Archaeologist 'Exploit'?

[bbbt]

Is this new? Build an archeology museum, and an archaeologist. You can basically dig up artifacts, sell them to the AI (without the museum being complete), and keep continually digging until all the AI civs run out of space (your Archaeologist doesn't disappear after three - only when the museum is full. So if it's never full because you keep selling artifacts...)

I mean it's thematic, and I'm not sure it's a major exploit - it requires a decent investment (late game), and is definitely not unlimited (there's not going to be that many empty AI archaeology museums). But I'm not sure it was intended for an unlimited archaeologist.

 

[bbbt]

Hmm. There looks like there might be some related weirdness if you are trying to just trade artifacts with the AI and have empty slots. I'm going to play around a bit.

 

[Mr. Shadows]

That is weird. It's not something I want to exploit but it's an interesting phenomenon.

 

[bbbt]

That is weird. It's not something I want to exploit but it's an interesting phenomenon.

Yeah it seems pretty minor as potential exploits go (and frankly my playstyle is usually more hoarding all the artifacts!).

 

[Architect]

Its been like this for awhile.

 

[DemonMaster]

Not much of an exploit. I mean, you sell valuable artifacts to the AI who doesn't have to dig them up for themselves.

 

[Victoria]

Yep people have been doing it a while and not only do you get gold but also it is great for era score which is probably more important long term.
Exploit? ... not to me.... we have people with metal detectors digging up ancient coins and selling them, the antiquities black market is hug, and some people even try and sell their granny’s

 

[bbbt]

The exploity part to me isn't that you can sell artifacts, but that you really just need one archaeologist to do so the whole game. But I guess there's a cap on the AI space for them.

 

[Linklite]

I wouldn't call it an exploit. It makes sense to me in real world terms, at least no less than immortal archaeologists do. If you view the archaeologist as a team of the same, it makes sense. Except the fact that they simply disappear once the museum is full makes little sense, but that limits the phenomenon anyway.

Perhaps the amount you get for them seems a bit much, but it's a game.

I'd say it isn't an eploit because it mirrors real life (sort of). Does it make sense to do so? Not sure. If they're going for a Culture Victory, you could be shooting yourself in the foot.

 

[Victoria]

but that you really just need one archaeologist to do so the whole game. But I guess there's a cap on the AI space for them.

Your own space is limited to 2 if you use 1 museum as an archaeologist is tied to a museum and the museum cannot move artefacts until full. It does stop yourself accidentally getting a CV though.
From my experience the real killer is the AI museums and the overhead of always looking for a deal.

 

[Datian]

If you can't move an artefact until the museum is full, you shouldn't be able to send it to a foreign one. The selling is possible because of an obvious oversight so you can call it an exploit.

 

[DemonMaster]

It would be called an exploit if the AI can't do the same, otherwise it is called a feature or a bug.

Personally, I can't remember if I have traded for an AI artifact when the AI only has one or two artifacts. I can't remember. Easy to test though. I will test it when my current game comes to artifacts.

 

[Lily_Lancer]

The exploit here is that an archaelogist only dies when he successfully filled all slots of the museum, not after he gets 3 relics. This is terrible due to the selling process.

In my game to avoid possible trade bugs, I never trade with AIs. The only thing I do to the AI is declare war.

 

[AsH2]

If they added one (1) "swap slot" to the Great Work UI, then they could limit archaelogist charges to 3 and let players handle GWs better.

 

[ShakaKhan]

Seems the exploit here is that, provided you can get relations good enough that they offer to buy and sell at about the same price, you could build 4 archeological museums but just one archeologist. Then sell the first nine artifacts to the AI. After getting the last three, you buy the artifacts back and voila - you've filled 4 museums with one archeologist.