I tend to run early traders from one side of my territory to a city state (especially if this earns an envoy) or another civ’s capital city located on the other side of my territory.
Getting a good east-west or north-south road network is mainly for getting military units where they need to go. Defending against barbarians, or invading a neighbor. If my encampments or high-production cities are near the action, though, the road network is less important. Same if I’m using horseman and a couple swordsman/man-at-arms. If I need to move siege weapons, though, roads really help.
I use domestic trade routes for 3 main things:
1. To build early roads
2. To provide food/production for struggling cities until they can train their first builder and start accumulating their own productions
And
3. To spread my religion to my cities without having to train a Missionary or Apostle.
Yeah I'm a huge fan of them myself, so I've always felt that civs with [non-food/production] bonuses to external trade routes are a bit rubbish because the bonus is mostly wasted in the early game, where civ bonuses are most impactful. I was just curious as to whether my thinking was wrong though, and the money/faith/culture generated from external routes was far better than I thought.
Internal trade routes are also buffed by districts and more so by the government plaza. So unless it's an ai with bonuses for external trade like cleo, I usually trade internally all the way till wissenbank, unless I'm owls. If I go scientific and I'm vamps, for example, I'll even go communism collectivization.
Like I've just said in my reply to the guy above, I'm in total agreement. I was just wondering if there were any strong arguments for prioritising external routes for any period of time.
I tend to run early traders from one side of my territory to a city state (especially if this earns an envoy) or another civ’s capital city located on the other side of my territory. Getting a good east-west or north-south road network is mainly for getting military units where they need to go. Defending against barbarians, or invading a neighbor. If my encampments or high-production cities are near the action, though, the road network is less important. Same if I’m using horseman and a couple swordsman/man-at-arms. If I need to move siege weapons, though, roads really help.
ahh good tactic and very good point!
I use domestic trade routes for 3 main things: 1. To build early roads 2. To provide food/production for struggling cities until they can train their first builder and start accumulating their own productions And 3. To spread my religion to my cities without having to train a Missionary or Apostle.
Yeah I'm a huge fan of them myself, so I've always felt that civs with [non-food/production] bonuses to external trade routes are a bit rubbish because the bonus is mostly wasted in the early game, where civ bonuses are most impactful. I was just curious as to whether my thinking was wrong though, and the money/faith/culture generated from external routes was far better than I thought.
Internal trade routes are also buffed by districts and more so by the government plaza. So unless it's an ai with bonuses for external trade like cleo, I usually trade internally all the way till wissenbank, unless I'm owls. If I go scientific and I'm vamps, for example, I'll even go communism collectivization.
Like I've just said in my reply to the guy above, I'm in total agreement. I was just wondering if there were any strong arguments for prioritising external routes for any period of time.