Not getting the Income I should be?

[TallishDwarf]

Alright so I'm playing as Prussia, the year is 1724 and I've only just noticed this issue. My total income is +18088. My total expenditures are -9283, my projected income is 8805. But when my next turn starts I've made less than 1000 so I am slowly losing money. I have no blocked trade routes, all my ports are functioning, I do not owe money to any faction so I do not understand the issue.

I have noticed, however, that when the AI is taking their turn my gold goes down by ~9000 then is replenished by my projected income. So it seems that the expenditures are being subtracted from my treasury rather than from the 18088 that I'm making. Is there any fix to this or can i just not continue this save?

[HazardHawk]

You have an enemy fleet parked on a trade route or blockading your primary port EDIT: OR your port is damaged or port capital is damaged.

[Bfloo]

if your trade partners are at war, their ports/ trade routes could be blocked. Look at the trade tab on the government window, it will show you.

[TallishDwarf]

Originally posted by HazardHawk:

You have an enemy fleet parked on a trade route or blockading your primary port EDIT: OR your port is damaged or port capital is damaged.

Like I said, I do not have any blockaded routes and all my ports are functioning. Only one of my partners is at war but I'm only gaining ~150 from them so it's not important. I think the issue is: I am losing ~9000 while the AI is taking its turn, then that lost money is being replenished by my projected income. So why would I be losing that much money during my turn when I owe nothing to any faction?

[Bfloo]

time to sack your treasury guy, he's robbing you.

I never ran into this, I pretty much spend it all every turn

[HazardHawk]

Originally posted by Bfloo:

if your trade partners are at war, their ports/ trade routes could be blocked. Look at the trade tab on the government window, it will show you.

There is this consideration as well.

If I may? Related, but more side stepping. Watch the expense of your military until you have a base which can absorb the cost of your military with one direction of income shut down. This will likely mean a slower game, but I cannot count the number of games I have played where it turned out I should have played just a little slower.

Setting up a base is fairly simple, but does cycle you through a fair amount of turns getting started. You will need to find your own balance and path which will fit your own play style.

My style is priority...
1) go through all of your outlying towns and make sure they all have a building. Do not upgrade, but build in the empty spots
2) go through your roads and again, make sure roads are built, so the slot is not empty, but do not upgrade anything.
3) go through the starting forces and get rid of any garbage units or units you will not soon need. Demi cannon are useless to me in playing and I disband immediately. In my fleets, if I am not a normal sea faring power, I get rid of the lower class garbage ships.
4) go through your main province buildings and upgrade the lowest tier only capitals and make sure you go with your entertainment building as the only other building to start.
5) go through the ports making sure you get as close as you can to two trading ports and the remainder for now fishing ports (unless you are a sea power and then you need one military port). Pay attention to positioning as some ports do better as fishing, some better as trade, and some better as military. Example, holding Gilbraltor, it has a military port, but it does better with a low priority fishing port long term.
6) go to diplomacy and offer free trade agreements by which nation will both pay more now and pay more longer term. Do not ever pay for a trade agreement.
7) Drop the gentleman into your school and research the far right tab first three top line first.

Here, you should be close to out of money. If you are not, do not worry and do not spend it yet, cycle the turns.

I do not build high end first, I build across the bottom. The reason I do this is building upgrades are a series of diminishing returns. The upgrades are needed for the cumulative overall economy so you have to build the upgrades to keep up and progress. The choices I make and 10-15 turns later I am rolling in money and turning the lower class only tax bracket down one notch. Now is time to smart recruit good armies and move into expansion. If I have rebel or pirate targets at hand available, those are often my first target with less quality troops just to begin developing more regions.

[Bfloo]

I try to do the early build up similar to how you do it, but if another power declares war right away, it is hard to go economy 1st.

[HazardHawk]

Originally posted by Bfloo:

I try to do the early build up similar to how you do it, but if another power declares war right away, it is hard to go economy 1st.

Most wars are in name only or so that your trade routes can be raided. They may send a half stack to a full stack at you, but that is not really a big deal.

What I do is build level one walls and never build the second level as defending the smaller fort is so much easier and a quicker battle. Level one can also be effectively defended by half a stack (including garrison) against a double stack attacking. It does take some placement strategy and micro management but maintain the walls until the enemy breaches and then rush everyone to the center square in defensive mode and use anything you can to flank any enemy coming through that breach.. Use ranged as long as you can and then go to melee using hit and pull back to hit again with some units while leaving others manually engaged. This is only a basic idea and each of us will play slightly different even attempting to play the same.

Ignore any raider armies. Let them raid and damage buildings, just hit repair the next turn as they move to another town. If they get within range of your army to where they cannot retreat from attack range, take them out.

You will also discover, when someone declares war on you and you ignore them, in a few turns they start asking for a peace treaty and money. I deny and let them stay at war. If they get in trouble elsewhere, there is a point they will pay for peace even using technology or giving a region.

If you do find yourself in a war you do not think you can win, do what it takes to organize just enough to go take that nations capital province, offer peace immediately giving them back that town and all of their research where you can offer back half as much at the same time and they will take that offer giving you peace. If they will also accept a trade agreement, in ten or so turns will be military access or defensive alliance in many cases.

[Gary]

Spot on advice throughout, especially "Play more sowly".

[FalloutBlues]

Having the same issue, no idea what is going on but very annoying

[Bfloo]

It could just be a quirk with Prussia. There are times my income just drops drastically. But in my case, it always is about right according to the numbers it gives me.

[Man o' War]

Have a look in your trade tab, there you will see your overseas and over land trade.

Anything in red is trade being interrupted, this can be something occurring outside of your control such as a trade partner being involved in a hostile war against a neighbour of his that prevents an over land trade route being used.

[Bfloo]

Originally posted by Man o' War:

Have a look in your trade tab, there you will see your overseas and over land trade.

Anything in red is trade being interrupted, this can be something occurring outside of your control such as a trade partner being involved in a hostile war against a neighbour of his that prevents an over land trade route being used.

I run into this, but it is not what I'm referring to. I think it is public servants dying, but I neglect it.

[Man o' War]

Aah yes, public servants can be an issue. Make a save and check them one at a time moving them into new roles to check effects and back again if necessary and get rid of your worst minister every turn until you're happy.

I don't recall the names/traits anymore but people with mistresses etc don't make for good chancellors and often have negative effects.

You're correct, ministers are more important than they may initially appear and I spent a long time getting a cabinet I was ok with, don't neglect them.

Indeed, should you have a large navy and armies and the minister responsible dies or is replaced it can result in a large financial hit until someone more competent takes their place.

Best wishes.

[FalloutBlues]

Do you have any auto management? I realized that was draining all my gold ... lol

[pgeerkens]

Originally posted by Man o' War:

Aah yes, public servants can be an issue. Make a save and check them one at a time moving them into new roles to check effects and back again if necessary and get rid of your worst minister every turn until you're happy.

One problem to watch for doing this is that Empire doesn't always properly refresh after a ministerial change. Some calculations just require the Government pop-up to be closed and re-opened; but others require doing a CTRL-S CTRL-L sequence (Quick Save followed by Quick Load) to properly see the recalculations.

Originally posted by Man o' War:

I don't recall the names/traits anymore but people with mistresses etc don't make for good chancellors and often have negative effects.

• Mistress is a neutral follower with +1 for Nobility Public Order;
  
• Well Connected Mistress is a great trait with +1 for both Treasury and Justice with no adverse Public Order effects.
  
• "Mistress" is a terrible trait with adverse Public Order effects.

Originally posted by Man o' War:

You're correct, ministers are more important than they may initially appear and I spent a long time getting a cabinet I was ok with, don't neglect them.

Indeed, should you have a large navy and armies and the minister responsible dies or is replaced it can result in a large financial hit until someone more competent takes their place.

How true. Good Cabinet Management makes Absolute Monarchy the very best government type with virtually no adverse Public Order effects of significance until late in the Technology Tree Research. One can run for long periods at a time, 20 to 25 turns or longer, with Minsters adding +8 to +12 Public Order bonuses through combination of beneficial personal attributes and followers, plus stars. That really takes the sting out of conquering especially Capitol regions. I have occasionally run entire World Domination campaigns without a single rebellion, though that takes a bit of good luck.