Amida Free Build: Traders not buying?

[Paulinus]

Just decided to do a free build map, haven't done them before in Caesar 4 so far.

I've noticed that when I setup the trade routes, the incoming merchants don't buy anything. Only the importers come through, and none of the goods at the depot go out. No one is buying.

In the advisor panel, I am having zero trade receipts.

I've got the export limits set in the advisor panel.
Trade route is open.
Trade Depot is set to "Selling" and there is a designated amount.
There are plenty of trade goods at the depot.

This a bug? Or is there some trick to this I don't know about?

[vic_4]

Originally Posted by Paulinus

Just decided to do a free build map, haven't done them before in Caesar 4 so far.

I've got the export limits set in the advisor panel.

This a bug? Or is there some trick to this I don't know about?

What do you mean with export limit set?
If you have set the number over 0, that means the quantity you want to save, over which export starts, so you should rather set it to 0.

[MarkDuffy]

Welcome to our fimily, Paulinus!

Originally Posted by Paulinus

I've got the export limits set in the advisor panel.

A wild guess, here. You probably should not have changed it from zero. You will only export amounts over this setting.

[Paulinus]

I understand how the export limits work. I do this for every map I play to regulate the goods.

In either case, the goods are at the trade depot. The traders are not touching the items.

Anyone else have a clue?

EDIT: Figured I'd clarify more.

I was trying to export pottery. I have my limits set so that there is 10 pottery in the city at all times. I had 32 in storage, and 12 of that was in the trade depot. This means I had 22 pottery available to sell.

The traders are not buying the product. Anyone know why this would happen?

[MarkDuffy]

Originally Posted by Paulinus

I understand how the export limits work. I do this for every map I play to regulate the goods.

I was wondering, cuz of your other posts I read after this one.

How about a game save?

[Need_Help]

Try to save your game and reopen it. I had this problem before, just 'restart' it and its ok. Or sometimes go to the advisor screen and go back also can helps.

Thanks and hope it helps. But seems like you already 'restarted' it, I don't think it can work, just a suggestion

[Anaxamenes]

How about this one: Is the storage for that item (in warehouses, etc) sufficient to cover the amount to want to keep on hand?

[Old Man]

I read somewhere that someone had a similar problem (I think it was in Heavengames) and they mothballed the Trade Depot and then unmothballed it and the problem was sorted out.

[Need_Help]

Originally Posted by Old Man

I read somewhere that someone had a similat proble (I thin it was in Heavengames) and they mothballed to Trade Depot and then unmothballed it and the problem was sorted out.

Yea, I think sometimes the game will 'stuck'. Last time I used my way (see my previous post) to fix it.

Thanks

[Paulinus]

Thanks all for the wonderful replies.

I saved and restarted, and voila ....the guy is now buying the stuff. Strange bug. Maybe I should post it on the bug forum

[Hermann the Lombard]

I had a similar problem with wine in Caralis: export limit zero, not stockpiling, goods in warehouse, definitely "Selling" (having made all of those mistakes before), but no wine at the trade port and no sales. I took the "hardware guy" approach and fiddled with it. I moved the export limit to six, and a cartpusher promptly left the trade port and picked up wine from the warehouse and trade began. IIRC, later I noticed that it was stuck again, and I moved the export limit from six to zero, and once again the cartpusher woke up and went to work. [Come to think of it, this guy was toting loads of wine...maybe he was sleeping it off after sampling the merchandise?]

[Vercingetorix]

I had the same problem yesterday on the Antiochia map. The Mesopotamian trader refused to deliver product to my trade depot. It would not have been so bad, except that Caesar was demanding Silk(10) and Incense(25), neither of which I have; therefore, I had to import them or lose Favor.

I've attached two screenshots. You'll note that the depot is is set to buy these products and limits are set high enough to accept them. The second shot is my Resource screen. Here, I've set the limits to indicate that I want "no more than" 10 Silk nor 25 Incense in my city.

The trader mule refused to show. I kept watching all over the screen for it. I tried mothballing/re-opening depot. I tried deleting depot and rebuilding. I tried saving map, exiting the map, and re-opening the map. I tried exiting Caesar IV and re-starting the program. Nothing worked and my time for these were running out.

At about the last month of the requirement, the trader finally appeared. I eventually missed the Incense and Silk requirement. My Favor plummeted to 24. I actually had to bribe my way out, because Rome's troops were on the march.

After that, the trader showed up on schedule, and I never missed another Demand from Caesar. At 150 each, those are expensive demands.

[Need_Help]

Are you sure its demand? If I had not mistaken, Caesar will only request exotic items. They won't demand them. So far I never met any demand on exotic goods.

Thanks

[Timhotep]

Originally Posted by Vercingetorix

I had the same problem yesterday on the Antiochia map. The Mesopotamian trader refused to deliver product to my trade depot. It would not have been so bad, except that Caesar was demanding Silk(10) and Incense(25), neither of which I have; therefore, I had to import them or lose Favor.


At about the last month of the requirement, the trader finally appeared. I eventually missed the Incense and Silk requirement

After that, the trader showed up on schedule

I played Antiochia this week and missed both demands, too, because the trader didn´t appear.

[Vercingetorix]

Originally Posted by Need_Help

Are you sure its demand? If I had not mistaken, Caesar will only request exotic items. They won't demand them. So far I never met any demand on exotic goods.

It was a DEMAND. He makes some requests but Silk and Incense are DEMANDS.

[Cartpusher]

I've noticed that there seems to be a delay between the opening of the trade route and the arrival of the first trader. I don't have any hard data, but it seems like if the trade city is farther away from my home city, the delay is longer.

[Vercingetorix]

Originally Posted by Cartpusher

I've noticed that there seems to be a delay between the opening of the trade route and the arrival of the first trader. I don't have any hard data, but it seems like if the trade city is farther away from my home city, the delay is longer.

I've not noticed that. You may be right. In Antiochia, the delay is sufficient that you cannot appease Caesar's first Demand, and you are screwed...

I think it has not been a problem before, because, if Caesar wanted exotics, it was a Request. So, if I opened the trade route and missed the first request, then, no big deal. If I open the route for my own people and it takes a lot of time, then no big deal.

But when Caesar DEMANDS exotics, and the trader is late, then IT'S A BIG DEAL, A VERY BIG DEAL.

Thanks for the insight.

[Anaxamenes]

Originally Posted by Cartpusher

I've noticed that there seems to be a delay between the opening of the trade route and the arrival of the first trader. I don't have any hard data, but it seems like if the trade city is farther away from my home city, the delay is longer.

I noticed that as well.

[Timhotep]

I don´t agree. In Antiochia, Mesopotamia is one of the closest trade cities if you look at the map. Perhaps the road is very bad...