Is trade worth the effort?

from Stardock Forums
I am a GalCiv1 vet and therefore was fairly familiar with the value of Trade. It improved relationships tremendously in the early game and generated more money than most other methods.

When I started GalCivII I obviously prioritised it as I had in the past. Now that I’ve played dozens of games I’ve got to the stage of ignoring it completely. The game seems to give much more value on military might in the early stages. Therefore whereas I used to rush freighters to get on good terms I now rush a few defenders. On the finance side, Stock Exchanges are so good I rush to research them and then I can always run a high moral, high income economy which generates more money than I can spend.

I must admit to only playing with conquest victory enabled. Therefore I spend most of my time at war rather than diplomacy (and I can see the value of trade in a peaceful Universe). However for me I do not spend my time establishing and protecting trade. What is everyone else doing?

Please don't take this as a dig at the game. Merely a query about how others viewed the relative balance of the elements within a great game.
12,451 views 33 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Actually I rely on freighters not for economy but to make sure I don't get ganged up on while conquering the galaxy....
just send trade routes to civs you are not at war with, they'll be less likely to gang up on you... then when you've defeated a civ, you attack another one, switch the routes to the remaining civs.... etc. etc. in the end you'll have trade with only 1 civilization who hasn't gone to war yet... making conquest much easier....

I do realize that some would consider that a cheesy tactic... but it works!
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
I don't think what you are doing is at all cheesy. I do recoginze it still works that way... Just that the other ways of getting money and keeping stable relations seem to work better, and need less micro management (building trade centers) than trade.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
Is trade worth the effort?

IMO yes. But more as a diplomatic tool, than as a source of money. In GC-1 a player got a +1 from trade for each square the freighter traveled. In GC-2 the trade revenue is nerfed by factor 5-10, so it has significant impact only when the number of empire's planets is small (5-10).
BR, Iztok

Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Are you kidding? How about 3000bc per turn.(average) Do you think that's worth it?

Current game: I'm in a corner with all 12 trade routes coming from my 17b pop planet. each freighter passes through 3-8 economy starbases while it's in my territory.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
So you've lots of money... I'm sorry I didn't see the "win the game by getting 1M credits" option

I said I'm trying to play the game by conquest. As soon as you go to war against a decently powerful civ the AI seems to target your freighters and starbases in space you do not own.

Maybe I'm missing a trick but I seem to get on fine by having my own economy support me.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Dr Ben
Thanks for the hint but you've forgotten to say why
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As others have said, I find trade useful mainly as a diplomatic tool. I tend to send a few trade routes to each of the empires which border mine in order to keep them sweet. Once I start attacking people the routes get moved over to the nations which are now bordering my new, expanded empire . In terms of money I find that trade can be helpful early on to augment revenue from selling tech in order to finance my deficit spending. However, later on my emprie tends to be self-sufficient.

As the OP said, this is a big contrast to GC1 where trade brought in a massive ammount of revenue - IMO trade was too powerful then.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
some games ago i got a trade line generating 250 BC per turn
on average, i got about 80-90 BC out of each of my 12 trade lines
having 5 planets, that made a huge difference

when you boost your planets with starbases (4 bases next to research and manufactoring capital) you simply cant pay for all this just with taxes
last game my research capital got 3055 research points per turn
about 1300 of those were free but i had to pay for the rest ... trade made it possible
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Skyjack and Megavolt
Are you playing on gigantic? How do you keep your routes safe or do you never go to war?

I play on conquest victory only on Suicidal. War can put pay to trade so quickly, wrecking game-years of construction. How do you overcome this problem?
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I Think building some defensive starbases along your trade routes may help stop the affect of war on trade i hope.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
By building fast ships to get there nice and quickly, hoping on the UP to make that damn law, or building galactic privateer which means only you can destroy trade routes (although individual freighters still get blown up, you aren't paying for them) probably.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
i dont think trade is any gd
i sent a freighter the whole way across a LARGE galaxy n it got only 2 bc
i dont do much any more
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
A good economy will help support a larger millitary - you can always pay people off.
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
Pete is that a home grown economy or do you mean trade based economy?
Marcathonas - Gal Privateer is great if you could be sure to get it. If someone else gets there first you are a bit stuck. I hate relying on getting to one particular wonder first.
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
So you've lots of money... I'm sorry I didn't see the "win the game by getting 1M credits" option

It's called diplomatic victory... with lots of cash pay everyone off to get to the "close" diplomatic level..

Perhaps trade doesn't bring obscene amounts of money but if the game lasts it will earn you much more than it cost.
Plus it lets you choose who to trade with, so you can keep your friends closer and richer than the rest.
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Ditto Diplomacy option,

++trade is pretty useful when you want to spend time developing rather than working on your military
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well its kinda 'duh' isn't it?

If you are playing conquest only then do you have much use for the tech victory tree? Or the culture tree?

Sure you get some use out of the early parts of it, but if you have to conquer everyone else then obviously you get more use out of the military trees.

Trade is quite useful depending on the galaxy set up. I personally don't find myself building that many of my own routes, but unless you are embargoing everyone you get routes set up from other empires anyway. Indeed with my style of play neutral is the poorest ethics choice for me, since I don't get that much utility out of its benefits compared to the benefits from either evil or good (depending on if I want to win an alliance vic or a mil/culture vic).
Reply #19 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
each freighter passes through 3-8 economy starbases while it's in my territory.

IMO the accent is on "while". What when they went out? In my games they're out 95% of the time, so I use econ starbases strictly as production boosters. 've never put a trade-enhancing module on any starbase, and am still making much more cash I can spend with regular production.

BR, Iztok
Reply #20 from Stardock Forums Top
I see... so everyone who likes trade goes for diplomatic victories. I can see the point in trade then. However, I found diplomatic and culture victories so lame that I've switched them off. Maybe I'll try turning them on and not trying to conquer everyone. Then I can spend ages building up trade routes, heck I might even try being "good". Nah, on second thoughts I'll stick to conquest only and play as Neutral or Evil much more fun for me.
Reply #21 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I think trade is overblown. I always play evil and get the universe embargo of one trade route and still crush. The damn privateer doesn't work either.

Peace out
Reply #22 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Not everyone. I like trade for the diplomatic effect, and the small income supplement at the beginning when I need it, but I always turn off all alternate victories. I am a Galactic Emperor, after all, and diplomacy is a great tool for manipulating and dominating the insignificant minor races (Torian, Drengin, Yor, Altarian, Arcean, etc.) in their petty wars and other dealings while I roll over them one by one.





Reply #23 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Bah, I can't be assed to play out most games until I've invaded each and every planet, that's far too dull.

Alliance and culture are just shortcuts to finishing the game, so is tech, but its even more dull to sit there hitting enter while having to wait for the AI to move its useless fleets around for 50+ turns.

To each their own though.

One other thing trade is good for, the AI will pay you alot for the tech itself whether you actually bother to build freighters or not. And honestly, in the later game I cannot see why you wouldn't send 10 frieghters to some minor or blockaded major who you havn't conquered yet just for the extra cash. Makes rush buying that much faster you know.
Reply #24 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have a question about trade.

I thought the route was more profitable if you sent the freighter to a better planet (PQ 15 > 5) ?

If this is true, why in my current game (with the latest patch) do the AIs have routes set up with my "Mars" planet of 6 when my capitol is in the same system and its a 18? I have even seen frieghters fly right up to my capitol and then turn around. I don't get it.

On Topic: I do think trade is under valued. It should somehow be inter connected with your economy. If I have a thriving economy with a huge population then the value of all routes should be affected.
Reply #25 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Trade is good, but not for those looking for a pure conquest victory. I will usually only send out freighters after I known a certain civ is going to remain friendly with me and/or become my ally for the balance of the game. On Suicidal this is well after the other civs have sent out their freighters, and usually after at least one race has been eliminated.

Trade with a friendly minor race is good. If tech trading is enabled, it gives the minor race more money to spend on techs from you. This will be of more benefit than taking their one planet, especially if playing on a large or gigantic map. By focusing trade routes on one alien world, a human player can build a nice economic star base at that one planet for a big boost in overall trade revenue.