This refers to the natural exchange of goods within your own kingdom. Wise rulers have long understood that this is the best way to distribute goods through your empire and enrich the state`s treasury, so that domestic trade is done almost automatically. All the sovereign has to do is establish an infrastructure link between the cities of the Empire and the capital – private traders then begin to use these links to manage their affairs. When a city is connected to the commercial network, a small symbol appears under the city banner to display it. For more information on the exact mechanics of opening national trade routes (AKA `City Connections`), read this article. Trade routes have been introduced in the Brave New World Expansion for Civilization 5. This new feature allows international trade with other empires, unlike City Connections which are present in vanilla and gods and kings. You are always able to create city connections with your own cities to generate gold by rotation (GPT). The trade routes system simply replaces the gold of tiles along rivers and trading posts as the main way to earn gold for your civilization. You are also able to send food and production equipment to your own cities to improve their growth or speed during construction and unit drive rates. In this guide, we learn everything about land and sea routes, technologies that debugge additional routes and expand their reach, and how the gold you earn is calculated.

While this site only covers trade routes and their mechanics, I have a guide on diplomacy that covers trade agreements with other civilizations. You can also click „Declare War“ in the diplomacy screen and the game will show you a list of current and commercial agreements. After that, don`t click „Yes“ unless you like. Of course, contemporary commerce is much more complex in the real world and is often done without anyone leaving its place, thanks to technology. Financial transactions, for example, are done entirely by computer… But we will not talk about such complex problems here. In the game, trade is essential to maintaining the gold income of your empire and to the happiness of your subjects. It is also a way to preserve the vital strategic resources that your countries lack, etc. Overall, you will lose the game if you do not know how to act, both in setting up trade routes and in negotiating trade agreements with other nations. The Trade Preview Screen – Do you know the most cost-effective routesThis monitor is very important to maximize your revenue from your available business routes.