How do you make money?

[S Chow]

I am a big fan of the Total War series, but have never been good at making money. I usually make at most 3k per turn, not nearly enough to do good. i know some people have the computer auto-manage everything, but that kinda defeats the purpose of the game, does anyone have any tips on how to make money in Medieval 2 Total War?

[MasterAdnin]

Always start off making ports, roads, and mines. They help the most with money. Then focus on building markets so that you increase trade. After that, build farms. But make sure right after you build ports you get trade rights with other nations. This will increase your income by a lot.

Salaam,
Adnan

[Sher Khan]

Well, for me, I immediately set all city taxes to very high. I may reduce the taxes if I'm feeling... leniant (or if I simply cannot afford the unrest levels).

The very first things I build in all available cities are the farm upgrades. I may not bother with any other building until at least the Communal Farming upgrade is done. After that, I start building markets, roads, and churches (keep the population happy so that you can build without trouble).

The farm upgrades are the absolute key to making money. Yes, many would complain about the squalor later, but M2TW has a cap on the max squalor, and by that time you'll be so rich that full stack garrisons will be a pittance. Nothing shows the power of this method than with Egypt. 20 turns after I start Cairo and Alexandria are making well over 3000 florins at very high and high tax levels. At the same time, nearly every city has a full militia garrison, yet I still net a 12000+ profit.

[Feliks]

You turn a few coastal cites into major trade hubs, I had Marisalle taking in close to 5,000 florins a turn.

At the beginning my funds dip down for 5 to 10 turns, but by turn 20 I'm the richest on the map. Tax and trade, my boy!

[Pent uP Rage]

According to nearly every TW strategy guide out there, you should start with Ports, Mines, Farms, and Mercantile buildings. But, don't build them all at once.

You seem like a micro-manager, like me. Check the trade resources of all your provinces. If you have a castle in a province that has potentially high trade, or a lot of resources, convert it to a city ASAP. The opposite is true if you have a city with a relatively low income....make that a castle.

Specialize your provinces. Have a castle that specializes in infantry and one that specializes in cavalry. Use cities to train artillery.
Plus, with M2TW, use those Merchants!!! I know they seem useless at first, but they have NO upkeep and only generate money, even if just a pittance at first. But get enough of them and it DOES make a big difference.