Larger fleets = more trade?

[Roark]

I couldn't help but notice the massive fleets that some of you guys maintain in your campaigns.

Does this equate to more trade (as more goods are being transported)?

[Papewaio]

Longer chain of port to port equals more trade income and larger expensive in maintaining the fleet.

Although you can diminish the cost for the fleet by holding ports along the chain.

[Papewaio]

BTW I have seen Roark as the name of a Dwarf... Roark by Name, Roark by Nature.

[Roark]

What I mean is this:

Say you have ports and merchants in both Province A and Province B, which are adjacent to each other via a sea region. If you had a fleet of 8 ships in that sea region, would that produce more trade than if you had 2 ships in that sea region?

[Papewaio]

No, it is the distance not number of ships.

Your fleet represents the number of ships you have defending your merchant fleet not the number of merchants.

[littlebktruck]

What I mean is this:

Say you have ports and merchants in both Province A and Province B, which are adjacent to each other via a sea region. If you had a fleet of 8 ships in that sea region, would that produce more trade than if you had 2 ships in that sea region?

No. Trade is based on the value of the good traded and the number of friendly ports connected by uninterrupted shipping lanes that don't have that good natively.

As for the fleet sizes, I would say that they have large fleets in the seas for two reasons:

1) To discourage the AI from attacking and interrupting their trade routes; and

2) To be able to easily get rid of any opposing fleets whenever war is declared.

[Roark]

As for the fleet sizes, I would say that they have large fleets in the seas for two reasons:

1) To discourage the AI from attacking and interrupting their trade routes; and

2) To be able to easily get rid of any opposing fleets whenever war is declared.

I can see that these are sensible reasons.

I guess I've been a little bit scrooge-like about the support costs for large fleets in my own campaigns.

I'm just trying to figure out how these guys have such mindbuggeringly enormous incomes... (20,000 per year etc)

Peace with many factions seems to be a good thing for trade. Peace or neutrality...

[Roark]

Anyway, thanks indeed for the help guys.

[King Bob VI]

Actually more ships would reduce your trade profit because of upkeep costs, but it's usually worth it to keep the route intact.

[littlebktruck]

I'm just trying to figure out how these guys have such mindbuggeringly enormous incomes... (20,000 per year etc)

Peace with many factions seems to be a good thing for trade. Peace or neutrality...

Having a lot of trading provinces helps. In my current game, I have trade coming from Morocco, Cordoba, Valencia (?), Portugal, Egypt, Tripoli, Antioch, Toulouse, Aquitaine, Wessex, Flanders, Castile, and soon Mercia, Northumbria, Norway, and Sweeden. There aren't that many people to trade with anymore, but even just a few trades from all these provinces will help lots.

[Satyr]

In the middle of a campaign when I have about a third of a half of the map, if I am at peace with most of the world, I can often have an income in excess of 50,000 florins a year. Lots of this is from farming and mining, but most is from trade. Upgrading your trade buildings has a huge impact on how much you can make. Also if the late 1200's there are 3 events that increase trade (banks, 24 hour clock, and marco polo) and these really help to increase your income.

[edyzmedieval]

Well,

I rely on trading very much because I always play as Byz... I used very much Crete, Cyprus and Rhodes... My typical fleet is composed of: 3 Galleys or 1 Galley and 2 Dromons...

That way I got 17000 florins from Constantinople with a maximum acumen governor and Master Merchant!!!

Is there anyone who surpasses me??? :D

[sir_schwick]

If not the Byz, I usually left the islands alone if I had a port in the Eastern Mediterranean. All those islands have at most one trade good and always ports. That is three additional territories. Also, I always put at least two ships in each sea, if just to keep a storm from costing you lots. Currently I am earning 18,000 florins a turn just from trade within the mediterranean with all of Anatolia and Arabia.

[m52nickerson]

Two or three ships in each area is all you need. You can take out enemy ships and survive storms that way.

[littlebktruck]

As a rule I like to have enough ships so that I can comfortably take out the largest stack another faction has in the region. If they have 1, I want 2; if they have 2, I want 3 or 4, if they have 3, I want 5; Just a reasonable amount more, probably 1 1/2 times the size the opposing fleet or so is nice.