Protecting established trade lanes

[bdenuto]

What strategies do you use to protect your established trade lanes to distant systems if they run through the area of someone you want to take on militarily?

[tetleytea]

If you dominate him militarily, he's not a threat. Have enough ships in his systems and shoot anything that moves. Offer peace when you've met your objectives. Sometimes you can offer peace as a tactical move--e.g. you see his Corvette is going to kill your trade ship, so might as well offer peace now. You can add that cost savings in with whatever the AI is paying you for peace.

[bdenuto]

In my current game (large), I have my trade lanes going diagonally from one corner (me) to the other (Scottalingas). They go right through Dregnin territory, and he's got a ton of ships. I've specifically targeted civilizations so far that are in the other 2 corners, hoping to preserve my trade lanes. Do I just write them off and create new freighters and send them off to somewhere else before I declare war on the Dregnin? Any thoughts would be helpful.

[Vanguard]

I used to build lots of extra freighters and pre-positioned them near minor planets or near the edge of the board. When a trade route was destroyed you can almost instantly put another into operation.

Freighters are very cheap compared to their value, and have no maintenance cost. So I think building a surplus is well worthwhile.

[Ellestar]

Freighters are very cheap compared to their value, and have no maintenance cost. So I think building a surplus is well worthwhile.

But you'll get a very low income from a new route. So don't depend on this.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by bdenuto
In my current game (large), I have my trade lanes going diagonally from one corner (me) to the other (Scottalingas). They go right through Dregnin territory, and he's got a ton of ships. I've specifically targeted civilizations so far that are in the other 2 corners, hoping to preserve my trade lanes. Do I just write them off and create new freighters and send them off to somewhere else before I declare war on the Dregnin? Any thoughts would be helpful.

If a war gets hot, it doesn't have to involve killing of the little tradeships before your gutless corporate weenies tell you they're abandoning the trade route. If you can't quickly overwhelm the Drengin, then you need to look at an alternative.

Shorter trade routes aren't that bad, IMO - you can do a lot with starbases with econ enhancements to make up for the loss due to length, and a trade route you can protect and maintain is ultimately better than one you cant.

[bonscott]

In my last game I had a trade route to a minor race going right through Alterian territory. Well, the Alterian's were getting testy. So's I send a Battle Hammer down to my trade ship. The Battle Hammer always stays with the trade ship. During my whole war with the Alterians they never once dared attack my trade ship protected by the Hammer.

And yes, I always have surplus freighters for two reasons:
1) Ready to establish another trade route once your max number expands.
2) Ready to go if one dies because of war or what not.

If you check it out, you'll see the AI does this exact same thing (at least on Normal and above). When I see some AI freighters waiting outside my systems I'll usually call up that Civ and trade to them a tech that gives them another trade route. Next turn they move in a establish a trade route with me. Great move to get those trade routes to me and not to others.

[tetleytea]

Nice move with trading a +1 route tech.