Stan Rogers wrote: Also if a port population was dependent on the amount of food available,would fishing become more attractive to individual ports.

Ports are already consuming supplies; once sold on the market those supplies are gone.

Yet, the trade in supplies have no effect on the population. i suggest that that will see change. each day each port need to import a number of supplies that is related to the size of the population. when the quota are not reached a percentage of the overpopulation may die (for food and rum), bank/loan guarantees may not fully be covered, lack of iron may cause lowered tax revenue from cargo and shortage of tools will slow down the shipwright.

the import vs. population ratio is to be discussed and should be a slight challenge to achieve.

All this does not increase population or productivity but decreases it until a balance is struck between imported goods and the max population and productivity

population growth happens through immigration (ship or voodoo) and sponsorship (gc/ build up port); to maintain a population at a certain level is to import the needed supplies.
the non-food supplies influence port related boons and income. max profit comes from sufficient supplies.

this change will force port owners to ship supplies to their port. this will prevent ports their unlimited growth. players get the extra choice to set their fleets to a less profitable trade route to support the port/nation or to accept a decreased population while maximising personal profit.

i believe that this proposal strengthen the game and especially the nation/port aspect of it.

Then would these supplies flux in price as GOLD BARS do. If people start to die, then the price would go up in my mind as they would pay more to avoid suffering such fate?

If every port had stock of all supplies that might work. Once you introduce voodoo into the trade some ports are more desirable than others. Not to mention that under those guidelines all ports owned by a multi conglomerate of super powers would have an unfair advantage.

Shadowood wrote:Then would these supplies flux in price as GOLD BARS do. If people start to die, then the price would go up in my mind as they would pay more to avoid suffering such fate?

at the moment the prices are determent on trade volume in relation to the other ports.
this can be adjusted to the relative need per port in the relation to the relative needs of other ports. this won't change the three ports with a better buy rate system, but these will no longer depend on trade volume but on 'needs met'.

Dmanwuzhere wrote:If every port had stock of all supplies that might work. Once you introduce voodoo into the trade some ports are more desirable than others. Not to mention that under those guidelines all ports owned by a multi conglomerate of super powers would have an unfair advantage.

this is not a voodoo proposal.
yes, some ports become more desirable. but some ports are already so
multi port nations will have a challenge to import enough supplies to all their ports. in this a nation with one port has the advantage since it can concentrate her effort on it.

The concept is good. I think it needs some adjustment.

#1 This could tie into port buildings which will hopefully be implemented soon. A wealthier port with amenities would attract more population. This has been discussed in other threads. If port based construction gets added to game play, nations will already be forced to transport goods into ports to build.

#2 Would there be a daily amount needed to be brought in to maintain population? It seems this could work similar to influence. But this would also give advantage to nations with more citizens than some of the upstart nations with ports.

#3 Are there specific supplies that would affect population more than others? Food would obviously be a good population builder.

#4 Will there be a corresponding negative if someone transports goods out of the port? I could see this as another aspect of port and nation war.

This poses alot of possibilities, but I can also see alot of negatives.

I am interested to hear others feedback on this.

As this topic spawned from a fishing request, fishing was brought forth so a port could supply resources from other means besides the unseen farmers, miners and tool makers who currently operate to ensure port stocks.

I think the ultimate game objective was to make ports semi-player dependent on survival through resources they themselves maintained.

Not sure if this objective is still a long term goal of the Devs.