On Trading

The first thing you need to know about trading is that you have something called a Trade Calculator!

Here is the link for it:

http://www.castleempiresim.com/trading.php#results

(our server is Newfoundland, so make sure you select the correct one from the top of the page)

The second suggestion is: you do not need to trade goods into gold coins and then use those gold coins to buy the goods you really need...

You can simply swap one thing for another.

So, instead of selling marble to get bronze swords, perhaps you can simply sell the marble directly for the bronze swords.

There are several advantages to this. First it's a much easier transaction. Second, it is only one transaction.... so less waiting time, hopefully! 

And, to do this you're going to use the Trade Calculator, right?

Only you should be careful in the way you use it! And I say this because the Trade Calculator is not totally reliable...

Whenever you convert one resource into another one, directly, it gives you result which is different than if you'd sell the first resource for gold coins and then used them to buy the second.

Or, in other words:

Always convert the resource you want into gold coins (I use that as a base). Then take that amount of gold coins and see how much of the second resource that corresponds. And use that value to make the trade.

I'll give you an example:

Let us say we're trying to swap 500 marble for bronze swords.

If I use the trade calculator directly, it tells me that:

500 marble corresponds (on average) to 704 bronze swords

But if I convert marble to gold coins, it says:

500 marble corresponds (on average) to 12 gold coins

and that

12 gold coins corresponds (on average) to 454 bronze swords

So here the Trade Calculator is giving us a result for direct trading which is higher than it should be, since gold coins are the basis of all trading within Settlers Online.

Of course, you are free to do as you will. But, more than anything, I just wanted to call your attention to the limitations of some of the tools that we have at our disposal.

Happy trading!

nim.

PS - Any questions, doubts or suggestions, please feel free to post or message me on game chat.