Caravans-how do they work?

[Old n Slow]

A couple of considerations with caravans:

If you have a major city (like a super science center) trading with it is more dramatic.

Trade offshore has an increase.

Trade with a foreign civ has an increase.

Trade with a demanded product has an increase.

Trade with a farther distance has an increase.

(Other factors come into play -- direct roads & RR, and later which advances have come into play, superhighways, & airports; major payofss at the stage where large number of beakers are required.)

So what you may want to do is to send a couple of caravans to yor biggest city/capital, "rehome" them (push them into the city with 'keep moving', open the city window, click on the camel, choose 'support from here') and then ship them via boat to a foreign civ offshore. Some higher risks -- the boats and camels can sink and drown, but the payoffs can be worth it -- a couple of hundred for a moderate distance, maybe 400-600 for a demanded product between two size twelve cities a dozen boat rides away. A couple of times the first payoff was so great I delayed delivering the second camel because the first gave me the next tech.

 

[Zulu]

Old n Snow,

What you're saying is that I can have one city theoretically sending an infinity of caravans?

If this is indeed true...that's an amazing breakthrough.... (for me)

-Zulu

 

[Ace]

The best time is right now! 10 coins/beakers in 1,500 BC can be worth more than 1,000 of same in 1,600 AD! And remember that each trade route (up to 3 in each city) gives you a permanent increase in trade every turn. That is extremely important in the early parts of the game. While its not "flashy" like delivering a load of Uranium for 2,000 coins, it does provides a steady stream of additional trade to finance your early growth.

 

[Zulu]

Ace, good point...

BTW, do commodities reset if you start building freights? That's the impression I'm getting...

Can anyone confirm what Old n Snow was saying? Is it some sort of cheat? Seems like an extremely powerful method.

-Zulu

 

[funxus]

Check the section Trade-offs here . It describes what affects the pay offs when delivering freights and camels, and is pretty much what old n' slow said, but in numbers.
I think rehoming camels is accepted, but since it wasn't supposed to be able, I'm not a big fan of it.

 

[Dark Ascendant]

Rehoming is a great thing. The wonders it can do for your treasury and science.

 

[Jace]

Originally posted by funxus
Check the section Trade-offs here . It describes what affects the pay offs when delivering freights and camels, and is pretty much what old n' slow said, but in numbers.

Cargos like beads, hides, dye and salt are not included on the list. Does that mean that there is no bonus, wether the target city demands it or not?

By the way, first post here at CFC.

 

[ElephantU]

An analyst named Samson over at Apolyton.Net reverse-engineered all the formulas the game uses and posted it here:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64729

Demanded cargoes still get bigger bonuses than those not demanded, but if it is the ongoing extra trade arrows rather than the bonus that you are interested in, ignore what the city demands and look at the size of the city and the terrain around it. If there is a fair amount of irrigated and roaded grass or plains, or several water specials, or a mined Wine, you can expect the city has more than the usual amount of trade. The AI civs tend to place workers on food squares first, then shield squares, lastly trade. If you can sneak a Dip or Spy in to take a look at the City Display that is the best way to tell what the citizens are working, but that can be expensive early in the game.

Rehoming a caravan is legal and a valid strategy. Your smaller cities do not get the trade route if they produce the caravan and it gets rehomed in your SSC, but the commodity that the caravan "used up" is then freed for building another one - if it does not change in the interim. The first three deliveries from the SSC become trade routes, but not all of the subsequent ones replace those routes. Be careful in rehomed deliveries that you do not deliver to a city that looks like it has lousy trade, as that could lower your SSC's routes. Once your SSC gets a lot of trade arrows before counting the routes it will dominate the calculation of the payoff anyway.

 

[Jace]

I have read some of Samsons posts before. He usualy has things pretty well worked out :grad:

Originally posted by ElephantU
Be careful in rehomed deliveries that you do not deliver to a city that looks like it has lousy trade, as that could lower your SSC's routes.

Won't the three routes always be the ones with the highest trade?

I've read some of Starlifter's posts on trade and caravans. It seems I have some learning to do. I am currently playing at King level and doing ok, but i have never realy used caravans before (too much bother). Guess it might be worth the bother, though

 

[ElephantU]

Originally posted by Jace
Won't the three routes always be the ones with the highest trade?

No - bad assumption. The position of the commodity that you are delivering on the list of three determines which of the three routes will be replaced. If the commodity falls off the list it will not replace a route. And if it is rehomed and thus not on the supply list it will also not replace a route.

BTW, welcome to CFC!

 

[ElephantU]

Originally posted by ElephantU


No - bad assumption. The position of the commodity that you are delivering on the list of three determines which of the three routes will be replaced. So you could replace a good route with a bad one if not careful. If the commodity falls off the list it will not replace a route. And if it is rehomed and thus not on the supply list it will also not replace a route.

BTW, welcome to CFC!

Now how did that Edit become a repost? Fumble-fingers?