How to attract traders to my cities?

[Ticio]

Hi everyone,

As always, I have some questions about the game! Hope you can help me.

1) How can I attract more traders to my cities?

I created an specific city in a coast tile in the center of the map (is located so almost everyone can reach it) and put there the university of sankoke. Even if it has districts to attract other civs, only my human friend (and enemy) is trading there.
My plan was to force the AI to trade there to boost my alliances with them.

What can I do to make the AI send there their caravans? apart of more districts.

Another new question:

2) If I use an spie to make an scandal, how many turns the target lose the envoys? or they are lost for ever?

Thank you!

 

[Cedbird77]

Hello! As far as attracting trade routes to your cities. You seem to have a pretty good handle on it. Certain Wonders will do it Like Sankoke. Maybe the Policy card where it both you and your allies get extra Food and Production.

But with both we are assuming that the AI is thinking like us. Looking for the best places to send there Trade routes according to yields and not some other formula. I think the important thing is you have an understanding for why you want to have trade routes come to you.

 

[Ticio]

Thank you very much for the answer!

I thought that this wonder would attrack AI merchants as the Great Zimbawe tends to attrack spies. Like putting honey for the flies or something XD

But maybe the AI is not falling for this one!

 

[Cedbird77]

Thank you very much for the answer!

I thought that this wonder would attrack AI merchants as the Great Zimbawe tends to attrack spies. Like putting honey for the flies or something XD

But maybe the AI is not falling for this one!

loll. Funny. I never noticed that. I hope some more detailed players respond to this. Maybe they know some extra information that will figure that out. But maybe it is just a thing were the Ai does not like the type of bait you have.

Maybe if they are not going for a Science Victory the extra science is not interesting to it. Maybe if you plopped down some Holy Sites they would come to your more. The AI loves faith. You are helping me with my game. I never really thought about attracting other Civs to trade with me that much. But now that you mention it. It does affect the power of your Alliances. Bingo!!!

 

[Victoria]

) If I use an spie to make an scandal, how many turns the target lose the envoys? or they are lost for ever?

... forever. However create scandal takes 16 turns so you really need cards to speed it up. I use this option as my go to mission for higher level spies.

 

[Ticio]

... forever. However create scandal takes 16 turns so you really need cards to speed it up. I use this option as my go to mission for higher level spies.

I used it during a macht! It was insane!! but yes, it took forever, and had to put the 25% speed card for spies... with that and the need for alliances (+2 food and production and 0,25 points) cards and trying to use envoys cards I have found how important green cards spaces are.

I always thougt they were "meh" but even on conquest or other victories I think they are very very useful!

 

[Victoria]

and had to put the 25% speed card for spies..

You can also get 25% from a promotion which is also vital for such a long task.

I have found how important green cards spaces are.

Yes, I often go for potala palace to give me some room

 

[enKage]

Sincerely, this is very hard to attract foreign traders, mainly because:
a) AI rarely construct CH. Harbors luckily are more common. base number of traders are very limited, as a consequence they often don't have many trade posts inside/outside their teritories, so their trade range is vary limited.
b) AI is unlikely to send traders from periferial cities. If their capital is close to you, you have better chance. To attract their traders you must compete with citystates with CS policy resolution, their own highly developed city (a lot of food and hammers from internal trade), other civs' highly developed cities that are closer.
c) some AIs are even more unlikely to send traders abroad, fe. Persia have really nice boost to internal trade, some civs seem to be more open into foreign trades

The best way to encourage them (but still do not expect sth special) are great merchants Zhang Qian/ Marco Polo, but you would need CH in the city as well to launch them. If you get both, sender would receive additional 4 gold. Also 1 great admiral has similar effect.
Also trading policy in world congress helps and is very easy to win.


Sankore is very strong wonder, but don't expect to gain yields from international routes. Those are marginal.
The real strength of Sankore is DOMESTIC trade and it really shines with Cree (madness if some horses there), Persia, Egypt, sometimes Mali, when using internal trade to support gold from mines.
Ideal Sankore city is close to neighbour (ideally one of harbor/CH spammers: Dido, mali etc), has all possible hammer districts (harbor, CH, encampment, plaza, IZ) and some strategic resources. You want metioned above great people activate there, but more important are other great merchants: Raja Todar Mal and Rockefeller, so even your domestic trade give additional strong gold (0,5 per district, 2 per strategic resource). And place lvl2 magnus there.
Your domestic routes will give you strong food, very strong hammer, 2 science, 1 faith, significant gold. If I can get strong Sankore city, my science per turn from this wonder is always better than what I could expect from bpt of Oxford (OTOH real strength of Oxford are 2 free techs)

 

[yung.carl.jung]

... forever. However create scandal takes 16 turns so you really need cards to speed it up. I use this option as my go to mission for higher level spies.

I never considered that. In the end, it is essentially akin to giving you envoys (reducing the amount of envoys needed for suze), correct? In that regard, it might be a lot more effective than raw gold, which is easy to come by lategame. I will try this out for sure.

I mostly use Spies for gold, but am not a big fan of the mechanic. I think one could skip spies completely and the game would not meaningfully change, aside from maybe a Spaceport sabotage

 

[Victoria]

I mostly use Spies for gold, but am not a big fan of the mechanic.

gold is a safe way to promote them but once promoted, especially as the envoys removed is based on the Xp level of the spy, create scandal is sound albeit a little long.
... but think about it.... Kabul for just one of many examples.

 

[megabearsfan]

I mostly use Spies for gold, but am not a big fan of the mechanic. I think one could skip spies completely and the game would not meaningfully change, aside from maybe a Spaceport sabotage

I don't know about that. The last 2 games I've played, my spies prevented me from losing. I was struggling with loyalty in intercontinental domination attempt, and had to fallback to a diplomacy victory (ironic, I know). 2 other civs were working on space race stuff, and I had to use spies to sabotage all their Spaceports and Industrial zones to slow them down long enough to win enough emergencies and competitions to get those last few VPs. Without those spies, I surely would have lost. As I've played more games into the later eras, I've found that I'm reliant on spies a lot more than I used to be in Civ V -- regardless of victory agenda.

As mentioned above, sabotaging spaceports and industrial districts can stop another civ's space race victory in its tracks. Same goes for stealing great works from someone going for a culture vic (but not quite as effective). Also siphoning money is great for keeping enough money to buy new units and upgrade existing units (it gets expensive in late game!). Neutralizing governors and formenting unrest in border cities can sometimes make the difference when struggling to maintain loyalty in recently-captured cities. And breaching a dam can be devastating if the other player has a lot of districts along the river.

But anyway, yeah: how the heck do you get other civs to send traders to your cities?! That is something that I've never been able to get a firm grasp on in Civ VI. Usually, the AIs just send me a trade route long enough to build a road to my territory, then surprise war declare me.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

Really depends how fast you regularly win games. From my experience before T200 Spy actions rarely matter, and after T200/after the moon landing the AI is hellbent on sabotaging you. Spies become a necessity if you want to win any victory after T200, but before that they're an investment that doesn't pay off. My spies get built around T130 and usually only have time to complete 4 or 5 missions, barely paying off their initial investment.

 

[Victoria]

before T200 Spy actions rarely matter,

I kill a few envoys in Akkad and can now take renaissence walled cities.
I pillage her lands, starve her and make her unhappy but it is only when I remove her governor that the city falls to me
I stop Gilga finishing a spaceport and pillage his IZ for good measure.
I have played a game where a single spy took a great work of pericles every 4 turns (+movement between cities) allowing me a much faster CV... and selling those great works was pretty nice.

I guess it is just a question of what matters.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

I have played a game where a single spy took a great work of pericles every 4 turns (+movement between cities) allowing me a much faster CV... and selling those great works was pretty nice.

That's kind of my point though, like my games end after my spies first promotion, even if I try to get him early. I never manage to get them strong enough to steal a Great Work in less than 8, often even with the Spy Actions policy card and sources gained

 

[Victoria]

like my games end after my spies first promotion,

... maybe its just a lack of culture and machieavellianism then.
Also I play catherine a lot, it is a bit different with her.
Victoria, Catherine and Gorgo are my mains.

 

[Ticio]

I kill a few envoys in Akkad and can now take renaissence walled cities.
I pillage her lands, starve her and make her unhappy but it is only when I remove her governor that the city falls to me
I stop Gilga finishing a spaceport and pillage his IZ for good measure.
I have played a game where a single spy took a great work of pericles every 4 turns (+movement between cities) allowing me a much faster CV... and selling those great works was pretty nice.

As more I play, more I'm discovering the power of spies!

For example, I captured a city and put in revolt another (then conquered by AI) of a friend. We where playing 3 friends, and one of us got very very far with production, money and science. It was unstopable.

So the other friend and I diceded to send spies to the same 2 cities making them loose 25 loyalty for every spie. In conjunction with amani (9 tiles loyalty to you) was insanely strong!

The others spies where destroying suzerainity (Kabul, zanzibar, bologna and the one that gives you 15% science if not at war), and he lost 3 of 4 suzerains state.

It was worth it for sure, more than gold in this scenario.

Sincerely, this is very hard to attract foreign traders, mainly because:
a) AI rarely construct CH. Harbors luckily are more common. base number of traders are very limited, as a consequence they often don't have many trade posts inside/outside their teritories, so their trade range is vary limited.
b) AI is unlikely to send traders from periferial cities. If their capital is close to you, you have better chance. To attract their traders you must compete with citystates with CS policy resolution, their own highly developed city (a lot of food and hammers from internal trade), other civs' highly developed cities that are closer.
c) some AIs are even more unlikely to send traders abroad, fe. Persia have really nice boost to internal trade, some civs seem to be more open into foreign trades

The best way to encourage them (but still do not expect sth special) are great merchants Zhang Qian/ Marco Polo, but you would need CH in the city as well to launch them. If you get both, sender would receive additional 4 gold. Also 1 great admiral has similar effect.
Also trading policy in world congress helps and is very easy to win.


Sankore is very strong wonder, but don't expect to gain yields from international routes. Those are marginal.
The real strength of Sankore is DOMESTIC trade and it really shines with Cree (madness if some horses there), Persia, Egypt, sometimes Mali, when using internal trade to support gold from mines.
Ideal Sankore city is close to neighbour (ideally one of harbor/CH spammers: Dido, mali etc), has all possible hammer districts (harbor, CH, encampment, plaza, IZ) and some strategic resources. You want metioned above great people activate there, but more important are other great merchants: Raja Todar Mal and Rockefeller, so even your domestic trade give additional strong gold (0,5 per district, 2 per strategic resource). And place lvl2 magnus there.
Your domestic routes will give you strong food, very strong hammer, 2 science, 1 faith, significant gold. If I can get strong Sankore city, my science per turn from this wonder is always better than what I could expect from bpt of Oxford (OTOH real strength of Oxford are 2 free techs)

Oh... I was about to write that I managed to attrack a lot of trade but you already gave the answer

Yes, I manage to put Zhang Qian and Marco Polo in the city where was Sankore, all civs and a lot of city states were sending there traders, it was insane!

A must strategy for me now!


One question, Great People are always in the same order, or they are available dipending of "luck"?

I understand that they can be placed only in the specific era of the GP, but if they are 10 GP in clasical era, the game choose 5 randomly or they are always the same 10 and in the same order of appearance?

 

[Victoria]

One question, Great People are always in the same order, or they are available dipending of "luck"?
random order each game.
You are shown the next one available so you know who is coming up.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

One question, Great People are always in the same order, or they are available dipending of "luck"?
random order each game.
You are shown the next one available so you know who is coming up.

Afaik it is completely random which GP will appear in which order, the only thing set in stone is that they always appear era-specific and that their prices correlate with that. So, if I am correct, that means you will always have Einstein in your games, but whether you get him as your first GS of the modern era or your last is down to luck.

 

[Ticio]

One question, Great People are always in the same order, or they are available dipending of "luck"?
random order each game.
You are shown the next one available so you know who is coming up.

How can I see the next Great Person in line??

And thanks both of you for your help!

 

[Victoria]

I

How can I see the next Great Person in line?

In the great persons screen accessible from the top of the main screen slightly left of centre showing as a head I think. You cannot see past that one because there is an option to pass on a GP amd you would always do that if you knew the next one was the one you wanted