Great Merchant - trade mission

[Scandinavian]

Hi,

I have 2 great merchants in the city display. According to the description they can go for a trade mission. However, when they were revealed to the city, I saw an incon showing a waggon og some kind, but it was inactive. How to carry out a trade mission then ?

Thanks in advance

Scandinavian.

 

[cthom]

you need to travel to another city- the further away (and more powerful?) the better. then click the wagon icon.

oops, beaten to it!

 

[Scandinavian]

I know that from the manual, but after the great mechant has joined the city, he is only visible in the right column of the city display.

How to use / activate him ?

 

[_alphaBeta_]

The city must be that of another civ. I think great merchants can enter rival borders without open borders, much like a caravel. The other civ may not be able to see them either. Not sure about that.

 

[jwildstr]

I know that from the manual, but after the great mechant has joined the city, he is only visible in the right column of the city display.

How to use / activate him ?

Joining the city is a distinct option. In that case, he generates commerce, hammers, culture, whatever (I don't remember offhand) every turn for the rest of the game. But it's distinct from a trade mission. Once he's joined the city, he can't be used for anything else at that point.

 

[·Imhotep·]

I know that from the manual, but after the great mechant has joined the city, he is only visible in the right column of the city display.

How to use / activate him ?

You can't "activate" a Great Person who has joined a city. The Great Person than works as a super specialist until the rest of the game. If you want to conduct a trade mission, do not join the Great Merchant, bring him to a distant enemy city and just click on the waggon icon...

 

[McLMan]

I've always wondered how the gold you receive is calculated. Would you be better off going to a size 15 city in a country with a high GNP or a size 18 city with a lower GNP? (Assuming distance is the same).

 

[Crighton]

I don't know the mechanics of it but I'd assume a higher profit from the 18 pop city than the 15.

 

[Bushface]

I've recently sent a Great Merchant off to an area where there were several foreign cities close together (two capitals, pop.12, two other of pop. 10 and 8). One capital was about 5 tiles closer than the other cities. The pop-up (when you go to select the Gt.Merch. in a foreign city) showed that in every case the benefit would be 1800 gold.

 

[Jmaz]

You don't need open borders to send him on a mission. Check your capital city and see which foreign cities has the best trade and send him there. He can, however, be killed by barbs or a country you are at war with. Once he gets there click the 'conduct trade' icon.
Hope this helps

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Well it MIGHT be calculated in a similar manner to Trade routes (the profit of a trade route is the MINUMUM of Distance/ Foreign city size multiplied by receiving city population.)

could probably be tested in the world builder

 

[Jmaz]

Well it MIGHT be calculated in a similar manner to Trade routes (the profit of a trade route is the MINUMUM of Distance/ Foreign city size multiplied by receiving city population.)

could probably be tested in the world builder

I had trade set with Ghandi but not Torky. Both were on the same continent, just the two of them. I sent my merchant into Japan first to see how much he was worth before I sent him into India just a few tiles away. I believe the difference was 400 Gold. I may be wrong, maybe the trade routes don't matter.