Can't build Traders?

[DOMtimer]

I'm playing as Teeken and naturally one of my missions is to have the most trade income. I noticed I don't have any traders anywhere, and I don't seem to have the means to make them in the tech tree. Am I being blind or missing something entirely?

[Dray Prescot]

Establish as many Trading agreements (Restricted/Limited/Free) as you can with other Empires. Then your Freighters (and their Freighters) will start taking Resources from your Worlds/Mining Stations to their Worlds, i.e. Space Ports, and come back with Resources from their Worlds. But there has to be a price difference for the Goods between the two ends in order to make a Profit.

That profitable exchange of Resources between two Empires is what generates your Trade Income. Commerce Centers at your Space Ports and Mining Stations, should probably increase your Trade Income from the Ships buying and selling Resources.

So your "Traders" are just your normal Freighters moving resources between the Empires.

Using f1 should give your Empires total Income and Expenses, with Trade income as one of the lines. Trade Bonuses is 5th line in Annual Bonus Income in my screenshot:

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198041532360/screenshot/2469733003257590077/

Also check your Special Racial Victory Points in your Victory Point Screen, which should give it.

I would expect Trade Bonuses to be the same as your Trade Income.

If you have a game that has been running awhile with Trade Agreements active, you should be able to look at individual Freighters to see what resources they are taking where. Look for freighters moving between your Empire and other Empires.
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use Civilian Ships tab and then Freighters tab:

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198041532360/screenshot/2469733003257647685/

added: as pointed out in the next message, YOU (the Government) do NOT own and build Freighters (aka Traders) or control their movement, the Private Economy does.

Your ONLY ability to affect Trading Income is via Trade Agreements with other Empires, which require you to have good diplomatic relations with other Empires.

Indirectly, you want to be producing a lot Resources for cheap prices to sell to other Empires.

So you are NOT interested in being at War with a lot of Empires, you want Peace and Trading Agreements with them.

[SgtScum]

'Traders" ergo your freighter fleet are all private sector and automatically built and managed by the AI. As was explained above you have to forge trade agreements and then you will see lots and lots of freighters being built and buzzing all over the map.

[DOMtimer]

Thanks for the responses guys. I've had multiple trade agreements for a very long time and according to my special victory condition I haven't made any trade income. I get a tiny tiny amount of trade bonuses I think but its unclear whether that contributes to the victory condition. My empire is spread across the entire map so I like to think I'm close to most places. Perhaps I just have so many resources my freighters don't see any point to trading?

I also checked my freighters and they don't inherently have the commercial part installed so maybe that contributes as well

[JohnnyBravo40]

Freighters dont need the Commercial module, your mining bases do though.

[ZumZoom]

I think there was a known bug with the way that victory condition works. Had it myself last time with teekans, even though my trade was around a million every year.