Can someone explain the importance of caravans to a noob like me?

from Elemental Forums

Do they actually earn you money by running around cities?  I'm not really seeing what I should be doing w/ em, but I see the ai running around w/ em like madmen, so they must have some sort of practical use?

elemental
8,236 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

They give a food bonus to the city where they are sent. So just pile them toward the highest food production city you have. They give no gold bonus.

 

Also you can use them to ferry items from one place to another (Woot! >_> )

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

They create free roads so they are incredibly important if you have a forest between two cities.   For this one reason I always research diplomacy first.

 

 

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting divvu80, reply 1
They give a food bonus to the city where they are sent. So just pile them toward the highest food production city you have. They give no gold bonus.

 

Also you can use them to ferry items from one place to another (Woot! )
End of divvu80's quote

 

Hmmm i am playing the game for the first time (campaign) - i sent all my caravans to foreign cities, but according to the above statement, i therefore get no benefit doing that?

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Mystikmind, reply 3



Also you can use them to ferry items from one place to another (Woot! )


 

Hmmm i am playing the game for the first time (campaign) - i sent all my caravans to foreign cities, but according to the above statement, i therefore get no benefit doing that?
End of Mystikmind's quote

Depends. If you have a city that produces food (not counting the one that created the caravan) then you should have sent it there.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Gwenio1, reply 4

Quoting Mystikmind, reply 3


Also you can use them to ferry items from one place to another (Woot! )


 

Hmmm i am playing the game for the first time (campaign) - i sent all my caravans to foreign cities, but according to the above statement, i therefore get no benefit doing that?

Depends. If you have a city that produces food (not counting the one that created the caravan) then you should have sent it there.
End of Gwenio1's quote

 

My third city has two farms, so presumably i should send them to it rite? Can i redirect my caravans do do that then?

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

I have never tried, but I think you may have to select them and disband them, then make a new one.

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Gwenio1, reply 6
I have never tried, but I think you may have to select them and disband them, then make a new one.
End of Gwenio1's quote

 

If i disband a merchant, will the road vanish? If not, then this would be some compensation for having to rebuild the merchant.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

It does not vanish if a monster kills the Caravan, so I would not think disbanding does either.

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

No roads stay.

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

Thanks for all the info.  I'm a little slow and understanding it still though, so let's take the following example:

 

City A has 1 farm.

 

City B has no farms.

 

I create a Caravan from City A.


I just send it to City B and leave it there.


For the rest of the game assuming nothing changes, does City A still produce 1 farm worth of food for itself, in addition to 1 food for city b?

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Gabriot, reply 10
Thanks for all the info.  I'm a little slow and understanding it still though, so let's take the following example:

 

City A has 1 farm.

 

City B has no farms.

 

I create a Caravan from City A.


I just send it to City B and leave it there.


For the rest of the game assuming nothing changes, does City A still produce 1 farm worth of food for itself, in addition to 1 food for city b?
End of Gabriot's quote

 

When the caravan reaches B, it creates a road and starts to travel from A to B to A on it's own.  City A and City B get a bonus to food production which varies based on distance. This can be as little as 5% (maybe lower) to upwards of 150% (maybe higher). This is bonus modifier not a base production. So say the caravan gave a 100% food bonus. City A would produce 2 food: 1 base plus 1 x 100% bonus. City B would produce 0 food: 0 base plus 0 x 100% bonus.

 

Say an Apiary appears next to City B. City B would now produce: 5 base plus 5 x 100% bonus or 10 total food. This in addition to the 2 total food from A.

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

The caravan will go back and forth between the two towns and every turn you get teh food bonus!

I use Caravans for road building first, disband then send for greatest food bonus.