Is expansion ideas must have for trade companies?

[makaramus]

I was planning to have trade companies but I was also thinking about %90 autonomy of theirs
is expansion ideas worth it if you are gonna conquer trade companies? or should I just ignore it
with goverment reform and no state building you can reduce it to %80 without idea
this means by picking idea group tax and man power bonuses coming from trade companies boosted by %50
but its after mid game, age of absolutism is about to start and I was wondering if its worth to take it even without colonizing
note:I am austria with burgundian inheritance so diplo relation is nice too I belive.(also without save scum and havingmy best game... all members of HRE asking to be my vassal right now. I am shattering france and offering vassalization to french duchies .)

 

[Cancerofthehead]

I don’t think it is worthwhile solely for the lowered autonomy.

By the late game, the tax shouldn’t be that significant as a proportion of your income and production is getting a much smaller benefit since the impact of autonomy is halved while you already get all the trade value.

The only real, impactful bonus would be in manpower and I would wager you can find better sources of manpower (either directly or indirectly via fewer losses, if you really want to spend admin points and already have offensive I would consider late game innovative for the siege policy first) than a -10% autonomy in TCs.

 

[makaramus]

I don’t think it is worthwhile solely for the lowered autonomy.

By the late game, the tax shouldn’t be that significant as a proportion of your income and production is getting a much smaller benefit since the impact of autonomy is halved while you already get all the trade value.

The only real, impactful bonus would be in manpower and I would wager you can find better sources of manpower (either directly or indirectly via fewer losses, if you really want to spend admin points and already have offensive I would consider late game innovative for the siege policy first) than a -10% autonomy in TCs.

its not just autonomy.
things that I think almost(almost because there are still some use for things like colonists like devolping land) waste are
1/2)2 colonist ideas
3)Colony growth speed
and thats it I suppose
everything else like extra relations or trade boost are ok.
I gonna take either expansion idea or admin ideas.

 

[Cancerofthehead]

its not just autonomy.
things that I think almost(almost because there are still some use for things like colonists like devolping land) waste are
1/2)2 colonist ideas
3)Colony growth speed
and thats it I suppose
everything else like extra relations or trade boost are ok.

You question was if it would be worth it even without colonizing.

If you have a good use for the colonists (and encouraging development is not a good use) long term it would make the group a viable option.

If you are heavily colonizing, it is a must have group (if not one of the first colonizer it is better than exploration as you will steal or trade for maps and you are getting decent settler growth from tech)