The Dummy Guide to Trade.

[markusf]

I recently developed a stratagy which makes the need for all city improvements other then temples obsolete. And is great for use in diplo games

What you do is as soon as you discouver trade, research ships and if you can build lighthouse. Then find the nearest civ and make sure it is on a island (100% bonus) close by. Then find its biggest port city.

Hopefully by now you have 7 or 8 cities, go 70% tax and rush buy caravans in every single city, and buy ships in your port cities, then rush these caravans over to the other civ and send them into his biggest city. As long as you don't research either navigation or invention (if they aren't discouvered you get an addition 200% trade bonus) you will get between 100 and 800 gold/science a caravan. Once your rolling use all the extra cash to buy temples and settlars to build more cities. I have used this in duels to get 1000 gold a turn by 1ad on diety (1x1x)... Anyways once your up to delivering 4 or 5 caravans a turn you will be at one tech a turn, with close to 1000 gold a turn. If you run out of commodities just reset them. If possible just build hides caravans that way you won't need to reset them.

For the math behind it.
A caravan costs 125 gold to rush buy. If the average bonus is 200-300 gold/ caravan you just made 75+ gold... AND you get an equal amount of science.

[Alexander's Horse]

Oh yeah? Well why did you have to steal trade off me at 400AD in our current game? Huh? Huh? Answer me that!

[ravagon]

Er, isn't trade required for his caravan strategy?

Thanks for the tip on navigation/invention. I didn't know about that.
Q: What size landmass defines your "island" above? Or rather what's the cutoff between island and continent?

[Alexander's Horse]

He sayeth one thing and doeth another

[atawa]

Call me a dummy, but how do you reset commodities

[markusf]

Originally posted by ravagon
Er, isn't trade required for his caravan strategy?

Thanks for the tip on navigation/invention. I didn't know about that.
Q: What size landmass defines your "island" above? Or rather what's the cutoff between island and continent?

Anything with a different cont number gives you a 100% trade bonus.

[markusf]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
Oh yeah? Well why did you have to steal trade off me at 400AD in our current game? Huh? Huh? Answer me that!

Your map is 5 billion and you have hills and plains, no grasslands. Not only that your port cities are size 1 and 2 in monarchy... I would only get 50 or 60 gold off you per caravan. To get over 150 gold a caravan the other civ needs at least 8 base trade in the destination city.

[markusf]

Originally posted by atawa
Call me a dummy, but how do you reset commodities

If the city producing caravans has a silk route, send it a silk caravan from another city that has bigger base trade.

[markusf]

Trade = ( trade of home city + trade of destination city + 4 ) / 8

Note that it does not directly depend on city size or distance. The following (cumulative) modifiers apply:

Both cities are yours -50%
Freight instead of caravan +50%
Cities connected by road +50%
Cities connected by rail +50%
Cities on different continents +100%
Airports in both cities +50%
Superhighways in home city +50%


The one time bonus payment is calculated as follows:

Payment = ( ( distance + 10 ) x ( trade of both cities ) ) / 24

It increases if the destination city demands one of these goods (double these figures if the city is not yours):

Silver, Cloth, Wine +50%
Silk, Spice, Gems, Gold +100%
Oil +150%
Uranium +200%


The final bonus payment figure is then doubled during the first 200 game turns or until both Navigation and Invention are discovered. It is reduced by one third after the discovery of Railroad, and by another third after the discovery of Flight.

[-Jrabbit]

Markusf -- Awesome info for a relative newbie who's still trying to balance the different game factors.

Seeing Trade in a whole new light!

thx...

[markusf]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Markusf -- Awesome info for a relative newbie who's still trying to balance the different game factors.

Seeing Trade in a whole new light!

thx...

lol, trade is the game... you can also reduce anyones trade by over 50% just by placing a caravan, diplomat or any kind of unit anywhere along the optimal trade path between 2 cities.

[-Jrabbit]

I usually go for Trade early, but then find myself competing for WOWs instead of establishing routes with my camels.

Tell me more about the Optimum Trade Path. Sounds like a physical path (line of sight?) or something -- and that would presumably affect where you build roads, how you place your cities, etc.


*(-Jrabbit settles in for today's lesson)*

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by markusf


Your map is 5 billion and you have hills and plains, no grasslands. Not only that your port cities are size 1 and 2 in monarchy...

How do you know that?

You haven't explored the map yet

I'm not going to make an accusation

yet

[finbar]

Sounds like markus has got hold of a copy of the "Civ 2 Official Strategy Guide" by David Ellis. Or someone has. All these formulae - and modifiers - are in the book. As I posted in the City Bribe thread, though, some of the formulae have been found to be suspect by the arithmetically-inclined members of this site. Which isn't to say the Trade forumla is suspect. I just wish I could remember, for the benefit of all of us, which formulae were shot down ...

[markusf]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse


How do you know that?

You haven't explored the map yet

I'm not going to make an accusation

yet

You have 1 port city that i know of and its size 2.
My biggest cities are size 4 and 5.. When going 0% lux all your biggest cities show in the T5.. at least they did when i last checked, none of your cities where over size 4