Merchants generate no income when standing on resources (mind-blowing solution, modders beware, you need specific surnames in your mod!)

[Ocyalos]

In my mod, I currently have the issue that merchants seem to be unable to generate any income by trading resources. I put even a 10/10 merchant on a highly valuable resource like Gold but it still says income generated: 0 (While in the same text it also states that the resource has a value > 0)

I did not change anything in descr_mission_modifiers.txt I even use the original one:

// Trade
MC_DB_BASE_INCOME_MODIFIER                         :: 0.5
MC_DB_TRADE_BONUS_OFFSET                           :: 10.0
MERCHANT_BASE_INCOME                               :: 50
MERCHANT_BASE_FEE                                  :: 30
MERCHANT_NO_AGREEMENT_MULTIPLIER                   :: 0.1
MERCHANT_EXCLUSIVITY_MULTIPLIER                    :: 1.5
MERCHANT_DISTANCE_MULTIPLIER                       :: 0.15
SETTLEMENT_MERCHANT_TOTAL_MAXIMUM                  :: 20
MERCHANT_LEVEL_INCOME_PERCENTAGE                   :: 7
MERCHANT_BASE_INCOME_PERCENTAGE                    :: 30

I did change however the descr_sm_resources.txt:

    "gold":
    {
        "subtype": "mineable",
        "name": "SMT_RESOURCE_GOLD",
        "tooltip": "TMT_GOLD_TOOLTIP",
        "icon": "data/ui/resources/resource_gold.tga",
        "mining tooltip": "TMT_GOLD_MINE_TOOLTIP",
        "tier": 5,
        "trade value": 23,
        "tags": [ "precious_minerals", "all_minerals",  ],
        "mine model": "data/models_strat/resource_mine.CAS",
        "quantity models": { "data/models_strat/resource_gold.CAS": 1,
            "data/models_strat/resource_gold_02.CAS": 2, },
        "default model": "data/models_strat/resource_gold_03.CAS",
    },

But as far as I can tell it is the same like the original:

    "gold":
    {
        ;; subtype of resource this is:


        ;; hidden is not displayed to the user
        ;; slaves are created when enslaving a settlement
        ;; mineable can have a mine constructed on them
        ;; none is just a normal resource
        "subtype": "mineable",


        ;; the localised name and tooltip for this resource
        "name": "SMT_RESOURCE_GOLD",
        "tooltip": "TMT_GOLD_TOOLTIP",


        ;; the UI icon to use
        "icon": "data/ui/resources/resource_gold.tga",


        ;; mineable resources need a seperate tooltip for when they're being mined
        "mining tooltip": "TMT_GOLD_MINE_TOOLTIP",


        ;; the tier and trade value
        "tier": 5,
        "trade value": 15,


        ;; tags (groups) that this resource belongs to
        "tags":
            [ "precious_minerals", "all_minerals", ],


        ;;the model to use for this resource's mine
        "mine model": "data/models_strat/resource_mine.CAS",


        ;; models to use for specific quantities
        "quantity models":
        {
            "data/models_strat/resource_gold.CAS": 1,
            "data/models_strat/resource_gold_02.CAS": 2,
        },


        ;; default model to use when the quantity is not one of the ones specified above
        "default model": "data/models_strat/resource_gold_03.CAS",
    },

What did I forget?

[Ocyalos]

I solved the problem, you would have never guessed the solution.

Turns out, that when you create a merchant in Rome Remastered, the engine will try to create his surname as

"of_{HomeSettlement}"

For example, if you create a merchant in Sparta, the game will try to make his surname "of Sparta" or more exactly with the internal surname ID of_Sparta.

If that name is not present in name_lookups.txt and text/names.txt (that was the case in my mod, I removed all the "of xxx" surname entries), this will not be possible and the game will randomly take a surname available to the faction.

The problem is now, if the merchant does not have that of_HomeSettlement ID, his home settlement does not get recognized, which leads to him being useless as he will never generate any income for you.

This is because Rome Remastereds merchant system is far more complicated than that of Medieval II (kudos to Feral here). The amount of money a merchant generates is depending on his Home Settlement. Basically he always establishes trading with his Home Settlement only. If you send him to for example trade Gold but his Home Settlement already is trading Gold or even producing Gold, his income will be 0. If he has no Home Settlement to begin with, his income will always be 0.

Note that the "of xxx" surnames do not have to exist in the descr_namelists.txt (otherwise you will get for example "of Sparta" for briton barbarians from time to time and so on).

Just add "of xxx" with xxx standing for all your mods settlement names into data/text/names.txt

...
{of_Trapezunt}of Trapezunt
{of_Tigranakert}of Tigranakert
{of_Mtskheta}of Mtskheta
...

and to data/descr_names_lookup.txt

...
of_Trapezunt
of_Tigranakert
of_Mtskheta
...

And you are good to go, if you recruit a merchant in these cities, he will be able to do his job and generate income.

[_Tartaros_]

whow, that´s an important news!
i just know that merchants where linked to the homecity - but didn´t know how.

look´s like i need to add some attribute name

[Kylan271]

The merchant mechanics was more involved than I thought. An excellent find for helping uncover this. This should be added to the Remastered Tutorials.

[twiggy426]

Are you spawning in the merchants that can't generate income?

You don't need the surnames to be in any of the names files for them to be given a home settlement and they will still be given the surname of the settlement even if it doesn't exist as a surname in the files.

They won't however be given a home settlement unless they are recruited from a settlement and they won't be able to generate income without one.