Disable Tech Brokering (should I feel shame?)

[A_Mere_Icon]

Hi all,
Should I feel bad about disabling Tech Brokering on my Monarch games?

I usually struggle with Monarch, winning only about 30% of the time and usually by space race. I read a few threads here about disabling tech brokering and I gave it a shot.....annnnd I absolutely ran away with the game on my first try with a random leader; albeit I did get the Dutch (so pretty good there). Does disabling this setting really tilt the game that much more towards the player?

I don't want to use this as a crutch as I try to improve my game play for a shot at Emperor. What say the experts?

 

[Robo-Star]

Hi all,
Should I feel bad about disabling Tech Brokering on my Monarch games?

I usually struggle with Monarch, winning only about 30% of the time and usually by space race. I read a few threads here about disabling tech brokering and I gave it a shot.....annnnd I absolutely ran away with the game on my first try with a random leader; albeit I did get the Dutch (so pretty good there). Does disabling this setting really tilt the game that much more towards the player?

I don't want to use this as a crutch as I try to improve my game play for a shot at Emperor. What say the experts?

Are you going to be using Tech Brokering at Emperor?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

As I understand it the AI tends to go after the same techs most of the time (feudalism for example) so the player going a different path can pick up a lot of the techs from the AI whereas they can't trade between themselves so much.

 

[Robo-Star]

As I understand it the AI tends to go after the same techs most of the time (feudalism for example) so the player going a different path can pick up a lot of the techs from the AI whereas they can't trade between themselves so much.

Isn't that the same whether one has Tech Brokering on or not, though?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

It means they can't trade the tech you trade to them around though, so you can pick up the AI techs from all of them whereas they can't trade your techs.

 

[Robo-Star]

It means they can't trade the tech you trade to them around though, so you can pick up the AI techs from all of them whereas they can't trade your techs.

Oh yeah.
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[A_Mere_Icon]

Are you going to be using Tech Brokering at Emperor?

Only if its not considered a game breaking disable (like disabling barbarians or something). I don't want to use it if it negates the difficulty levels of Monarch and Emperor; otherwise whats the point right? Do lots of people disable this setting?

 

[Robo-Star]

Only if its not considered a game breaking disable (like disabling barbarians or something). I don't want to use it if it negates the difficulty levels of Monarch and Emperor; otherwise whats the point right? Do lots of people disable this setting?

Well you already know it negates the difficulty on Monarch, right?
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I've never disabled it, and I can't see myself ever doing so without disabling Tech Trading altogether.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

It does negate some difficulty, but so does playing with differing #'s of civs vs land available.

Civ isn't remotely balanced in the general sense. Pick the settings you like and adjust the difficulty accordingly.

 

[Jerrymander]

Play how you want to play. No one will judge you unworthy. If you think Tech Brokering makes Monarch too easy, don't enable it.

There's no clear cut answer as to what makes the game necessarily easier or harder. (Except for certain things, like larger maps with fewer AI.)

 

[Notenoughtrebs]

I have seen this question around a bit and i don't think there is a definitive answer.

I play with it turned off, because when I found out what it enables (instantaneous and unrealistic tech traditing between the AIs) I thought it ludicrous.

"Hey, I got chemistry from Monty last turn. You can have it for education"
"All right"

Just doesn't make sense.

Turning it off does make the game easier, though.

so does playing at marathon, according to many, but you didn't mention game speeds.

Play how you feel comfortable.

Maybe there should be a poll to determine how many people play a high levels with tech brokering off.