How I would like to see trade in PtW!

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

Possibly off topic for this particular forum, as I realise that it's probably a little TOO much to hope for in the first expansion! It might also be a little CtP for some peoples taste, but this is how I would like to see trade handled in PtW!!

1) Ability to trade commodities (like food and even production-processed goods). Internal trade could use a vector system a la Warlords, i.e.: You go to the city screen, click on the number of shields or bushels you wish to "trade" then click on the city you want it to go to, if it's part of the internal trade system then that city will begin recieving that commodity immediately.
External trade could work in 1 of 2 ways: either you say how many bushels or shields you want to trade, and they are deducted evenly from amongst your most productive cities or you could select the cities you want to deduct the commodities from when you trade. External commodity trading could be on a per turn or lump sum basis!

2) Trade routes: Internal trade should work exactly as it currently does! For external trade, however, you should have to build an appropriate "Trade Unit". These units would have an attack/defense strength and a range, but would be immobile! They would represent the number of seperate trade deals that you can negotiate (a la CtP and CtP2). When a deal is negotiated a trade route is drawn between the city that has the "unit" and the nearest, appropriate city of the Civ you trade with. This would include all the trade limitatations currently in place (like the need for a harbour or airport!)

3) Attacking trade: Trade routes should be "invisible" to every civ EXCEPT the ones who made the deal! An enemy civ should only be able to detect a trade route through spying or if it has a unit sitting right on top of it! Some units (like bandits and pirates) should have a special flag which allows them to see trade units in the same way that destroyers can see subs! If you can see a trade route, then you should be able to either "embargo" or "pirate" it. Like CtP, this involves sitting on the route and pressing an appropriate key! Unlike CtP, however, it should not be automatic but should be resolved like combat. If the attacking unit is successful then the trade route either disappears, in the case of an embargo (and cannot be restored as long as the attacking unit remains in place!) or is successfully pillaged, in the case of piracy! This would yield either money, or access to the appropriate resource for X turns (and the trading civ obviously loses that resource for the same amount of time!) If the resource is strategic, and the attacking civ already has it, then they should have the choice to simply recieve a monetary reward or have the disappearance ratio of their own resource set to "0" for X turns! Pillaged trade routes should only have a "chance" of being broken! Broken trade routes would have to be renegotiated, but the trading civ should not recieve any penalty for "breaking the deal early!"

Anyway, sorry this post is so long, and I DO hope that I have it in the right place. If the moderator does not agree, then please feel free to move it to the "General Forums"

Yours,
The_Aussie_Lurker.

[Spiffor]

You're aware there is no way an XP has such deep changes ? I think you should post these intersting ideas in the old "Civ IV : the list" thread (here : http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=35600)

[Mikel]

I have to disagree with both of you. Other games have released XP's that had an increadible amount of content ( I would concede that I can't think of any that have made quite such a drastic change to the game mechanics though). I think too many people will accept paying 2/3 of a full price game for 8 new civs and a few graphics. I don't feel thats enough, but thats what we'll get if it pleases the masses.

However,

I don't see the advantage this trade system brings to the diplomatic aspect or the military portion of the game. Neither do I see how this would help realise some of the new ideas put into the original release that pehaps didn't quite work out as the designers thought. The only advantage I can see is the ability to help new cities by importing food and shields. I hope they find another way to do this if they decide to impliment this in an XP.

Sorry to be critical. Perhaps if you can highlight the benefits this brings I can be a bit more supportive.

[Inverse Icarus]

i really think the ability to trade food (even within your own empire) is a must. i dont see why 1 city should have more food than it could ever use, and a city several tiles to the north is starving.

i had the "pirates" idea a while back, but no one listened

[civman2000]

definiteky i agree...in civ2 caravans could transport shields, if only for wonders, and food.