So I tried to get trade from Asia with Portugal in the demo. I think it may be possible, but it's quite a lot harder than the EU3 method (discover,get one province for trade range, profit). Just focussing on America may be a lot easier and more profitable ~1500. So basically I wouldn't bother trying to get Asian trade in the demo : (
Observations:
If anyone knows a way to get some decent Asian trade as Portugal, please tell! ; )
EDIT: New approach (including good ideas from other players):
Observations:
1. Mechanics of the trade route around Africa.
There are a lot of trade nodes in between Asia and Europe on the route around Africa.
If you have no power in only ONE of these nodes 2 things are possible:
- If no-one else has power, or only European powers have power, trade will move forward (profit)
- If an African power holds power (or someone else only collecting), NO trade at all will move forward. So:
- One link not controlled by friendly powers will break the chain
To steer power in all African nodes, you'll need a lot of merchants/light ships/fleet basing rights. This is generally unprofitable, compared with the profit.
- So to avoid leaking money to local powers you need to get trade power from provinces. Luckily tribal nations get less power from their provinces. If you manage to get a local centre of trade you won't have to conquer a lot of land.
- So you'll have to conquer Benin, Kongo (badly situated inland, so you'll have to conquer the whole of Kongo), Cape (when you can colonize it) and Zanzibar
2. Conquering the land around Africa
As far as I know, the only method to get a Casus Belli on these African nations is to get the Idea Unum Sanctum from the religious Idea group
3. Idea groups needed for the African route
-Exploration (uses diplomatic), not really awful.
-Religious (uses administrative), this is nasty, as you'll need to core and get admin points to unlock ideas...
-Trade (diplomatic), needed to fully exploit the route, but you'll probably need this as Portugal whatever you do.
The Problem is that you'll need 3 idea groups to start getting profit, for which you'll need 10 admin tech to unlock them on top
4. Conclusion
Focussing efforts on getting a trade route around Africa will probably hurt you more than help you in the short term.
5. Alternatives
-Colonizing/Conquering the Americas. More profitable, because the lands are wealthier, the natives weaker and there are less trade nodes in between, so you'll get more profit/(merchant or territory conquered)
-Conquering some land in Asia and start collecting with your merchant there and possibly draw trade towards the place where you collect (not tested yet). However you'll still need all ideas also needed for a route around Africa...
There are a lot of trade nodes in between Asia and Europe on the route around Africa.
If you have no power in only ONE of these nodes 2 things are possible:
- If no-one else has power, or only European powers have power, trade will move forward (profit)
- If an African power holds power (or someone else only collecting), NO trade at all will move forward. So:
- One link not controlled by friendly powers will break the chain
To steer power in all African nodes, you'll need a lot of merchants/light ships/fleet basing rights. This is generally unprofitable, compared with the profit.
- So to avoid leaking money to local powers you need to get trade power from provinces. Luckily tribal nations get less power from their provinces. If you manage to get a local centre of trade you won't have to conquer a lot of land.
- So you'll have to conquer Benin, Kongo (badly situated inland, so you'll have to conquer the whole of Kongo), Cape (when you can colonize it) and Zanzibar
2. Conquering the land around Africa
As far as I know, the only method to get a Casus Belli on these African nations is to get the Idea Unum Sanctum from the religious Idea group
3. Idea groups needed for the African route
-Exploration (uses diplomatic), not really awful.
-Religious (uses administrative), this is nasty, as you'll need to core and get admin points to unlock ideas...
-Trade (diplomatic), needed to fully exploit the route, but you'll probably need this as Portugal whatever you do.
The Problem is that you'll need 3 idea groups to start getting profit, for which you'll need 10 admin tech to unlock them on top
4. Conclusion
Focussing efforts on getting a trade route around Africa will probably hurt you more than help you in the short term.
5. Alternatives
-Colonizing/Conquering the Americas. More profitable, because the lands are wealthier, the natives weaker and there are less trade nodes in between, so you'll get more profit/(merchant or territory conquered)
-Conquering some land in Asia and start collecting with your merchant there and possibly draw trade towards the place where you collect (not tested yet). However you'll still need all ideas also needed for a route around Africa...
If anyone knows a way to get some decent Asian trade as Portugal, please tell! ; )
EDIT: New approach (including good ideas from other players):
Step by step
Where to place merchants
Light ships
Lots and lots of extra loot
0. Don't have European alliances. Dissolve the English alliance on day 1. Maybe the pope is useful if you combine it with improving relations+setting a matching rival, so you can become Papal controller (The extra diplomat is worth a lot as you can fabricate claims on more nations at the same time).
1. Fabricate claims on Benin. Conquer and core (Always core as soon as possible for extended colony range, don't forget your colonies too).
2. Increase relations with Oman, get fleet basing rights
3. Get first idea from expansion for colonist.
4. Colonize the province next to Congo. Fabricate claims on Congo. Conquer at least the inland province 'Congo' for the 'local trade center'.
....4b It's possible to move the colonist away before completion of the colony, it will cost more, but if you can pay for it, it's a good idea. Fabricating claims if you can do it is very important if you have to race the clock.
5. Colonize province north of Swahili. Fabricate claims on Swahili. Conquer at least Zanzibar.
6. Colonize a province in the South African trade node. Then go forth with Gold Coast (local center of trade) and other Ivory coast provinces.
7. Stop trade rights with Oman.
8. Increase relations with Indian nation (preferably small like Ceylon). (see point 13/14)
9. Fabricate claims on Oman and Yemen.
10. Conquer Aden and Muscat at least (the provinces which you have fabricated might be a good idea too, because they won't cost extra diplo power)
....10b Hint, you can conquer a capital if you have occupied the whole nation.
12. Get the diplo tech and possibly the +50% colonial range idea
13. Get fleet basing rights with the nation from 8. so you have colonial range to (theoretically) be able to colonize all of the Indian Coast.
14. Choose the mission 'Get a base on the Indian Coast'. You can get this mission when you have colonial range near India. You will get claims on EVERY Indian coast province which you can reach with your colonial range (This is why fleet basing rights with Ceylon is useful).
Now choose where you fabricate claims/colonize/conquer and send your trading fleets according to this: The longer and richer the trade route becomes the more important it is to have more % trade power in the nodes closest to home, otherwise you can lose a lot of potential money. The Mauritanian trade node is not important because both you and Spain will forward 100% of the trade towards Iberia. If more trade stays in one node than it locally generates try to get more power in that node, if not a lot of trade stays in that node, try to increase power in the next trade node.
1. Fabricate claims on Benin. Conquer and core (Always core as soon as possible for extended colony range, don't forget your colonies too).
2. Increase relations with Oman, get fleet basing rights
3. Get first idea from expansion for colonist.
4. Colonize the province next to Congo. Fabricate claims on Congo. Conquer at least the inland province 'Congo' for the 'local trade center'.
....4b It's possible to move the colonist away before completion of the colony, it will cost more, but if you can pay for it, it's a good idea. Fabricating claims if you can do it is very important if you have to race the clock.
5. Colonize province north of Swahili. Fabricate claims on Swahili. Conquer at least Zanzibar.
6. Colonize a province in the South African trade node. Then go forth with Gold Coast (local center of trade) and other Ivory coast provinces.
7. Stop trade rights with Oman.
8. Increase relations with Indian nation (preferably small like Ceylon). (see point 13/14)
9. Fabricate claims on Oman and Yemen.
10. Conquer Aden and Muscat at least (the provinces which you have fabricated might be a good idea too, because they won't cost extra diplo power)
....10b Hint, you can conquer a capital if you have occupied the whole nation.
12. Get the diplo tech and possibly the +50% colonial range idea
13. Get fleet basing rights with the nation from 8. so you have colonial range to (theoretically) be able to colonize all of the Indian Coast.
14. Choose the mission 'Get a base on the Indian Coast'. You can get this mission when you have colonial range near India. You will get claims on EVERY Indian coast province which you can reach with your colonial range (This is why fleet basing rights with Ceylon is useful).
Now choose where you fabricate claims/colonize/conquer and send your trading fleets according to this: The longer and richer the trade route becomes the more important it is to have more % trade power in the nodes closest to home, otherwise you can lose a lot of potential money. The Mauritanian trade node is not important because both you and Spain will forward 100% of the trade towards Iberia. If more trade stays in one node than it locally generates try to get more power in that node, if not a lot of trade stays in that node, try to increase power in the next trade node.
Where to place merchants
The only place where you need a merchant on the route around Africa is the Gulf of Aden. In all other nodes, trade will flow automatically towards Iberia. This will be most useful if you have a lot of trade power there (by conquering Aden+Muscat), but will only be useful if trade also flows further in the nodes downstream. So if you don't have enough power in Zanzibar or haven't colonized somewhere in South Africa yet, don't bother, as all that diverted trade will be sucked up by the power in that node.
You can collect somewhere on the route before Lisbon, but I'm not sure if it's that effective. Having a merchant collecting in Iberia will be useful for the +10% trade income after all the calculations of trade power etcetera.
When you have three merchants it might become useful to dump him in Genoa, or Indus (if you have power there).
You can collect somewhere on the route before Lisbon, but I'm not sure if it's that effective. Having a merchant collecting in Iberia will be useful for the +10% trade income after all the calculations of trade power etcetera.
When you have three merchants it might become useful to dump him in Genoa, or Indus (if you have power there).
Light ships
Barques can be really useful (as long as you stay <= fleet force limit) to temporally keep up trade power in a contested node with not a lot of total trade power. Especially Ivory Coast is useful when you haven't got much provinces there yet and Zanzibar if you have not a lot (<60) trade power there but have a lot of power and trade flowing from Aden). Having ships in Iberia is important to get a bigger final share.
Lots and lots of extra loot
Swahili has a lot (thousends) of money from all their gold mines. Occupy all their provinces in every war and take money too when you conquer some provinces.
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