How does city-state technology acquisition work?

[civaddict098]

How and when do city-states obtain new technologies? I am currently playing a game where I am going for a scientific victory. Unfortunately I have no coal within my borders, but an allied city state does. This city state has a mine on the coal, but I am not receiving any from the city-state, which leads me to believe that it has not obtained the necessary technology. Is there any way I can predict when this might happen?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I believe it's something like an average of the tech level of all the players or something.

 

[budweiser]

If any two civs have a tech, then CS get the tech too.

 

[Browd]

You can also try prodding the CS by making a further 200 gold gift to improve the resource.

 

[Petek]

This topic has been discussed in this thread in the bug reports forum. Some of the saved games in that thread and the linked threads show that CSs can have different levels of tech. (That's because some CSs can gift a specific resource to their ally, but others can't because they presumably lack the required tech.) One theory is that CSs will gain any tech possessed by two civs that they've met. That would explain why the tech levels are different. However, I'm not sure how that theory was derived.

 

[3335d]

I think that CSs also gain tech the normal way in addition to any techs from two civilizations they have met, as evidenced by the "Scholasticism" SP in the Patronage tree.

 

[Minor Annoyance]

I think that CSs also gain tech the normal way in addition to any techs from two civilizations they have met, as evidenced by the "Scholasticism" SP in the Patronage tree.

Maybe, but CS might just 'act' like regular civs and try to build up their science production (so the SP works with that) but the actual mechanic could be different.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

I've noticed that CS tend to be most advanced, despite the rest of my rivals being so behind in tech in Warlord, CS themselves seem to be able to improve most of the new resources several turns after I discover how to improve them, and CS themselves tend to be powerful, with strong city defense and mostly up to date units..

 

[sizesixteens]

This topic has been discussed in this thread in the bug reports forum. Some of the saved games in that thread and the linked threads show that CSs can have different levels of tech. (That's because some CSs can gift a specific resource to their ally, but others can't because they presumably lack the required tech.) One theory is that CSs will gain any tech possessed by two civs that they've met. That would explain why the tech levels are different. However, I'm not sure how that theory was derived.

If it's simply a case of differing resource gifts, what if it's just because some CS haven't worked those tiles yet?

Post-G&K, you can now gift 200 gold to a CS to immediately improve one of their resources. As in, instead of waiting for their clueless AI workers to do the job.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Post-G&K, you can now gift 200 gold to a CS to immediately improve one of their resources. As in, instead of waiting for their clueless AI workers to do the job.

This can only happen when the CS has reached the requisite tech level. You can't improve their oil fields if they haven't discovered biology, for instance.

 

[Pook]

I've noticed that CS tend to be most advanced, despite the rest of my rivals being so behind in tech in Warlord, CS themselves seem to be able to improve most of the new resources several turns after I discover how to improve them, and CS themselves tend to be powerful, with strong city defense and mostly up to date units..

Yes. This is part of the reason Austria's Diplomatic Marriage can be so devastating. On Deity, I was way behind in both military and technology (when the list of who has how many technologies comes out, and Sejong has 56 and I have 32, I know I'm in trouble). With several resource deals and saving money, I was able to cobble together 1,250 gold. By paying 750 to gain an alliance with a City State, and 500 for diplomatic marriage, I instantly tripled the size of my military, and provided it with upgraded units.

 

[Jakexbox10]

Yes. This is part of the reason Austria's Diplomatic Marriage can be so devastating. On Deity, I was way behind in both military and technology (when the list of who has how many technologies comes out, and Sejong has 56 and I have 32, I know I'm in trouble). With several resource deals and saving money, I was able to cobble together 1,250 gold. By paying 750 to gain an alliance with a City State, and 500 for diplomatic marriage, I instantly tripled the size of my military, and provided it with upgraded units.

Yeah loved that feature very helpful in multiplayer civ5 to!