How do i get anything good out of trade??

from Stardock Forums
In the games i play i dont see trade as a big factor for me its always only 10% of my income. I would like to see trade have a much bigger impact on my income something like 20%-30%.
Do i not use my trade routes good enough or is it somehting else i might do wrong. Another thing is the frighters they are so SLOW, getting one cross the map on some of the bigger settings takes year after year.

The goods you can produce that gives your race a bonus how do they work, if i trade that for lets say 20bc fot 10 turns how long will the bonus then affect the race im traiding wiht. Do they work like stratigic rescourses in CIV3, where the other fraction had control of it for a set amount of time.

Thx for any help
And sorry for any bad spelling

~SDC~
457 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
If trade is only 10% of your income... trade more. Research the techs that increase the number of possible trade routes. Set up good, long distance routes between high-income/pop worlds. Research the techs that increase your revenue from trade. Build SBs along your trading routes with Trading Post modules and the like to increase that income further.

As for how long it takes to get set up a route on a big map, someone had the bright idea of sending out freighters to those places long before you can establish the route, and then just park them in the square next to that world. Once you have another trade route accessible, you can create it instantly.

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

As for how long it takes to get set up a route on a big map, someone had the bright idea of sending out freighters to those places long before you can establish the route, and then just park them in the square next to that world. Once you have another trade route accessible, you can create it instantly.

- Ash

Good point, didn't think about that, you can build them very early so i guess its a good idea

another question... do speed increase the speed of those little freighters thats doing the routes
Better speed more income?

~SDC~
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
"do speed increase the speed of those little freighters thats doing the routes"

I have no idea. But it shouldn't affect income. Trade income isn't based on when the ships reach port; it's based on how far the freighter from your empire on any given turn. The further away from you the freighter is (even if it's in deep space), the more income you get from that route for that turn.

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
when one of the small ships doing the routes come into one of your systems dosen't show that dialog that says they increased the trade with X bc/turn???


~SDC~
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes, but that doesn't mean you aren't getting money when the ships are travelling.

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Yeah, the ships that travel are just representative of the route as a whole, just as killing the frieghters is just representative of raiding the route. There are actually regular shipments going up and down the route each month generating monthly income. The distance the frieghter is from home is just a way to build in market fluctuations...the profitability of the route cycles over time.

This is why killing a frieghter doesn't shut down the route, unless you kill the same frieghter alot of times.

I stumbled upon the parking the frieghter trick, quite by accident...I didn't realize the Trade screen showed the maximum number of routes, so I had about 6 or 7 frieghters that couldn't complete the route to the destination I'd sent them too.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Can anyone tell me how you find out how much income has been increased for a particular trade route passing through a system with a starbase with a trade module?

I've clicked on the little trade ship before it entered the sector with the starbase and it said 14bc this turn. I then clicked on it after it entered the sector with the starbase and it hadn't gone up. The starbase had at least 3 trade modules. So why didn't it show an increase?

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
when i first get trade, i build a ton of freighters. i send some to nearby planets to just get some immediate cash. i send the rest to distant wealthy planets and cancel the first routes when they get there. i also leave some "parked".

building "trading post" starbases will improve trade revenues significantly. by the end of my most recent game, about 75% of my economy was trade.

cheers

h
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
In the trade window there is
TURN: 3/45 for example
and
VALUE: 4/67 for example

what dose this mean???



~SDC~
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Turn
current position in route/ length of route

Value
current value / max value along route

You get more money the further away the freighter is. Trade values also slowly increase as the populations an economies on the planets increase.

Paul.

~SDC~
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
Does the route "expire" when you exceed that number of turns?

--Soulfire
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
No it starts over.

~SDC~
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
Also I believe when it starts over the value of the route based on the value and population of the individual planets is recalculated.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
So when the value reads NA, am I wrong to kill the route and send another freighter in to restablish it? The new freighter immediately displays value on the route, but I have yet to see a NA turn back into a real value. I had assumed freighters just wear out with use. If I ignore it, it will make revenue again?

Kimberly, who hates pausing constructor building to make new freighters.

~SDC~
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
'So when the value reads NA, am I wrong to kill the route and send another freighter in to restablish it? The new freighter immediately displays value on the route, but I have yet to see a NA turn back into a real value. I had assumed freighters just wear out with use. If I ignore it, it will make revenue again?'

If it reads NA, that means either that the route isn't estabilshed yet (that is, the initial freighter hasn't arrived at it'd destination to create the route), or that the trade route can't earn anything (the only reasons that would be is because your at war with the destination civilization, or because the UP has stopped trade with evil civilizations and you're evil).


~SDC~
Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
As an aside.. can you research a trade tech that has been researched by another race? Frictionless clothes, for example. And then use them in trade? You get that monopoly message.. so I was curious. I am about to start my trade master game. My war game is going well. Trade schmade.. my war game I get my money by intimidating other races, muahahaa! ;p

fleabitfox
Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
just cause i have to say... i've had times where trade is double my tax income.

~SDC~
Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top
Usually my taxation rate is pretty low, to keep my morale up. Most of my income comes from trade. It usually ends at 200-300% of my tax income.

~SDC~