can't trade : need 'viable trade route' ?

[little12]

is this a road from one of my cities to one of thier cities ? harbor ? do i have to build a road to one of their cities from one of my cities ? i don't have an embassy in their civ. thanks

 

[splunge the 2nd]

To trade a luxury or a resource with another civ you need a road that connect capital to capital or a combination road to harbor/airport. You need astronomy to allow harbors to conduct trade over sea spaces and magnetism or navigation to trade over ocean. Note if the only road network that connects your civs runs through enemy territory or an enemy unit blocks the road/coast spaces adjacent to a needed harbor the trade route is interrupted and you amy lsoe reputation with the AI as a deal breaker. One can actually exploit this by trading massive gold per turn plus a resource/lux for technology and intentionally cut the connecting road. This will end the deal-you keep the tech and no longer have to pay the gold per turn.

 

[little12]

can't trade: i don't have an embassy: how do i know which of there cities is the capital ? their capital is still probably under fog of war; thanks

 

[vmxa]

You do not need to know where the capitol is located. Just have a road to a town of theirs that is connected to the capitol. Even a road to another civ that is connected to their grid will work during peace.

When you say can't trade, what is it you are trying to trade and what is the response?