Colonies: Worth the Effort?

[Assalander]

On the other hand, it would quite useless for Venice to colonize the Americas, since it cannot steer that trade toward its capital. It would be much more profitable for such mediterranean powers to take territories near Oman/India to steer trade toward Suez and the Mediterranean and prevent the western european powers to make it go around Africa instead. This new trade system removes a bit of flexibility (well, unless you're willing to move your capital...), but should make things so interesting...

 

[ikki]

EU3, colonies might take a while to pay off, but they do. Course if you are a real jerk and playing a small nation in europe, moving your capital to the Americas is seriously OP. Huge trade, Huge population, Huge ocean to keep your enemies ineffective.

Not just the new world, but also with africa you could pull that trick.
And it was such a good trick it was a good idea as england to form britain... and then release england, scotland etc as you went to your continent spanning colony-empire. So not just "small" ones.

And then there is of course russia, who can aside from colonizing, also grab asia..

 

[przemo_li]

Colonies now only slow down tech advancement in one tree...
Fast Reaction Force should be priority for any country with serious coastline anyway. (Thouse will colonize in the first place)
And Samll Ships are also no brainer for anyone who can participate in any trade. (Thouse will colonize in the first place)


So that question is not if the colonization is worth the effort but:

How much colonization is needed.

 

[Thanik]

How it is possible that more trade , taxes, production and manpower are not worth it?
As Venice colonize America is always good idea - just steer trade to your COT in America. And spam more ships.

 

[Assalander]

As Venice colonize America is always good idea - just steer trade to your COT in America. And spam more ships.

But you get a -50% penalty on any trade money you extract from a non-capital trade node. Thus it is MUCH more worthwhile for Venice to steer eastern trade toward the mediterranean and its home node.

 

[mattkunz]

In the last Quill18 video in the 1579 start Portugal's tarrifs income is higher, than taxes and production put together. Although trade income dwarfed all of them, colonies still seem like a viable economic option by themselves, not to mention, that they also boost trade. Although in the previous start date colonial maintenance seemed somewhat out of whack, so maybe the whole colonial mechanism has been reworked since then.

 

[Te. Kenzo]

for sure colonies should be profitable, but not a simple thing. In history, the colonies were also the misfortune of an empire