trading strategic resources

[Noctivagus]

I can trade luxuries just fine, but have NEVER seen a strategic resource available for trade since I started playing this game. Right now, I need coal to build railroads, but the civs that have it in their city borders haven't reached steam power yet. Does this matter?

 

[Frollo]

Darn right it matters!
If a civ hasn't researched the tech required to 'see' a certain resource, then they don't know they even have the resource. And of course, they can't trade something they don't have.

So what you want to do, is either give or sell them Steam Power, and wait for them to build a road on the coal tiles, or simply conquer the coal

 

[Lord Sankra]

The Ai can't trade resources they don't have.. And untill they invent Steam Power they don't have coal. If you sold them the tech, you could trade with them.. But if you're ahead in techs. why don't you just take it from them?


beaten by a minute...

 

[dmanakho]

But if you're ahead in techs. why don't you just take it from them?
beaten by a minute...

Yep, thats the best solution.
Unfortunately in my current game the only source of coal is on another continent and only one country who had two sources of coal was France...
I had quite a hectic time trying to get coal. I wasn't ready to invide so i can to buy coal from Joan. Positive side about this I sold her Steam power for something like 400 gold per turn, I was never able to do that before.
Here is the hint though. If you are selling technology to one AI you better sell it to the rest of them (well, not rest of them but to those who are at the same tech level and are not at war with the AI you sold tech in a first place). Here is the reason you want to do it. if you don't sell it AI will and you will lose bunch of money. Even if you hate that AI sell it anyway, why lose gold.
Thats what i did and sold steam power to everyone around and i never was so rich ever before.
Usually i don't like to give such a good technologies to AI but I had no choice at that point i needed coal.

 

[Noctivagus]

Well I sold steam power, but it turns out they didn't have any extra coal and weren't willing to give me any anyhow. I don't see coal anywhere else on the map. I guess I'll just have to take by force anyway.

 

[dmanakho]

Well I sold steam power, but it turns out they didn't have any extra coal and weren't willing to give me any anyhow. I don't see coal anywhere else on the map. I guess I'll just have to take by force anyway.

If AI has only source of coal they would never sell it.
Trade with AI is only possible when they have 2 or more resources available

 

[Khift]

I sold her Steam power for something like 400 gold per turn

Firstly, how the hell did she have so much money? When I play, none of the AI civs have any money to spare - none!

Secondly, that wasn't necessarily the best thing to do. If I were Joan, I would've declared war as soon as possible after getting a tech like that. I know the AI uses strategies like that, too - it's happened to me before.

 

[dmanakho]

Firstly, how the hell did she have so much money? When I play, none of the AI civs have any money to spare - none!

I was SUPRISED MYSELF BIG TIME! I never ever had such a big trade happened to me before. BTW i am still playing this game and re-arranged my trade agreement 3 times already (I mean buying coal from Joan)

Secondly, that wasn't necessarily the best thing to do. If I were Joan, I would've declared war as soon as possible after getting a tech like that. I know the AI uses strategies like that, too - it's happened to me before.

I play a huge map and I and 2 other civs on one big continent and Joan and 3 others on another... I have combustion and mass production, She hasn't researched combustion yet, and we both are not ready for intra continental wars. So that is why i am selling her techs in exchange of coal and gold.
I can send you a save it's very interesting game right now