Script to add starting Merchants to Create Global Trade

[Sir Garnet]

The player needs to be the prime trading country both to get the world economy moving by buying and reselling so countries get what they need, but also to get the best access to goods for the player's country. UK doesn't have a merchant problem, nor France, but many of the others start with few merchants and economies small enough that it takes a long time to build more. Growth can be unnaturally slow due to shortages.

This adds some merchant ships for Italy in the 1880 campaign, but will work for 1850 as well adjusted as described (the quick and dirty way to run a script, without creating a new script file).

1. Use a text editor to open the 1850GC.sct file or 1880GC.sct (depending on which campaign you are playing). This is in the path ...\PON\VGN\Events folder for your game.

2. Check that Plug_In1850GC.sct is listed there. If not, type that in exactly as the first line.

3. Close the file and open the Plug_In1850GC.sct file in the same Events folder.

4. Cut and paste the script below (one you modified it for your starting position) into the file, which is normally empty.

5. Save the file and start the game and process a turn of your campaign. The ships appear if you did it right.

6. Go back and delete the script from the Plug_In file. The script will run once per campaign, so if you leave it in then it may surprise you in your next campaign.

Code: Select all

SelectFaction = $CMN
SelectRegion = $Liguria
StartEvent = 1880 SirG Camp Merchant start for Italy|1|2|NULL|NULL|NULL|NULL
Conditions
Actions
SelectFaction = $ITA
SelectRegion = $Liguria
CreateGroup
Posture = $Defensive
SetKind = $Nav
Entranch = 0
InCS = 0
FixType = 0
SetName = Mercante
Apply
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_ITA_Mer1
SetLevel = 0
SetName = Mercante Orientale
Apply
SetBuildFlag = 0
SetHealth = 100
SetCohesion = 100
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_ITA_Mer1
SetLevel = 0
SetName = Mercante America
Apply
SetBuildFlag = 0
SetHealth = 100
SetCohesion = 100
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_ITA_Mer1
SetLevel = 0
SetName = Mercante Mexico
Apply
SetBuildFlag = 0
SetHealth = 100
SetCohesion = 100
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_ITA_Mer1
SetLevel = 0
SetName = Mercante Carib
Apply
SetBuildFlag = 0
SetHealth = 100
SetCohesion = 100
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_ITA_Mer1
SetLevel = 0
SetName = Mercante Europa
Apply
SetBuildFlag = 0
SetHealth = 100
SetCohesion = 100
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_ITA_Mer1
SetLevel = 0
SetName = Mercante Experimentale
Apply
SetBuildFlag = 0
SetHealth = 100
SetCohesion = 100
EndEvent 

If you are not Italy, customize this as folllows before saving it in the Plug_in file:

A. Replace the ITA tag everywhere in the script it appears with your country tag.

B. Find a port iin your homeland and replace Liguria with the name of that port region.

C. If you want to change unit names, change the Setnames from "Mercante Orientale" on to your choice of name. Some symbols may be used.

D. If you want fewer ships, delete the excess lines of text. Each unit creation begins with CreateUnit and ends with SetCohesion = 100.

[Jonathan Pollard]

I assume that if you try this script for China, the requested merchant ships will show up as ironclad warships because China is never allowed to have or build any merchant ships?