Trade via Ships questions

[NovaBlazer]

Howdy Long time lurker first time poster...

Started playing MTW just a week ago (Yes, I know... but I just could not stop playing Shogun&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif.

The question I have is why after creating a successful trading line that the port continues to show 0 (zero) income. My Merchant Guild shows a significant increase in income however the port just shows 0.

I thought it was just a fluke - but then I broke my naval trading chain and the port still showed 0 and the Merchant Guild took a HUGE dive in income; From like 800 to 33.

So I guess the question is this... why does my port continue to show 0 (zero) income when I clearly have made a trading connection?

Thanks in advance

[Eastside Character]

Quote[/b] ]
The question I have is why after creating a successful trading line that the port continues to show 0 (zero) income. My Merchant Guild shows a significant increase in income however the port just shows 0.
Thats just the way it is. It is a merchant that generates income, not a port (which is only a requirement for sea trading).

[NovaBlazer]

Ah - well I am glad that I am not going nuts then


So the ports will NEVER show income. Why even have the Income status when viewing the port info sheet at all?

For the last week I thought I was doing something wrong. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/dizzy.gif

[motorhead]

Ports will show some (very low usually) income, but only when the AI makes a ship chain to your port. Ports impose a tax on imports, usually it's single digits, most i've seen is 44 florins from a world-spanning danish empire.

[NovaBlazer]

Ah http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/idea.gif That makes sense Motorhead

Ports are reflecting incoming goods while Merchants encompass outgoing and incoming.

Since I have never had the AI make a ship chain to my ports, I have never seen the ports make any money.

Thank you all for the wonderful head clearing answers

[Quokka]

The reason the amounts are usually so small is that the Import income is only 20% of what the Export income is. I have been looking at the internal files the last few days and this is what I have come up with.

Here's a list of the Tradable goods and their value.

Trade Goods Export
Glassware 40
Wood 20
Furs 40
Wine 40
Wool 30
Silk 40
Cotton 30
Linen 30
Wax 20
Honey 40
Salt 20
Hides 30
Butter 20
Pottery 30
Fish 20
Spices 50
Gems 50
Sugar 40
Dyes 50
Ivory 40
Olive Oil 30
Grain 30

In game a value of 100 = 52 Florins. Cathedrals and Copper Mines are both valued at 100 and both generate 52 Fl. So the above values are percentages of 52 Florins ie Gems 50 = 52x50% = 26 Florins and thats for export. Import is only 20% of that or 5.2 Florins. I am not sure if the game rounds up or down. That is for Gems which only Antioch can export, if you were importing Fish it would only be 2.6 Florins.

Don't worry about your Port not earning money it never really will.