NOOB Question on Making Money

[Otay]

Playing for the first time in a very long time. Currently playing Muscovy, it is 1534 and I am not making any money. I have churches and trade centers built, have incorporated all my vassals, taken over Novgorod and most of the Great Horde and Kazan but still am forced to take loan after loan. I have the trade ideas done. What am I doing wrong that I cannot get any money? Thanks.

 

[nobodyinparticular]

Could do with a screenshot of your country, economy screen and estates. The most common pitfall for new players seems to be low crownland which gives ticking autonomy and completely tanks your economy and reduces your force limit, so you may be exceeding it. You may also be paying a significant amount on corruption from poor religious unity and not being ahead in techs, having redundant forts, poor trade power from low prestige and power projection... just to name a few things. Also if you don't have the right estate privileges assigned you're not getting the bonuses from them having a proper amount of loyalty and influence.

 

[DukeLeto42]

Remember that loans are inherently a loss of money - you have to pay more than the original loan gives plus interest, and renewing loans only extends the interest and gives inflation. As such, you need to build for only using loans to get significant returns on investment (such as very early expansion or sudden crises and events).

 

[DeadEyeTucker]

Are you building marketplaces in Centers of Trade? Are your estates disloyal? How's autonomy across the country? Positive stability? You can also mothball forts and lower army maintenance.

 

[Otay]

Thanks for the inputs. Here are my requested screen shots. Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Note that before I began this game, I went on YouTube to look at a Muscovy set up and based mine on that, particularly with the Estates.

 

[nobodyinparticular]

Thanks for the inputs. Here are my requested screen shots. Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Note that before I began this game, I went on YouTube to look at a Muscovy set up and based mine on that, particularly with the Estates.

Check your army maintenance. You are definitely going way over force limit. Check your military screen, force limit is a soft cap of how many troops you can maintain without incurring extra costs.

You should also be transferring trade from Astrakhan to Kazan, and see if you can make moves into Lithuania's lands, specifically those of your culture group. You should keep stability at at least 1 to gain prosperity in your states. Embargo and insult your rivals for more power projection, see if you can get rid of a couple redundant forts.

 

[Jespoke]

Thanks for the inputs. Here are my requested screen shots. Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Note that before I began this game, I went on YouTube to look at a Muscovy set up and based mine on that, particularly with the Estates.

Can you show your army and autonomy windows? You seem to have a few too many forts and a lot too many troops for your economy, but that might be because autonomy is eating all your income. Could you also show your trade window for good measure?

 

[Otay]

Here is my army screen shot. Not sure how to get the autonomy shot.

 

[DeadEyeTucker]

Lowering army maintenance should shave off up to 30 ducats.

How long have you been below 30% crownland?

 

[DeadEyeTucker]

Holy shit you're 60 over the force limit.

Thats skyrocketing your army maintenance. Like 120% INCREASE on your maintenance.

 

[Otay]

Lowering army maintenance should shave off up to 30 ducats.

How long have you been below 30% crownland?

Probably a long time, since I haven't really paid attention to it. How do I get it back? Seize the land until I get 30%?

 

[Nostalgium]

Echoing @DeadEyeTrucker here, you're paying more than twice of what you should for your army. I'd strongly recommend reducing its size by about 60k men. That might break you even on its own, as in addition to removing the upkeep for the disbanded soldiers, it will also halve the maintenance cost of your remaining ones.

Addendum: AFAIK there's no quick and easy way to check average autonomy - it will show individually per province in the province window, so just get an idea of it by quickly checking it over.

 

[Jespoke]

Here is my army screen shot. Not sure how to get the autonomy shot.

In the window where you build troops, the tab with the chain icon.
Also holy shit 60% over force limit, no wonder they cost you 150% of your monthly income.
Seize land is the main way to get crownland. If all estates have at least 50% loyalty there won't be revolts, you can use Call the Diet to get a +5 loyalty boost right before you do it.
Have you accepted any cultures? The window for that is in the government tab.

 

[Vetgirig]

1. You are not using your estates ( you have to many unused slots - my problem is that I can not use all slots that I want to run) and they are unhappy costing money.
2. You should have about 70k troops not 160k troops. Only give about 50% pay when not at war.
3. Conquest of Bashgird is essential for a Russia run. Develop its production to 10.

 

[bokorthedust]

AFAIK there's no quick and easy way to check average autonomy - it will show individually per province in the province window, so just get an idea of it by quickly checking it over.

You can see your country wide average autonomy on the government reforms screen if you hover over the progress bar. It accounts for everything, so on wider empires the number you get is far off of what your stated autonomy is, but in small-ish, compacted empires it's pretty much the real deal if GC allowed for all your lands to be stated.

 

[Evethor]

What ideas (if any) have you taken?

 

[ImAdrian]

48 ducats deficit is not sustainable at this point for Muscovy. Why do you need to be 60 over force limit?

 

[iClipse]

Makes 41/m in total.
Spends 65/m on army

I wonder why my economy is terrible.

Just teasing.

In general, while 'force limit is just a number', it's also just a number that results in bankruptcy when ignored. In general, you don't need a much bigger army than your direct neighbours. And building up on infantry is pretty cheap, so can be done at any time.

In general I only ever go over forcelimit when fighting existential wars, usually at the start of a campaign.

 

[holyvigil]

Don't go over force limit until you are used to the game again.

 

[Otay]

What ideas (if any) have you taken?

I have taken most on board, particularly the army maintenance and force limits. Economy is doing much better.