no bug but surely a flaw! Should be fixed (TRADE)

[Stilgar08]

When you're tech-leader and the AI is behind and you research e.g. physics and get access to Uranium:

You can sell it to the AI no matter if they can use it in any way or not!
This is provoking a buy-out on the AI like in civ3. IMO, ressources should only be traded by the AI, when they at least have the tech to spot them also (even better, when they can make use of it)...

 

[playshogi]

I agree. The AI should answer with "Gee, uranium is an interesting material, but we have no use for it."

 

[onedreamer]

Actually, to me happened the contrary. I have got coal from the AI when I had yet to discover the technology. Which was fortunate since I actually didn't have coal on my territory

 

[Stilgar08]

Why should you want to get coal when you have no use for it???

MoneyMoneyMoney!

The problem here is that as human player you can use this as an exploit against the AI to make a buy-out and cripple their economy and research...

 

[Melendwyr]

There are plenty of civilizations that couldn't make use of a resource, but made a significant profit from selling it to those who could.

 

[Renata]

But this is the reverse: a civ that can use a resource selling it to those who can't.

There's an actual price attached; it's not just sellable at gift price? If so, that does seem like a nasty flaw.

 

[Stilgar08]

But this is the reverse: a civ that can use a resource selling it to those who can't.

There's an actual price attached; it's not just sellable at gift price? If so, that does seem like a nasty flaw.

You're right, of course!

My competitors were not that rich in my last games , but I got all of their available gpt and if they had a worldmap worth anything they threw it into the deal, as well...

P.S.: I assume it's just normal that techs can only be paid with lumpsums AND techs and ressources only with ressources AND gpt's, right?

 

[onedreamer]

But this is the reverse: a civ that can use a resource selling it to those who can't.

There's an actual price attached; it's not just sellable at gift price? If so, that does seem like a nasty flaw.

he obviously meant that you can re-sell a resource in case you don't need it. For example you can buy a useless (for you) resource from Civ X so that you can sell it to Civ Y for one that you need. You can even buy a resource that you already have so that you have a spare one to sell to someone, because you want to improve relationships, because the other civ couldn't sell it due to bad relationships, etc etc... there are loads of reasons you can find for this feature to be in the game. I , for one, bought coal before I had steam power so that I would be sure to have this resource once I had the tech. Nasty flaw ? Buy and re-sell has been the main activity of any merchant for thousands of years...

 

[Stilgar08]

he obviously meant that you can re-sell a resource in case you don't need it. For example you can buy a useless (for you) resource from Civ X so that you can sell it to Civ Y for one that you need. You can even buy a resource that you already have so that you have a spare one to sell to someone, because you want to improve relationships, because the other civ couldn't sell it due to bad relationships, etc etc... there are loads of reasons you can find for this feature to be in the game. I , for one, bought coal before I had steam power so that I would be sure to have this resource once I had the tech. Nasty flaw ? Buy and re-sell has been the main activity of any merchant for thousands of years...

Do you really think, the AI is buying from me for 8gpt to resell it to someone else? To whom when no one has got money or anytthing else???

I just cripple the AI's earnings, that's all! I hereby get an advantage against the AI not by superior gameplay but by a flaw: The AI simply cannot differentiate between useful and useless ressources..

I doubt it will be possible to "teach" the AI to check out ressources, buy them and resell them with profit. This alone already is an advantage for the Human-Player which I nevertheless find acceptable...)
but the other thing - the AI buying stuff it doesn't need or even COULD need (due to lack of techs) is simply a flaw making the AI unnecesserily weaker than it already is...

 

[onedreamer]

Do you really think, the AI is buying from me for 8gpt to resell it to someone else? To whom when no one has got money or anytthing else???

I just cripple the AI's earnings, that's all! I hereby get an advantage against the AI not by superior gameplay but by a flaw: The AI simply cannot differentiate between useful and useless ressources..

I doubt it will be possible to "teach" the AI to check out ressources, buy them and resell them with profit. This alone already is an advantage for the Human-Player which I nevertheless find acceptable...)
but the other thing - the AI buying stuff it doesn't need or even COULD need (due to lack of techs) is simply a flaw making the AI unnecesserily weaker than it already is...

uhm lol it's very easy:
1) if they buy from you because they don't have that resource, it means that they need it. What is a resource that you don't need ? I can't think of one.
2) if they buy from you and they already have one, then they will have 2 and will be able to sell it to other civs. No need to teach anything...

 

[Stilgar08]

when you have no use for Uranium* and I already have it, you wouldn't buy it, right??? You would be right to do so, but the AI buys it... See? They don't know physics and buy it from me! I have uranium and cannot really use it, because I don't have units yet who need uranium as strategic ressource and all the AI's are not even near technology-wise to be able to use Uranium!

That's the whole point...

*because you with your technological advance cannot even SEE it in your territory, nor do you have nukes to build or the technology to build nuclear plants... To put this to extremes for the sake of making an example: Your civilization-people are cavemen and the highly advanced Spaniards show up and offer you Uranium and Aluminium for all the gpt you have... IMHO, you shouldn't make the deal - learn hunting and fishing and some other 60 techs first!

This is a useless ressource, at least in my book (as long as you don't have the technology to make it useable!!!) and the player would be a moron to make the trade. Like the AI...

 

[ThERat]

this is a real bug, one that humans can exploit to no end...suggest to really hightlight this

 

[Stilgar08]

2) if they buy from you and they already have one, then they will have 2 and will be able to sell it to other civs. No need to teach anything...

I forgot: Have you EVER seen the AI buy a ressource it already has??? I haven't... The AI doesn't know how to do what you say!

 

[Renata]

I second TheRat -- this needs to be sent to Firaxis.