Merchant Ship
Age: | Bronze | |
Prerequisites: | Build Town Center, build Dock, upgrade to Merchant Ship. | |
Upgrade Cost: | 200 food, 75 wood | |
Cost: |
100 wood | |
Hit Points: | 250 | |
Attack: | – – – | |
Armor: | – – – | |
Piercing Armor: | – – – | |
Range: | – – – | |
Speed: | Fast | |
Upgrade of: | Trade Boat | |
Special: | Boats are twice as resistant to conversion as other units. |
Description:
The Merchant Ship lets you trade with other civilizations to increase your stockpile of gold. It is faster and has more hit points than the Trade Boat.
History
As civilization spread around the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and China Sea, larger trading ships came into use to carry bulk cargos such as olive oil from Greece, cedar wood from Lebanon, grain from Egypt, and rice from China. Typical ancient Merchant Ships had keels and were built of planks, but did not have interior framing. They carried a single mast for a mainsail and were steered with a large paddle. Their broad beam allowed for cargos far beyond those of dugout canoes. Recent underwater discoveries of ancient merchant ships indicate they had good sailing qualities and required only a small crew.