Europa Universalis IV announced

[Solmyr]

The main thing I don't understand about trade is how do you know where your merchant is pushing trade to? Does he push out trade from a node to all nodes that are capable of receiving trade from there?

I can answer this one I guess. Your merchant is pushing trade in the direction you set him to. When in the trade screen, there are little arrows next to each outgoing direction on a trade node. Click one to put your merchant on that direction (your country's flag should be visible there too).

If you are a naval nation and care about trade, you'll also want tons of light ships serving each node you care about. Except if you have no competition in them or everyone else is pushing in the same direction as you. Which is why Portugal and Spain tend to work together as their trade flows mostly along the same routes into Seville.

[garbon]

The main thing I don't understand about trade is how do you know where your merchant is pushing trade to? Does he push out trade from a node to all nodes that are capable of receiving trade from there?

I can answer this one I guess. Your merchant is pushing trade in the direction you set him to. When in the trade screen, there are little arrows next to each outgoing direction on a trade node. Click one to put your merchant on that direction (your country's flag should be visible there too).

If you are a naval nation and care about trade, you'll also want tons of light ships serving each node you care about. Except if you have no competition in them or everyone else is pushing in the same direction as you. Which is why Portugal and Spain tend to work together as their trade flows mostly along the same routes into Seville.

Ah, so I can pick? So I could as Venice pick to have trade from Alexandria diverted to Venice or Ragusa (as two nodes I know that have arrows from Alexandria towards them)?

[garbon]

Ah just saw it. I never noticed that red check option on the trade map to pick which stream you divert it to. Thanks!

[Solmyr]

Yes, you can choose which one. In fact you only need to place merchants in nodes where you want to enforce a particular direction (and one merchant in your home node to collect). If trade can only flow in one direction you don't need a merchant there, just trade power (usually light ships) to make sure it goes forward where you want it.

[Habbaku]

I'll be happy to guide you all when the game is released. 

...guide us into how to get a theocracy as England? 

[Solmyr]

You can be content with the finer points of getting Austria into a perfectly round shape, by Tamas.

Btw, all this trade stuff should mean additional sources of conflict in MP, as obviously different countries will want trade to flow into different places.

[garbon]

Did they ever say anything about pirates or are they abstracted away by use of light ships?

[Solmyr]

I think pirates still pop up as in EU3? Though your trade ships tend to double as patrols as they sail all across the trade node area.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I had pirates crop up a couple of times and sent a punitive squadron to deal with them, they were in remote places that were not patrolled but did have some trade value passing through.

[Fireblade]

Did they ever say anything about pirates or are they abstracted away by use of light ships?

In my Portugal game, some pirates popped out next to Fernando Po. But as far as I can tell it's not constant pirate spam like EU3 was.

Also, I am playing Poland right now. 

[Habbaku]

You can be content with the finer points of getting Austria into a perfectly round shape, by Tamas.

Is there an Austrian at-start province that resembles a circle? 

[Caliga]

Also, I am playing Poland right now. 

Be sure to tackle Russia ASAP.  Tackle or be tackled.

[FunkMonk]

Am I wrong or do you absolutely have to have a merchant in your home node to collect trade or will your capital collect trade in your home node for you? I seem to remember a tooltip that said that your capital will collect trade for you in it's home trade node. I tested it by removing a merchant from my home node (Sevilla) and I was still collecting cash, albeit a bit less. When I put a merchant back in, I noticed a +10% additional collection modifier from the merchant. Or I could just be imagining things because it was way too early in the morning.

[crazy canuck]

iirc the merchant provides more trade power (and probably other modifiers) which increases the amount of revenue you will obtain from the home trade node.

[Drakken]

Am I wrong or do you absolutely have to have a merchant in your home node to collect trade or will your capital collect trade in your home node for you? I seem to remember a tooltip that said that your capital will collect trade for you in it's home trade node. I tested it by removing a merchant from my home node (Sevilla) and I was still collecting cash, albeit a bit less. When I put a merchant back in, I noticed a +10% additional collection modifier from the merchant. Or I could just be imagining things because it was way too early in the morning.

Sevilla is not a "home node", because it's controlled by Castille.

You do not need a merchant in your home node, it will collect nonetheless. However unless you have sole control of your node keeping your merchant there will signficantly increase your trade power, and thus bring you more money.