Newbie in mid-game: can see coal, but can't trade

[Shepherd]

So I've had about 12 workers just waiting for Steam Theory so I can build railroads all over the freakin' place.

Waiting and waiting and at last, oh boy! Steam Theory!

Railroad -- hang on, I need coal.

I don't have coal.

Say, the Aztecs have coal. Maybe I can trade them for...

...no, it's not listed as a resource.

But hey, the Iroquois have coal. Maybe I can ...

...no, it's not listed as a resource.

But wait! The Russians! I can see they have coal, so just maybe...

...no, they don't list it as a resource either.

Not even as Coal (0). Bupkis. I know they all have Steam Theory, so why isn't coal popping up?

I NEED COAL!

The "go over there and take it" strategy is not that helpful in this case, as the coal is in the middle of the continent, in the midst of three different countries, all of whom will ally against me and I'd have to fight a massive battle all the way inland to secure it. Not good.

What do you do when nobody's trading a resource you need?

 

[Mathias]

Find someone with TWO sources of coal. Sign ROP, go in and build roads on both. Then, give them steam power. They cannot trade any resource to you unless they have the requisite tech as well. (Or, get your military together and go capture a source)


Edit: overlooked that the AI have steam power already... They have to have it connected before they can trade.

 

[Shepherd]

What if nobody has two sources of coal?

 

[Mathias]

If nobody has two sources, then you won't be able to trade for it. In that case, you either take it by force or do without.

 

[vmxa]

They do not list it if they either only have one source or all sources are in use via trades or they do not know Steam and hence do not know they have coal. Also if the coal is not connected to the trade network.

 

[rysingsun]

i'm going to venture the wild guess that none of them have connected up their coal. why am i so cynical? because coal is most often found on jungle tiles and the ai seems to neglect jungle tiles pretty consistently until they have everything else improved.

if they had one or two sources of connected coal you would see it listed even if you had no trade network to their capital in which case it would be greyed out. this is true even if they traded away all but one coal which would show with a (0) after it. they will never trade away their last coal but it will show.

it wont show if you already have coal.

 

[Twonky]

I second rysingsun here. Maybe you do have coal but lack the iron needed for railroads?
For a closer investigation you might post a save.