Merchants: You CAN use many on one resource.

**Shahed** · 12-19-2006, 20:03

I just tried the merchant fort i.e

-Build fort using a general on a resource.
-Put in a few merchants.

Each merchant in the fort will now be trading the resource.

I have tried this with 3 merchants in a fort just outside Constantinople, trading silk. All three are n00bish merchants but are making about a 1000Florins/Turn all together in that fort.

Don't know if this is intended but it works anyway.

*sees a mad rush to build forts in Timbuktu*

**Goofball** · 12-19-2006, 20:09

Do you need to leave a military unit in the fort for it to stay in existence?

**Shahed** · 12-19-2006, 20:10

Nope if there is an agent in it, it stays.

**Handel** · 12-19-2006, 20:34

One more exploit

**Gray_Lensman** · 12-19-2006, 20:35

Originally Posted by Sinan

I just tried the merchant fort i.e

-Build fort using a general on a resource.
-Put in a few merchants.

Each merchant in the fort will now be trading the resource.

I have tried this with 3 merchants in a fort just outside Constantinople, trading silk. All three are n00bish merchants but are making about a 1000Florins/Turn all together in that fort.

Don't know if this is intended but it works anyway.

*sees a mad rush to build forts in Timbuktu*

Cool! Nice use for those Family/Generals that have lousy traits. Merchant escorts...

**past caring** · 12-19-2006, 20:54

Hmmm.......

1) Presumably you build the fort off to the side of the resource a little bit, rather than actually on it?

2) The fort might allow you to put three or four merchants on the resource (up to twenty, I presume?) but does it protect the merchants from getting aquired?

3) If it doesn't, can more than one get aquired at once? Will an 8 ranked AI merchant take out all five of your 4 ranked guys in one hit?

**Slaists** · 12-19-2006, 21:04

Forts and military escorts appear to protect merchants from takeovers.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=75216

**GreatWarrior** · 12-19-2006, 21:31

But, wouldn't that destory your relationship with the nation that you place the fort on.

**Kobal2fr** · 12-19-2006, 21:34

HAhaha, now that's thinking outside the box, or I don't know what is

. Of course, it's borderline cheating, and you can only do it in your own lands, but funny still.

**past caring** · 12-28-2006, 12:30

Originally Posted by past caring

Hmmm.......

1) Presumably you build the fort off to the side of the resource a little bit, rather than actually on it?

Originally Posted by Sinan

1. You can build the fort wherever the game allows you to. You can build it to the side also, but why notsmack on top ?

Maybe just my game - or my poor eyesight - but merchants only appear to work when placed adjacent to a resource (at two o'clock or North East) rather than directly on or over it. It could be that they work when directly over it, but I only get the "opening new trade" dialogue when they're placed adjacent, so that's where I've always placed them......

**General Zhukov** · 12-28-2006, 15:44

If you use this exploit, i.e. create a new trade system that the AI doesn't understand the rules of and therefore can't compete in, why not just save the hassle of building dozens of merchants to stack in forts and just cheat in the console for money? Less effort, plus this way there's no need to come up with justifications like: "they had trading forts in real life!"

**Shahed** · 12-28-2006, 18:28

Sorry past_caring, that's what I meant by on top.

Zhukov, The discussion is no longer about cheats but your suggestion would be an easier solution if all you wanted to do is cheat.

This has now evolved past a trading system, in which the AI cannot compete. The intention of the system was never to compete with the AI but to use multiple functions for resource tiles. It can be used for espionnage and military HQ. Contrary to what you have implied, this system does not necessarily mean you have all your merchants in forts. In my game only 4 merchants are in forts (the ones in the screenshot above) the rest are scattered from Russia to Timbuktu.

Aedile I've already tested that, merchants of equal finance skill earn exactly the same inside or outside the fort. i.e Alan with finance skill of 4 earns the same as Barney with finance skill of 4 outside the fort on equal value resource. It would be nice if the AI could do the same, if the income was split between merchants, that would be fine too. But it's really not a big deal because you won't bother with 20 merchants on the same spot, I imagine. If you used it like that it would be an exploit.

I don't consider it an exploit, it's not raking in 10,000 Florins per turn for me, more like 400. Not sure if everyone understands what I'm doing but I tried to explain it in the screenshot in post #36.

An off topic remark, about AI not being able to compete, well ??? .... it can't compete in anything. It cannot compete with any TW player who played more than 30 hours of any TW game. Most of us here played waaaay more than that. Most of the cases it probably cannot compete with a newbie, once they've got the interface mastered, it's over for the AI. It cannot compete, it is challenging in numbers and it IS GOOD, but it can't compete with a human.