merchant vessels

[davbenbak]

What exactly is the best way to use merchant vessels? I'm not sure why foreign trade routes aren't available earlier in the game? Just wondering what the theory behind all this is.

 

[Deon]

The best way is when you have a city which have almost nothing to do and it builds the mechant boat in X turns and they can reach the friendly city in 2X turns =).
I don't know why aren't there trade routes earlier than empire civic, so I'd like to leasten to the developers' answer too =).

 

[Shqype]

It was a mistake not to include foreign trade routes early on, and that has been fixed for the new version.

Merchant vessels are a way of gaining extra gold. You build one, go on a merchant mission to a friendly city with a person you've got open borders with, and launch the mission. Maybe the yields need to be tweaked, but I've gotten 40, and then 55 gold with my missions.

 

[ambrox62]

Foreign trade routes will reappear in next TAM version

 

[Ricardo440]

I am playing the phoceans, and built in sicily with perhaps my 4th city. It now sends a boat to carthage every 3 turns for 355 gold.

 

[Shqype]

They give a little too much ... because the Phoenicians were known for trading, one of their UUs is an enhanced trade ship ... I guess it's a little too enhanced, haha.

 

[Deon]

355? o_O
I had about 40 in rome->greek trade...

 

[Jaja]

When I played as Lydia, I'd get very little for sending vessels to Rome, but 255 gold for sending 'em to Korsika, not to mention Mallorca (all owned by Rome). This was supersweet cos Athens made vessels in 4 turns at a time, exactly enough.