Trade over oceans/etc?

[Juu]

Based on what I've read, to gain access to either your strategic resources, or to strategic resources of others via trading, you need roads connecting those strategic resources to your "consumer" cities.

E.g. - for Germans to be trading with Japanese, their capitals should be connected via roads. Or, for you to gain access to that uranium resource, you need to connect it to your overall road system.

How will that work over seas?

E.g. - what if Germans are on another island than Japanese? Or what if your uranium resource is on another island than the cities that wish to "consume" it?

I must be missing something, such as perhaps with some advance overseas trade becomes automatic, or something like that.

Any factual clarifications will be appreciated - speculations also to a lesser degree .

[Jason Beaudoin]

You'd have to create a city with a harbour, and the city with the harbour would have to be connected to your trade network via road. The Japanese would have to have the same thing in order to trade with anyone located off the island.

[Stuie]

To expand slightly on Jason's response, trade connections can pass by road through either Ports or Airports to other Ports (connected by sea) or Airports (anywhere).

[Grumbold]

I believe blockading will be possible for ports but its less likely with airports.

[Juu]

that's reasonable

Jason,
Stuie,

Thanks.

That sounds quite reasonable, but I'd still think some other conditions should be met - e.g., the harbor you wish to connect to should be "explored" ("black fog removed") by your navy before.

Also - is this something that you read something for sure, or is this a speculation?

[Grumbold]

It's all been explained by Firaxians. Not absolutely sure on the having to know a path from harbour to harbour though.

[Faboba]

All resources must make it to the capital however. Take out the roads around that and uoi'll cripple the AI

[KrazyHorse]

I certainly hope that trade requires knowledge of the route to be used.

[Ralf]

Originally posted by Jason Beaudoin
You'd have to create a city with a harbour, and the city with the harbour would have to be connected to your trade network via road. The Japanese would have to have the same thing in order to trade with anyone located off the island.

Originally posted by Stuie
To expand slightly on Jason's response, trade connections can pass by road through either Ports or Airports to other Ports (connected by sea) or Airports (anywhere).

Yes, but is really established road-connected harbour-cities and diplomatic map-swappings enough in itself, in order to get full ocean trade-access with foreign empires?

I hope not. The initial trade-contact should be made by sending a trireme/Caravel. Just one ship making contact with one foreign road-connected harbour-city is enough, though (and by that establishing a ocean trade-route).

Just as one inter-empire connecting road is enough to establish foreign landbased trade-relations with your Civ-neighbor.

[Jason Beaudoin]

I think it would be safe to assume that even if YOU don't have knowledge of the trade route (via sea) your trading partner might, and I guess that is the logic of being able to trade with another CIV even if you don't have a trade route mapped out.

I believe that once you have a harbour, you'll be able to trade with CIVs that have the same on another continent.

[cyril25376]

Different to civ2, you can only trade when the other civilization agree. I am quite happy that is no more possible to establish a trade route during war.

[Sandman]

I suggest that the number of resources traded will depend on the number of coastal cities and harbours you have.

For each harbour you can export and import one resource. Ports raise this to two.

If it is possible to channel all your overseas trade through a single coastal city, then the naval blockade becomes much more difficult, as all coastal cities must be blockaded in order for it to work. With my system, a partial blockade will have some effect.

Also, it would be a waste of time building any roads to neighbouring civs, as you could conduct all your trade by sea.

And a small question. Can naval blockade work against several cities at once by blocking off a narrow channel? Like the entrance to the Mediterranean?

[Ralf]

Originally posted by Jason Beaudoin
I believe that once you have a harbour, you'll be able to trade with CIVs that have the same on another continent.

I keep my thumbs crossed that its not that easy.

If one laboriously must build roads in order to establish land-based trade-routes with foreign empires, then why would the team counter-balance this by making the establishment of ocean-based (foreign) trade-routes an effortless and 100% automatic process?

It doesnt make any logical sense, and I dont think they have implemented it this way.

[Lorizael]

I think it would a good idea to say that one harbor can only export and/or import one resource. That way you could blockade a particular resource. Though not realistic it would add to realism if you know what I mean.