What do the caravan buildings do?

[JeffSteel]

It seems that a lot of the eastern factions (the Selukids, for example) can build some sort of caravan for 1000 mina over 8 turns, yet it has no effects in the description, nor does it seem to allow new structures to be built. Do they have any purpose, or are they just not finished yet?

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Depending on what faction and version, they give population bonuses, happiness bonuses, or trade bonuses. The second + levels give trade bonuses. But depending on what buildings you have, you can't build trade routes or advance their level.

[JeffSteel]

Ah, I see, thanks for the info.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

They (caravan scout parties) do help population at the first stage for nomadic factions (spreading word of their settlements/interest in trade), but it goes away when the caravan itself is fully established. They don't give that bonus to the Seleucids and Baktrians though (who have a special level of caravan they can build, but not the full ones that the nomads and saba get). Wish we had more bonuses or half bonuses that we can award - it would make all of this a lot easier.

[The Errant]

Thaatu raised this issue with the Bactrian caravans on the bug reports subforum. He and I thought it was a bug, that the Bactrians couldn't build the caravan upgrades.

TA would you mind telling us what "special" level of caravan the Bactrians and Seleucids get. What is required to build it and what benefits (trade or happiness) it brings?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

(For FAQ maybe)

Who can build caravans and what are the restrictions/requirements?

Sabaeans, Saka, Sarmatians, and (soon) Pahlava have the regular three levels plus the initial scout level. Baktria and the Seleukids have only one level after the scout level, and it is a different "path" so that we can give different requirements.

-For Baktria and Seleukids: and not building_present_min_level government gov2 and not building_present_min_level port_buildings coast
This means they can only get them in provinces that they don't directly control. If you let the local province govern itself with a type4 or type3 government, then there can be one level of caravan there, but if you build a type1 or type2 government there, you cannot build the caravan. Provinces with ports are kept out of this equation though to make sure you don't have crazy imbalanced trade in one. The benefits are the same that the first level of the nomadic factions' caravans supply.

-Saba, Parthia, Saka, Sarmations: First two levels (after scout level) don't have any requirements. But Saka, Sarmatians, and Parthia can't have pastoralism to get the third level - they have to have a purely nomadic province to get the highest one. Saba doesn't have that restriction.

[The Errant]

Thanks for the info, TA! Much appreciated.

Put it in the FAQ. Encyclopedia Barbarorum needs your update.

[Thaatu]

Should the initial scouting party building also be removed from type 1 and 2 governments, for it only serves to confuse people (like me), or will there be some bonuses from it in future versions?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

I'd like to remove it, but that would remove it from the sabaeans too who have to have it in their type1's and 2's. We can't have two complexes for it either.

[Arkatreides]

Could this information go into the building description? So that you are warned before building it that it might have no effect?

[Thaatu]

Or maybe just add some minor bonus to it, like "you established a trade route scout party, now here's a cookie" or something.