How does Research Agreements actually work on BNW ?

In Vanilla and G&K, we made RA with most of friendly civs and after some turns we get a brand new tech. But since BNW, the reward is totaly different. I get some bulbs that doesn't worth the initial cost in my opinion. I was told that I get the sum of bulbs produced by my partner and me (capped by the minimum) at the end of the agreement. But games after games, I feel that it's not quite true. I won far less than I expected... Whether I'm tech leader or less advanced that my partner. I can't figure out the actual calculation of bulbs won in the RA. I've already searched through the forum (even in the in-game civilipedia) for a simple answer but I only get some advanced tips to make a RA at deity level but not how it simply works.

Can you explain me how does RA actually work in BNW ?

to get good return, both you AND your opponent have to have good science output. If either party has low relative output, that hurts the RA return for both parties. It's limited to the return that the weaker of the 2 civs would receive. Below deity the AI just doesn't generate enough beakers, so the RAs get capped at a low return.

there is probably a more technical answer, but that is the gist of it.

BNW since the fall patch:
It's based on the minimum each turn between both partners.
Your best predictor of their current science output is number of techs they currently have; so if the AI is an era behind, it's generally not worthwhile.

By comparison, for G&K it was the median value and during CD release of Vanilla it was a random tech in which you had invested less than 25% of the way thru.

With this change, I think it's time to drop that silly extra cash the AI wants for being behind in era. If anything, the research agreement should be worth more to the one behind in tech, not the other way around.

Hemul said:

With this change, I think it's time to drop that silly extra cash the AI wants for being behind in era. If anything, the research agreement should be worth more to the one behind in tech, not the other way around.

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The amount of science gained is based on the progress of the less advanced player. Yet the cost of the RA is based on the era of the more advanced player. Therefore, it's probably not really worth it to both parties.

Ok, so the best use of RA it's to make an agreement with a civilization of the same era ?

SeBounart said:

Ok, so the best use of RA it's to make an agreement with a civilization of the same era ?

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Yup; and also try to get PT and/or left side of Rationalism completed to increase science from RA.
It costs much more and chances are high you get less benefit for those who are an era (or more) behind. (AIs an era behind insist on being floated the era difference cost)

While you get charged extra if you sign an RA with someone ahead of you (AI ahead of you is never willing to front the era difference penalty)

I used to follow the mantra that, if a civ is an era or more behind you, it’s not advantageous to make an RA with them. But, that’s only applicable if you have only enough cash for 1 Research Agreement and another civ that is in the same era or higher wants to make an RA with you.

If you have a ton of cash, however, go ahead and make as many RA’s as you can. Even if the other civ is behind in tech, you’re still getting extra beakers out of the deal. Sure, they’ll be getting a lot more beakers since you’re ahead in eras, but they’re so far behind that it’s really negligible. They’re unlikely to catch up to you in Science just by signing RA’s with you.

shaglio said:

Even if the other civ is behind in tech, you’re still getting extra beakers out of the deal. Sure, they’ll be getting a lot more beakers since you’re ahead in eras, but they’re so far behind that it’s really negligible. They’re unlikely to catch up to you in Science just by signing RA’s with you.

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The only time in which an AI gets more beakers out of an RA than you is if they either have Rationalism left side / PT and you don't.

(Unless you are instead referring to the ratio of beakers received vs gold spent.)

Personally until very late in the game (as is I'm within 30 turns of victory and so no RA would complete anyway) I can always find something else to spend cash on.
Such as cash buying builds / upgrading the army & navy , perhaps even fufilling the city state request for gold, etc.