Tips for trade

[jaspritsingh]

Question

If I am playing as Marathas (who have loads of Tea and Cotton plantations) does it make sense for me to upgrade those to the max level or is there some concept in the game that increased production leads to drop in prices ???

If there is a drop in prices can it be used as economic warfare ? I mean i spam so much cotton so that some other cotton producing nation loses money its making due to drop in prices ?

The point over East Indies is quite valid, but isnt that the same for all trade routes ? I means as the Marathas I went nuts when countries neutral to me blocked some other country's route to My ports just because they were at war. I picked up costly wars with Ottomans and Spain just to clear my trade routes. ( Nevermind it didnt work, I lost money on trade and also a great deal of money to maintain the new fleets and armies that I had to make to beat those buggers - but then no one messes with the Maratha Samrajya )

[Fisherking]

You have tea, cotton, and a couple of spice plantations in India. Yes upgrading the plantations helps.

I don’t think there is a price drop you can use to your advantage. Getting rid of others trading the goods is the better method. At least reducing their trade ships.

The trade rout thing is unavoidable. It only gets worse if you go to war over it. The God of the game AI hates the player. Anything that will hurt the player is fair game. In ETW you just have to live with it.

[jaspritsingh]

Completed the Maratha Campaign as a Monarchy .. dint change the govt ( am no fan of democracy). Managed to hold on by not researching some civic techs and removing schools. Ofcourse it meant I could not get a first rate in time but then I managed pretty well with second rates.

Finally saw some good thinking from the AI.

Britain to my great surprise and annoyance did not invade me (I kept a full stack in Goa to greet them all through the game.) I saw them load ships full of men and then sail around but they did not come to India. Instead I went to Europe and feuded with the Polish. To my huge huge surprise, Britain did not support them, instead went to war with the Poles. At the time the Poles had greater prestige (they had civic techs) and we are both terrifying and spectacular in terms of power and wealth.

Question is - could the huge trade bonus have something to do with that ?

[Fisherking]

I don’t remember seeing the AI factions going to India unless they actually honored an alliance and got sucked into a war.

That is one of the reasons that the AI Marathas are such a pain and take over so much.

I can’t remember playing as Maratha. Did you ever undergo the time in the game when everyone is against you?