Just asking here (AOE1 player, having played Return of Rome mostly and hence finding this behavior there) out of ignorance; why does that happen instead of the ships choosing the closer docks?
Trade units generate exponentially more gold as the length of the trade route increases, so the farthest market/dock generates the most gold.
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Oh, but that’s wonderful! I did not know that! Is it mentioned in any of the tutorial/learning campaigns from AOE2? Since I used Return of Rome mostly, I may have not noticed that ship tip.
It is not explicitly stated anywhere. However, you can click on the individual cog to view the amount of gold it picks up each trip, and that amount will be increased for docks that are further away.
The same holds true for markets and trade carts as well.
In the original game prior to the Definitive Edition, Trade Carts would only go from the Market Created to the Ally Market tasked by the Player. The Devs have since made the change in the Definitive Edition – that Trade Carts/Cogs will seek out the furthest Player Market/Dock to trade with – in order to generate the maximum amount of gold.
Be warned that this can sometimes be a little annoying if the furthest market/dock causes the carts/cogs to traverse through enemy territory and die to enemy units or castles!
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