Trading Post Suggestion

[Peng Qi]

I felt like Trading Posts were fine before BNW, but as of BNW with the loss of gold from many sources, I think Trading Posts need an update, and I think I have a pretty good idea:

Trading Posts should default to +3, but they should get -1 for every adjacent tile improvement to a minimum of +1. This accomplishes a few things:

1. It makes trading posts more useful in the early game when the surrounding countryside is relatively undeveloped. This would have the side-effect of making trading posts especially useful in "no man's lands" such as deserts and non-forest Tundra; the type of terrain such outposts tended to be built in in the real world.

2. Trading posts would become useful on single-tile islands and coastlines, which have become less valuable since coast tiles have been nerfed; plus, again, these are areas they tended to be built in the real world.

3. It reduces the imperative of getting caravans up ASAP and makes it more possible to sustain an economy (albeit a weak one) if you can't keep trade routes clear or have been embargoed.

4. It makes mass trade post spam essentially worthless.

I'm also thinking starting at +3 may be a bit too high. Maybe +2 would be more sensible, but I'm not sure. Any ideas or comments?

 

[MarshalN]

The problem with your suggestion is that other than one tile islands, I can't see myself ever building a TP with your change. It won't be worth it

 

[I_qua_I]

I picture this being very problematic. Imagine having carefully chosen a location for your trading post, using up some valuable turn times allowing your worker to build it and then finding a strategic resource you want to connect or an archeological dig site show up next to it shortly after (worse yet, if this resource popped up between trading posts.)

The proposed idea makes trading posts too much of a gamble and in my opinion serves only to reinforce the want for caravans/cargo ships.