JaggedRuler said:
I have a few questions for you guys...
1. What exactly is considered a trade route? I know some things add +1 to a trade route but what is it that gives the bonus? Is it for each resource that is connected to the main city?
2. I'm guessing a foreign trade route is the same type of thing. Does the civic that does not allow foreign trade just cancel any of the deals you already have (like GPT for Iron)?
3. I have just built my first nuke and I can't figure out how to use it. I tried to hit the launch button and click on a tile but it didn't work. This was before the UN put sanctions on nuclear weps.
Thanks in advance!!
Trade routes just represent a city's foreign trade dealings with other cities. It is kind of an abstract concept; it doesn't affect individual resource or gpt dealings. On the left side of the city screen, you should see a listing of that city's trade route(s), along with an indication of how much they are worth per turn. Very early on, they will typically be trade routes with your own cities, and usually only worth one gold per turn - once you have connections to other civs (roads, rivers, coastal, etc.),
and open borders with a given civ, your cities will become eligible for trade routes with that civ's cities (which are typically more lucrative than local trade routes, since distance and city size both add to the income from a route). Technologies and civics that give +1 trade routes just give each city one extra trade route; they do not directly add to the income for a given route. Coastal cities will often get the most/more lucrative routes (especially after building harbors), as will bigger cities, FYI (also, the AI assigns routes - there isn't anything really direct you can do to alter them AFAIK). Once you have a few routes per city, commerce-multiplying buildings (in your commerce cities), harbors where applicable, and some decently sized trading partners, the income can become fairly substantial.
Oh and Mercantilism will cut off both your foreign trade routes and everyone else's with you (you'll still keep the same number of total routes, but they'll all be local, lesser-value ones). It is effectively an isolationist strategy (obviously), and personally I prefer the added trade of free markets. GPP (great people points) distributed amongst cities are not nearly as powerful as when concentrated in a single GPP city with national epic, and eventually, the extra trade route of free market will (/should) provide more overall income than an extra specialist anyway, IMHO, unless you are running representation as well and/or a specialist economy. Your mileage may vary, but in my opinion, Mercantilism would play a potential niche role at best.
No idea on nukes; sorry - I've never built one. Good luck playing!
