research agreements
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Mozzington
Prince
The Pilgrim
Deity
AI isn't nearly as effective as human when it comes to maximizing RA's output, thus you should never be worried about helping the enemies. You gain much much more than they do.
chazzycat
Deity
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yeah read Vexings article if you really want to understand how they work.
Short answer is that humans are much better at manipulating the system than AI, so they tend to get much more of a benefit. Maybe if one particular AI is running away with a huge tech lead, has PT and rationalism, in that case you wouldn't want to sign it with them. But for the most part its a good deal for the human player (assuming single player).
Short answer is that humans are much better at manipulating the system than AI, so they tend to get much more of a benefit. Maybe if one particular AI is running away with a huge tech lead, has PT and rationalism, in that case you wouldn't want to sign it with them. But for the most part its a good deal for the human player (assuming single player).
Seems a little complicated trying to guess where the RA would finish since the techs turn cost decrease as you research farther and it also might cause you to take a nonoptimal research path. Would it be advantageous to sign as many RAs as possible anyways since the comp opponents advantage is diluted with just one while you're getting several at the same time?
Its strange though, once I signed one RA darius signs three, I guess the comp knows the trick too.
Its strange though, once I signed one RA darius signs three, I guess the comp knows the trick too.
S.K. Ren
Prince
I too will point to Vexings article but for those too lazy I'll give a brief summation:
1) RAs resolve at the end of the final turn of the deal so on Standard speed, an RA that is made on turn 100 will resolve at the end of turn 130 so you will see the results on turn 131.
2) RAs are worth 50% of the cost of Median tech available to you. To find the median, list all your available techs in order according to their beaker cost in the tech tree. Find the middle one or the average of the middle two. This can be modified by an additional +50% for having the Porcelain Tower and the Rationalism opener each for a total of 100% of the median tech.
3) The AI knows RAs are good so will sign them but it doesn't know how to make them better. If you plan ahead you can make it so when the RAs resolve, you will have a higher median than that of a comparable AI. At lower difficulties this will allow you to soar past the AI while on higher ones it will allow you to keep up.
1) RAs resolve at the end of the final turn of the deal so on Standard speed, an RA that is made on turn 100 will resolve at the end of turn 130 so you will see the results on turn 131.
2) RAs are worth 50% of the cost of Median tech available to you. To find the median, list all your available techs in order according to their beaker cost in the tech tree. Find the middle one or the average of the middle two. This can be modified by an additional +50% for having the Porcelain Tower and the Rationalism opener each for a total of 100% of the median tech.
3) The AI knows RAs are good so will sign them but it doesn't know how to make them better. If you plan ahead you can make it so when the RAs resolve, you will have a higher median than that of a comparable AI. At lower difficulties this will allow you to soar past the AI while on higher ones it will allow you to keep up.
If your on a Dual size map, (or if there are now only two civs left): OP does have a point.
But with more civs than that, both civs that sign are now ahead of all those that didn't.
About the only civs you don't want to RA with at all (when straight up) are those in which the deal will get broken:
(Civ whose behavior matches a profile likely to DOW you within 30 turns or a 3rd party civ is going to wipe out that civ within that same time frame.)
Also, if by chance a given player has both PT and also base rationalism, it might be best to RA embargo that civ.
Patches: When the game was first released, RA were very different and gave a random tech (that was less than X% researched). Tons of micromanagement was involved for those wanting to ensure they got the right tech. One of the patches changed to the current format.
But with more civs than that, both civs that sign are now ahead of all those that didn't.
About the only civs you don't want to RA with at all (when straight up) are those in which the deal will get broken:
(Civ whose behavior matches a profile likely to DOW you within 30 turns or a 3rd party civ is going to wipe out that civ within that same time frame.)
Also, if by chance a given player has both PT and also base rationalism, it might be best to RA embargo that civ.
Patches: When the game was first released, RA were very different and gave a random tech (that was less than X% researched). Tons of micromanagement was involved for those wanting to ensure they got the right tech. One of the patches changed to the current format.
The Pilgrim
Deity
Not if one of them is AI.
Yeah, if it has an overwhelming tech lead, Rationalism, PT and generate ten times as much bpt as you do, then probably RA is not a good idea. But I would dare to say that in such case you have much bigger problems than RA's.
Even if you don't want to read that article and learn how to game the mechanics of the RA, they can be beneficial to you if you only enter into them with inferior empires. Their boost to archery isn't going to threaten your boost to chivalry (I am exaggeration for illustration).
joshua43214
King
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2012
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- 985
Another thing to add. If you see someone taking a bunch of RA's. Try to get their partners to DoW them and break the RA. I was unable to do this in my current game and Kathy completed the Manhattan Project at turn 232. Kathy and I are the only modern era civs, the rest are all Renaisance except for one Industrial. Kathy with double Uranium and nukes is not a happy thought, and because of cash flow issues I am still about 30 turns from stealth 
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