The CoT in Mascate

[jpd]

Well, just as with the CoT in Holland, this one too cannot possibly survive the new decline rule for CoT's. Why?

Well, just as with the one in Holland, only 3 provinces send their goods to Mascate. These are Mascate itself (obviously) and it's two neighboring provinces.

Not even the most southern province of Oman sends it's trade to it's own CoT in Mascate. No, instead it is send to Isfahan, which is much further away than Mascate. This too happens with the two provinces that are setup as trading posts for Oman. These too send the trade to Isfahan. So do the other provinces on the arabian peninsula btw. I don't understand the logic behind this. Oman is Shiite, so are all it's provinces. My Timurid empire is Sunni, and I am controlling Isfahan. On would expect that trade is send to the CoT closest by, especially if the religions aren't opposed to each other.

Why is the game engine selecting CoT further away and under foreign control, instead of one closer by and under own control. This way it makes little sence for CoT's like Mascate to even be in the scenario setup, given that a CoT with trade from only 3 provinces is removed after a couple of decades.

Right now in my Timurid game (year is 1456) it is still there, but in my Ottoman game it had vanished after 1500 or so, and that is what I expect to happen in this game as well.

Jan Peter

 

[unmerged(9146)]

Well, just as with the CoT in Holland, this one too cannot possibly survive the new decline rule for CoT's.

While I have to agree that rules on which province trades in which CoT are weird, I have actually seen Mascate CoT get down to one province only, and yet revive later in the game. This is one of the CoTs that IMO least likely to survive (together with Cuzco which always disappears, Ivoria and Zanzibar) but it's not quite true that it cannot possibly survive.

 

[unmerged(21544)]

This does not botter me as there never was a CoT there in real history. The area simply gets too many competitors this way too. The trade in the area works much better once this one dies.

 

[unmerged(21544)]

After some consideration I have this suggestion: Since it only messes up the game and is unhistorical, why not remove it?

 

[jpd]

That I don't agree with. If only Isfahan wouldn't pull in the area it does in the game, Mascate would be quite reasonable in size, and more than comparable to the trade volume of an average european CoT. It's just that Isfahan (and, to a lesser degree, Alexandria and Kutch) tends to end op with lots of provinces (and thus a very high trade value), that is choking Mascate.

Well, playing Mughals right now I am not complaining about Isfahan , but it's unbalanced the way it currently works out. Since the province -> CoT mechanics are kept mysterious, I really can't explain why even the shiite Oman provinces end up sending trade to isfahan instead of Mascate.

Jan Peter

 

[Cagliostro]

Probably improving Oman's trade level would save Mascate.

 

[unmerged(9404)]

Maybe removing the Isfahan CoT and introducing it when Persia forms through events, either with The Reforms of Ismail (3559) or with The Reforms of Abbas the Great (1597)

 

[jpd]

That won't work either. Sure, Mascate would get some extra trade, but I suspect that most (if not all) provinces above the persian gulf that are now trading in Isfahan would send their trade not to Mascate, but instead to Alexandria, Astrakan and Kutch.

That would upset the balance of power in that area greatly, and right from the start of a GC. The Ottomans would face a two front stronger opposition (Mameluks and caucasus), and the Indian minors (especially Gujarat and Dehli) would get stronger. This leaves the Timurids (and thus later on the Mughals) in the dust.

Jan Peter

 

[unmerged(21544)]

Does people in general think the Mughal's already got it hard? In that case we should consider restrutering trade in India. From what I've read almost all naval trade was centered on the west coast of the tip area.

 

[jpd]

As it stands, I think it's allright. But that, of course, is based on that the Timurid (the mughal predecessor) can boost their income significantly through Isfahan, until that revolts away as Persia (if and when that happens).

That leaves the Timurid strong enough to oppose Delhi successfully when they exit the 50 year revolt period and turn into the Mughal Empire.

In my current ongoing Ottoman game, Persia had indeed revolted away, but the Mughals did manage to take over Dehli and Gujarat (with the Kutch CoT). Well, being allies (me and Mughal AI), we carved up persia, and then the Mughals pushed furher into India, bringing Bengal back down to size.

Jan Peter

 

[EUnderhill]

In the latest beta, the higher populations are making the CoT worth more, and attracting more merchants. I have not yet determined how much longer this will allow it to last. What is the general baseline, as I have not played it recently, except with the latest, so it would be hard to tell how much the cities that were once colonies affect this, as opposed to other tweaks? I last remember it being 31 years and out.