Improving trade node - spawning Trade institution

[HydroAC]

I'm playing as Austria and the Trade institution will spawn very soon (it is 1604). I'm trying to get it to spawn in Venice, or at least in Europe.

But, as I look at the ledger European trade nodes do not have the highest total trade amounts. Bengal and Malacca generally come out on top. If I let more trade go to Genoa (by putting my merchants in less optimal places, losing trade income) then Genoa gets close (30.5 for Bengal vs 28.4 for Genoa).

To improve trade power I've built and upgraded as many light ships and placed in Venice, Ragusa, Constantinople, and Alexandria. I've given trade nodes to the Burghers. I've had Center of Trade nodes set to Protecting Trade. Nothing helps that much. My mercantilism is 40%, which is decent for 1604. I've built manufacturies in high development provinces.

Maybe I should have my merchants direct trade to Genoa so the Trade Institution it spawns there? Having it in friendly Genoa is better than way over in Bengal.

If the Trade institution spawns after or during my next war with the Ottos in 1607 then I'll be able to capture their remaining centers of trade, but that will likely be too late.

Are there other options I'm overlooking?

 

[iquabakaner]

You need high trade value in the node, not high trade power. Your light ships should be placed at the nodes with multiple downstream nodes (Ragusa, Constantinople, etc.), but not at end nodes (Venice, Genoa), in order to steer more trade into your end node. Venice is hard to get to the highest trade value, since you can't steer anything west to it. Genoa would be easier.

Manufactories boost trade value, so build as many as you can.

 

[HydroAC]

OK. Not sure where to check total trade value for a trade node, though. Is the total trade value (local and incoming) shown as "Total" in the ledger under Trade Node?

I just finished a war with Tunis and gave the land including trade centers to my HRE vassals Provence and Avignon. My 2 merchants are directing my trade to Genoa, so I'm sacrificing my income to improve Genoa. I checked the ledger when it updated in July 1604 and it shows Genoa as leading with 34.8 total vs 29.8 in Bengal.

In the meantime, I will be grabbing as many centers of trade as I can from the Ottos in my next war. I already have Constantinople, so these the trade centers in the feeder nodes to Venice are the next logical steps.

I also just relocated part of my fleet to the Gulf of Aden so I can start working my way to India. Ming has tributaries that are in the way, which is a problem.

 

[iquabakaner]

It's total minus outgoing in the ledger (but Genoa doesn't have outgoing so it's just total). Or you can just look at individual trade nodes in the trade map mode.