Colonization Strategy: What do you colonize?

[Giffica]

So I typically am a pretty OCD player, and generally play where I remove all the other colonial powers (Vassal Portgual, remove frances coast, take the english isles, PU aragon, and vassal annex norway if Denamrk doesn't successful intergrate/keep them, as spain obviosly) So i never have any competition. But for a more competitive multiplayer game, where would you suggest someone focus on colonizing? Is it better to coast lock South America, or 100% the carribean? Is it better to most into Asia ASAP, or should you focus on the Americas? Do you coloniza Africa, or is South America more valuable? What provinces are the ones you should rush for? Cape in Africa, or Manhattan in America? Which things take importance when colonizing.

And once you do, how should you properly flow trade back to your Capital?

 

[GuitaristDog]

It all depends on what kind of Empire you want, although it would it is best to have a hold in both the New World and the East, you should really focus on one. Taking the New World is much easier to manage because the colonial nations handle all of their own affairs and besides the Aztecs you don't have any major threats. Also, colonial powers tend to under value their colonies during peace talks, so you can always snatch up a few extra provinces that you really don't deserve. However, this comes at a cost, while you do get tariffs from your colonial nations, you don't have direct control over them and don't receive the full manpower/tax benefits that you normally would. In Africa and Asia you will have direct control over your territory, giving you the full benefits (and the possibility to fully develop) of your provinces at the cost of having to manage and defend it. Unlike the New World, you won't just be fighting small tribes, the Ottomans, Ming, Japan and Russia (as they do usually take a stake in these areas later in the game) can pose a real threat and could possibly set you back years. It's all up to you, but just remember, being a colonial empire isn't easy just because you're a super power, being a global player means you have to deal with global problems and protect your strategic interests around the world. Don't take a stake in more places then you can hold, otherwise you'll drop everything else.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I'd advocate the new world, but the money from Asia --> Africa is great too if you can route it properly.

In practice, what you do will be limited by your position, who you can fight, and diplomacy. Any colonial oomph is better than attempting it and losing the entire colony because someone takes it from you.

 

[Katakakes]

The West Indies got their name for a reason.

There is a MASSIVE amount of wealth in the Caribean trade node, so I usually rush for complete domination of it.
Brazil is OKAY, sugar and tobacco abound. South America is a bit better than Brazil as there's more chances to get gold and it's not tropical meaning you can colonize much faster.

However the real wealth in this game is in Chinaware and Spices and those come from the east. You wanna make the most money? You carpet colonize Cape and block anyone from getting to the east, at least for a long time.
And you make sure you control the trade nodes while you keep expanding into Asia.

 

[Jorlaan]

Honestly with the new colonial nations I avoid the new world like the plague. I only colonize Africa and Asia now.
Chinaware, spices and even tea make great money.

 

[Katakakes]

Honestly with the new colonial nations I avoid the new world like the plague. I only colonize Africa and Asia now.
Chinaware, spices and even tea make great money.

Agreed. Tariffs aren't as good as building manufactories by yourself. If colonial subjects would expand on their own more often I'd be more inclined to it, but I've only seen them actually colonizing by themselves once in all of my games.

 

[arctus]

i mostly orientate at the historically ways the powers colonized. and therefore i find it annoyning that colonies can declare war on their own.

 

[MiniaAr]

i mostly orientate at the historically ways the powers colonized. and therefore i find it annoyning that colonies can declare war on their own.

Actually colonies waged wars of their own, see Seven Years War.

 

[fromar]

If colonial subjects would expand on their own more often I'd be more inclined to it, but I've only seen them actually colonizing by themselves once in all of my games.

In my current Castile game, I have 5 colonial nations, and each of them have their own colony. The colonial nations just receive a huge malus to colony growth, so the new provinces are very slow to form. I don't know of a good way to view the colonial nation's colonies, so when I tried to see which CNs had their own colonies, I did a lot of clicking on the map.

 

[calvinhobbeslik]

My colonies have actually colonized a lot! Mexico, 21 Colonies, and all my South American colonies have colonized quite a few provinces, which saved me a lot of time and colonists.

 

[milkan]

With the horrific time that colonies in africa take to form due to tropical penalties I rarely colonise it. Just the americas for me.

 

[King of Nords]

As France/England: St.Lawrence/Carribean > Chesapeake/ Mexico > Mississippi/Cape of Africa (where there is no tropical modifier) > East Indies/California.

Organise colonisation by trade node, particularly in North America, as trade rather than tax or production is where the money is and your colonial nations will spawn more or less according to trade node. Having three or four weak colonial nations is less ideal than having one or two strong ones. Splitting your Exploration colonists between two areas/nodes is generally what I do, annexing natives on the coast while making protectorates of those not on the coast. Closing off the coastline to other colonisers should be the priority. Mexico should also be conquered as soon as possible, even if you have to release nations back as protectorates, as that gold income in the hands of others is painful. I usually release the Zapotec and Maya while coring the Aztecs.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

In my current Castile game, I have 5 colonial nations, and each of them have their own colony. The colonial nations just receive a huge malus to colony growth, so the new provinces are very slow to form. I don't know of a good way to view the colonial nation's colonies, so when I tried to see which CNs had their own colonies, I did a lot of clicking on the map.

Colonies pick idea groups based on what the default AI would have chosen for your nation. This means that only nations like Castille, Portugal, France, England, Norway, Denmark, etc will ever have their colonist make or use a single colonist. Morocco, Algiers, Venice, Manchu, Korea, The Hansa...those guys will make colonies that never colonize.