Protecting Trade Routes (add escort functionality to trade unit idea)

[MisterBoomBoom]

The AI spamming barbs constantly (especially scouts) and ruining your trade routes is very frustrating even when taking steps to protect against plundering. What I would recommend and love to see implemented in a patch is the ability to attach an escort unit (like a horse, archer or warrior) to the trade unit.

 

[WileyWilson]

Just create a few scouts and fortify them on your trade routes. Scouts don't cost anything and as there is no longer a unit limit, you can create as many as you want.

 

[StrideColossus]

Just create a few scouts and fortify them on your trade routes. Scouts don't cost anything and as there is no longer a unit limit, you can create as many as you want.

You can do that but it's tedious micro-management, which the devs were trying to reduce in the game. I think the idea of an escort is much more palatable and fits with other support units.

 

[Xyriach]

It is extremely annoying, particularly in the early game when those small numbers make a big difference. Taking 300 years off to build another Trader is a pain. Escort units would be good. CBE had an option to make trade units invulnerable to alien life forms, potentially something similar could be done for barbarians.

Either solution works for me, but completely agree that it could use a bump. And having to build a series of units to protect the route while there's still no notification when barbs get close to said unit just creates unnecessary micromanagement.

 

[MisterBoomBoom]

Just create a few scouts and fortify them on your trade routes. Scouts don't cost anything and as there is no longer a unit limit, you can create as many as you want.

I had a route last night protected by two knights, and a horseman with an archer within range.... the trader moved one hex from the protection- the barb scout sat on it and plundered the route in one swoop. There has to be a better way. Allowing the player to at least commit ONE unit to protect against the sneak attacks is a wise one.

 

[Olleus]

Limit your trade routes to areas where you know they will be protected

 

[WileyWilson]

You can do that but it's tedious micro-management, which the devs were trying to reduce in the game. I think the idea of an escort is much more palatable and fits with other support units.

IMO, it aint all that much micro management. I don't allow trade routes to operate in the fog early game, as most of my routes are internal/betweeen my own cities. By mid game you can build 1 scout per turn, post them to bust the fog, then forget about them.

 

[Ryika]

I rather think that Barbarian Scouts should not be able to pillage trade routes. It makes no sense thematically, and it's pretty unnecessarily annoying.
If however your Trade route runs into a raiding party, then the outcome of that should be that the trade route is pillaged.

And I mean, attaching a military unit... what's the expected outcome of that? A few weeks after that is possible you'll be sitting here, complaining not only that your trade routes still get raided, but that you're now also losing a military unit when that happens, because if a trade route that's protected runs into a raiding party both of them will surely die. The solution for that is to, as others have already stated, choose your targets in a way that doesn't lead them through dangerous terrain. Internal is currently the stronger trade route type anyway, but if you want to send them to foreign Civs make sure the path is guarded.

 

[Vladesch]

It wouldnt be so bad if there was a sentry/alert command which would wake a unit when a hostile came close. As it is you need to constantly check for barbs as your fortified units will sleep through an incursion.

 

[MaximusPlatypus]

Or they could add an option for an "armed Trader" that would cost a little more production cost. Maybe they would have limited amount of "defense charges" that would be expended when you entered an enemies ZOC. 2-3 charges that would expend. you would have to repair them after the duration of the trade route before sending them out again. Support unit would do the same thing, either way.

 

[Roller123]

i play with barbs disabled so the AI can expand with all these unprotected settlers and i actually have some competition.

 

[RealAntithesis]

If a military unit were able to be attached to a trader going into a civ's territory who you don't have open borders with, then what happens to the protection? Is it left at the border or is this an exception?

 

[Animist7]

I was about to say that linking a military unit to a trader would be a great idea - and then I realised RealAntithesis makes a good point about border control. That's probably the reason Firaxis didn't implement this (chances are it crossed their minds when implementing the unit linking idea).

Personally I don't have a problem with barbarian scouts pillaging my trade routes. A burly man with a stick and a dog could probably take out a camel. It's basically a question of choosing safer trade routes, sending small strike forces to hunt down barb outposts or posting troops along the trade route.

 

[Xyriach]

If a military unit were able to be attached to a trader going into a civ's territory who you don't have open borders with, then what happens to the protection? Is it left at the border or is this an exception?

You could permanently bond a unit to a trader which gives the trader unit a given amount of strength and therefore cannot be pillaged by anything equal to or below that strength.

Means that you can defend your trade units, don't encounter the border issues but do have to update them every so often and replace their copied strength with and advances in tech to keep them defensible. Which kinda keeps the idea that trade routes can be sacked and therefore doesn't detract from "realism" too much.

 

[Victoria]

Any traders typically have a few guards with them and should stop scouts. I never liked the idea of scouts as a military unit and I do not believe they do count as one for units at an enemy border so why should they take out a trade route?

 

[Big J Money]

This would be a great idea for a mod, if it's possible. It seems to blend very well with Civ VI's ethos, too.