Question regarding "AI to AI trade rate"

[SJ Frank]

In the C3C editor, under the "Difficulty Levels" tab, there is an "AI to AI trade rate" setting. Does anybody know what it means?

I always thought that it sets the likelyhood of AIs trading with eachother, but I have also heard that it affects the price that the AIs charge eachother during trades.

Has anybody fiddled with this in their mods and seen the results?

 

[Bjornlo]

If you feel the AIs are ganging up on you too much adjusting this is great.
Trade helps foster good feelings. Less trade means more ill-will between the fellow AI players.
I haven't done a detailed study, but my impression is that if the rate is closer to 1:1 (not quite since the AI needs at least a little help), the playing field is more level. I've seen more AI-AI wars, and so on. Also, it reduces the change of an AI giving everyone the fancy new technology you just gave them.

 

[Pfeffersack]

The number is a percentage which modifies the value AI-AI trade offers.For example, if AI X has 100 gold and the trade ratio is 120, those 100 gold count as 120 gold for AI Y.If they trade tech, AI X gets tech which would cost 120 gold under normal circumstances (e.g. for the human player) for those 100 gold from AI Y.So it is basically a price discount.However, there is an improtant restriction: Those calculations apply only, if the AI cannot pay the normal price.If it has enough money, it pays the full tech price.So it isn't as unfair as it might seem in the first moment; in fact it is just something what the human player does often when he is selling tech to the AI...he sells the tech even if the AI isn't able to pay the full price the tech would be bring in, if you traded it to the AI powerhouses with 30.000 and more gold.

 

[Mithadan]

So what trade rate should one set, then, for reduced AI trading? 1:1 or is that just mean? 1:120 or is that me totally not understanding the math behind Pfeffersack's example?

 

[SJ Frank]

Thanks guys for the replies. A follow up question:

Do the AI always make the trade when trades are possible, or is there another "dice throw" that determines when they actually contact eachother for trades?

 

[Bjornlo]

So what trade rate should one set, then, for reduced AI trading? 1:1 or is that just mean? 1:120 or is that me totally not understanding the math behind Pfeffersack's example?

1:1 would be 100, 120 would be 5:4

 

[Bjornlo]

The number is a percentage which modifies the value AI-AI trade offers.For example, if AI X has 100 gold and the trade ratio is 120, those 100 gold count as 120 gold for AI Y.If they trade tech, AI X gets tech which would cost 120 gold under normal circumstances (e.g. for the human player) for those 100 gold from AI Y.So it is basically a price discount.However, there is an improtant restriction: Those calculations apply only, if the AI cannot pay the normal price.If it has enough money, it pays the full tech price.So it isn't as unfair as it might seem in the first moment; in fact it is just something what the human player does often when he is selling tech to the AI...he sells the tech even if the AI isn't able to pay the full price the tech would be bring in, if you traded it to the AI powerhouses with 30.000 and more gold.

You may be right, but my observations are that it also increases/decreases the likelyhood of AI<>AI trade, and may play some role in how much the AI players favour each other over you. I dropped it down to 1:1 for just a little while and found the game far too easy. The AI was far more interested in destroying each other and just left me alone.

I then tried 250 and found the AI was in nearly complete collusion.

This may simply have been a case of the AI the AI relations breaking down and the resulting mood swings. But it seems that the higher the number the more likely the AI must be to share it's wealth with each other as well.

Or it could just have been a couple of flukes.

 

[Pfeffersack]

So what trade rate should one set, then, for reduced AI trading? 1:1 or is that just mean? 1:120 or is that me totally not understanding the math behind Pfeffersack's example?

100 (which means 1:1) is the lowest possible value and results in very low AI trading activity.However, I wouldn't recommend that setting for normal games(though it might be interesting for special situations in scenarios etc.), since the game becomes very easy (see Bjornlos last post).I would take the original settings for the different difficulties as hint on how the ratio plays out.

Thanks guys for the replies. A follow up question:

Do the AI always make the trade when trades are possible, or is there another "dice throw" that determines when they actually contact eachother for trades?

AFAIK, the AI always "knows" about all possible trades and will to do them within the rules of the trade rate.I don't think there is another dice roll.

You may be right, but my observations are that it also increases/decreases the likelyhood of AI<>AI trade, and may play some role in how much the AI players favour each other over you. I dropped it down to 1:1 for just a little while and found the game far too easy. The AI was far more interested in destroying each other and just left me alone.

I then tried 250 and found the AI was in nearly complete collusion.

This may simply have been a case of the AI the AI relations breaking down and the resulting mood swings. But it seems that the higher the number the more likely the AI must be to share it's wealth with each other as well.

Or it could just have been a couple of flukes.

Yes, I believe it has an influence on trade likelyhood, but I understand it that way that a trade ratio closer to 100 makes less trades possible, so less trades will happen.Moods will have surely have an effect, too.

It is good to know how powerful this number can be.