Trade Route Duration

[Paramecium]

Hi, Im not sure if this topic should be posted in "Strategy & Tips", so I try it here.

I have a problem with trade route durations. It was mentioned in one of the dev's livestreams, that the duration is dependent on the distance between starting and destination city. So if I want to build an early road between my capital and second city, it is normally in a range of 10, mostly way less.

But it seems trade routes are going very long, nearly the same feeling like in Civ 5 when a trade route duration was about 30 turns. The civilopedia isnt helping either.

So, does anyone know exactly how long the trade route duration is? If it is a fix number of turns, Rome just got way better and needs to be played by me. Because until you get your first CH online, you are quite cribbled in "constructing" roads.

And yes, second question, does anyone know if the yields of a trade route will get updated if the destination city finishes a district during the duration of the trade route?

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Answer to your last question is yes.

 

[MadDjinn]

trade route duration depends on the distance between the cities. Very long trade routes last much longer that short trade routes.

 

[Paramecium]

trade route duration depends on the distance between the cities. Very long trade routes last much longer that short trade routes.

Sure, I know that, the point is just, that it seems like "distance" != "turn duration". If I want to build a road from city A to B and it is about 4 or 5 tiles distance between it, it takes way longer than just 4 or 5 turns ...

And that is hindering my early game, if I just have trade route until I get a CH online, I cant connect my cities together even if they are very near by. Learned it the hardway, when I thought, okay, lets build a road between my first 2 cities and then send it to catherine to not trigger her negative agenda. The city was 5 tiles away and I waited and waited after 5 turns ...

 

[Flak Fox]

I've had one trade route that was so far out to sea, the trade ship made a single trip and I was able to re-assign the ship. I've had some so close that the caravan only takes a few turns to reach its destination, and those seem to require the caravan to make 10 - 20 trips before it actually counts as complete.

Marathon speed.

 

[MadDjinn]

Trade units aren't there to build your roads between cities then move on. Ie, the 4-5 hex distance road and then 'expected it to be done'.

They are there for trade, and happen to build roads.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I've noticed that the listed duration is incorrect at Marathon speed. It may say 5 turns (for a city next door) but it really takes like 25 turns. Which is fine, but it bothers me that it is mislabeled.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

trade route duration depends on the distance between the cities. Very long trade routes last much longer that short trade routes.

the issue is how that dependence works
(and it doesn't always work that way... especially if it is like civ 5 where the relationship was weird with sudden drops in time based on distance)

 

[King Rad]

I believe the minimum time for a trade route is 20 turns. So if the route is to a city only 4 tiles away, it's still 20 turns. If it's to one (don't know if it's round trip or one way) that requires 30 turns (assume round trip), then the trade route lasts 30 turns.

 

[Iberian]

Really makes you thankful for Rome's early roads.

Someone should post all the XML files online and then we can query those when a question like this pops up.

 

[Zhahz]

I would imagine that the trade unit has to bounce back and forth between the two cities involved X number of times for the route to complete, and that's why longer routes last more turns.

 

[Mustakrakish]

I want a mod that makes them trade route duration actually the same as the distance. Because I was very interested in that idea when the devs explained it, only to then turn out it was a misunderstanding.

 

[Ozisl]

I would appreciate at least a quick-redo-route button.