Could I upload a save somewhere and you guys tell me wth to do with my merchants?

[unmerged(6509)]

Please look at these screenshots and help me place my merchants

Title says it all really. Where could I upload a save first of all, and would anybody be willing to optimize it for me?

Ideally with a breakdown of the changes you guys would make.

Im a decent player (I think) but just as in life, finances are not my strong suit

Let me know folks, much appreciated.

 

[AureliusBob]

1. place merchant in Bordeaux
2. Conquer France
3. Profit

Works every time, 3% of the time

 

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I am france already

Anyone?

 

[FrosT37]

Post a screenshot. It's difficult to answer your question without knowing what's going on.

 

[FloatingOrb]

Ok heres some trade tips. I have posted this several times you know, latest in the tips and tricks post.

First, never keep a merchant in your home mode. The bonus is negligeable 70% of the time. The situations that call for it are SUPER rare and mostly involve being unable to send them anywhere else.

Second, only steer trade if it is in a neighboring node to your home node. Otherwise, collect. The exceptions to this are mostly the cape of africa and colonial nations, but even then you are usually better served collecting unless you UTTERLY dominate one of the european end nodes. I mean like 70-80 percent control or more.

Third, know when your beaten. Dont try to move in on sevilla if you dont own any provinces there, it has 5 bloody super trade provinces (the ones with great bonuses). If you cant get at least 20% of the power, go somewhere you can. Of course, if this sevilla trade node has 100 gold in it, that 5 percent you can eek out is actually worth it.

Fourth, each merchant gives 5 naval forcelimit, unless that changed recently. This ties into protecting trade. Super worth it, but with diminishing returns. I suggest trade fleets of 10 light ships, that you combine if you have multiple sets in one node. This keeps things nice and tidy.

Fifth, experiment. It takes time to optimize merchants, and no two games are the same. Start messing around and watch the trade income tab.

Some other tips. Trade buildings are bloody spectacular. Marketplaces are surprisingly meh, but the rest are mind blowing. If you have admirals but they arent doing anything at the moment, stick them on a trade fleet. Super valuable, but not quite worth the leader slot. Merchant republics should stack thier trade posts on existing center of trade bonus provinces. The stacking bonuses are super duper.

And lastly, and maybe most importantly, trade wars. This are tricky because they can EASILY backfire. you start this babies with the covert tab in diplomacy, fabricating something or another that I haven't bothered to really read. Declare war, blockade ports, and then force them to transfer trade power and maybe war reperations if you do really well. Do not underestimate the sheer amount of bank you can get from trade warring everyone.

 

[unmerged(6509)]

First an overview

 

[unmerged(6509)]

Trade screen. I have 2 merchants, one collecting in English Channel, the other steering from Genoa to Bordeaux. I moved my home port to Bordeaux (and my capital to Antwerp)

 

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Bordeaux node

 

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Champagne node

 

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Genoa node

 

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English channel node

 

[Frax]

Take Holland Brittany and Hainaut, crush the english. You then got monoply on 2 end nodes. You are playing France, Conquer the world

 

[unmerged(6509)]

While that sounds nice, my question was more in regards to trade. It seems to be the only part of the game that Im not optimizing

 

[Frax]

you optimize it with taking out on the nation leeching on your trade

 

[IIWW]

While that sounds nice, my question was more in regards to trade. It seems to be the only part of the game that Im not optimizing

Right now it's hard, cause there is an extreme amount of "trade power trasfered dwonstream" modifier. Brits has most of TP in English channel, thus transfer TP donward, making the Channel even richer node. They are in extremly good position in terms of trade.

 

[slv]

Conquer Brittany, you will have 100% in Bordeaux. At that point there would be no point in having trade capital there. When you do it move your merchant to Bordeaux. After that, conquer England.

It is possible that moving your merchant to Rheinland->Antwerp is better than having it in Genoa.

Also (if you're not playing ironman check it) it seems that you will have higher profit if you move all you ships to Channel. Perhaps even moving your trade port there (and sending merchant to Bordeaux).

I don't understand why have you moved your capital to Antwerp, btw. As long as your trade port does not coincide with your capital, your capital has absolutely no impact on trade.

And Carribean/Cheasepeak bay/Ivory cost matters too. Maybe send merchant there instead of Genoa (I am not sure, but it looks like almost nothing goes from Genoa to Seville. So it will fo either to Bordeaux or to Channel and you're ok with it. If placing merchant in Cheasepeak/Caribbean changes the direction of main flow merchant may be more proffitble there.)

Generally it's just easier to try all variants by yourself. Just try all them, and look on trade income.

 

[FrosT37]

I agree pretty much with slv.

Short term
Steering in Champagne towards Bordeaux seems better than collecting with penalty in the English channel.

Mid term
- Annex Brittany and more provinces in the English channel node.
- Move main trading port to English channel.
- Send a merchant to collect in Bordeaux
- The last merchant should still be steering either in Genoa (to prevent money from going to Sevilla) or in a colonial node. Test it out and see which alternative brings more money.
- Also, you will probably want to apply pressure with trade ships in the English channel node, in Genoa (if you decide to steer there) and in Lubeck.