Brilliant Idea on International Trading (very easy to implement and balance)

[Brownbeard]

I'd rather see transport costs and technology limitations such as storage, spoilage and waste and stuff as a curb limiting international trade effectiveness and stimulator for a diverse domestic economy instead of the entire country producing nothing but steamers.

But I believe both would be a monster to compute.

Perhaps imports in general should have some waste ratio depending on technology, thus making undeveloped nations more closed and more developed nations more globalized. This would be a relatively simple one-variable modifier to prices of imported goods, much like tariffs, but instead of being a government tax and redistribution of wealth, it would be waste and loss of value.

Thus, in 1836 it might be completely inefficient for Prussia to import beef from Argentina, but in 1912 the Argentinian ranchers might be taking the bread out of the Prussian farmers mouth.

 

[KevinG]

Why must Germany be buying small arms from the UK, rather than from Italy, France, the USA, Mexico, or any of the other many, many nations producing small arms?

Not to mention, as it has been belabored endlessly, the various neutral middlemen which would procure the guns to sell to the Germans.

Secondly, and this may be minor to you--but don't you think bilateral trade agreements would ramp up trade micromanagement to absurd levels with as many resources as Victoria has?

Maybe because Germany is also at war with half of those countries and UK is the #1 producer of small arms? And about the middlemen, there's no way Germany would ask neutral parties to buy small arms from the UK if they were fighting a war with them. Even if they did once the UK found out they would just stop selling to the middlemen.

You're right about the micromanagement, but don't try to argue about it's realism because the WM is most definitely not realistic in any way.

 

[Rabid]

I think the point about direct trading being AI-intensive and exploitable is a good one - it would be a great system to implement but at the expense of game balance and/or speed I'd rather stick with the shallow and unrealistic but very workable world market.

 

[Bezborg]

You're basically doomed the moment you advertise your thought as "brilliant."

Or at all*

*relating to a brand-new game mechanic