Pointless city trading function?

[texico11]

It accured to me that the city trading function is virtually pointless. Other civs NEVER trade off a city, even a small city far away from there capitol on my borders, no matter what you offer them. Infact, even once I offered every single city, gold, technology and resources I had for one small town they had just set up (just to see if it would work) and they refused to trade.

Why has this features been put in when it is virtually worthless? Unless I'm missing something.

About the only use I can find is giving away cities to friendly civs that are about to be conquered by enemies anyway so that atleast the enemy doesn't gain land. But Friendly civs never return the favour

What's the deal?

 

[Lord Emsworth]

City trading was possible in the very first few releases of Civ3. But later it was patched out, because it was probably too exploitive(?). Now the AI are hardcoded to never accept trades where there on one side of the table is a city and on the other side is anything besides "Peace." So, yeah the only way to trade cities is now by either gifting/extorting them, or getting/giving them as a part of a peace deal.

There are a few more deal which the AI are hardcoded to never accept. Gpt for Gpt is not possible, trying to buy their only source of a lux or resource won't work etc.

 

[capnvonbaron]

Also, to clarify on Lord Ems' synopsis, the "trade" function is there to be available when you approach a rival to sign a peace treaty after warfare. If you are clobbering another civ and threaten to remove their very existence in the game, they will often cough up some of their crappier cities in return for a peace deal. You can then grow those cities, use them as a future offensive gathering point, gift them to other civs, or just abandon them as you see fit. Its sometimes useful, and you can gain control of remote island cities that way easier and faster than hunting down and conquering them.

Also, I've found that even-match civs will often give you back your cities that they've captured.. ie, I've had a small city on their continent (some culture, maybe 4 pop) that they overwhelmed early in the war, and many turns later of killing their units and approaching their cities, they gave it back during peace talks.

 

[splunge the 2nd]

I will occasionally gift or sell cities to the AI if they're mine and undefendable-rather than take a WW hit let a third party have the city. (hopefully I don't find myself in that boat much). Similarly, I'll gift/sell a recently captured city that I have no use for to a third party AI. They'll like me for it, the enemy isn't lokely to attack another AI to take it back and it won't really help the giftee as I usually give it to a weak civ that's far away.

Anyone know if the AI'll trade a captured city back to me for one of their's as part of a peace or otherwise?

 

[Lord Emsworth]

I will occasionally gift or sell cities to the AI if they're mine and undefendable-rather than take a WW hit let a third party have the city. (hopefully I don't find myself in that boat much). Similarly, I'll gift/sell a recently captured city that I have no use for to a third party AI. They'll like me for it, the enemy isn't lokely to attack another AI to take it back and it won't really help the giftee as I usually give it to a weak civ that's far away.

Anyone know if the AI'll trade a captured city back to me for one of their's as part of a peace or otherwise?

I guess they'll just behave as usual. As such, City for City is simply impossible.

But as a hint, you could gift away a captured city to one of your allies in the hope that your enemy recapture the city again. Now you can re-recapture the city for you again. That way you have all the WW friendly adavantages of gifting away cities, plus you get the chance to actually kill some of your enemy's attacking units and you'll likely get to own the city eventually. (India is cool as an ally, as they might get a War Elephant as a free defender.)

 

[Argetnyx]

Trading cities is possible, after a long war, the AI gave me a total of 8 cities.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

Trading cities is possible, after a long war, the AI gave me a total of 8 cities.

Yes, it is possible to trade cities for either nothing (extortion or gift) or only peace (regardless if it is a real peace treaty or just renegotiated peace treaty). As such Peace+City+X for Peace is possible, but Peace+City+X for Peace+X is not.