Trading resources... trading "1 of 1" not give me use of the resource?

When I get a resource, like gold or wheat, and then I want to trade with another civ, on the diplomatic table it says I have "Wheat 1 of 1". Does that mean if I trade that Wheat I will no longer have use of it?

Yes, since you'd be trading away the only source you had. You need to have spare resources (so at least 1 of 2 listed on diplo table) before you can trade them away and still have use of them.

thanks man

Right, if you trade 1 of 1 you lose use of that resource. I'll make that kind of trade quite often, even though I lose a resource. If you're going to hook up a second of it soon, it's obviously good to trade. Even if it won't be soon before you get a second, it can be worthwhile to get a trade going just so you have the slot for that resource (if you wait, often you'll find that another AI is trading for it and it's not availible). Trading happiness for health, or health for happiness when you're short on one is good too. And trading a reduntant resource (like bronze if you have iron) works out for you too.

Also, I love to trade away horses if it's earky, I've got ivory or will soon have iron+engineering. I want the AI to blow his production on chariots and horse archers versus spearmen, or horse archers and knights versus elephants and pikemen, or later cavalry vs rifles or infantry. Cavalry fighting cavalry-killing units tend to die easily, aside from a few special cases (like cossacks, ugh) and I'd rather him spend production on easily-countered units. Plus the AIs will trade a lot for horses.

Trading happiness for health, or health for happiness when you're short on one is good too

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or gold per turn! the AI drastically overvalues resources' cash value.

if all ur cities are very healthy/happy eg. Shanghai 12 6 then just trade it even if u only have 1 of 1...u can cancel it after 10 turns
if they have nothing to give u back in return just give it away...especially if they have small cities (population-wise) and no jungle/flood plains around them

they won't get any benefit from the extra if they have healthy cities already and they'll be pleased with u

however u can only guess if they have surplus and ...so u might be helping them if they have unhealthy and unhappy cities

this way u can be efficient with ur resources...

(this is only meant for easier level and in the beginning of the game when the AI is usually broke)



"Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more."
- Sun Tzu

i'm pretty sure giving a resource away doesn't give any additional bonuses over just making a lopsided deal in their favor. 1 gold per turn is alot better than free. 30 gold is even better, and well within your reach. the hardest part is finding a civ with the cash to blow. i always sell my stone and copper once i discover gunpowder. buy low, sell high!

naterator said:

i'm pretty sure giving a resource away doesn't give any additional bonuses over just making a lopsided deal in their favor. 1 gold per turn is alot better than free. 30 gold is even better, and well within your reach. the hardest part is finding a civ with the cash to blow. i always sell my stone and copper once i discover gunpowder. buy low, sell high!

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"the hardest part is finding a civ with cash to blow"

Man, talk about an understatement. The highest I've ever seen is 15, with 8 being the next below that. Any more, I think of trading resources as a diplomatic move, not a financial one.

naterator said:

i'm pretty sure giving a resource away doesn't give any additional bonuses over just making a lopsided deal in their favor.

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I'm pretty sure you're wrong. What's your evidence?

naterator said:

or gold per turn! the AI drastically overvalues resources' cash value.

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Maybe on lower levels, on higher levels I can get one for maybe 4-6 when I spot a civ with cash, up to 10 or so if I micromanage cancelling the deal and asking for more each time they have GPT availible. 10 gpt is nothing compared to an extra person working in every big city or an extra food per big city.

What's your evidence?

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have you ever seen a "+1, you gave us a gift"? NOT the "you helped us", as this is a different situation. if someone can find coding that says different, i'll be happy to admit i'm wrong, but i've never seen anything to suggest that there's anything except the "fair and forthright" bonus you get for trade.

and yes, 30 gpt is kind of out there, but the "big civ on the other continent" has given me 27 for stone. and pantastic, if you're getting every gold per turn they have, and they're willing to renegotiate to give you that 1 more gpt that they've just got, i'd say that they're putting quite a high value on it. an extra health or happy is great for your cities, i never said to sell resources you use, i said i sell copper and stone when i get gunpowder. if you're hitting the happy limit, keep the copper, but since you only get the 1 happy (w/forge), it's half as valuable to you as another luxury resource, which can generally bring 2 happies with the proper building. but the AI seems to value it doubly, only seeing it as a "strategic resource", which it values more than luxury and health resources. at the very least, you can certainly afford to sell any stone or marble, as well as any doubles. if you're not getting enough resources to sell them, then try swallowing another civ early on, the additional capital site, as well as the land between your starting position and theirs will usually have enough resources for two.

edit:
one more thing, you can almost always trade, for example, my copper for your dyes and 5 gpt. the AI definitly overvalues this obsolete strategic resource. just cancel the deal if when you want to build the statue of liberty.

edit 1 more time... alright, i'm pretty sure the 27 gpt was on a mod, but i've definitly had 15 on vanilla

Check out the trading/subsidy strategy post today made in the strategy forum. It shows how to get top value for your resources!