What Is A Reasonable Gift Request?

Every twenty turns you can safely beg an AI for a gift and it will grant it if the AI considers it reasonable. But what is a reasonable gift? I've had AI:s willing to gift me techs while 20 turns later they won't give me 20 gold. So, how does one exploit these gifts?

The only one I use all the time is to ask for AI's spare resources I need for my corporation.

I usually ask for something between 150 - 200 gold - provided they have it. If they like me, i will get it. Also use your common sense with regard to leader personality - you will ger more from Asoka and Ghandi than fromMonty or Shaka.

Never had something as small as 20 gold refused by a friend... Perhaps something in the diplo changed in those 20 turns, and the guy just does not like you anymore ?

Begging obviously only makes sense if they like you. If they not like you, you could try to extort something, but in order to do that you have to be powerful.

I've demanded tribute ten consecutive times from AI who, just so that I can get that -10 "You're a real jerk" diplo bonus. Kinda ensures an eventual war.

I may not start wars, but I sometimes encourage the AI to not like me much.

I think the answer to your question lies in how powerful you and your PA/vassals are.

I've never gotten a tech gifted to me while asking for it. Just sometimes a resource for about ten turns.

Good thread, I was looking to start something similar!

I have been playing a game where I have Lincoln as my long-term close neighbour since early BC times. Despite being larger, more advanced and powerful throughout the entire game, I have tried to cultivate Abe as a friend as it solves a lot of military issues and allows me to leave our long mutual border un-garrisoned. We have never had any cross words or unreasonable demands and I have even got into Annoyed or Furious status with a lot of rivals because I refuse to cancel my deals with the Americans! As my power grew large, Lincoln asked to become my vassal, which pleased me no end as he had one or two techs I had skipped.

However, he has totally refused to even give me the option of demanding or even trading a tech. This has gone on for ages and ages! I have given him several military advances for goodwill and so he can defend himself, and I have a couple of other techs that are well worth trading for what he has (Fission, Satellites or Advanced Flight for Refrigeration?) but his techs are highlighted in red every single time! I thought, even if they are being uncooperative I should be able to demand techs from a vassal by threat of force?

Vassals are the same as all the other Civs in regards to giving/trading techs to you, only place that they are different is when it comes to resources.

Gyhth said:

Vassals are the same as all the other Civs in regards to giving/trading techs to you, only place that they are different is when it comes to resources.

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OK, but why the total reluctance to trade when we are on good terms?

Most of the time I am pleasantly surprised when I ask politley for things. Just give anything a shot.

Bigfoot3814 said:

Most of the time I am pleasantly surprised when I ask politley for things. Just give anything a shot.

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Yes, yes, yes, of course I won't get anything if I don't ask . The bit I find irritating and unreasonable is that fact that it's not even giving me the OPTION to ask - the tech I am sniffing after only ever shows up as red in the trading screen. Lincoln fobs me off with 'We are not ready to start trading this yet', even though they have had it for decades and I have other techs, 4 figure sums of gold etc to trade. It's only Refrigeration for Sid's sake!

Also, I thought as their overlord I could FORCE them to give it to on pain of military reprisals?

I was hoping someone knew the actual game mechanics behind this?

Lincoln has a monopoly on that tech, with all the Civs he is in contact with including Cheeris.

So since Lincoln figures he is the only one who knows it, he (or the AI in general ) places a very large value on it and wont trade it - or at least is very reluctant to.

If you end up playing an Island/small continents map stuck with one AI civ early on you may notice the same thing, even early in the game.

Even more so if it's a tech that gives access to a wonder (i.e. metal casting) and they are trying to build the wonder themselves.

I am sure some techs can still be traded this way, maybe the very early ones. Maybe someone who knows the mechanics better than me can elaborate further