Trade

Trading is part of the diplomacy that allows you access to a resource owned by other empires via purchasing Trade Licenses and establishing a Trade Routes. Both purchased resources and established Trade Routes can provide considerable benefits, especially  incomes.

Trade Basics
As part of the Diplomacy, the trade purchase in Humankind mainly happens on the Trade Tab of the Diplomacy interface.


 * Once you and the other empire signed Only Trade Luxuries treaty or above, you two can begin to trade with each other.
 * On the Trade Tab, you can purchase resources from other empires in the form of  buying a Trade License.
 * Only extracted Strategic Resources and Luxury Resources can be traded.
 * Merchant cultures have specific bonuses towards trading.
 * Merchant cultures can re-sell a resource brought from other empires, acting as a trading middleman.

Buying a resource
Once a resource or Trade License is purchased,


 * You will have a copy of the resource and its benefits;
 * A Trade Route that connects one of your cities and the resource deposit will be created on the map, reflecting that the merchants of your empire is buying that resources and bring it back.
 * Trade Routes have their own  benefits as well.
 * Trade Routes can be broken by war, ransacking, or a downgrade in Diplomatic Treaties.

Selling a resource
Selling a resource works the same way.


 * The AI empires will buy your extracted resources automatically.
 * You will receive a one-time  income as selling income.
 * Selling will also create Trade Routes on the map.
 * The seller will not lost the traded away resources; the buyer is accessing a copy of it.

Access
First, both empires need to sign the Trade Treaties in order to allow each other to purchase each other's resources.


 * The first level of Trade Treaty, Forbid New Trade, means no new trade purchases can happen between the two empires.
 * The second level, Only Trade Luxuries, means only Luxury Resources can be trade between the two empires.
 * Once signed this treaty, all the luxury deposits of the other empire will be revealed on the map.
 * The third level, Trade Everything, means all the Strategic Resources and Luxury Resources can be trade between the two empires.
 * Once signed this treaty, all the strategic deposits of other empire will be revealed on the map.
 * Both empires still trade freely when in an Alliance.
 * Alliance level trade treaties can reduce the purchasing cost.
 * In addition, when a player is influencing an Independent People, they are able to access and purchase the Independent People's resources.

Purchase
Once both empires signed the treaty, you can check the Trade Tab to see the resources the other Empire has access to.


 * You can purchase the Trade License for the selected resources on the Trade Tab using.
 * You only have to pay once to get lifelong access to the selected deposit (unless something unfortunate happens).
 * You can also purchase the resource by directly clicking on the symbols of developed resources on the map, if you have the vision. The purchasing window will pop up.


 * Once a License for a resource purchased, a Trade Route is created and will grant you access to the resource.

Costs and Transporting Methods
Each purchase has a Base Price and a Transportation Prices, based on the distance and the method of transportation between your empire and the deposit you buying.

Three transport options - Land, Water, and Air - are available as the game progress through the eras.


 * Land Transport - Only use land routes: this is the default option, with a balance between cost and safety.
 * Naval Transport - Use land and sea routes, but prefer transport by the sea whenever possible: this is cheaper, but Harbors and Trade Ports are vulnerable to ransacking.
 * Aerial Transport - Use land and air routes, but prefer transport by aircraft whenever possible: this is the safest option, but also the most expensive.

Trade Route Mechanics
Whenever a trade is established, a Trade Route will be created on the map, connects the resources deposit to the buyer's nearest city, while passing through various land and sea territories.

Trade Node, Trading Post, and Trade Port
When crossing a territory, the Trade Routes will always pass through certain specific points, known as Trade Nodes. They are the indications on the map about if and where Trade Routes are passing through.


 * Every territory has one Trade Node, which is visible on the map at a certain zoom level, displaying the name of the territory and how many Trade Routes are passing through this territory.
 * The Trade Node of an unclaimed territory will be roughly at its central point.
 * The Trade Node of a claimed territory will be always at the Administration Center or the City Center.


 * If Trade Routes are crossing an unclaimed territory, a Trading Post will be created at the same tile as Trade Node, indicating there are trade routes going through this territory.
 * Trading Post used to be called Roundhouse in earlier version of the game.
 * If Trade Routes are crossing a claimed territory, they will always pass through the Administration Center or the City Center of that territory.

In addition, if Trade Routes are going through from land to water or from water to land, a Trade Port will be created on the coastal tile.


 * When a Harbor is available in that territory, Trade Routes will always pass through the Harbor, instead of generating a Trade Port.

Suspending and Breaking Trade Routes
Trade Routes can be suspended temporarily in below situations:


 * The seller or the buyer are having on-going Demands with the other.
 * Unsettled Demands will cause an embargo happening between the two empires, unless the Demands are accepted, defused, or withdrawn.
 * The empires or independent people along a Trade Route are going to war with each other, which will disrupt all the trades passing through them.
 * A part of the Trade Route changed hands from an empire or independent people to another.

Trade Routes can be broken in below situations:


 * The seller have downgraded the Trade Treaty to Only Trade Luxuries (break the strategic trades) or to Forbid New Trade (break all the trades).
 * The seller and buyer are going to war with each other.
 * The seller or the buyer becomes another empire's vassal, and causes a change in Trade Treaties.
 * The city or the territory where the resources located is being besieged, being occupied, or changed hands.
 * The city or the territory where the resources are sold to is being besieged, being occupied, or changed hands.
 * A part of the Trade Route, or the Trade Nodes on Trade Route, is being ransacked, bombarded, or destroyed.
 * This includes Trading Posts, Trade Ports, Harbors, Administrative Centers, and City Centers that a Trade Route is passing by, as well as the Resource Extractors of the seller. Any of them being ransacked or bombarded will halt the trade.

If a player blocks, ransacked, bombarded, or destroyed part of the Trade Route, the trade will be stopped.


 * The ransacking player will receive a bit of money as the ransacking reward.


 * The buyer of the resource will lost all its benefits, and receive a grievance towards that player.
 * If the ransacking player and the buyer are already in a war, ransacking Trade Routes will increase the player's War Support.

Normally, Trade is impossible between war enemies. However the International Trading Civic can allow empires have the ability of Trade at war. This will authorize trading of goods between empires even in a diplomatic state of War.

Trading Benefits
Resources benefits and Trade Routes benefits are the two main gains of trading; selling will provide an one-time income as well.

Selling Income
The seller will receive an one-time  payment from the buyer when a resource is sold.

Resource Benefits
Trading can grant you a copy of the Luxury and Strategic Resources you don't own, provide the full effect and the bonuses of the said resources.

Base Yields
Every on-going Trade Route will generate  to a city's income when passing through a city, similar to a toll tax.

Affinity Yields
All Merchant affinity cultures will have double  income generated from on-going Trade Routes on City or Outpost.

Infrastructure Effects
Certain infrastructures can add more  income on Trade Routes:


 * Customs Farm:  generated from on-going Trade
 * Customs Agency:  generated from on-going Trade
 * Great Fishmarket:  per naval Trade Route
 * Seafood Wholesalers:  per number of Trade Routes

Civic Effects

 * Knowledge Authorities:  per Number of Trade Routes on city or outpost
 * International Trading: Unlocks diplomatic ability Trade only with Ally or Trade at war

Emblematic Quarter Effects

 * Satrap Palace:  per number of Trade Routes
 * Luxuries Market:  per number of Trade Routes

Legacy Trait Effects

 * Aksumites LT Horn of Plenty:  generated from on-going Trade Routes on city or outpost
 * Venetians LT Sliver Tongues:  per number of Trade Routes on territory

Merchant Cultures' Unique Benefits
When playing as a Merchant affinity culture, there are certain unique benefits regarding trade:


 * Doubles gains of when selling a resource (applies on both selling income and trade route yields).
 * Halves costs of when buying resources.
 * Any resource you buy via trade can be re-purchased by other Empires (at a Premium), allowing the Merchant culture to act as a trading middlemen, and providing extra trading income.