I am new and need a little advice

[unmerged(13460)]

I can't make money and I assume that is what will get you ahead in this game.
I am Belgium because I read its a good nation to start with for beginers.

I raised taxes, lowered all spending, got rid of other spending and added a dash of tariffs; along with a policy of sell before buy on the trade market; this only kepts the budget balanced, it doesn't make me any money.

I've built two new steel factories. I go to convert some of my pops from labourers and farmers to clerks and tradesmen to hopefully get these factories going, but I have no furniture, precious metal etc to convert them. So I buy some. This makes my budget drop weigh down, not to mention the $500 price to convert. It looks like bankrupcy is enevitible.

I've read the book, strategy guide, I know what the interface does and why. I feel like I understand the game (after some time). I must not understand something; what is it?

What is a good strategy to make money?

 

[Darkrenown]

How high did you raise you taxes? Up to 49% is safe. You might as well raise tariffs to max, since it doesn't actualy take any money from your pops.

About your steal factories, does belgium make iron and coal? If you have to import it the cost comes out of your pocket, but the profits go to your pops and you only get some of the money back through taxes, so only make factories which uses goods you produce.

 

[masochist]

id suggest trying with a bigger country, say the usa, where making a profit straight off is easy.

with someone like belguim you might have to run up some debt just to get things running, that said you do start with a sizeable industry.

have you set all army/navy maintanence and defence spending to a minimum? also push crime/education down low if need be.

 

[Memnon]

You can take a look at a step-by-step guide for Brazil, available here, for some clues as to how to make money.

Look at the resources your country produces domestically (admittedly for Belgium, that isn't much). Try to make products whose inputs you produce locally. It'll raise your profits if you don't have to import stuff.

Look at the factories you already have at the outset. Try to make further things in those chains. And don't you have any unemployed clerks and craftsmen at the outset somewhere?

Finally, throw the tariffs to 100%. It's free money, apparently not costing your POPs any cash at all.

 

[Memnon]

Wow, three posts at the same time. Looks like we've got some fast fingers today.

 

[MAlexander06]

Brazil is a very good country to begin the game with. I just started my first real game as Brazil, and I have a booming economy and control about half of Africa. Even though you don't start off with much industry, your population will start to increase rapidly around 1880 and you can have around 20 factories by 1900. Plus at the beginning of the game you'll be selling fairly valuable commodities, so it's not all that difficult to make money.

 

[unmerged(25053)]

Belgium is a good country but be careful on the steel. Reg clothes is more profitable the early part of the game. Steel only makes a whole lot of money later after certain techs improve steel production and when more countries are making machine parts and steamers. Even as Prussia I rarely run more than 2 levels of steel the first ten years. (Later, due to unlimited coal and lots of iron, Prussia/Germany can make tonnes of steel, but not initially).