The infocards don't make it obvious what my income is from trading, where the caravan hails from (although I think the white text was trying to tell me where it was from in the non-trading case), or where the caravan is going to vs. coming from:
I'd recommend using/adding language similar to: "tariffs: x%"
Or perhaps this information is just what the Caravan is 'carrying' not what the sovereign's income would be from the trade.
it would also be nice to know how long (turns wise) the trading trip is for the caravan, and where the caravan is at in the trip, to gauge how profitable the route is.
for a final example, how about:
"Trading: Norarar to Abriill" *Bold for home city
"Carrying: 95.48 Gildar, 2.2 Metal"
"Tariffs: 10%, 9.55Gildar, 0.22 Metal"
"Arrival: Abriill in 2 of 3 turns"
"'Moved by the Invisible Hand(tm)'"
I'd use my Photoshop skills to make it sexy for you but I think you get the idea.
Lastly, and most importantly in my mind, trade is not a legitimate function of government as people can do their own trading just fine, thank you. I as the sovereign should not be building caravans and telling them where to go, just give me a cut of their trade goods for ensuring the safety of the roads and providing them a place to trade in town. The population can take care of their own trade when the trade route is sufficiently pacified (or they can try when it is decidedly not pacified too if that creates a fun highway robbery mechanic), and sufficiently profitable for the traders (i.e. tons of trade between big cities with differing resources/knowledge, decent trade between big cities, less trade between cities and small outposts, almost no trade between small outposts). You can also tie into the equation the number of markets/merchant areas you build in your city as well, and make them generate revenue from a small base (internal trade) + revenue from tariffs based on external trade. And if your trade lines get raided...poof goes that cash flow (and the brigands get caravan loot).
In short, I'd like to play the part of a real sovereign who rules over and interacts with an independent (lifelike) world, than a micromanaging megalomaniac that controls every aspect of existence.
Yes, the caravan system doesn't make much sense to me as it stands. Do I even make money on these? I only use them to make roads.
There should be some other way for me to build roads imho, and then trading should be done automatic. Roads, markets and merchant should just increase my profit share.
I agree caravana system shoud get a littel more attention. Cant figure out how dose they work
Can you tell me how to use them to make roads? I didnt figure that out. I even send them to other citys.
The idea of roads arising spontaneously is sort of neat. And if you want to say 'this isn't interesting and it's not where the focus of the game should be', I think that's a perfectly valid opinion.
The 'trade is not a legitimate function of government' argument, however, is silly. Political theory notwithstanding, monarchs have engaged in trade throughout history and trade expeditions across dangerous territory have frequently operated under royal charter or at royal instigation. And I find it entirely plausible that the absolute leader of a small enclave struggling to survive on the edge of a barren wasteland would exercise authority over every major expenditure of resources and be a micromanaging megalomaniac.
Entirely open to discussion about whether or not that's FUN, but it's not irrational.
Such trade envoys (dictated by kings/emperors) were not the dominant mode of trade, even in their era. In most cases, their dominant function was to established trade routes by showing their profitability to the merchant/noble class (ex. Columbus, the Ming Dynasty trade ships, etc.). Or in the more sinister cases, tyrant dictated trade occurred because the route is not profitable and the trade is a tribute or subsidy (ex. China sending food by rail into North Korea). But of course it would be silly to use this last type of trade mechanic because it would drain wealth rather than produce it.
That trade has been dictated previously in history does not mean it is a legitimate function of government. That you are referring to the actions of tyrants should be a clue (assuming you don't think tyranny is a legitimate form of government).
I think most of this could be done building from the type of trade system established in SOASE - trade buildings at your towns enable trade between towns - more trade buildings, more city wealth and more resource diversity => more and wealthier trade caravans traveling to and from your city. It would make concrete (and more interact able) what SOASE only abstracted by using the length of longest trade route (that greater trade is the result of greater division of labor).
I agree with your opinion on the roads though Nim. I like how they are created more or less organically, as the caravans go about their trade. I'm not micromanaging lifeless pioneers(settlers) to go 'build railroads' all over the place.
The point I was trying to make, actually, was that the legitimacy of a government and its actions is irrelevant to both its (pseudo)historical plausibility and its place in a game. Regardless of the LEGITIMACY of tyranny or centralized authoritarianism in general, they exist - both in the real world, and from the look of the lore, in the setting. That seems to be the way the Empires lean, at least.
On the Kingdom side, I suppose if you preferred you could picture the 'Create Caravan' action as instead representing the establishment of incentives and favorable tariffs that cause a trade route to come into being on its own, in support of the national interest in developing its frontier territories or conducting foreign trade in support of state diplomacy. But I don't see that this really makes a difference to the GAME.
(Would be interested in discussing the historical issues - degree to which the noble class in a feudal system can be regarded as separate from the state versus a microcosm of the state, etc - with you elsewhere maybe, but letting that part drop for now before we go too wildly off-topic!)
I'm not sure how to even use them to build roads at the moment. Last time i used a caravan it caused my game to crash.
You build your caravan in city A. Send it to city B. Provided it makes it there safely the merchant begins to travel between city A and city B doing his trading automatically. Provided you keep the route safe and keep him from getting eaten, his trade eventually causes a dirt road to develop. More time, and more trade later, the dirt road becomes a paved road.
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