tech trading

[Thibix Magnus]

is tech trading something completely unbalanced that's only there for fun games, or is it something that people consider as legit part of the core experience and that would deserve balancing work?

With some civs I would consider deity+tech trade can be way easier than immortal without, typically with a money civ aiming at a diplomatic victory. Everything depends on very early diplomacy, if you manage to secure a reliable friendship through a 2v1 war you have got yourself a science cow ready for the industrial era. For me that's integral part of the Venice deity experience, it does require some finesse in assessing if said ally is a culture threat but all in all when it works it is brutal.

What's other people take on this? Legit and requiring more balancing / fine tuning, or just a fun exploit/subgenre not worth the effort?

 

[beginner_]

I probably play in levels too low? Never bothered to even ask for tech trading, eg, don't know how much AI will want for tech. Maybe a missed opportunity on my part. I say it because the AI always offers me way too little money. It only really makes sense when you are ahead and can trade a tech to every AI. If you give it one you risk that that one will share it to all others and profit themselves instead of you. And then I think it might make sense if the WC bonuses for already researched techs are in place as it lowers a techs value.

But in general tech trading is an afterthought in my games.

 

[balparmak]

I don't like it, feels too gamey to consider a core part of the mod. It would be a lot better if it was changed to give 50% discount on the tech and valued accordingly. This both plays better and makes more sense, technology transfer isn't as easy as "here's our research, go in", the receiving side needs to do further work to adapt it.
I also wish people would try to fix research agreements instead of discarding them as broken, we need as many diplomatic options as we can get.

 

[CppMaster]

I disable it, because I consider it too broken and gamey

 

[andersw]

You can play civ5 wo techtrade, try civ4 without .... I feel its not really needed in civ5.

 

[Alpharius]

I also play without tech trading and research agreements, with the reasons already mentioned in the thread.

One thing I'm curious on, why are research agreements a lump of science when the duration ends? IMO, a better alternative would be how they are implemented in Stellaris (techs known by any participating Civ are faster to research), or X science per turn while the agreement is active.

 

[stii]

It puts a real clock on the AI, if they don't kill you before tech trading the game just ends. It is rare no one wants to be your friend and one friend is all it takes to get techs for far too cheap.

 

[Civrinn]

So for reference i play on Immortal anymore. I am not sure how exactly you are supposed to stop a snowballing Civ thats halfway across the globe without tech trading. Sure you could pick civs that favor science but what about civs that don't. I typically have to use military to stop snowballing civs, but if the AI has a significant tech lead + its default superior production its almost nearly impossible to do anything to them (late game). I also play on standard speed. I imagine you can leverage military easier and earlier on marathon speed games.

In the past I have played without tech trading and used just research agreements, it always seemed like more frequent run aways. So i just conceded its an intended catch up mechanic. (By tech trading I assume the OP is referring to Tech brokering and trading.)