Hello Ambassador Bowsling,
It is good to hear from the Quatronian people again.
If you have concerns about the way a tech trade proposal is structured, then please let us know. It was me, personally, that structured those offers. I am aware that it was not equal, beaker-for-beaker. However, I don't believe that determining trade value always that simple. I like to think in terms of impact and how much immediate benefit there is in a trade. There is value that is difficult to quantify by getting techs with a big benefit several turns early, such as Monotheism. It was my opinion that there is tremendous value for you to adopt Organized Religion ASAP to leverage your state religion to its fullest possible advantage. We have found the civic to be crucial in our own development so far, so the assumption was that the the hammer bonus you would be getting would absolutely justify extra beaker cost. This is arguably a much greater advantage than the ability to build Scouts, Monasteries, or Pastures (we have no livestock).
It's clear, however, that you did not agree. We have no issue with that, since the goal of any deal is to find something that works for both sides. In cases where you don't find the trade appealing, it is important that you let us know what you don't like about the deal or offer us something you would find more fitting. It is also important that this happens going forward so that our alliance may grow stronger. Our open borders and non-aggression pact are proof that we can execute deals that are mutually beneficial.
For our friendship to continue successfully, we don't necessarily have to agree on everything, but we certainly must communicate.
On that note, would you be interested in offering us a trade of 400-450 beakers worth of tech for Metal Casting?
Let us know.
Thank you,
TheMike
Mavericks Diplomat