Help required with Joao II - Terra Map

[TM Moot]

Anyone got any tips how to keep the economy from bombing when using Joao on a Terra map.

Just tried him out (Monarch/Epic/Large), and beelined Optics, sent out a fleet of Carricks (about 800AD) and colonised the new world. I was already second bottom in score, and my ecomomy bottomed out at 10 or 20% (research).

Shame he isn't Expansive/Organised or Expansive/Financial.

I only had 4 cities on the old world, is it better to have more to sustain the financial drain of the new cities? Is there a key tech required before setting sail (C.S.?)?

Any help, much appreciated....

 

[Refar]

You could move your capital into the new world...

Then you will only need to pay colony tax for the 4 cities in the old world.

 

[lordrune]

Probably what you want to do in those situations is move your capital on the New World (and build a Forbidden Palace in Portugal homeland, for good measure)
Maintenance is a killer in remote continents in BTS. Sustaining overseas possessions means that you really want a relatively well-developed and large home economy - which you didn't have.

 

[TM Moot]

Cheers, I was planning that but hadn't developed the new cities enough to build a new capital. I had also thought of colonising the original Old World cities once the New World was developed enough.

 

[Wodan]

Then build the FP in the new world, or save a GE and have him pop Versailles over there.

Wodan

 

[Dan Quale]

Beeline communism, State property will completely eliminate your maintenance issues no matter what. I was paying over 400 colonial cost per turn alone (no inflation factored), after state property that all went to 0. At 7 gold total cost per city before the courthouse, the traderoutes would make even a 1 population glacier city productive.
A good rule of thumb is when below 50% science rate in a mature empire, free market is obsolete.

 

[TM Moot]

Ta, will give it a go.