What is the differance between trade and economy? and how do bonuses stack?

from Stardock Forums
In one game I had a near monopoly on resources, I had like 5 economy resources fully upgraded, I am not sure what the total was, but proabbly something like 75% bonus for each with 5 of such bases.

Now my income on each planet was far below the expense to run the planet even wtih my buildings boosting them, and 375% bonuses from resources. So what exactly is this bonus doing?

Now I play merchentile and get +20 trade, I assume that is a bonus from my freighters. Does my base bonus get multiplied by other bonuses or simply added to it? I know some things are multiplied and others are additive. For example, assuming I have +100% bonus to trades because I have 4 starbases with 4 maxed trade centers. So lets say I have a natural trade route worth 10bc. If its additive my trade route would be 22bc, if its multiplicitive, it would be 24bc (which would make worth taking trade bonuses as a race power a lot more valuable).

Also how do multiple starbases stack with trade? Again, multiplicitive or additive?

For example influence is multiplicive. If I have base 100 influence in a sector, and I have 1 starbase with 200% bonus, I end up with a total of 300. But if I make ANOTHER starbase with 200% I end up with 900, not 500 as you would expect.

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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
something like 75% bonus
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For vanilla Galciv, it is 68%.

Now my income on each planet was far below the expense to run the planet even wtih my buildings boosting them, and 375% bonuses from resources. So what exactly is this bonus doing
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The empire wide bonus is added to the planet specific bonus when determining income from taxes for a planet. But there is a cap on taxes based on the planet PQ (I think it is 4PQ)

Also how do multiple starbases stack with trade? Again, multiplicitive or additive?
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I don't know. And this isn't really easy to know since lots of parameters are taken in account when determining trade revenu from a freighter : the economic value of the 2 trading systems, empire wide trade bonus, trade bonus from starbases in the same sector than the mini freighter, number of turn on the trade route ...

I guess that the better way is to make a save game and use this savegame to look at individual trade revenue (in the domestic policy screen - F4) in each case: with or without starbases. The use of a savegame will allow to have only one parameter that is changing : the trade starbase.

For example influence is multiplicive.
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In 1.20. but not in the later AP beta or in the planned 1.21 version

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
how do multiple starbases stack with trade?
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Additive, uncapped. If you have three +50% starbases in a sector, then any of your mini-freighters passing through that sector will give +150% trade income. If you have a racial bonus of +20% trade, I assume that will effectively be +170%.

my income on each planet was far below the expense to run the planet
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Unlike tax income, things like research bonuses are not capped. So +300% research will allow you to spend a massive amount, more than +300% economic bonus will bring in.
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
So I guess trade bonuses are better then economy bonuses since trade bonuses have no caps where as economy does.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
In a related question I keep forgetting to ask, is why is my ability to spend money (government spending) so limitied and what governs how much I can spend?

For example it can be set to 100% yet I still can make 900bc per turn with no way to add that into exisiting economy.

Also is there a way to focus spening on a few planets instead of having it spread out?

Frequently in late games Ill aquire a planet that has very few to any upgrades while the majority of my planets do not need any. It seems dumb that I can not spend money on JUST those planets instead of having wasted production on all my planets that do not need anything made.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
So I guess trade bonuses are better then economy bonuses since trade bonuses have no caps where as economy does.
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I can't say one is better that another: economic bonus from starbase are empire wide. Trade bonus from starbase are linked to mini-freighter in their sector.

If you are at war with everyone, you can't make trade routes.
If everyone is making trade routes with you, you end up with a huge boost on your economy.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
In a related question I keep forgetting to ask, is why is my ability to spend money (government spending) so limitied and what governs how much I can spend?
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If you are under imperial governement, the spending is very limited. Changing governement has an effect on the efficiency: you endup producing more with a smaller spending rate.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
#4 by Citizen DeepT - 3/18/2004 2:33:15 PM
For example it can be set to 100% yet I still can make 900bc per turn with no way to add that into exisiting economy.

Also is there a way to focus spening on a few planets instead of having it spread out?
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It's really a pain to build up new planets in the middle of a game or later. I hope that Stardock will do something about the "waist all the money" problem.

There is a limited possibility to increas spending when you invest in manufactioring improvements. Only half of the additional spending comes for free. You have to pay for the other half.

It's similar with technology boni. When you have more of them, your research spending increases.

Conclusion: When you have too much income, get a better government and increas your manufactioning and technology abilities. You can increas your spending for espionage and destabilization when you still have too much money and you can "buy a friend" or avoid a war by gifts.
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Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
You could buy stuff if you have that much money, on whatever planet you want. You can build more improvements to spend more, or build production booster starbases, or get some research resource starbases which will allow you to spend masses on research. But I like to have money in reserve, for all sorts of fun things; bribery, terror stars... If you have lots of money, it's almost impossible to lose.

~SDC~
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
That's because you can keep bribing your way out of trouble, diplomatically speaking.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
as well as bribing your way out of troble if you have that mutch serplus cash just buy the computers starbases from them so you controle all the resorces and all thoes starbaces that was holding your influence at bay are now working for you i did this and went from having 10% of galactic influence to 80% in two terns and every tern after that at least three systems defected altho the two terrostars with all the influence improvements flying thrue enimy space may have had somthing to do with it
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO KNOW? as long as the numbers add up whats the difference?????????????????????????????? :) :)

~SDC~