WTH does it take for cities to be "connected"?

[morchuflex]

OK, I've just switched from vanilla to C3C and I'm learning it the hard way (that is, getting my <butt>kicked). But some questions remain, among which:
what the <heck> does it take for two cities to be considered connected by a trade (esp. sea) route?
Here's the situation:
I have spices and iron on my main land.
I have colonies on two small islands.
Colony 1 is separated from the main landmass by only three squares of water. Colony 2 is four squares away.
I have harbours in both colonies and on the main landmass.
So, how comes that colony 2 has access to my iron but not to spices, and colony 1 hasn't access to either???
I'm playing Byzantines, BTW, meaning my ships can cross the gaps safely.
Help, anyone?

 

[superslug]

Is the water between the landmasses all coastal tiles are or there sea/ocean tiles? What tech are you at? That affects how deep tiles can be traded over...

 

[JMK]

You have three type of 'Blue' tile beside lake.
1) COASTAL (light blue) you can trade using Coastal tile through Harbour. Required Tech: Map Making.
2) SEA (Blue) you can trade using sea tile through Habour if 2-1) you are the owner or you are trading with the owner of the Great Light, 2-2) you have knowledge or your trading partner has knowledge of Astronomy.
3) OCEAN (Dark Blue) you can trade using Ocean tile through Habour if you or your trading partner have knowledge of Navigation or Magnetism.

In all above cases the route used for trading must as safe as possible.
If you are using coastal tiles under cultural control of third party, this is not too good as you will never know if the third party would declare either against you or your trading partner, cutting the route.
Also suggest you are using your own Harbour although it is possible to trade through third party harbour, it just have to be connected by roads.
Hope this help.

 

[Turner]

Moderator Action: morchuflex - warned for profanity.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[morchuflex]

JMK, thank you for the detailed info.
But I really find this rules too complicated.
I really think you should be able to trade if your ship can pass through, period. Isn't it absurd that my ships can safely pass from one shore to the other (unless they end their turn in the middle, of course) but I can't trade with my colony?

 

[superslug]

Isn't it absurd that my ships can safely pass from one shore to the other (unless they end their turn in the middle, of course) but I can't trade with my colony?

It is inconsistent, but it's also less complicated, so I don't know if it's absurd or not...

 

[morchuflex]

Well, I colonized this island in 500 BC, and I won't be able to trade with it until Astronomy, which I'll probably discover only one or two millenia later... If that is not absurd...
As for the Lighthouse, I would really enjoy building it. But on Emperor difficulty, a CP generally completes it before I discover MM (even when I aim directly to this tech from day I!).

 

[Arathorn]

Absurd? I don't think so. Military ships and/or exploring ships will happily go places where trade ships aren't willing to go. It's much easier, abstractly, to send out a military vessel across dangerous waters than a heavily-laden, valuable commercial ship that doesn't have government backing if it happens to sink.

I also think the strategic challenge of connections (or lack thereof) is quite interesting, whether ships can cross a certain gap or not.

Arathorn

 

[morchuflex]

Military ships and/or exploring ships will happily go places where trade ships aren't willing to go. It's much easier, abstractly, to send out a military vessel across dangerous waters than a heavily-laden, valuable commercial ship that doesn't have government backing if it happens to sink.
Arathorn

Granted. But does it make sense to send thousands of colonists to a trip that even greedy merchants would think too risky? If I can colonize, I should be able to trade.