SE changed my life

[alpaca]

...It does not strictly do this. An example: We're at our first GP with a wonder and a specialist. that's 5/turn. It'll take us 20 turns without Phi and 10 with - this is because there are no other multipliers. Say we build National Epic - the output is now 6 per turn before modifiers. Without Phi that's 9 turns, while with Phi it's 6 turns. Not double as fast any more. Phi is a modifier along same lines as NE, Parthenon, Golden age and Pacifism.

Yeah sorry I just found out what I did wrong and corrected it in the above with some maths

 

[onedreamer]

Phi is a modifier along same lines as NE, Parthenon, Golden age and Pacifism.

From my findings (not 100% sure), Golden Age is by far a better modifier than all others, because unlike them it applies its 100% bonus to the total of the others and not to the base rate.

 

[UnspokenRequest]

From my findings (not 100% sure), Golden Age is by far a better modifier than all others, because unlike them it applies its 100% bonus to the total of the others and not to the base rate.

Wow! I'll make sure to check that in my next game. Sounds too good to be true.

 

[draethor]

From my findings (not 100% sure), Golden Age is by far a better modifier than all others, because unlike them it applies its 100% bonus to the total of the others and not to the base rate.

I seem to recall it simply being a base rate modification, but I'm not really sure either and will check tomorrow if no one else has done so by then.

If this is true, I know I'll be saving my mid-game GPs for end-game golden ages

 

[thomson_2001]

so I fail to understand your statement, since with Mercantilism you will only get 1 free specialist.

it helps increase the GP rate and allows more micromanagement (not the bulk 10% changes from slider) so i could have say an artist for culture , scientist fro beakers etc. more control and more GP is what SE is all about

 

[Heffling]

Actually, after 10 GP, it starts going up by 200 GPP per new GP. I'm not sure if it goes up again later.

And you have to keep in mind that if you're looking at the GPP over the entirety of the game, then the additional points you get from Philosophical versus not having it (assuming all other things are the same) will be to pay for the extra GP's you get over not having philo.

So, if being Philosophical earned me an extra usable 5000GPP (cuz alot of GPP is wasted by never generating a GP) and my last two GPP cost me 2400 and 2600 (17th and 18th GP) then that extra 5k GPP only paid for those two GP.

However, it also had the effect of hastening WHEN I get my GP, so it pays for itself with the advantage of earlier GP.

 

[zenspiderz]

They aren't gold coins, they are commerce. If you're running 100% science each trade route will equal more or less a scientist specialist, and you'll get about 4 in each city. In continents maps this bonus is even higher, so I fail to understand your statement, since with Mercantilism you will only get 1 free specialist.

Merc doesn't stop all trade just foreign routes you get still get almost as much commerce from trading with other cities in your empire as you would trading with foreign cities.

 

[thomson_2001]

plus if you have nice rich cities the others cant get your money via trade if you run mercantilism. mercantilism + statue of liberty = fun

 

[onedreamer]

SE, CE, PE....... IMO the best way is in the middle !

 

[onedreamer]

Merc doesn't stop all trade just foreign routes you get still get almost as much commerce from trading with other cities in your empire as you would trading with foreign cities.

this is a big joke. Like I said you will get as much more as one specialist would add from a single trade route. Unless we're speaking of science and you are running Representation (most likely). In this case your specialist will equal 2 international trade routes. Still not four.

 

[TheWilltoAct]

this is a big joke. Like I said you will get as much more as one specialist would add from a single trade route. Unless we're speaking of science and you are running Representation (most likely). In this case your specialist will equal 2 international trade routes. Still not four.

Agreed. Mercantilism is teh suxorz unless you somehow have no coastal cities or something. Sure, it might sort of work before Free Market, but once you have that switch to it - it pwnz the socks off of Merc. FM gives you an additional trade route in each city PLUS (and this is more significant) you can now almost double the effectiveness due to foreign trade routes. And if I'm understanding the upcoming patch correctly Customs Houses will blow apart Merc......

 

[onedreamer]

Well there IS one case in which Mercantilism might be good, and that is if a foreign civ is spreading its useless corporation to your cities, crippling your economy.

 

[Antilogic]

The thing is, Free Market only works if you have a lot of friends/trading partners. If you are bordered by a bunch of crazy mofos like Montezuma or people like Isabella and Zara Yaqob (and you don't share their religion), or have Tokugawa nearby who won't trade with you anyway, then Mercantilism is much better. It's only worse if you play on small maps, and out of the 5 civs on the board, four are constantly fighting you or refuse to sign open borders.

Mercantilism is very situational in that aspect. I've used it in some games with great success, and in others I'll stay in Decentralization until I hit Free Market.

Foreign trade routes can yield 10+ commerce per route in port cities, as I can attest from personal experience. I've never had more than 4 per route from a "native" trade route, and that was an overseas island that I settled trading with my capital. I'm not sure if I've ever gotten 5+ with a domestic trade route (if so, I don't remember it).

 

[Minor Annoyance]

I don't know if it has been brought up, but in BTS Mercantilism lets you have routes trade with your vassals cities and I think they still count as foreign. So Mercantilism is useful for a conquerer pre-state property, or if you chose to return their cities after vassalizing them.

 

[Wodan]

Hmm, that's interesting. Sounds like it would work with colony / vassals as well. And, they would also count as intercontinental.

Wodan

 

[TheWilltoAct]

That is interesting.

Also, I will note that I was rather surprised to find that in my most recent game of BTS all of the leaders (except Ragnar) chose Mercantilism as their civic up until real real late in the game o.O

I tried to change Alexander's economic civic to something else with a spy (and suceeded at least once) but eventually it wouldn't even let me influence his economic civics (I could mess with all others) ... any clue what was up?

 

[Legal_My_Deagle]

There have been times where I have switched to Mercantilism simply because all of the AIs were running it, and therefore I wouldn't have gotten any foreign trade routes anyway

 

[Antilogic]

There have been times where I have switched to Mercantilism simply because all of the AIs were running it, and therefore I wouldn't have gotten any foreign trade routes anyway

That's another good reason to run mercantilism. If you can't get any foreign routes, might as well get the free specialist.