technology theft

[Armorydave]

Perhaps a compromise: Capturing enemy cities gives you research points towards various tech you don't own based on the city size and maybe what improvements in it. I also like the small chance of tech spread suggested earlier and in other threads. I think that a country without radios, adjacent to one that has radios will eventually get radios. Be it via retail trade or smuggling, or reverse engineering. In "Guns, Germs, & Steel", an excellent read for Civvers btw, he explains that knowing of the existence of a technology (or knowing that it CAN be done) increases research and leads to eventual development of the tech.

I like this idea. My thought was any time you take a city with an academy you get a free tech. That said, I think the current system is fine. The tech tree advances to quickly anyway (on normal speed) so anything that would speed it up further is undesirable to me.

I have no trouble trading techs with other civs. Part of the reason is that I put a lot of effort into becoming a member of the "AI best-friends club" (fervently spread my religion, make AI favorable trades, maintain open borders, often give AI's what they request, seldom declare war, etc..). If you play an isolationist or war-mongering game then you are going to have trouble trading with other civs. That makes perfect sense from a "historical" perspective.

 

[Willem]

Capturing enemy cities gives you research points towards various tech you don't own based on the city size and maybe what improvements in it.

That's actually not a bad idea. The cost of a single tech can be divided between all the cities, and each time you capture one you get closer to discovering it. Not bad at all.

 

[Frostyboy]

I experienced that leaders will seldom give away many techs unless their last city is at threat. Playing Togukawa in my last game, I could squeeze 1 tech per peace term, but when it came to Cuzco - his last city and Capital - he gave away gladly all his techs to stop fighting

 

[Zhahz]

but the AI best-friends club keeps leaving me behind technologically.

Now more than ever, in Civ IV, diplomacy is important - just like in reality. If you play as a loner and AIs are friendly with each other - then you better be an exceptionally powerful loner to compete for tech. Not ALL AIs trade amongst themselves (ala Civ3) - there are often blocks fo AIs of varying levels of friendliness that could be hostile towards each other instead of friends. And there's certain leaders who are so warlike that they have nothing to trade with the other AIs and they get left behind just like any other loner with a weak empire.

why did they remove the "get one free tech per captured city" concept? who could honestly argue against it in past games?

I don't recall this ever existing in Civ...at least not in Civ3...my memory is foggy before that!