stealing tech's

[decamann]

Is there any way you can steal tech's from other civ's?

 

[Jyrox]

No, i believe you can't.

 

[Krupo]

Not without some heavy modding. Actually, would modding allow it?

I miss tech stealing... although I'm glad it's gone on the rare occasions when I lose a town.

 

[IluDeR]

I miss that too...

 

[Xanxir]

Didn't spies used to be able to steal techs in Civ II? I seem to recall that being the case. I miss that more than stealing tech by conquering cities.

 

[vegitossj341]

yeah that was a good thing in civ II, oh well.

 

[Corporal Kindel]

I actually haven't produced any spies yet. What are the advantages of spies now without stealing? I assume we can still sabatauge & recon AI cities.

 

[jimbob27]

You can sabotage production, destroy improvements, or steal their military plans (lets you see where all their units are for 3 turns).

The spys in civ2 were incredibly overpowered and broken. You could spend a few hammers on a few spys, and then you wouldn't have to research anything yourself.

 

[Krupo]

Bah, overpowered does not mean broken.

If you were smart, you would defend against enemy spies with your own.

Civ 2 spies were the gold standard in gaming espionage. I miss them - the amazing feats that my gals pulled were some of my Alltime Greatest Gaming Moments EVER.

 

[UncleJJ]

The only way you can "steal" techs now is by going to war with an AI opponent, trash his army and taking a couple of his cities. After 10 turns make peace and get a tech or two as part of the peace settlement. Then turn your army on the next AI opponent. You won't be making many friends but you will be influencing people

It is quite possible and profitable to use that as part of your research strategy especially if you're a militarily inclined leader and like to have a big army... research military techs yourself and pick up the other techs by trading and extortion.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

High military power: You can demand techs if they don't hate you too much, but that only works a couple times. Once you become their worst enemy, the game is up.

 

[AnarhCassius]

The spys in civ2 were incredibly overpowered and broken. You could spend a few hammers on a few spys, and then you wouldn't have to research anything yourself.

As opposed to now where they are worthless, limited in number and require a wonder to build. I really like Alpha Centauri's spy system, it was a nice improvement on Civ2s but Civ4 may as well not have a spy system. I used to be a major espionage player but I've only even built Scotland Yard once in Civ4.

 

[Xanxir]

As opposed to now where they are worthless, limited in number and require a wonder to build.

I agree. Given that they require financing to pull off their dastardly deeds, just let us build them with discovery of a tech and get rid of the wonder requirement. I don't think that it would unbalance anything if they had their ability to steal technology back, either---just make it cost an arm and a leg to steal tech. In that way, you might be saving on having to generate beakers, but you're going to have to generate gold in it's place.

 

[AnarhCassius]

A good idea, Tech Stealing was like the only thing that didn't cost you tons of money in AC and may have been overpowered.

Another option is to only give part of a tech each time you spy since we can do that now. I think it worked well in the tech conquest mod and might do well to balance tech stealing too.

 

[flytyer]

Stealing the techs with spies and also when you captured a city are very real possibilites in warfare that CIV IV is missing. Please...bring them back!!

 

[bassist2119]

Civ IV spies, IMO, are anything but worthless. As I've progressed through levels (currently whooping on Prince, almost ready for monarch), I find that there's always one or two civs that keep pace with me for the #1 slot, often they are my trading/religious partner, with whom I share incredible relations. So how do you get ahead of the guy who's helping you get ahead? Maintain a good relationship, have him your equal until building Scotland Yard, then boost ahead as your spies destroy improvements until the city is about to complete a production, then sabatoge it! In CivIV, friends often pose more of a threat than enemies do, and spies are pretty much the only way to deal with them.

 

[Krupo]

A good idea, Tech Stealing was like the only thing that didn't cost you tons of money in AC and may have been overpowered.

Another option is to only give part of a tech each time you spy since we can do that now. I think it worked well in the tech conquest mod and might do well to balance tech stealing too.

That's a clever idea - steal research points. Satisfies some members of the "getting the whole tech for free immediately is unrealistic" crowd.

Extorting tech from civs you're beating up on was wonderful - I wonder if the new vassal states of Warlords are at least more cooperative in that respect? Or do you share full research with them? I'm quite curious to know that.

SMAC probably hit the pinnacle of espionage with probe teams - I loved having them fight each other using their morale-based combat system. Great times -> they were powerful, but were balanced. Civ 2 style they only reduced the chance of success but offered no solid defence you could count on.

The best part of Civ 4's spies is the ability to get "free" intel on what other cities are up to and the aforementioned sabotage. At least it's better than Civ 3's virtually non-existent system (back then there were no spy units, just the CIA wonder, right)?