Couple of questions guys, I haven't setup any trade relations yet but currently I'm at Peace with the Sowers (all I have managed), when I look to start some trade or something there are no options there for anything, do I need to construct something first?? Would it be something like Extreme Option exchange that gives me +1 trade on a system and does that system need to be next to the faction I am trying to trade with? Plus the Extreme Option exchange gives -15% upkeep but upkeep on what?

Thanks

That improvement is +1 trade route, not just +1 trade. All the improvements with +1 trade route are just for the automatic trade routes. The trade routes require an empty trade route slot in any of your systems, peace with at least 1 other empire (or the blockade breakers trait) and you have to have scouted at least one of their systems. Your home system always starts with 2 available trade routes. You can have as many trade routes as you have slots, but each one will only connect to a system owned by another empire that you know about. So even if you've only met the Sowers and either have made peace (not cold war) or have the bloackde breakers trait (works even in cold war), but don't' know where any of their systems are, you won't have any trade routes.



In order to trade techs, dust and resources with another empire you have to at peace or better (alliance, co-op agreement, etc) and have researched Xenolinguistics. That tech is on the left hand tree and the description will tell you everything you can trade once you've researched it.

Trade is handled automatically and will automatically happen when possible. But it has a few requirements.

• You need to be at least at peace with another faction to have trade with them. By default you start at "Cold War" with all factions you meet.
• Your systems must have available trade routes. By default your home system will start with 2. But you can get more through tech and faction traits.
• You must have explored a system to have trade with it. If you meet another faction, establish a peace treaty with them, but have not explored any system they control, you won't be able to trade with them until you do.
• Blockades of systems will break trade routes. Trade routes require a clear path to their destination. If a system in between the source and destination system is blockaded and is the only route to that system, the trade will be broken.
• You cannot trade with races you are at war with, regardless of blockade breakers faction trait.
  
  

Amoeba start with the whole galaxy explored, so they are a good faction to introduce yourself to trade. Taking the faction trait "Blockade Breakers" allows you to establish trade with other races without requiring you to be at peace with them, and allow you not to worry about blockades disrupting trade. Taking the faction trait Merchants will add a +1 / +2 trade routes to your system without requiring any tech. The Diplomats faction trait will give you +25% /+50% bonus to your trade routes. Then you have tech in the economics tree on the left that will allow you to build system improvements to add additional trade routes to a system and or bonuses to trade.



I think that is about it to get you started. Trade routes IMHO are a nice boost to dust and science production in the early and mid game. In the late game as factions start to fall and presumably as your expansion increases, they become less and less useful as you lose the full effect and many systems will have zero of X trade routes open. Usually most will exist on home systems with corporate leaders.



Does that answer your question?

Another note about trade routes. If you are playing as Harmony the dust will add to your disharmony penalties until you purify the system.

No it won't, as the dust penalty is applied planet-wide, not system-wide.

Monthar wrote:
Another note about trade routes. If you are playing as Harmony the dust will add to your disharmony penalties until you purify the system.

that is not entirely true, there is a tech in the diplomacy tree that allows harmony to turn dust from trade roots into food.

Cheers peeps, makes it a lot clear but in this cases I should already be trading with them then!

I'm at Peace

There are only 2 AI in my first game and I'm at cold war with the other so I have available trade routes if you start with 2

I have a planet next door to the Amoeba so we can see each other and

I'm not blockaded

So were do I see my trade routes? Can I see what income from trade I get and is there a visual display of this on the map?

Thanks all

FatBoy wrote:
Cheers peeps, makes it a lot clear but in this cases I should already be trading with them then!

I'm at Peace

There are only 2 AI in my first game and I'm at cold war with the other so I have available trade routes if you start with 2

I have a planet next door to the Amoeba so we can see each other and

I'm not blockaded

So were do I see my trade routes? Can I see what income from trade I get and is there a visual display of this on the map?

Thanks all

Empire management screen (first icon in the upper left, next to science) and then upper right corner of the empire management screen should have a trade routes button. That will pull up all available routes and how much each route is generating, you can also use the column sort options as well.

Thanks Gwydion, can see the routes and its all crystal clean now thanks all

you can also see trade rotes in the top right hand corner of the system screen.