Trading on Prince...

[sbattisti]

So, I am a relative newbie to Civ V. I've been playing from the bottom up in terms of difficult level. I'm trying out my first game on Prince right now and the trade AI has suddenly changed noticeably. On Warlord, other civs will pretty much always trade you one-for-one for luxuries if you have what they need and vice-versa. On Prince, it's almost impossible to get them to give up luxuries. Every time I try to trade them a luxury they want, all they will offer is like 2 gpt and maybe open borders. They won't trade a luxury at ALL without accepting at least THREE luxuries in return.

What gives? Is this just how trading works at Prince level and up? Are there any recommended approaches to trade for luxuries?

Thanks!

 

[Browd]

Are you asking for the last copy of an AI's luxury? If so, they will demand an arm and both legs.

If the AI dislikes or distrusts you, it will also refuse to trade on "market" terms. You can also check the displayed diplo modifiers (mouse hover over the "Friendly" "Neutral" etc. label). That can be informative, although the AI can choose to be deceptive, by hiding negative modifiers.

 

[sbattisti]

So here is a stupid question in follow-up to your reply:

When you are in the trade screen, is it displaying ALL of your luxuries (or the AI's), or just the EXCESS ONES you have available for trade?

In other words, am I at risk on that screen for trading away my last copy of some luxury and suffering a happiness hit as a result?

 

[Dean.]

So here is a stupid question in follow-up to your reply:

When you are in the trade screen, is it displaying ALL of your luxuries (or the AI's), or just the EXCESS ONES you have available for trade?

In other words, am I at risk on that screen for trading away my last copy of some luxury and suffering a happiness hit as a result?

It shows you all of the luxuries you have that the AI in question does not have. Only trade luxuries you have 2 or more of to keep from losing access. However I have noticed that when the AI proposes deals on its own turns, it doesn't ask for luxuries unless you have a surplus.

 

[Browd]

For luxuries, all that is displayed are luxuries that the particular AI does NOT already have. The number of luxuries on your side are all of your copies that are available to trade, including your last (or, for some luxuries, your only) copy. However, it does not display any copies of luxuries you are receiving from CS allies (so, for example, you might be receiving silk from 2 CS allies and have 3 copies yourself -- the trade screen will show only 3 copies).

Also, there is a bug where, under certain circumstances (involving AI-initiated trades that are not renewals of existing trades that are about to expire), the trade screen may show that you have 2 copies, when you really only have one. In those cases, yes, you might end of trading away your last copy by mistake.

 

[sbattisti]

OK, gotcha. That helps a lot, thank you!

 

[Scarpa]

Use the resource screen on the left side to see how many resources in total you have. This is a good one to check before trading to make sure you can safely trade away your last copy (if a CS is giving you one, for instance).

Also, before trading open the diplo screen and you will see all the resources (both strategic and luxury) an AI has. If they only have 1 of a given luxury resource don't even try to get it from them. If they have 2 or more and are at least neutral with you a 1-1 trade should work out.

 

[ravenmagus]

It shows you all of the luxuries you have that the AI in question does not have. Only trade luxuries you have 2 or more of to keep from losing access. However I have noticed that when the AI proposes deals on its own turns, it doesn't ask for luxuries unless you have a surplus.

If you made a trade deal with an AI and then lost/traded away your other copies of that luxury, the AI will come back to you looking to renew the deal when it ends even though it's your last copy. Otherwise, yeah, they won't propose a trade deal for a luxury you only have one copy of (and they're not particularly interested in trading the last copy of their own, either).

Typically if you are on good terms (or at least decently neutral) with an AI, you can trade your spare luxuries for 7 gpt. If you have a Declaration of Friendship with them you can get 240 gold instead.

 

[Lambatatte]

Also, there is a bug where, under certain circumstances (involving AI-initiated trades that are not renewals of existing trades that are about to expire), the trade screen may show that you have 2 copies, when you really only have one. In those cases, yes, you might end of trading away your last copy by mistake.

This is so annoying..