Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[NTJedi]

I keep my fortress gates closed and encounter this message... I lower the gates and can still trade... but have I lost some trading options because the wagons passed??  OR  do the wagons just provide extra hauling space?

[Fredd]

The wagons bring in most of the goods the caravan has. When you open them then, after the message, you recieve what the pack animals in the caravan are carrying, not the majority of the trade goods. Just create a 3wide path, leading to the edge of the map, from your depot. Run a wall along both sides of that path, far as they will reach, then use raised drawbridges to create walls the final distance. All caravans will arrive there, unless there is a gap in your defenses. As always, set sentry/traps along that path if hostiles appear at that edge

[Tiruin]

'D' to check if the path is accessible from the map edge, ramps and such continue the path.

And, wagons provide mostly all the goods the caravan has, so I guess, yes. You have lost a lot there.

[FrisianDude]

My first caravan this fort I had that as well since I simply had forgotten to place a Depot. My main problem was that the merchants couldn't carry all the stuff I wanted to give them.

[NTJedi]

I just had this message again despite my fortress gate being open... the human merchants even started approaching the depot.  I hope the pathfinding on this game improves.

[Imp]

I just had this message again despite my fortress gate being open... the human merchants even started approaching the depot.  I hope the pathfinding on this game improves.

I have never had this problem.  I hope you instantly paused the game  the moment that occured and checked 'D' to see if there was still Depot access - could a sapling have grown into a tree at that instant, somewhere along the path the merchants were using to reach you?  Could there have been a new building or construction placed that blocked the path?  Could something have happened to the Depot, like a building destroyer or forbidding (not sure that forbidding would affect merchants, but worth checking).

I've had -great- luck with pathfinding in this game.  I've even made 'hidden merchant paths' to 'secret' depots, placed so that merchants (with or without wagons) are forced to spawn in one tiny 3-tile wide path right on the edge of the map and follow a route to a little sealed-off depot (this being the only path to reach this only depot on the map), then pulled a few levers to seal the depot off from the map and open a route from my fortress to the depot, allowing 100% safe trading.

There is a TINY chance that an enemy would happen to spawn in that tiny 3-tile wide path, but the path is as small as it can be to reduce that chance, and it's never happened to me yet in my years of using this method across several versions, including the current.

[robertheinrich]

Donīt blame the pathfinding. Most probably the access route to your trade depot is blocked. It might be something as trivial as a tree which started growing on the road.

[Flying Dice]

Donīt blame the pathfinding. Most probably the access route to your trade depot is blocked. It might be something as trivial as a tree which started growing on the road.

This. If you don't have a paved road/constructed floor from your depot to the map edge, it is your fault. You should clearcut on a seasonal basis at least, as trees tend to grow and block paths. Also note that steep slopes are often impassable.

[Bilanthri]

I ran across this as well on a heavily forested embark. Really need to clear paths of trees or the wagons just pass on. Hope you don't mind whiny elves.

[slink]

Even a boulder in the ground will count against access.  Smooth any boulders in the desired path.  You have to anyway, to build a paved road over them.

[NTJedi]

It was probably a tree, but it really didn't matter because two goblin ambushes shreaded the human merchants before they could reach me... except for one badazz human swordsman which was fighting 5 at once and took them all down, but not before his merchant friends were sliced and diced.

For some reason the previous human traders disappeared from the list of civilizations so I had no idea where these new humans were approaching from a different direction.

Some bodies and items on the ground outside, however there's 3 goblin crossbow, which might still be wandering around outside... not sure if they can go back into stealth after being revealed.