Does anyone understand connections?

[bsones]

I'm really struggling to understand why some settlements connect and some just... don't. Even putting aside the issue of roads and how impossible it is to get them where you want them, just the connections (or lack thereof) themselves make no sense sometimes. I installed the TCS Improved Plot Tooltip mod to try to get a better handle on it, and the mod is great for letting you see where connections exist, but not why they exist (or don't). And yes, I know you can spend a Merchant to make a road between settlements, and while that doesn't always actually make a road (at least not visually), this tooltip mod confirms that it does create the connection. But sometimes settlements don't connect over water, and then there's just not anything you can do about it.

For example, I feel like Uraiyuir should be connected to my capital. It's on the coast of the new world and my capital is on the coast of the old, but both cities have a railroad and a port, and my understanding is that the port is supposed to allow settlements to connect over water. But the only over-water connection that Uraiyuir has is with Pagan.

I thought "Maybe it's distance limited." Which would be kind of lame because it would mean that it may be impossible to ever connect to your new world settlements, but at least it would explain what's going on. But I don't think that's it, either. Example #2: Pagan is connected to Uraiyuir but not Akhenaten, even though Akhenaten is closer. It's also connected to Nagapattinam but not Gangaikonda Cholapuram, even though Gangaikonda Cholapuram is closer. So, there doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between distance and connections.

Does anyone have any clue how any of this works?

 

[pietro1990]

cities are connected if they have road to eachother like you mentioned you can use a great merchand to make that road.

Coastal setlements are automaticlly contected to other coastal cities if they are on the same continent. Keep in mind just like in civ 6 continents doesn't mean a landmass. A single landmass can have multiple continents look at the continent lens to see the different continetns.

Thats probably why some coastal cities are connected but others not.

can veteran player's verrify what i am saying is true?

 

[bsones]

Coastal setlements are automaticlly contected to other coastal cities if they are on the same continent. Keep in mind just like in civ 6 continents doesn't mean a landmass. A single landmass can have multiple continents look at the continent lens to see the different continetns.

Thats probably why some coastal cities are connected but others not.

That seems plausible, but Pagan is connected to Uraiyuir even though they are on different continents. My capital is on one continent in the old world, that cluster of islands is its own new world continent, and then Uraiyuir and the rest of that large landmass is a second new world continent. So, it doesn't seem like the continent divide is preventing connections. I can't for the life of me parse any sort of consistent pattern, here.

Also, my understanding of the Port is that it's supposed to provide a rail connection across continents. I'm pretty sure the tutorial tooltip that unlocked when I researched it said that you should build a port and a railroad in the same new world settlement to get a rail connection back to your capital, specifically for the purpose of pursuing the Railroad Tycoon path. But it doesn't seem to work; Uraiyuir can't build a factory despite having a port and a railroad (my capital has both as well), and it apparently has no connection to me capital.

 

[Evolena]

From the just announced Patch 3:

• Addressed an issue that some users reported experiencing where the Factory was unavailable when a Distant Lands Settlement was connected to a Homelands Settlement in the Modern Age.
• Addressed an issue that some users reported experiencing where Sea Trade and Rail connections sometimes failed in Settlements where the City Center was not adjacent to the coast.

 

[tman2000]

I just want them to fix the rail texture. It would be a great way to show the progress of a connection being made with ongoing construction.

 

[Seek]

That seems plausible, but Pagan is connected to Uraiyuir even though they are on different continents. My capital is on one continent in the old world, that cluster of islands is its own new world continent, and then Uraiyuir and the rest of that large landmass is a second new world continent. So, it doesn't seem like the continent divide is preventing connections. I can't for the life of me parse any sort of consistent pattern, here.

Also, my understanding of the Port is that it's supposed to provide a rail connection across continents. I'm pretty sure the tutorial tooltip that unlocked when I researched it said that you should build a port and a railroad in the same new world settlement to get a rail connection back to your capital, specifically for the purpose of pursuing the Railroad Tycoon path. But it doesn't seem to work; Uraiyuir can't build a factory despite having a port and a railroad (my capital has both as well), and it apparently has no connection to me capital.

As I understand it from the testing I’ve done: normal connections (for towns sending food and resource connection) are 10 tiles but trade route range can extend that, while RR/Port connections remain at strictly 10 tiles. But hopefully Patch 3 changed things.

 

[AriochIV]

It's definitely distance limited. I wasn't able to connect the settlements on distant lands until I put ports in the intermediate settlements on the string of islands in between the continents.

 

[Devilbound]

The connections bug out, too. Like most things can still. I just entered modern era and suddenly a town in the middle of my nation was not connected anymore, even though it most certainly still had the same roads going to it as in exploration age. So, I turned it to a city and used a merchant to re-establish connection (could not do a connection to it from a city when it was a town). And then it got connected again. This was a city AI had founded, surrounded on all sides by mountains except one tile which was taken up by horse resource. Wherein lies the root of the bug, I think. Oh, and can't build any urban districts in that city either due to the only hex that connects the city being resource. I severely feel like the urban district build restrictions should be way less strict. It's just hilarious how silly it is now.

So, if stuff like that happens then any connection can bug out for a variety of different reasons I dare guess.

 

[Evolena]

while RR/Port connections remain at strictly 10 tiles.

However in Modern age the land trade range should be 20, not 10.

 

[Elhoim]

I made a thread about this:

Thread 'Why City Connections are not intuitive'

Feb 12, 2025

Thanks to TCS mod, we can now check which city is connect to each, and found out why I don't find it intuitive.

Basically, a city in order to be connected to another it needs to have a direct road connection, it doesn't count if it goes through another city (I modded the game to have 20 trade route range in antiquity for testing).

I started to suspected it when I made a merchant create connections from cities to towns, and saw that new roads where being made around the cities the road was going through. Hopefully it can be tweaked in some way that connections through other cities are...

• Elhoim
• Replies: 65
• Forum: Civ7 - General Discussions

• 

The main issue is that the way the game "connects" things is one on one, so while visually you may feel that a settlement is connected, it is not. Also I think that towns not sending food but also not using it when specialized is an issue. A solution would be towns sending the food to towns if there's no city in range, and then those towns can send it to a city, which can open up the strategies about the number of cities a bit more and being less annoying to min-max.

 

[Big J Money]

I'm guessing the Civilopedia is wrong about this? It claims that there are 2 different kinds of connections
1. Trade connections which are distance based, but do not rely on roads, and can connect across continents [these are for trade resources]
2. Town connections which are not* distance based, do rely on roads** (or the coast), and coast to coast connections can only occur on the same continent [these are for sending food to cities]

If the Civilopedia is correct, and the TCS mod is only using one icon/tooltip to show connections; is it possible the mod isn't completely accurate or intuitive?

* Maybe they are distance based, but it's not mentioned
** Roads must be directly connected, they can't just pass through another settlement

 

[Devilbound]

The thing that is funny about the road connections is they can't pass another settlement. What's the point, where does that come from? Makes no sense, must be some kind of funky inside game mechanism thing that makes it so. It is weird and a bit silly imo.

 

[Big J Money]

The thing that is funny about the road connections is they can't pass another settlement. What's the point, where does that come from? Makes no sense, must be some kind of funky inside game mechanism thing that makes it so. It is weird and a bit silly imo.

It's well known that trucker unions in Antiquity refused to deliver goods if there was no highway bypass.

 

[Kopernikus1979]

And when having 2 train stations in a settlement, shouldn't they be connected when there were roads? Doesn't happen in my game...

 

[chazzycat]

There's no way connections aren't currently bugged. I've just had way too many situations where connections were supposed to form based on the stated rules, but did not. And the merchants road ability was just ghosted out, saying no further valid connections can be made.

But these "missing" connections magically get fixed during an age transition. That's why it seems like it's gotta be a bug.

For now, fishing quays on the same continent are by far the most reliable connections.

 

[Kopernikus1979]

But for "Train Magnate II" I need 3 railway connections and the do not work...so this is bugged?

 

[chazzycat]

Sorry my previous comment was unclear, I am only referring to connections for sending food purposes. I haven't had issues with trade routes nor railroads.

 

[Buckets]

Is there any way to connect CAPUA to ROMA and my main network? When specialized, it doesn't send food. It's well within range and has a quay. It seems the issue it the different continent. There must be a way to connect. What am I missing?

 

[CliffCo]

Is there a road connecting Mediolanum to Roma? Also as your'e in the exploration age you may have to add a wharf.

 

[Evolena]

View attachment 723157

Is there any way to connect CAPUA to ROMA and my main network? When specialized, it doesn't send food. It's well within range and has a quay. It seems the issue it the different continent. There must be a way to connect. What am I missing?

Do you have another working connection between these 2 continents?
When I've tried making all my Towns Hubs in order to count the number of connections each had, and then converting to Cities on multiple reload to check what these connections were, I found I only ever had one connection for each pair of continents.