The functions of silk road and slaves

[iworkinct]

Can anyone tell me what are the functions of the Silk Road in DOC? I did not click any key to initiate "Silk Road", but as I played the game, the following messages pop up but I don't know why they suddenly exist:

"Silk Road has expanded to Place A"
"Silk Road has left Place B"

What do they mean? And what changes will each of them bring to my civilization.

I also have a question about "slaves". I bought slaves from another civilization. But they are unable to perform any function in my country? They are just for being traded?

 

[Leoreth]

The Silk Route is a corporation. In DoC, corporation spread is outside of control, and corporations will spread only to cities that meet some criteria that are specific to it. The Silk Route in particular can only spread to cities in Central Asia. It generates additional food and gold in your cities.

Slaves can only be used overseas (not the same continent your capital is on). In most cases, that means the Americas or sub Saharan Africa.

 

[iworkinct]

Thanks for replies, follow-up questions:

1) What criteria will the silk road be spread to a city?
2) The additional food and gold happens in that particular silk road city only? Or every city of a civ?
3) What is "Silk Road has left Place A"? Why it happens?
4) If I bought a slave from Kongo (Africa), why I can't use it in China (Asia)?

 

[Leoreth]

1) All corporations are encouraged to spread to your cities by controlling the resources it consumes (the more the better), you can look up in the corporations advisor which those are, and by the number of trade routes in the city. The silk route in particular is also attracted by trade related buildings like Markets, Grocers and Harbors.

2) Just the city it is in. It functions just like a regular corporation in BtS.

3) Sometimes a corporation can leave a city and move to another that fulfills more of its requirements as mentioned in (1).

4) I assume you are China? As I said, you cannot use slaves on your home continent. If you had a colony in say North America, you could use it there.

 

[iworkinct]

Good, thanks for replies!

You are the major game developer?

 

[Publicola]

Slaves can only be used overseas (not the same continent your capital is on). In most cases, that means the Americas or sub Saharan Africa.

Is that a new rule? I remember in version 1.12 I was able to play as the Maya and (after visiting the Old World) was able to trade for and use slaves in my homeland. Or does the 'overseas' rule only apply to Old World civs?

 

[iworkinct]

By the way, one more question, how do I know the cities to which the Silk Road was spread?

 

[merijn_v1]

If it is one of your cities, you can see it in the corporation advisor.

 

[ezzlar]

Or in the upper right corner where you can also find religions in the city screen. You also see a small icon at the city name on the map.

 

[iworkinct]

Oh yes!

 

[ozqar]

So does this mean the US can't use slaves in its home territory?

 

[Leoreth]

Sorry, what I said before wasn't entirely correct. Slaves require the Americas or sub Saharan Africa, but will not work there if your capital is in sub Saharan Africa as well.