Questions from the Barbary Coast

[unmerged(5361)]

Hi all,

Started a new game as Algiers last night (my last game as The Scourge of the Mediterranen ended in frustration when my West African holdings were torn apart by civil war, but I digress...)

Every time I get into a new game I come up with some new questions and/or A-ha experiences (that's why I love EU2)

1. does religion/relations with a CoT owner affect how your merchants are able to compete in his CoT. Or is just a question of trade eff + randomness? My merchants are pretty good traders on paper (high trade eff.), but once they are out there they seem to lose their edge almost immediatly and are booted out of the CoTs before they have unpacked their stalls.

2. The BB points for annexing a capital province/aggressive war/same faith is....disturbing. Does this also apply if you are crushing a newly independent nation that has (foolishly!) slipped away from your empire?

3. I got lucky and got an explorer right after 1492. Cruising around in the Caribbeanen there are suddenly a Venetian explorer in the same area. Do they get historical explorers? or does the game give random ones to the AI nations as well?

Tks to anyone who takes the time to shed some light on this.

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

1. Trade eff.

2. Any military annexation of a co-religionist grants you that nice 5 BB bonus - and that goes for independence movements as well.

3. Venice gets a lot of historical admirals, but no explorers. However, AI nations also get random events like the player does, so they could have gotten an explorer by event. Or they could have gotten maps from Spain or Portugal and sent an admiral sailing into the Caribbean for the hell of it. The AI has done stranger things

 

[swilhelm73]

1) No, AFAIK, its just your trade tech level. As Algiers, its probably lower than Europeans leading to you getting booted real often. Also, if you get a monopoly, the chances your 6th merchant will be the first one booted are very high.

2) Yes. Check out the BB thread in the FAQ section.

3) Venice got one randomly too. Since Venice is a high naval/free trade country, they have a better chance to get the explorer event than say Poland, though.

Good luck!

 

[unmerged(5361)]

Tks yr quick reply Peter E!

Hmm.. so the AI gets random explorers as well. I do not particulary like the Venetians getting mixed up in the race for colonies between me and Spain, they already have a foothold on a couple of the lesser Antilles. Perhaps it is time to do a Bush and take a pre-emptive strike against the Doge...

 

[unmerged(9994)]

Originally posted by Jarlen av Juks
Tks yr quick reply Peter E!

Hmm.. so the AI gets random explorers as well. I do not particulary like the Venetians getting mixed up in the race for colonies between me and Spain, they already have a foothold on a couple of the lesser Antilles. Perhaps it is time to do a Bush and take a pre-emptive strike against the Doge...

I thought a Bush was to wait til Venice attacked one of your allies, go kick their butts, then wimp out on getting rid of the doge.

 

[unmerged(5361)]

Originally posted by Eddie Teach


I thought a Bush was to wait til Venice attacked one of your allies, go kick their butts, then wimp out on getting rid of the doge.

Well if I can get their colonial holdings and some islands in the Med by wimping out. That's fine by me

Then 10 years later I'll be back without ANY allies and go for the kill. "We are gonna smoke them out!"

 

[unmerged(9404)]

Don' worry about Venice colonizing the carribean. Their ai is not set to colonize that area. They migth try to colonize the African coast. But anyways, a pre-emptive attack is always good.

 

[Castellon]

Originally posted by Jarlen av Juks
1. does religion/relations with a CoT owner affect how your merchants are able to compete in his CoT. Or is just a question of trade eff + randomness? My merchants are pretty good traders on paper (high trade eff.), but once they are out there they seem to lose their edge almost immediatly and are booted out of the CoTs before they have unpacked their stalls.

Relations = No effect, Other than they may decide to ban you from the CoT.

Religion = I am begining to suspect that Religion does. We know for example that it is a big factor in which provinces trade in a CoT. And I find it very suspect that My merchants who are indistructable in Europe have such a hard time of it in the new world CoTs and the far east ones. It could be distance from capital, but I think that once I own the CoT and convert it To my religion my merchant do much better.

 

[jacob-Lundgren]

in my games where i dont play a collonizer and get maps of some far off cots. i usualy throw a few merchants at it getting a decent lv and forget it unless its high. those merchants very rarely go away for me. yet my european ones dont normaly do as well as other people boast of so some randomness has to be in there that isnt being random i think that made sense

 

[unmerged(5361)]

Originally posted by Ironfoundersson
Don' worry about Venice colonizing the carribean. Their ai is not set to colonize that area. They migth try to colonize the African coast. But anyways, a pre-emptive attack is always good.

But they are already colonizing in the Caribbean. San Juan, St Thomas and Antigua are already in flithy Venetian hands...

 

[unmerged(739)]

well if those are the only uncolonized provinces that they know of then they will try to colonize them I believe

 

[unmerged(6925)]

Whats wrong with Bush? Just think if Al Gore was president...

 

[Petrarca]

Originally posted by Jarlen av Juks


But they are already colonizing in the Caribbean. San Juan, St Thomas and Antigua are already in flithy Venetian hands...

They're probably only trading posts- and you know how to take care of those. Just wait for your next CB on Venice...