AI trade is completely bonkers.

[greendevil]

What the hell? Austria, Milan and Modena steering trade away from Rheinland to either Lubeck or Champagne?

Lithuania steering trade from Baltic Coast to Lubeck?

Qara Qoyunlu steering trade away from Aleppo to either Tunis or Constantinoples?

 

[Ranjid]

Yep, I've noticed that as well. If a country can't steer trade towards their homenode they'll just randomly asign their merchants instead of collecting elsewhere.

 

[greendevil]

The worst thing is that for each merchant randomly set to steer trade it multiplies the outgoing trade by some percentile points, inflating the outgoing trade even further.

 

[hwoosh]

I've also noticed certain HRE countries moving their merchants back and forth (e.g., between Ragusa and Wien) in an endless loop.

 

[hitchens]

So thats why I've finally gotten good at trade?

 

[greendevil]

So thats why I've finally gotten good at trade?

It depends on where you're playing.

I've noticed that the current setting tends to favour nodes in northern Europe, specifically Lubeck and English Channel.
Chances are that if you are playing there you're getting a lot of gold from trade, much more than before.

Also, before the patch prices for goods commonly available in Europe at the start were generally lower, while now prices are fixed and higher and all nodes are richer.

 

[Pugman]

I haven't even been paying close enough attention to this to notice. If this is true it's a pretty huge bug.

 

[A Swell Guy]

In the pictures you posted, Austria and Qara Qoyunlu don't have merchants steering trade. As for Lithuania, it's hard to tell with the trade node box out of the screenshot.

 

[greendevil]

In the pictures you posted, Austria and Qara Qoyunlu don't have merchants steering trade. As for Lithuania, it's hard to tell with the trade node box out of the screenshot.

I didn't check all the merchants, but Milan, Modena and Lithuania definetely had one.

If Austria and Q.Q. didn't have merchants how come they are steering trade away, though?

 

[Ranjid]

In the pictures you posted, Austria and Qara Qoyunlu don't have merchants steering trade. As for Lithuania, it's hard to tell with the trade node box out of the screenshot.

They do use their merchants. Do you have a 1.8 save game which is 1600 or later? Just check the trade nodes there. Since many nations by then have Trade Ideas and not enough nodes from where they could steer trade towards their capital, they'll just assign a merchant to steer trade in a node where they wield some power, even if it doesn't benefit them at all.

 

[greendevil]

Here's more evidence (this time with confirmed presence of merchant, and since it's a new game a few things are different).

England steering away trade from Genoa to Seville:

Bosnia steering away from Krakow to Baltic Coast:

Modena steering away from Rheinland to Champagne (happened again):

 

[A Swell Guy]

They do use their merchants. Do you have a 1.8 save game which is 1600 or later? Just check the trade nodes there. Since many nations by then have Trade Ideas and not enough nodes from where they could steer trade towards their capital, they'll just assign a merchant to steer trade in a node where they wield some power, even if it doesn't benefit them at all.

I'm not refuting that. I'm just pointing out that some of the specific examples presented were misrepresented.

 

[Mike6979]

Does this problem explain why there is so much money in the world now? Even in 1450 every nation i have started since 1.8 has 50+% of their income from trade and they make something like twice what they used to.
Unless Paradox has plans to release another higher level of adviser i have nothing to spend my money on.

Example, Persia around 1502 i built the building above marketplace in Basra, Trade depot or something. My net income rose by 4 points from building that one building. What, really?

 

[greendevil]

Does this problem explain why there is so much money in the world now? Even in 1450 every nation i have started since 1.8 has 50+% of their income from trade and they make something like twice what they used to.
Unless Paradox has plans to release another higher level of adviser i have nothing to spend my money on.

Example, Persia around 1502 i built the building above marketplace in Basra, Trade depot or something. My net income rose by 4 points from building that one building. What, really?

It's because now with the demand & supply system gone trade goods are much more expensive than before, and so trade makes you earn more money.

In my screenshots trade nodes are worth less because I lowered the prices of many goods btw.

 

[Davetheterror]

I can confirm that trade do need to be nerfed a bit, I was making 500 ducats out of trade with england in the 1750`s, thats without production(125) tax(40) tariffs(100) and gold (30), having over 125 heavy ships 120k army level 3 advisor everywhere, 15 subsidies to newfoundland, thirdteen colonies , british west indies, british colombia and australia, and funding rebels at a few places, and yet I still make over 120 everymonths (while mothballing my fleet though) lets just say that scores place me first by a large margin on every category, I do believe england needed a buff and france a nerf but this is too much, I have triple the fleet limit of the 4th next combined naval powers in the game and the 2nd biggest army in europe.. and about quadruple the income of a somewhat strong and untouched france

being at war only slighty reduce trade because england is such a naval power it can take on a coalition of the 4th biggest naval power and still only lose a few ships and trade power, and when you have over 20000 ducats and nowhere to spend them its quite easy

oh by the way this with an england who hasnt left the british island except for obvious colonial area and india and hasnt took dutch and french provinces in english trade node

 

[Pugman]

Someone should probably confirm this without *any* mods enabled if they haven't already.

 

[haltabush]

I read somewhere that they tend to steer trade away from ennemies.

 

[ChildeR]

Here's more evidence (this time with confirmed presence of merchant, and since it's a new game a few things are different).

England steering away trade from Genoa to Seville:

Bosnia steering away from Krakow to Baltic Coast:

Modena steering away from Rheinland to Champagne (happened again):

Have you checked out if what they are doing is actually smart or at least not so stupid? Early on trade range is short enough that there are frequently no good options. The second two seem like instances where by steering the trade downstream they may be going after the small upstream TP gain. Not sure how England's choice would be smart, though.

 

[ahyangyi]

I can confirm that trade do need to be nerfed a bit, I was making 500 ducats out of trade with england in the 1750`s

No trade doesn't need a "nerf". Play anywhere that's not an end node. Especially the immediate upstream node of an end node (say, Tunis). You will realize how poor you are.

 

[Kirikano]

I wish trade could be dynamic really badly right now. I'm making a measly 20 ducats a month from trade when I own half of Asia while Portugal and GB are both making 100+ ducats per month for being at an end node. As people have pointed out, AI doesn't know what to do if it has power in a node downstream from where it collects so it just transfers trade and all the sweet multiplying is ending up in the hand of the Europeans.