How do you pick your trade routes?

[laurensb]

I'm on my third run now as France (Chile and USA before) and my strategy with picking trade routes basically boils down to "this will make me money" or "this will improve prices in my market". The goods I trade are pretty random. It doesn't feel particularly intelligent. In fact, they're not interesting choices at all and this third run feels pretty much the same as my first and second run. I must be doing something wrong here. How do you pick your trade routes?

 

[paulxiep]

Reasons to set up trade routes are:

- to fix shortages (this is the most important trade reason, one you are willing to run negative balance for)
- to reduce local prices. This is usually done on goods that satisfy basic needs.
- to find market for local producers with excess goods.
- to be able to sell luxury goods for higher (and keep your pops from growing accustomed to higher SoL in the mean time... so later when you need to go to war or pass some important law you can cancel these routes and counteract those radicality - I used this strategy to abolish monarchy in my Formosa run)

 

[Fawr]

For me its:

• Do I have a big shortage or anticipate one (eg oil)? I'll trade to fix this.
• Do I want to be big on producing a certain good then I'll export (eg exporting basic clothes to make those factories more profitable, or exporting tanks to avoid other countries I might fight building their own tank industry).
• After that I look for the ones with the largest income. I'd love a view that didn't filter to one good at once for this - lots of paused time and annoying clicking from good to good to turn my idea into reality.
• Often I want to filter trades which don't have a convoy cost (give me anything profitable which doesn't cost me convoys). It would be great if the game could filter this for me.
• Sometimes I want to filter trades which don't have a bureaucracy cost. It would be great if the game could filter this for me
• Sometimes I want every deal I can with a specific country as I want to get the bonus to them accepting a trade deal or a customs union. It would be great to have a country specific filter where I can just select trade in every profitable good with them.

If you have a trade deal (0 bureaucracy cost) and a land border (0 convoy cost) between your capitals then there isn't a good reason not to trade most goods with them (it just costs/employs people).

 

[MfgLuckbot]

One thing I do often are temporary trade deals as shortcuts. I.E. build the steel mill first and import coal until your coal mines are completed. That way you can benefit of the end product before you set up the whole chain (I.E. switch to steel tools immediately so your coal mines don't cause a shortage there), don't have to run parts of your economy at a deficit either.

I basically plan ahead how much of everything I will need and then build things in reverse order bridged by multiple trade routes (don't have to wait for level 5 when you trade with 5 countries instead)

Same with exports keeping my industry profitable until I have a use for the product. Especially for buildings that produce 2 products that's usefull (need explosives, but no fertilizer etc)

 

[BPZ1941]

Aside from purely economic benefits, I generally try to export as many military goods as possible to just about anyone that isn't fighting a war that contradicts my interests. It keeps my productivity up and can greatly weaken rivals if they're dependent on my rifles and try to fight me.

 

[laurensb]

Aside from purely economic benefits, I generally try to export as many military goods as possible to just about anyone that isn't fighting a war that contradicts my interests. It keeps my productivity up and can greatly weaken rivals if they're dependent on my rifles and try to fight me.

This is a really interesting strategy. How does it work in practice though? If I start exporting small arms or artillery to the UK for instance, it would be at a loss. Maybe I'm willing to accept that for the benefit of being able to cut them off if they get into a war that puts me at a disadvantage. However, the trade routes will never grow, even if I want it to. Is there a way around that?

 

[BPZ1941]

This is a really interesting strategy. How does it work in practice though? If I start exporting small arms or artillery to the UK for instance, it would be at a loss. Maybe I'm willing to accept that for the benefit of being able to cut them off if they get into a war that puts me at a disadvantage. However, the trade routes will never grow, even if I want it to. Is there a way around that?

Subsidize the arms industries or adopt production methods that grossly overproduce them. I think you can also subsidize TCs to get them to upgrade regardless, but I usually have a very large arms surplus at peacetime just in case an urgent crisis requires conscription.

 

[Secret Master]

Trade is both uninteresting and interesting at the same time. It's one of the most oxymoronic features in Vic3.

The "increase profitibility/productivity" aspect isn't that interesting. It's basically a "click on the green thing" kind of gameplay.

But trade serves several purposes, and has some limitations, that make it more interesting when you think beyond clicking on the green thing.

1) Dumping cheap manufactured goods on foreign markets just to raise the price so your own factories are more profitable.

2) Importing cheap grain to cut down prices so everyone (except farmers) have a higher SoL.

3) Importing things you just literally don't have enough of. I can't count the number of times I have to import stuff just to stop throughput penalties.

4) Budgeting convoys for higher priority trades when I have a small coastline/few ports is a game in and of itself.

5) Importing input goods that I only produce a little of to cut costs for factories.

6) Refusing to import certain goods that I produce none of so that POPs are encouraged to buy alternate goods I do produce.

 

[Nirmara]

Along with the economic benefits, trading can help foster diplomatic relations with other nations.

Trading a high volume of goods increase the AI acceptance for trade agreements and custom union.

Trade agreements can act as a stepping stone for a defensive pact, an alliance or a protectorate. It also increase the chances of the AI to hold a favorable attitude thereby making them less likely to join diplomatic plays against you.

As for the custom union, it's a step towards making another nation a protectorate thereby traping them into your market. It's also a prerequisite to the unification for nations with the relevant journal entry.

 

[RELee]

6) Refusing to import certain goods that I produce none of so that POPs are encouraged to buy alternate goods I do produce.

Do you have a specific example to jog this old brain awake? I've had too many sausage balls and brownies to actually think clearly today.

Wait! When was the last time I could think clearly?

 

[Secret Master]

Do you have a specific example to jog this old brain awake? I've had too many sausage balls and brownies to actually think clearly today.

Wait! When was the last time I could think clearly?
View attachment 932337

Let's take two examples:

You know what I never import? Fine art. Sure, POPs want it. Sure, it's satisfies demand far more efficiently than services. But I always have plenty of services. So, I wouldn't waste the convoys or bureaucracy importing any. I will produce my own fine art, and I export it, but I'm never helping my POPs get it if I don't produce it. They can go hire a maid service or accounting firm; I'm not helping them get fine art from other countries. And yes, I know the AI can and will sometimes dump it on my market, but the AI doesn't make that much fine art, so it's not that important in the big scheme of things.

I've stopped bothering to import opium or tobacco. Part of the reason is that the AI doesn't produce or export enough opium, so I can't even supply the army with medically approved morphine, but the other reason is why bother? If I grow my own, great. If not, I don't need to import any because I can make all the liquor I need in 99% of cases. Hell, I can easily overproduce booze if I'm not careful. One game saw my subsistence farms in China putting my food industries out of business until I stopped them from making liquor because the subsistence farmers were flooding the market. In China. The most populous country in the world.

Yes, some POPs will obsess over some goods, and if you conquer Han POPs from China, they will usually really want opium. But most of the time, I can just ignore importing tobacco and opium and focus on liquor until I own lands where I can grow my own.

So, liquor it is, either via production or imports if I can't make enough for some weird reason.

 

[RELee]

Oh, well I never import those 2 either simply because

1. All art is crap
2. We always make plenty of drinkables just because

Tennessee thinking I suppose.

 

[Secret Master]

Tennessee thinking I suppose.

What Tennessee thinking in Vic3 might look like.

That's the one place I never went to visit when I lived closer to Tennessee. I hear the tour at the distillery is great, and not just because of the liquor tasting.

 

[Nominus]

I try to maximize exports or export value, in order to raise prices and profitability, but I also keep the prices of raw goods low.
Most raw goods are imported, most manufactured goods are exported.
Exception: Tools are often imported as well,
Coffee, tea, tobacco and opium are usually exported