Trade Cities

[Laladen]

Has anyone found a use for this feature yet?

I can't figure out why I wouldn't just want to keep whatever province as mine, even as a Territorial Core at 75% autonomy. Now if the Trade City was a vassal...sure.

[somnia et musica]

Ask Fedaykin, he helps everyone around here.

Just kidding, but i find it a little useless too, maybe it somehow increases the node's trade value our your trade power in it?

[Laladen]

Originally posted by TheOttomans27:

Ask Fedaykin, he helps everyone around here.

Just kidding, but i find it a little useless too, maybe it somehow increases the node's trade value our your trade power in it?

I am fairly certain me being in the trade node alone gives that node the Merchant Republic production buffs. Perhaps I am wrong on this maybe it has to be a full core to give this boost?

Ill check.

[Bird the III]

you can only have 20 provinces without bleeding rep. tradition so at some point it can be better to have them push tradepower for you.
they are very loyal pay trademoney and add free defender units.
so a province in a tradereagion of value but mot in your culture/ core area could make you some fine money

The trade league leader gets 50% Trade power from all the league members.
The trade league leader gets a +0.025% bonus to Trade steering for each member in the league.
All members get a +20 Icon diplomacy relations bonus with all other members.
All members get a +100% Goods produced modifier.
All members get a +20% bonus to their Ship trade power.

[Laladen]

Originally posted by Fedaykin:

Originally posted by TheOttomans27:

Ask Fedaykin, he helps everyone around here.

Just kidding, but i find it a little useless too, maybe it somehow increases the node's trade value our your trade power in it?

I am fairly certain me being in the trade node alone gives that node the Merchant Republic production buffs. Perhaps I am wrong on this maybe it has to be a full core to give this boost?

Ill check.

So, I started as Venice. Changed Crete to a Trade City immediately (It's in the Alexandria node). The Mamluk provinces got a bonus of approx 5.3% to produced goods due to a Merchant Republic being in their node prior to making Crete a trade city, it changed to 6.9% afterwards.

I will play with the mechanic more later.

[Laladen]

Originally posted by Bird the III:

you can only have 20 provinces without bleeding rep. tradition so at some point it can be better to have them push tradepower for you.
they are very loyal pay trademoney and add free defender units.
so a province in a tradereagion of value but mot in your culture/ core area could make you some fine money

The trade league leader gets 50% Trade power from all the league members.
The trade league leader gets a +0.025% bonus to Trade steering for each member in the league.
All members get a +20 Icon diplomacy relations bonus with all other members.
All members get a +100% Goods produced modifier.
All members get a +20% bonus to their Ship trade power.

I understand all of that.

My question is, have you made any? Why?

I still think I would rather have 25% of all the goodies just straight up owning the province would give. By far IMHO, the best benefit from this is the extra defensive troops / ships.

I do not need a rehashing of what a Trade City is. I want to hear best practices.

I want to believe!

[Bird the III]

well if you already have 20 good provinces a trade member can assist in rolling the ducats in. 75% autonomy just doesnt give you a lot of money all buildings xpt tradepower/ fleetlimit/ armylimit are pretty much worthless.
add none accepted culture and rebell problems and idk a few devensive troops and some more tradepower seem kinda nice its 1 province per traderegion only anyway so no great loss
just dont give them any centers of trade

[Laladen]

Trade power is affected by autonomy. Not Trade value. If I own all of India at 75% autonomy (territorial cores), I am still going to be getting a massive amount of ducats.

I would still not create a trade city. I would be better off vassalizing whoever was there or creating a client state if i'm that far into the game. As I get 50% of their trade power, and I can use them for offensive & defensive wars and get part of their tax & trade income.

[Mr.M]

If you own only few provinces there you wont have that much trade power tho

http://www.eu4wiki.com/Trade_league#Trading_city

I dont have mare nostrum, yet played a bit with it in Mp and the wiki site also helps.

Getting 50% of the trade power of a trade city is more than getting 75% due to high autonomy (+ new nations actually get even more trade power out of it) + You get additional steering bonus for each member

[Laladen]

Originally posted by MrMonokel2000:

If you own only few provinces there you wont have that much trade power tho

http://www.eu4wiki.com/Trade_league#Trading_city

I dont have mare nostrum, yet played a bit with it in Mp and the wiki site also helps.

Getting 50% of the trade power of a trade city is more than getting 75% due to high autonomy (+ new nations actually get even more trade power out of it) + You get additional steering bonus for each member

I will have to mess with it. It just feels like a risky investment for little gain. If that trade city gets attacked, I can't call in my usual allies, I can only call in the Trade League which is me plus a bunch of weenies, who may or may not be on another continent.

[Mr.M]

Yeah i cant really tell if its good or bad as i dont have Mare Nostrum and cant test it - it just sounds like it "could" be good if one knows how to use it

[Rabob]

I never used it. If I could release them from a peace offer it would be one thing, but I actually need to conquer a province and get the AE to release them. So it's just not worth it to do unless you really lack admin power for coring or something. Or you want to give the HRe more princes?

[Laladen]

Originally posted by MrMonokel2000:

Yeah i cant really tell if its good or bad as i dont have Mare Nostrum and cant test it - it just sounds like it "could" be good if one knows how to use it

My issue is that I can't tell when to use it.

Oh I will really get ahead by making a Trade City there!

This will really screw my rival if I make a Trade City there!

I just can't figure out where in my decision making I should be placing this feature.

What I would like to see is for this Trade City to be a full vassal. Unable to be grown perhaps. Maybe a limit on +1 trade city per era. Not using a diplomacy slot.

I might use this. Perhaps on a Center of Trade or Estuary that I just can't make a state. The AI would slowly develop the province, but it would still be mine basically and I could always annex it later.

[Mr.M]

Why would one want to give the Hre more princes as a Merchant republic...?

I thought that you can only make trade cities as the leader of a trade league which can only be a merchant republic?

And i THINK trade cities are actually limited in growth - they are limited to 1 per trade node tho

[Laladen]

Originally posted by Rabob:

I never used it. If I could release them from a peace offer it would be one thing, but I actually need to conquer a province and get the AE to release them. So it's just not worth it to do unless you really lack admin power for coring or something. Or you want to give the HRe more princes?

That's the only real thing Ive thought of. Making more princes and easier Free Cities. No way to create them as Austria or even as the Emperor since a Merchant Republic can never be the Emperor.

[Laladen]

Originally posted by MrMonokel2000:

Why would one want to give the Hre more princes as a Merchant republic...?

Maybe for some weird team multiplayer thing?

Originally posted by MrMonokel2000:

I thought that you can only make trade cities as the leader of a trade league which can only be a merchant republic?

This is correct.

Originally posted by MrMonokel2000:

And i THINK trade cities are actually limited in growth - they are limited to 1 per trade zone tho

When a trade city gains an additional province, it ceases being a Trade City (which is apparently a Government form) and becomes a full Merchant Republic and exits the Trade League.