OpenFront Economy Guide
Gold does not buy troops — it buys the structures that raise your ceiling and the trade network that pays for the next structure. That loop is the economy.
Quick answer: your two income engines are trade ships (from ports) and trains (from factories). Cities convert gold directly into a higher troop ceiling. Spend in the order that shortens the loop: city when your army is capped, trade infrastructure when income cannot pay for the next building, defence posts only on borders that actually get attacked.
Where gold comes from
| Source | What produces it | How it scales | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade ships | Ports | Distance travelled matters — long routes pay far more than short ones | Routes through hostile water; losing ships to warships |
| Trains | Factories | Paid per city visited while travelling; allies pay best, then other players, then yourself | Long routes lose value as they pass through more cities; trade stops if a path closes |
| Host settings | Lobby configuration | Multipliers and infinite-gold options exist in custom games | Values from custom lobbies do not describe public games |
The spending order that works
- City when capped — if your army sits near its ceiling, a city adds 250,000 maximum troops per level and converts gold directly into military headroom. Troop growth
- Factory or port when income is the bottleneck — if you cannot afford the next city, build the thing that pays for it; coastal positions favour ports, inland positions favour factories. Trade
- Defence post where a real border exists — it multiplies defence in a 30-tile radius and slows attackers. A post on a border nobody attacks is gold you will not see again. Buildings
- Missile silos and SAMs only when the endgame requires them — both are expensive and patch-sensitive, and mostly win-more tools in public games unless a neighbour already has nuclear capability. Land combat
The cost curve, and why it matters
City, factory and port costs follow the same curve: 125,000 gold doubled per building already owned, capped at 1,000,000. Defence posts scale more gently (50,000 × (n+1), capped at 250,000). The practical consequence: your tenth city costs far more than your third, so adding another city competes directly with adding a factory or a defence post.
| If you are… | Build | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Army capped, borders quiet | City | Raises the ceiling you are stuck against |
| Rich but small | Factory or port | Converts gold into a second income stream |
| Being pushed on one border | Defence post on that border | Multiplies local defence where the attack is actually happening |
| Ahead and closing the match | Nothing new — bank for one decisive push | Extra buildings will not matter if the match ends in ten minutes |
Common economy mistakes
- Building every structure once instead of scaling the one your position rewards.
- Ignoring the cost curve: a fourth port is often worse value than a first defence post.
- Leaving gold unspent while capped on troops — the one state where gold does nothing at all.
- Judging a build by its sticker price instead of by what it unlocks (income, ceiling or border safety).
FAQ
Common questions about this topic.
How do I make gold in OpenFront?
Trade: ports generate trade ships, factories generate trains, and both pay out more over longer, safer routes. Host settings can override income in custom lobbies.
Should I build cities or ports first?
A city if your army is near its ceiling; a port or factory if income is what stops you from building. Position decides between port and factory — coast versus inland.
Do cities give gold?
Cities are primarily a troop-ceiling investment: each level adds 250,000 to your maximum army in the live build. Gold income comes from trade.
How much gold should I keep in reserve?
Enough for one defensive reaction — a defence post or a rapid rebuild. Banking far more while capped on troops is usually a mistake.