Research Agreements

[Half Nelson]

Are there any specific requirements beyond DoF to enable an RA? In my current game (playing as Germany) I have had a successful RA with an AI (China) when we were in an alliance, but have not been offered the option of another RA since. I am still friends with China, but not allied. We have both moved on a Tech Era since the RA (as far as I can work out). I am wondering whether:-
1. you can only have a single RA per AI per game (seems unlikely)
2. there is a set number of turns between RAs
3. there is something I have not thought of!

I have not used RA much in Civ6 and can't find anything on the forums about them, but they do seem a useful way to grab tech boosts you are otherwise unlikely to get. The game is at Deity level.

 

[timmy827]

This is considerable guesswork, but from the one time I've gotten one there was only a single tech selectable. Forget details but it was consistent with a condition
-both parties to RA must be able to research (for example) Chemistry, and both do not yet have the boost.
As well as friendship and Scientific Theory of course. This condition could possible explain rarity, often either player is ahead or AI ahead in the tree, or one triggered the boost the normal way.

 

[Lily_Lancer]

It is interesting to discover the RA system. But in Civ6 the RA actually has no use since it takes too long and started too late. You're sure to finish your supposed tech yourself before the aimed RA finishes.

 

[Victoria]

There is RA decision weighting sin the "a little peep under the hood of diplomacy" thread in this forum.

You both must need the tech
An ally is more likely to want it than a friend
The AI is weighted to not always ask for one so you need to look.

I agree that in general it's an annoying feature, way too restrictive.

I think I read somewhere it's only one RA per civ bit I feel like I did have 2 so need to be checked out.

 

[Lily_Lancer]

Leaving that path do not make sense, too, since you may find yourself finishing 10+ tech during the RA, and you just cannot leave that tech unresearched for that long.

One advantage is that you can grab money for RAs. That is to say, you sign RA agreement, although its tech bonus never makes sense, but it seems that AI gives you money as soon as you start signing that RA. Also, if you finish that tech when the RA is on , it seems that you can immediately give up the previous RA and sign a new one, and get another pay from AI.


Anyway, this money-grabbing method also don't make sense since you can get AI's cash in other ways.

 

[Half Nelson]

Thanks for your replies. I agree the system is very restrictive, which is a shame because it could be useful and also promote diplomacy. I used to use RA extensively in earlier versions of Civ. In this particular case I was offered either Rocketry or Advanced Flight for my successful RA, taking Rocketry which doesn't have a specific boost requirement IIRC and which I wanted anyway. I am fairly certain that I didn't have the prerequisite techniques for either at the time. The boost popped much earlier than expected (9 turns rather than the 19 stated when the agreement was made), possibly because China achieved the boost themselves or completed Chemistry research. It shaved about 4 turns of research. I might try to re-ally and see if that triggers an RA option.

I think there is a point, just before you accelerate past the AI in science output, where RA might be very useful (at least at my level of Deity play, looking hopefully for Science victory around turn 250). There are several late-middle era technologies with only "GS or spy" boost options which you could push through with RA. I expect RA are of no use at highest level play with sub-200 turn finishes.

 

[Half Nelson]

For information, re-establishing the China alliance immediately gave an RA offer. The two tech options were Telecommunications and Robotics. I didn't have the Computers pre-requisite but I know from espionage that China just completed it, so both RA partners do not need the pre-requisite. My science output is about 50% higher than China but we are obviously taking different routes along the tech tree which could work out quite well, although it becomes irrelevant at this late-game stage when the Information Era GS giving all IA eurekas is on offer!