manage cities in Rome II.

Gone are the more complicated trade mechanics, building chains, and economic systems, along with the ability for the smaller cities to grow into regional powers, capable of defending themselves by building walls and powerful ports.

The least skill, thought, or creative solutions required. And the only part you have to manage is the most tedious thing in any total war, shared squalor and food. It's sad as hell.

So there's more skill involved in every city being exactly the same, and capable of all becoming troop-producing factories while also being moneyprinters? There wasn't even anything complicated about trade in Rome 1 - you had resources, they automatically traded. Done.

[Mr. Battle]

Another failing of this province system, which seems cool at first pass, but is really just a way to simplify everything down to the lowest common denominator so that even a child can play the game and manage cities in Rome II.

Gone are the more complicated trade mechanics, building chains, and economic systems, along with the ability for the smaller cities to grow into regional powers, capable of defending themselves by building walls and powerful ports.

The least skill, thought, or creative solutions required. And the only part you have to manage is the most tedious thing in any total war, shared squalor and food. It's sad as hell.

If anything, city management is much more challenging than it used to be. CA are following the path that they started with Shogun, where you face stiff penalties for just upgrading every city into a powerhouse that can put out elite troops and generate tons of money. Now you need to pick and choose which regions to turn into money makers, which will feed your empire, and which will provide defense. Unfortunately, the AI is still playing this game as if it were Rome 1, upgrading every building that they have the money to upgrade, and their provinces continually revolt. The simpler system in the older games would be better if CA can't write AI that understands how to maintain order under the new system. Hopefully the AI gets fixed so we end up with the best of both worlds.

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

Wow, I thought this was a rather straight-forward, simple system. It's been around since... Well, forever, as far as I can tell.

You cannot trade with a faction unless your capital is DIRECTLY connected with that faction's capital, either by a land route, or a port. It doesn't matter if you have the regional capital or not, or whether you have port access in your capital or not.

Sparta cannot trade with any faction except Athens, because Athens controls the ONLY direct route into Sparta. The small ferry area does not count, as it is not a road.

[Americanus Supremus]

I don't understand this. The ONLY faction I even have the potential to trade with is Athens.

At first I thought I needed a port, I got a port.
Then I thought I needed a special commercial port, so I built one of those.

But still every faction in the game says I can't establish a trade route to their capital. What gives?

(PS, is there any way to abandon a settlement? I left things as as possible in one region hoping they'd rebel. Instead, the region I had a garrison in, and good buildings for had a slave revolt, and the OTHER settlement got happier.)

Game design feature of CA, combined with the 10% Industrial penalty as well as the second weakest hoplites in game, welcome to a fairly boring game of ONLY conquest. No real game plan other than conquer, and I am sure one of the FB's will come through and tell you to take Athens and get over it. Game is seriously lacking in well thought game concepts that translate into game challenges, thus this BS that Sparta and most other factions cant trade. Oh but they get transports from hell by merely walking on water... TOTAL

[Jofoblie]

Perhaps a new diplomatic option is necessary? Trade access. Similar to military access, but it only allows trade routes through the lands of the faction with which you have an agreement. That way Sparta could ask Athens (perhaps with a sweetener of coin) for trade access allowing their trade wagons to use the Athenian roads. Sounds fair, doesn't it?

[Ledo Movuct]

That sounds like a very good idea to me indeed! Trade access would be quite realistic, easy to set up I think, and would really help those inland factions!

[Dago Red]

It's a simplified tool for simple minded fools. Greater market share, streamlining, kid friendly. It's not good game design. There are hundreds of missing cities and towns, and instead of a real living campaign map we have vapid wastelands between region capitols. Who ever thought Empire would look like a stroke of genius next to this?

Maybe real cities are coming in a dlc.