trade with me you idiot!

[qcanoe]

I can't seem to get any of the AI dudes to trade a luxury to me. I want Ivory and I offer Dyes, saltpeter, wine and $1000 per turn! Still the are insulted by my offer. I've tryed similar rediculous deals to other AI civs but they too refuse. Trading maps and techs, no problem. Whats up?

 

[Moulton]

Ask them what they want.

Select the luxury you want from them and ask what they would take. Most of these offers I turn down flat--I simply do not need an extra luxury bad enough to give them two techs, two luxuries, and 800 gold.
Or you can put a tech that they want -- like guess what they need -- and ask what they would give. I hit one, only one, just right, and he offered tech, ivory and 50 gold per turn...

 

[mark1030]

If you ask them what they want for it and it's more than one thing, often you can ask them what they'll give you for the different items or combination of items. You can usually get a better deal than what they initially asked for.

 

[spork]

I think it's the idea of offering 1000 gold per turn. I've noticed the computer just doesn't let me make offers that big. I think the reason behind the cutoff is because of people who bought some fancy techs for 2000/turn and attacked in the very same round, keeping the techs but not paying their bill. You can still do that to some degree, but there is some sort of a cap on how high your offers can go.

 

[eyrei]

The AI judges the value of a luxury in two ways.

1. The power of the AI as compared to your power. If you are far more powerful the AI will expect to get a better deal.

2. The size of your empire. Luxuries are worth more to larger empires since they effectively are supplied on a larger scale.

 

[stravaig]

I think the AI also knows when they have a monopoly on a luxury.
Seems to me that an AI with a monopoly wants a lot more than one without.

And if they get too selfish with it, well, that to me is justification for WAR!
Mwa-hahahahahahahahaha!

- Stravaig

 

[Zeb_Fisher]

Sometimes the AI is that way and sometimes I can extort the AI ... In my last game, for Banking and World Map I was able to get Spices, Music Theory, Invention, and 5gold per turn.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/zeb_fish...n+III&.dnm=Trade.jpg&.src=ph&.view=t&.hires=t

You have to do some work at the table to get this. I think his original offer was something like Spices for Banking and 200 gold ro something like that.

Zeb

 

[Moulton]

Sometimes I think the AI doesnt understand trade. Then again I think it understands it better than I do.
Egypt demands three techs, furs, and 3000 gold for incense.
I offer one tech, ask what she will give, and Behold: spices, silk, tech, and 500 gold

 

[eyrei]

Sometimes, after asking the AI what they want for something, you can remove one or two of their demands, and the deal will still be acceptable.

 

[tetley]

I've noticed it depends on the civ. Like Japan (realistically) tends to be pretty closed to trade unless you're China. Or if a civ is already researching a tech, it won't give you squat for it (it works both ways, though--if you're researching a tech, the AI won't demand as much for it). But usually most civs offer reasonable trades.

What I usually do is, if a civ is going to be a butthead about trade, they become my next target for extermination.