Here's a tip that works... Business in every city

[iffy]

Last patch I really didn't have money problems because I didn't take ownership of castles/cities when I was my own king.  Now that is not an option.  My solution was to open a business in every city.  There are 22 cities I believe.  I have a silk factory in almost every one.  I make about 10K/week even after paying my army of about 70 slaver chiefs/swadian knights (which is about 2,500).  (I'm on day 280 or so)

10,000 dinars/week is about enough to keep 400 knights in a castle all the time.

(knight is 50 dinars/week, but castle/city is 1/2 price)

50*400 = 20,000 
20,000 *.5 = 10,000

I will probably keep about 200 low level troops and 350 knights in Dhirim (planning on capturing that as soon as Swadia is destroyed).  This allows me to go back and "refill"without having to re-train my troops in times of war. 

This will prevent attack and I'll still be able to afford it. 

 

[Bobsama]

The only issue is the the venture capital. Calling it even 8,000 per city still lands you at 176,000 denars. I've found that the average business returns 500/week so you're going to have to play for 4 months before you make back the initial investment--longer since you open businesses as you get money.

 

[Northern Mameluke Empire]

The only issue is the the venture capital. Calling it even 8,000 per city still lands you at 176,000 denars. I've found that the average business returns 500/week so you're going to have to play for 4 months before you make back the initial investment--longer since you open businesses as you get money.

Slaver Chiefs......

 

[iffy]

The only issue is the the venture capital. Calling it even 8,000 per city still lands you at 176,000 denars. I've found that the average business returns 500/week so you're going to have to play for 4 months before you make back the initial investment--longer since you open businesses as you get money.

In my other game that I was playing, I was on day 1500 or so.  That is 214 weeks...


200 weeks * 12,000/week =  2,400,000 dinars!

10,000/business * 22 cities = 220,000 dinars.

My girl is only on day 250.  She is level 24, has a silk factory in every city and 168,000 dinars.

It's a very good investment in my opinion. 

I figure it's going to take at least a couple more months before she is ready to take her first castle.  (I just sent Yamira out to get me some RTR..  I still to send all my other companions)

 

[Captain_Octavius]

Yep, just until the moment that you start your own faction, and 3, 4 or even all 5 factions declare war on you.

When you are at war with a faction, none of your business (lol) in that faction will make money as long as the war continues.

 

[Bobsama]

The only issue is the the venture capital. Calling it even 8,000 per city still lands you at 176,000 denars. I've found that the average business returns 500/week so you're going to have to play for 4 months before you make back the initial investment--longer since you open businesses as you get money.

In my other game that I was playing, I was on day 1500 or so.  That is 214 weeks...


200 weeks * 12,000/week =  2,400,000 dinars!

10,000/business * 22 cities = 220,000 dinars.

My girl is only on day 250.  She is level 24, has a silk factory in every city and 168,000 dinars.

It's a very good investment in my opinion. 

I figure it's going to take at least a couple more months before she is ready to take her first castle.  (I just sent Yamira out to get me some RTR..  I still to send all my other companions)

I have a game that I'm over day 1000.

As for the slaver comment, manhunters are tough to finder early game and you still need a decent Prisioner Management skill to carry around enough Sea Raiders/Taiga Bandits to matter.

 

[iffy]

Yep, just until the moment that you start your own faction, and 3, 4 or even all 5 factions declare war on you.

When you are at war with a faction, none of your business (lol) in that faction will make money as long as the war continues.

In my other game (1.115-1.126) I am a king.  I was at war with 2 factions at once in the beginning, then only one.  I was at peace for a long time, then I chose to attack the Sarranids.  (mistake because Nords and Khergits declared war on me).  I asked for peace with Serranids and got it a couple weeks later.  I have been at peace for a while now.  The strange thing is Ragnar and Khan have joined my faction even though the Nords and Khergits are still alive..

Usually if I'm at war I can make lots of money by killing large quantities of troops and taking their stuff and their money.  It's peacetime that is tough.  I have to maintain my troop count in my castle/city, but I can barely make enough to support them if I just kill bandits and trade.  Before I would just take a group of 40 knights and kill bandits and trade and make a fortune.  However, at 10,000/dinars a week I don't think my money would go up during peace time.



FYI...I have about 50 slaver chiefs with my new girl (day ~250)

The key is to fight battles you know you are going to win.  My girl on day 250 has never lost a battle yet (realistic saves).  I was VERY careful in the beginning.  Once you have 40 or so knights/slaver chiefs you can take on all bandits.  My losses are going to come when I fight factions I'm sure.  (level 11 surgery too  (7+3+1))

 

[Durf]

I started my last guy as a trader and did this.  I ran raw iron from Curaw and cheap  fish from coast cities to the Sarranids and Spice from I think Tulga back to Curaw.  I made a ton of money trading and built businesses in every city before I even started hiring myself out as a mercenary.  Now, later in the game, my kingdom's treasury has like 750,000 denars sitting in it. I only have one fief for myself.  I was even able to give all of the villages attached to my capital to some minor lords because I just don't need the income.

 

[Puritan]

Silk is still the most profitable (without stocking) over the long run, eh?

But that's also the most expensive to purchase at 10,000 a manufactory.

Here's a trick to offset that cost a bit: When you sell a buisness, you get like 90% or so of the cost back.

For example, whenever I go to sell one of my ironworks, I'm told I will get 3280 back. That's a loss of 220, or about one week's proceeds on average. If the ironworks is running for more than one week, I've certainly made money.


So it might not be a bad idea to initially build all ironworks (or other shops), then switch to silk.

 

[iffy]

If you aren't going to make silk, you can tell the guild master:

"I want to open "so and so business""

It will tell you what raw materials will cost and what your fabrication costs will be.  Most importantly it will tell you what you will make that month.

I have one wool factory, but it's not consistent.  The easiest path is just to go silk across the board.  It's rare that you won't make a good profit from silk.

 

[Da-V-Man]

That's not a bad idea. Of course it will cost a lot at first, but you can do it gradually. I have production houses in most cities, save a few that have Lords who hate me. Only two of them are Silk, however.

 

[Durf]

Yeah I'm not sure why, but silk is very very stable and always has profits in the 500's.  At one point the price of iron crashed in Dhirim, and I guess it was right about when I was going to build a business there because the guild master said the tool workshop would make like 700 denars a week.  I jumped on that and it was profitable for a few weeks but eventually it started going into the negatives so I just sold it and switched it to a silk factory.

 

[Bobsama]

Yeah I'm not sure why, but silk is very very stable and always has profits in the 500's.  At one point the price of iron crashed in Dhirim, and I guess it was right about when I was going to build a business there because the guild master said the tool workshop would make like 700 denars a week.  I jumped on that and it was profitable for a few weeks but eventually it started going into the negatives so I just sold it and switched it to a silk factory.

Iron prices may skyrocket for whatever reason. Alternatively, Tool prices may bottom out for whatever reason. Usually, there's a hidden "stock" that drops the prices. The price tomfoolery can happen with most businesses. Manually stocking Ironworks and Wool Weavers and Flax Weavers should result in much higher profits for you, especially if you can find the supplies for <50 denars/ea. However, stocking 22 towns with raw materials is quite tough. Velvet doesn't work in a few towns and I tend to prefer cheaper alternatives whenever possible.

 

[original]

Hmmm do you think player enterprises are making the game too easy?

 

[Da-V-Man]

It certainly allows you to get by without a fief if you place them everywhere.

 

[killer-blead]

Yet you still have to pay a lot of money to set all these businesses up and It gets you around the world doing all kind of things for the cities and lords and during times of war your business will suffer from it because it gets closed down (if you have joined the oppositions faction)

It's not making it easyer for the player it just gives them a new way to make money. Personally I always make sure I have a good cheap business going on in 1 citie so I dont have to worry about weekly wages in the early start of the game.

 

[Velax]

It's not making it easyer for the player it just gives them a new way to make money.

No, it really is making it easier for the player.

 

[original]

Yeah player enterprises are nice, though I prefer to have a sustainable income through making your towns and villages have high prosperity. Unfortunately the player has little to no control over that.

But I've been checking to see how item shortages work, and I may have found a solution. But I gotta test it better.

 

[Captain_Octavius]

I think that the way Velvet business work was not intended. They should change it so that your business will only be able to produce goods if the raw materials are available in the Goods Market. Since Dyes and Silk are not available in most Towns, there would only be a few places where you could place them.

This would make the business feature a lot more interesting, since in most places where the raw materials are abundant, the prices of the finished goods are not very high either. This would mean that in order to maximize your profits, you will actually have to trade between your businesses and other Towns. That would make the business feature an advanced level of regular merchandising/trading, which would be much better.

Right now, the Velvet business is just way too easy. You invest money at the beginning, and after that have a huge income forever without any further effort.

 

[Tokugawa]

Well, caravans come and go all the time. And considering velvet is in high demand, it makes sense to be selling it often.

Besides, you can lose a lot of money in times of war.