Foundation: We Reached Level 5 Trade & the Game Wouldn't Believe Us

Episode 14 of Coeur de Lis — and this one has a sting in the tail. 🏰   Foundation is my second most-played game — 130 hours and counting — and this week I set my village two things to chase: the Merchant Prince achievement (a trade route all the way to level five), and Bathing in Gold (ten thousand coins in the treasury).   I genuinely didn't know which one we'd walk away with.   The trouble was the trade volume.   Trotbury kept slipping — we got so close to the top, and then it slid away again. But we got there. We hit 480 volume, the trader finally returned, and the route began to climb.   ...and then the game quietly refused to count it. 🔑   Turns out a setting I'd chosen myself was blocking the award. Of course it was. 😅 Note to self (again)— even a veteran player isn't immune to the fine print. In this cozy city-building session:   -Chasing Merchant Prince and Bathing in Gold side by side -The trade rule that matters most — volume, not value -Building out the tools, common wares and cooperage chains to push our trade volume up   ⚠️ The twist: why the achievement never registered, and what to check in your own save   Timestamps 0:00 Two achievements, one evening 0:56 Fixing the village and building more treasuries 4:06 The number we're chasing: 300 volume in 30 days 5:38 Level four — and this route is climbing fast 6:48 Northbury drops to 76 — we're not trading enough 8:37 New supply chains: common wares, sawmill, cooperage 13:32 So close to level five... and it slips away again 16:45 480 volume — we've done it! 17:35 Why won't the game let us improve the route? 21:23 The fix: wait for the trader — and 200 tools 28:42 200 tools reached — the climb begins 30:58 Hitting the edge of the map (and a cheeky workaround) 32:31 ⚠️ The twist — the achievement never registered   Cozy, relaxed strategy gameplay — settle in with your favourite beverage and a few healthy snacks.   #Foundation #CityBuilder #CityBuildingGame #StrategyGames #CozyGaming #CityBuilderGame #CoeurDeLis #CozyGameplay