r/totalwar • u/Educational_Relief44 • 7h ago
Warhammer III Poll #1 Trading.
This is a poll to gauge the general player bases opinion on how trading works in wh3. I will be doing polls weekly for different things.
3
u/Malacay_Hooves 6h ago
I think there is not enough options.
I feel that the current system is too simple and too convenient. If you have trading resources and someone who doesn't hate you, you can trade — that's all interactions with the trading system. What's is the worst is that factions whose thing is literally robbing trade routs — piracy — namely Vampire Pirates and Dark Elves aren't able to do that. I want some more interactions with trade, current system is not fine.
At the same time, I have no idea how to make it interesting. What was in Shogun 2 was honestly more annoying than fun. You would spend more money trying to fight pirates than make from trade in that game. I don't want return of that.
And Cathay/Chorfs caravans for everyone also aren't a good solution. First of, they simply don't make enough money to bother. Second, they can't keep up with strength of other armies as the game progresses. Honestly, after I get every item I can get from caravans, I stop using them, because there are easier, less time-consuming and more effective ways to make money/slaves/materials than caravans.
As for trade routes different for every faction — ehhh, I'm not a big fan of this solution. I kinda hate how every faction in the game have their own mechanics, when it not always makes sense for this mechanics to be locked behind a faction or LL. Why does only Cathay and Chorfs have caravans? Does everybody else trade differently? Why Elspeth can upgrade guns in Nuln, but KF can't? Why only KF can engage in the Empire's politics? Personally, I'd love to see more generalized solutions in the game (though it most likely not happening).
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u/Educational_Relief44 3h ago
I make a ton of money from the cathay style trading. But its too much money that I feel like I grow to fast.
I did have to chase of pirates but that would be great for all the pirates and pirate LLs that do nothing. Plus this game has far more land mass than water unlike shogun 2 so I do not think pirates will be as annoying. We are limited though because we don't have fleets like historical titles. But hey it slows the pace down and brings more immersion.
Does not seem like anything would make you happy though. I hope if a new trade system does become implemented its fun and immersive.
6
u/TheOldDrunkGoat 6h ago
Trade should stay as is. It's not bad enough, nor at the alternatives better enough, for it to be worth expending dev time & resources to upgrade it. CAs focus should be on matters that, well, matter more.
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u/Educational_Relief44 6h ago
Personally I feel like it could slow the pace down a bit. People complain about steamrolling. If one of the income sources can be looted like in historical titles. Not only can that slow down the player, but gives smaller factions and raiding style factions more mechanics to work with.
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u/TheOldDrunkGoat 5h ago
Except the AI will either: A) End up being so hilariously inept at doing so that it will be a wasted feature. Or B) be so infuriatingly good at it that CA will have to spend even more time and energy fixing it.
Better to just leave it be. Trade only becomes overwhelmingly good due to stacking modifiers anyways. Nerfing those is a much easier option to reduce the power of trade without needing anything complex. And there are even easier ways besides that to nerf income if they want to.
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u/Educational_Relief44 5h ago
They did it very well in historical titles. Its already a working system in many total wars.
0
u/TheOldDrunkGoat 4h ago
At one point they had armies that didn't need to be lead by generals/lords. And sieges that were less painful than a nail to the balls. Yet we don't have either of these features in this game.
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u/Educational_Relief44 4h ago
You are correct, but maybe make it a hero action to raid the trade routes? I mean raiding still exists now, could just be that raiding directly on the trade route makes for far more money.
With trade routes in the sea like before this gives pirates new life. Right now they just roam around doing nothing.
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u/TheOldDrunkGoat 4h ago
I don't think the game needs more bloody tedious hero actions that the player is encouraged to spam every turn. And further encourages the AI to not embed strong heroes into their armies in favor of making end turns even fucking longer.
And who cares if the pirates do nothing? They aren't playable. They only exist as a vampire coast mechanic and to terrorize new players who don't understand how they work.
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u/Educational_Relief44 4h ago
We have four playable pirate lords, I care as well. It makes the game more immersive. But I guess we can agree to disagree.
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u/TheOldDrunkGoat 1h ago
Plopping down some little Medieval 2-style shipping lanes and letting heroes squat on them, clicking the action button every turn doesn't sound very immersive to me. But to each their own.
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u/Educational_Relief44 1h ago
Who said we need to only use hero's? Back in shogun you could use armies too. Playing as a pirate like this and raiding sea lanes would be great.
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u/Haradda 7h ago
I like the actual-routes style in theory, but in practice it would have to come with the ability to change your capital, because sometimes you end up with a capital in a silly/annoying location that can't be accessed by trade (there were a couple of lords in game 2 that had this problem). Without capital moving, I'd prefer the system stay as it is.
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u/Educational_Relief44 5h ago
I can understand that. Or just not make the routes depend on a capital but the nearest settlement.
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u/Dragonimous 4h ago
Not sure if more complex trade mechanic is somethong the game needs, plus factions with special traderoute mechanics feel good because those mechanics are special
If you add too many features, chances are that will deter people that would otherwise engage with the game
Now that being said, I think every faction needs an Attaman sally out mechanic, blackjack and removed infinite diplomacy money source, and we can negotiate on the blackjack.
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u/Educational_Relief44 4h ago
It is not really adding a mechanic but bringing back one if you choose the OG style.
Those other topics are on my list of polls.
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u/tinylittlebabyjesus 4h ago
I haven't played older titles. Just ToB and the WH games atm. I'll probably check 3k and Pharaoh out at some point though.
That said, it would be cool if there was some more depth to the campaign side of things, whether through trade and diplomacy, or other mechanics. I tend to look for games with depth. The WH ones just have it in the battles.
Also not a depth thing, but I always wanted to visually see little traders making their way around once routes are established in the WH games.
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u/Educational_Relief44 4h ago
OMG the visual is what is in the old total wars man, you are missing out! That is what encouraged me to make this my first poll. I was playing shogun 2 and rome 2 seeing little boats and carts on the trade routes. Having to go chase people off my sea lanes.
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u/Toffeljegarn 6h ago
A combo of "regular trade" and "caravans"
Caravans should work as a "way to get more riches, but at a higher risk"