Trade Conquest news & patch notes

• Minor fix to top right resources highlight on market tab hover.
• European nations that have applied for EU membership, will now show as “Candidate” Instead of simply “Not a Member” under EU Alliance status. (Right Click on nation, Oval Office and Unit Information)
• Trade Conquest starts with: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey as Candidates as reflected in 2022.
• Georgia will still become a Candidate in the same time frame as usual.
• New EU members or Declined members will show under “WorldNews” in your phones. (Home Icon)
• Criteria to become an official EU member. It needs to “NOT” have: 1. Allow Child Labor Law (1101 O) 2. Allow Forced Labor Law (651 O) 3. Authoritarian Government 4. Ongoing War or Civil War 5. National Unrest average of 6 or above.
• Because of these criteria additions, chances of the player’s “Candidate” nation becoming an EU member increases.
• Becoming an Authoritarian nation after EU membership does not affect your member status. (Just like before)
• Other minor fixes and balances

• Japanese Localization added
• Chinese font is a bit more bold for clarity
• Small re balance for nations who rapidly increase in debt so inflation wont spike so fast. Large debt over total GDP will still have a large affect to inflation specially to undeveloped nations.
• Small re balance for Undeveloped nations and their infrastructure growth. (Highways, Trains and Airports)
• Sell/Buy Icon in Trade tab will now also show your total amount of that resource in storage for those resources you do possess. (The same information as Top Right UI resources)
• Nations will start investing in Security buildings to combat unrest a bit sooner. (Police, Military Base)
• Error sound added when attempting to purchase an Industry and it does not happen because of high unrest. (Information still shows up in your phone)
• Small fixes to localization translations
• Other small balances and fixes

• Beautiful World once again begins with standard starting wealth. (10)
• You can still begin as Head of State in this mode and transfer the nation's wealth to your personal account in addition to starting wealth.

• Slight rework map texture to help avoid breakage at longer distances in certain devices.
• Slight localization fixes .
• All visual changes to help performance and map fidelity, no mechanical changes or balances.

Hello Traders and Conquerors,

The Anniversary Update is now live!

Please start a new game, this update incompatibilizes all previous save files due to deep structural changes in province data rebalance.

For a full overview of this update, please refer to our previous announcement post.

Below are additional features and refinements included in this release:

• Imperialist Ideology Trait added. The United States, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom now begin with this trait:

  –10% Effectiveness

  Reduced unrest in distant territories

  Lower monthly unrest from occupation

  Increased likelihood to launch offensive wars

• New National Laws:

  Imperialist Ideology

  Defensive Stance

  (Both can be enacted or repealed based on your government’s direction.)

• Conquest Penalties:

  After conquering a territory, it will now suffer temporary negative effects:

  Months 1–3: –0.10 unrest, –0.05 GDP growth

  Months 4–6: –0.05 unrest, –0.025 GDP growth

  These penalties mirror the economic impact of major disasters and reflect the challenges of integration.

• 2025 Historical Events: Additional scripted events have been added to reflect plausible developments in the current year.

• Relations Map Mode Enhancement: You can now click on any nation’s territory while in Relations Map Mode to see how that nation views others. This reveals asymmetric perceptions—two countries may hold very different opinions of each other.

• Improved Tooltips: Hovering over laws now displays clearer, more detailed explanations of their effects.

• Balance: Ranking no longer shows unless you click refresh for a quicker game load. Game will start at medium graphics.

• As always: Numerous bug fixes, balance tweaks, and performance refinements based on your feedback.

This update is our thank you to you our players for an incredible first year. Your support, bug reports, and strategic passion have made Trade Conquest what it is today.

Happy First Year!

Thank you for being part of the Trade Conquest family.

If you need help, have questions, or want to discuss strategies, please join our Discord community we’re always there to assist.

Best,

GrandPaw Games

Hello Traders and Conquerors,

One year ago, Trade Conquest launched with a simple dream: to blend grand strategy, with deep resource management, and empire-building into something replayable, challenging, and uniquely yours.

Today, I’m humbled and deeply grateful to say this game exists because you chose to play it, report bugs, suggest features, and stick with it through every patch. Whether you joined last week or on day one: thank you. You’ve helped shape this world far more than you know.

Next month, we’re celebrating our first anniversary with the largest update yet, a complete rethinking of how nations begin, interact, and wage war. Every change is designed with one goal: maximizing replayability without sacrificing realism.

Important: This update will break existing save files due to province data restructuring and GDP/unrest recalibrations. If you’re mid-campaign, now is the time to wrap it up before the update goes live!

A Living, Breathing World from Day One

When you start a new game, you’ll now choose how the world begins—tailoring the sandbox to your preferred challenge:

Province/Territory Names: Fully updated and localized across all supported languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese). No more standard English labels.

Population: Choose between:

-Historical (based on 2022 real-world data)

-Dynamic (randomized per nation, but summing to accurate national totals—some regions more saturated than usual, opening industrial opportunities)

GDP: Start with:

-Historical GDP per capita (scaled to provinces)

-Randomized GDP (still respecting national totals, using GDPPC as the guide)

Unrest: Begin with:

-Historical unrest levels (2022-based)

-Randomized unrest (creating early internal challenges for unprepared nations)

War Threshold: Select your preferred global aggression level:

-Lower: Wars erupt sooner—ideal for chaotic, opportunistic play

-Standard: Balanced instability requirements

-Higher: Nations wait for deep internal collapse before striking—favors careful plotters and special ops.

Map, Navigation & Performance

-Map Details Refined: Coastlines, rivers, and major lakes updated for geographic accuracy—better reflecting real-world water bodies.

-Nation Selection: When starting a new game, now pick your country either by clicking its name in the list or directly on the map—smoother onboarding for new players.

-Performance: Significant backend optimizations for larger campaigns and late-game stability.

Gameplay & Balance Overhaul

Strategic Resources & Economy

-Strategic Resources (Titanium, Uranium, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, etc.), Silver, and Diamonds now appear 50% less frequently in new games—making them truly scarce and valuable. Secure them early, or dominate the markets that control them.

-Rivers & Major Lakes: Bonuses reworked to align with the updated map—strategic positioning matters more than ever.

Special Operations & Espionage

-AI nations can now conduct Head of State Assassination operations more frequently—especially if they’ve invested in Special Forces.

-As always, you’ll only see foreign news if you have an active Business Agreement with the target nation.

-Counter-Terrorism Boost: If you’ve built a Counter Terrorism at your headquarters, you gain an additional +20% chance to block enemy special operations on your soil as long as there is a national Counter Terrorism building built at the Military Tab.

Nation Behavior & AI

-Collapsed governments now have a chance to shift political leaning, gain temporary +relations with all nations, and experience reduced unrest in surviving territories, a path to reinvention after disaster.

-Defensive Stance Trait: Nations with this trait are less likely to launch offensive wars, especially against distant powers, making them more reliable neighbors (or frustratingly passive allies).

-Superpowers: In randomized alliances, superpowers now always receive two alliance slots, regardless of economic development, reflecting their geopolitical weight.

-AI War & Alliance Logic: Completely rebalanced. AI will now more reliably declare war to defend allies (though it’s not mandatory—they may still join later if odds improve). Alliance choices are smarter, considering proximity, ideology, and threat levels.

And More…

Dozens of minor balances and bug fixes, many from your Discord suggestions!

What’s Next?

This post covers the major pillars but the full changelog will drop on launch day next weekend.

Until then, consider this your heads-up!

This update isn’t just a patch, it’s a Thank You. For all your support to a solo developer and for a better Trade Conquest experience.

Best, GrandPaw Games

• Military tab information rework.
• Military Unit Tab information rework.
• 1.0 Will change from meaning 1 million to a singular 1.
• Resources required for assembly to tons.
• Superpowers will use Hyper-sonic Missiles during war slightly faster.
• Other balances and bug fixes.

Hello Traders,

Inflation is a big topic in Trade Conquest that always brings up questions. Here is a quick list of what factors affect it followed by a detailed breakdown for each point.

Inflation is a combination of:

1. The average Demand in goods for Agriculture, Meats, Alcohol, Luxury, Infrastructure, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Gasoline and Diesel resources for your Home Market.

2. Debt and Economy development confidence measured by your Interest rates.

3. Counterfeit (If applicable).

4. Sudden increase in GDP, 10% or higher.

Positives and Negatives

-Inflation affects prices for buildings and Industries purchased not only by yourself as a business person, but for the nation as well, hurting their development for the need to pay higher prices. -Increases Maintenance costs in proportion to inflation. -On GDP growth:

• 0% to -10% Inflation: No effect on GDP growth.

• Greater than 0% to 5% Inflation: The sweet spot for optimal GDP growth.

• Greater than 5% to under 10% Inflation: No effect on GDP growth.

• 10%+ Inflation: Begins to negatively impact GDP growth, with significant penalties at very high levels.

-Possible unrest events like protests because of High Unrest.

Where to find the current inflation information

-Left click on a province, it’ll show on the top left along with Corporate Tax. -Right click on a nation’s province, it’ll show in an Information window. -Oval Office tab under “taxation” for your Home country.

1.

-The average Demand of the listed “Essential” goods can reach a low end of -75%. Although trying to meet the high demand would be Ideal, lowering prices for other goods would also have the same affects, even if you do not make as much profit from them as you would like.

-Do like many Major nations do, make a Business Agreement. Exploit other nation’s essential resources and sell it at your own market. An Undeveloped Economy might mean cheaper labor costs as well as new goods to exploit. -In the Market Tab, Lock your higher tier resources, (The ones giving you the most profits) and sell them where there is most demand after you have Force Liquidated all essential goods at your Home Market to make sure demand is kept low. (Or sell 1 by 1 for the most profit) -You can also purchase the needed goods from a market with low demand, and sell it to yours on Next Quarter. If you sell it the same Quarter you’ll get Market Manipulation penalties.

-Gasoline and Diesel are also important because higher demand will also increase your transportation costs.

2.

A Developed Economy will naturally have more resistance to inflation than Undeveloped Economies. If your debt goes beyond your nation’s GDP, you will have an exponential inflation increase. Inflation is adjusted Monthly and if big changes are made, will adjust gradually over time.

How to Lower Debt if not Head of State: -Higher Tier Industries: Increases Corporate Taxes revenue and Gross Domestic Product per Capital (GDPPC), which can mean higher Income tax revenue. -Infrastructure such as Highways, Trains and Airports: Increases Investments Revenue. -Build Banks and Financial Districts: Increases Corporate Taxes Revenue.

Pay Debt (When Head of State): Use your personal account to pay national debt. This will help improve inflation at the end of the year when budgets are re balanced.

3.

Opposing nations can carry out several Special Operations against your nation, just like you can. The “Counterfeit” operation can increase your inflation up to a maximum of +50%. This is on top of your base levels. You can pass a bill to help clean things up. It will however, naturally fall over time, faster on more Developed economies.

4.

If you have a sudden increase of GDP by 10% or higher, through High Tier Industries purchases or Conquest, this influx will be reflected on your inflation until the end of the year, and fall gradually over time afterwards.

I hope this information helps newcomers and veterans alike.

Best, GrandPaw Games

Hello Traders,

Trade Conquest is proud to participate in this year's 4X Steam Fest! To mark the occasion, renowned strategist Corgi Circus has created an exceptional Economic Victory Deep Dive video - perfect for mastering GDP dominance in New World Order mode.

Discover advanced tactics, hidden synergies, and fresh perspectives on your path to economic supremacy.

Watch the Video below

Enjoy the fest and happy trading!

Best, GrandPaw Games

Hello Traders and Conquerors,

An optional update is now available, packed with quality-of-life improvements inspired by your feedback.

⚠️ Important Notice:

• This update may affect save files

• If mid-campaign, consider delaying the update

• Join our Discord to help shape future updates!

Key Changes:

New Industries Tab (Personal Information Window) A comprehensive overview of your supply chain operations:

• Filters for active production/demand industries

• Per-industry data:

  • Name of Industry/Resource

  • Demand in the Supply Chain (new icon)

  • Total production

  • Total Maintenance expenses

  • Transportation expenses

  • Previous month's sales revenue (new icon)

  • Industry use, shown with resource icons. (This means that the resource named is used in the listed industries)

  • Visualizations:

    • Pie chart: Maintenance vs. transportation costs

    • Bar graph: Storage capacity utilization

  • Broken Supply Chain indicator (demand > production)

• Action buttons:

  • Go to Market: Jump to resource in last-used market

  • Search: Highlight all relevant industries on map

Performance note: Data updates only when opening the window or adjusting filters. Pause for precise analysis.

Supply Chain & Economy

• More accurate intermediate goods demand based on production levels

• New Business Research options (2): Reduce resource demand by 5% each

• Transportation costs now factor in:

  • Gasoline, Diesel and Vehicle Batteries average market demand will now affect transportation costs. (Subject to the market that Territory belongs to)

Market Improvements

• Enhanced Sell button: Hover to view demand in other markets

• Auto-hide: Resources deplete from view when selling All (using Available in Storage filter)

• Better tooltips:

  • Market/resource icons now show total demand/production (not base values)

  • Added research explanations

  • New phone navigation tips

Other Adjustments

• Routine bug fixes and balancing

• Additional UI polish

Remember: This update is optional but recommended for new campaigns. We appreciate your support in making Trade Conquest better!

Best, GrandPaw Games

Hello Traders and Conquerors,

For those just starting their Trade Conquest journey—or veterans needing a refresher—we’ve updated our Early Gameplay Introduction video! This guide covers:

• Core mechanics every new player should master

• Key strategies for political and economic success

• Recent updates (including Personal Tab) integrated into the tutorial

▶ \

Designed to help you avoid early pitfalls and accelerate your rise to power. Share it with fellow traders!

Best, GrandPaw Games

Hello Traders and Conquerors,

The major update is now live, bringing transformative changes to Trade Conquest! As warned previously, this will affect save files - we recommend starting fresh campaigns to experience everything optimally.

Key Features Now Available:

Optimized World Map (1,800 Territories)

• Improved performance and regional balance

• City-states moved to Beautiful World → "Historical" section: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Spratly Island, Tuvalu

New Business Tab Buildings

• Head Quarters (HQ): +50% monthly influence for this province (1 allowed)

• +10k storage

• Unlocks Special Operations (Destroyed if territory is sieged)

• Grand Park: -0.02 monthly unrest (For HQ province)

• Culture Center:+20 Social research/month

Special Operations Rework

• No longer strictly requires being Head of State (State Special Operations building will still provide additional +25% bonus)

• Optional New requirements:

• "Private Militia" bill

• Purchased Special Operation buildings at HQ province (monthly costs deduct from your balance)

20 Global Tourist Attractions list to enhance map and economies.

• (Big Ben, Burj Khalifa, CN Tower, Colosseum, Christ Redeemer, Egypt Pyramid, Eiffel Tower, Hagia Sophia, Hassan II Mosque, Maqam Echahid, Maya Pyramid, Monas Jakarta, Obelisco Buenos Aires, Statue of Liberty, St Basil Cathedral, Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal, The Great Wall, The Sacred Family, Tokyo Tower) Effects:+25% transport costs but +10% state Investment revenue

New Personal Information Tab (Next to Phone tab)

• Tracks: Monthly research, auto-sell income, general expenses, broken supply chain costs

• Quick-access buttons: Pan to Capital and HQ,

• Nation passport and current status as Private Citizen or Head of State

Invested Provinces Window

• Shows: Industry Owner, resource icons and levels.

• Shows GDP, population, unrest, provinces name, etc.

• New icons: Broken Supply Chain & Siege icons appear when relevant

• Buttons: Max Level All, Pan to Province Location.

• Filterable by business agreement countries This was added for an easier province overview, to quickly level up Industries, and go to location If additional micromanagement is needed.

Balances & Fixes

• Civil War unrest: +0.2/month (from +0.1)

• Language/translation fixes

• Easier clicking on small islands

• Routine bug fixes

• For non Beautiful World Game modes 2023 and 2024 Inflation will no longer be predetermine. It will change accordingly at the end of the year, and monthly inflation changes will start on 2025.

Reminder: Existing saves are incompatible. Dive into your new strategies today and let us know what you think of the new changes!

Best, GrandPaw Games

Hello Traders and Conquerors,

We're preparing a substantial update for next weekend that will bring major improvements - but requires important planning on your part:

⚠️ Save File Warning This update will affect existing save files. We strongly recommend:

• Completing current campaigns before next weekend

• Or delaying the update if mid-campaign

Key Changes Coming:

Map Rebalance (Performance & Gameplay)

• Territories reduced from 3,350 to 1,800 for better performance and regional balance

• Some city-states moved to Beautiful World mode's "Historical" options

New Head Quarters (HQ) Buildings

• HQ Provides: (Only 1 allowed)

  • +50% monthly influence for that territory

  • +10k storage capacity

  • Unlocks Special Operations buildings

• Complimentary Grand Park & Culture Center options

Special Operations can now be carried out without being Head of State

• Now requires:

• New "Private Militia" bill approval

• Purchasing buildings directly (maintenance costs deduct from your balance, not state funds)

Major Tourist Attractions

• 20 global Tourist Attractions added to the Map

• They Increase transportation costs by 25% but boosts state Investment revenue by 10% (Highways, Trains and Airports)

Routine bug fixes and balancing

We'll share complete patch notes when the update goes live. Prepare your strategies accordingly!

Best, GrandPaw Games

• French and Portuguese support
• New Climate "Temperate Highland" to represent European Highlands. These province/territories will not have Gold, Silver or Uranium as possible Options, but will have additional Agriculture options: Wheat, Corn, Potatoes, Grapes, Lumber and Asphalt.
• Highland nor Temperate Highland will have "Cotton" as a possible resource.

• Larger Icons and Letters for Market UI
• Buy and Sell button will now be represented by a Red Circle Icon with a down Arrow for "Buy" and a Green Circle Icon with an Up arrow for "Sell".
• Buying and Selling button will now be restricted to the above mentioned Icon Area to help avoid misclicks.
• Larger letters for information when hovering over Market resource Icons and Top Right Resource Icons.
• Larger letters for Current Events and Notifications information.
• Spacing rework for Investments Search names. (Will only affect certain languages)

• Simplified Chinese support
• L Shift will no longer open Oval Office tab.

• Italian language support
• Information adjustments for better clarity
• Minor bug fixes

• Russian language support
• UI adjustments for better clarity
• Localization fixes for missing notifications
• Minor bug fixes

• Click the new "Request Access" button
• Join our Discord for feedback and updates
• Active participants will receive a Steam key for their contributions

• This is a limited version of the game (not full access)
• Playtest availability is time-restricted
• We especially need feedback on translations and UI functionality

• Only the End of Empires game mode is playable
• 30-minute session limit
• Restricted research options

• Customize nations before playing: Edit Territories, GDP, Population, Names, Traits and much more.
• 10 Additional Historical Nations have been added to this list that can only been edited and played as through this Game Mod. Includes Confederate States, Soviet Union and Third Reich.
• Perfect for alternate histories or challenge runs to create your own Beautiful World.
• Note: Separate save slot | No achievements or ranking.

• High-income (Developed Economy) (50K+ GDPPC): +50% labor costs
• Middle-income (Developed Economy) (15K-50K): Gradual 0% to +50%
• Lower-middle (Emerging Economy) (4K-15K): -25% to 0% discount
• Low-income (Undeveloped Economy) (<4K): Permanent -25% discount

• Market Search Bar: Find resources instantly (exact spelling required).
• Strict Resource Locking: Locked resources at the Market Tab won’t sell— even via auto-sell/liquidation. (✓/✗)
• Political Map Colors: Num-9 now swaps both map and bill colors for left/right leanings.

• High-income (50K+ GDPPC): +50% labor costs
• Middle-income (15K-50K): Gradual 0% to +50%
• Lower-middle (4K-15K): -25% to 0% discount
• Low-income (<4K): Permanent -25% discount

• Market Search Bar: Find resources instantly (exact spelling required).
• Strict Resource Locking: Locked resources at the Market Tab won’t sell— even via auto-sell/liquidation. (Check Mark and X)
• Political Map Colors: Num-9 now swaps both map and bill colors for left/right leanings.