Trade and the World Economy
Caravans, markets, prices, contracts, taxes, and blockades.
trade_and_world_economyLocal scarcity creates trade
Regional markets compare production and stock to create supply, demand, and price differences. A rural food center and a dense commercial city can both be valuable for different reasons.
Trade is physical
Offers, caravans, boats, rail, cargo ships, and aircraft move goods over time. Distance, infrastructure, facilities, access agreements, maintenance, weather, fuel, and blockades affect delivery.
Policy has consequences
Trade taxes can raise public revenue while reducing efficiency. Embargoes, sanctions, import dependence, commercial influence, and route disruption create strategic pressure without directly selling resources for cash.
Corporations remain civilization tools
Late-game corporations specialize in industrial, energy, logistics, aerospace, or information sectors. Contracts and investment deepen supply chains, but the player still governs a civilization rather than running a separate business simulator.