Tech Trading w/ AI (Prince)

[azzkicar]

Once I traded a tech to one civilization, I trade it to all civilization. I even give some away for free just to build relations.

Often I don't get on par trade, but as long as it is not completly lopsided, I'm cool with that. Some technologies are much more useful when you are the first to get it (ie. music, liberalism, physics), so I often gun for those, then trade them for techs I missed along the way.

I play Prince all the time now and tech trading is absolutely essential. It helps AI relations, helps me pick up important techs (I almost always get construction / currency through trade, and they are crucial techs for growth), and it forces me to check up on the AI.

 

[Zombie69]

Sometimes I'll get a better deal *in my eyes*. For example, I might ask what will you give me and they offer up a tech and say 300 gold. I'll take the 300 gold off their side and add in a 2nd lower level tech, say horseback riding (something I rarely research but always trade for). More often then not if you have good relations they'll say no prob.

Bad move, for several reasons :

1. In my experience, it's better to get gold than tech from the AI. That's because you'll be able to trade for the tech with another AI sooner or later anyway, but gold offered is often limited. So if you want to take everything, take the gold first and worry about the tech later.

2. Taking away their gold hampers their ability to trade between themselves, which means less advanced AIs, which means more techs they'll want from you.

3. If you really wanted Horseback Riding, you should have done as you said and then clicked "What will make this deal work?" Then the AI would have added on top of it whatever amount of gold he's prepared to give away. So you still get Horseback Riding, but you get gold as well.

 

[Zombie69]

Also look to the weaker civs for tech trading. CIV 4 makes it where a smaller nation dedicated can science can hold its own, and may go down a different tech tree then other civs. Feel free to trade at a loss with them, as they are not going to be a huge threat to you later in the game.

I disagree. The smaller nation is the last one you want to trade with. It's preferable to give your tech to everyone, but if not, then give it to the most advanced civs.

Giving it to the lesser civ forces the following outcome : next turn they'll trade it to every other AI and get techs for it. So you just basically gave it to everyone without reaping any rewards.

Giving it to the most advanced civ does this : they won't trade it to another else, since nobody has anything to offer them which they don't already have. This leaves you ample time to trade it to the other civs later on at your own leasure, for added profit.

 

[aviator99_uk]

My experience seems to be that in late game, post combustion, there are always a couple (or more) of AIs which leapfrog ahead by trading techs between themselves, and I never get another look in. There seems to be only slight diferences between how the diferent AIs value techs even though their civics may be vastly diferent.

I find that part of the game quite disheartening as the ONLY thing to do is try and research straight towards Fiber Optics and build internet. Meanwhile sucking up to all others.

I like playing the game with 'No Tech Trading' set for Prince & Marathon & Agressive AI, you can have some decently balanced wars, and decide what techs to research for reasons other than trade, which seams false to me.

Bring back gaining tech from conquest!!

Make the AIs value techs more randomly!!

Aviator