Why do I hate AI tech trading?

[A_Mere_Icon]

Lately, I feel as if I have to turn off Tech trading in order to enjoy the game experience. The probem is, I don't feel as if I've truly earned a victory when I do this. I'm trying to work my difficulty from Prince to Monarch, but no matter how well I'm playing, I always seem to fall behind (tech wise) by the industrial age.

I've seen suggestions on how harassing civilizations like Mansa can help keep their technology advance in check, but sometimes you can't get them all.

Additionally, I realize that as the difficulty levels rise, earlier victory strategies may be necessary...which makes me sad, cause I really like modern era wars

I guess I'm just rambling, but if anyone has any suggestions for keeping up with the tech race on the middle difficulties, I'd love to hear them.

P.S. As mentioned I typicallly play on Prince/Monarch and after one or two techs, I beeline to Alphabet.

 

[Neoclast]

One of the things that I have come to realize which helped me make the switch to Monarch is that you can't always be the tech leader. What I mean is that you need to pick a path and go then trade for the stuff you skipped. For example I usually get to Alphabet first or darn close to it. Then I trade with whoever to catch up on the stuff I missed. Generally by the industrial age or early gunpowder age I am behind in techs. However, I watch to see which tech paths the leaders are chosing and then go a different path. It also helps to use the last few great people that give you an outright tech, such as philosophy or even Divine Right (though you usually have to work a few turns plus the GP to get). Try to avoid trading with the tech leaders and trade with those that are behind, but have a tech you want. Lastly don't be afraid to go for a long research tech, as they often make great trading options.

 

[marioflag]

I also hate to play with tech trade on.It is not only unrealistic but force me to play in a way i don't want or to take advantage of AI weaknesses.I would rather have Blueprints thatn tech trading

 

[Sisiutil]

I've actually come to prefer early era wars in the game over the later ones. War weariness is a huge drag in the late game, and managing all those units gets tedious. Give me a half-dozen Axemen and a population that believes the best of all possible deaths is one on the battlefield, and I'm a happy camper. Make that a happy campaigner.

The reason I mention early wars is because this, I've found, is the key to long-term success in the game. Land (good land, mind you) is power. If you have more cities, you have more revenue and research sources, you can build a larger army to defend yourself or conquer more territory, you have more forests for chopping wonders, and so on. By the industrial age, when you're falling behind, A_Mere_Icon, I'm usually way ahead. Yes, an early war is expensive, but you have a long time (centuries!) to rebound, and when you do, everyone else better watch out.

Tech trading is a two-way street, and I don't mind it. Keep in mind that the AIs will trade techs with one another as well. Yes, they can be more reluctant to trade with one another than the human is, but you can get diplomatic demerits for trading techs with someone's "worst enemy", and that could have a variety of repercussions for you, including war.

 

[A_Mere_Icon]

One of the things that I have come to realize which helped me make the switch to Monarch is that you can't always be the tech leader. What I mean is that you need to pick a path and go then trade for the stuff you skipped. For example I usually get to Alphabet first or darn close to it. Then I trade with whoever to catch up on the stuff I missed. Generally by the industrial age or early gunpowder age I am behind in techs. However, I watch to see which tech paths the leaders are chosing and then go a different path. It also helps to use the last few great people that give you an outright tech, such as philosophy or even Divine Right (though you usually have to work a few turns plus the GP to get). Try to avoid trading with the tech leaders and trade with those that are behind, but have a tech you want. Lastly don't be afraid to go for a long research tech, as they often make great trading options.

Thanks for the help. This may seem like a stupid question, but how do you tell what "tech paths" the AI are doing....Do you have to watch and see what new techs becomes avaialble (or dropoff if I have it) on the tech trading page, and try to guess what their long term goals are?

 

[A_Mere_Icon]

I've actually come to prefer early era wars in the game over the later ones. War weariness is a huge drag in the late game, and managing all those units gets tedious. Give me a half-dozen Axemen and a population that believes the best of all possible deaths is one on the battlefield, and I'm a happy camper. Make that a happy campaigner.

Thanks for the tips Sisiutil. From all the strategery guides and tips here, I know that early wars are essential as you move up the difficulty ladder. I guess, I just need to be better at creating a dominant army, faster....Unless I play as Rome, and have Legions (I refuse to use the P-word), my early wars lose steam after 1-2 conquered civs. Then by the time I regroup and release the next army, someone (I'm looking in your direction Mansa) is always out of reach.

I've been reading a lot of early game strategies today, I think I just need to have faster, more sustainable starts.

No more Rome either, as I think playing as Augustus gives me bad habits. I can win on Prince no matter what I do if I have legions.

 

[Sisiutil]

Thanks for the help. This may seem like a stupid question, but how do you tell what "tech paths" the AI are doing....Do you have to watch and see what new techs becomes avaialble (or dropoff if I have it) on the tech trading page, and try to guess what their long term goals are?

I think it's a matter of playing the game a lot and gradually getting to know, over time, what the preferences of the AI in general and of certain AI "personalities" are. Isabella, for example, will prioritize religious techs; once those are done, though, she'll fall into the same tech preferences as other AIs.

As important as knowing what the AI prioritizes is knowing what they don't prioritize, so you can pursue it and trade it to them. The AI really likes Guilds, Banking, and Rifling, for example, but shies away from Education, Scientific Method, and Steel. Not forever, though.

 

[Sisiutil]

No more Rome either, as I think playing as Augustus gives me bad habits. I can win on Prince no matter what I do if I have legions.

Nothing wrong with playing as Augustus if you want to totally pwn, and we all need to do that every now and again. But yeah, it's good to branch out and try other civs and leaders.

Your early conquests should peter out after 1 or 2 civs! Stop fighting, regroup, build up your economy--then go take someone out with Macemen and Trebuchets. Rinse and repeat with Rifles and Cannons.

 

[GrandSultan]

Along the lines of going for techs the AI dosn't prioritize, they tend to ignore much of the upper tree. Music, Literature, Drama, and Printing Press are all good to research by yourself, and in the case of Music and Printing Press can usually net you 2+ techs and gold. Plus more gold for continued research if you have a cottage economy and Printing Press. Metal Casting is something that (usually) is grabbed very late by the AI's, and consequently myself quite often.

 

[Neoclast]

I think it's a matter of playing the game a lot and gradually getting to know, over time, what the preferences of the AI in general and of certain AI "personalities" are. Isabella, for example, will prioritize religious techs; once those are done, though, she'll fall into the same tech preferences as other AIs.

As important as knowing what the AI prioritizes is knowing what they don't prioritize, so you can pursue it and trade it to them. The AI really likes Guilds, Banking, and Rifling, for example, but shies away from Education, Scientific Method, and Steel. Not forever, though.

Sisiutil is correct here. The only thing I add is to look at the beekers (or is that spelled with an "a"?) of the techs available and go for the big one as it will be more tradeable for the lower ones you skipped. But mainly, it does come down to a feeling of the game and having friends to trade with.

Also, don't feel that you can't go to war with out dated units. If your units are the ones behind, having 2-3 times more units then your enemy can do wonders.

 

[Priah]

Rush troops out early, I frequently found two initial cities, grow them to size four (unhappiness cap on monarch), and try to get 10+ production in them. With this, you can build up a pretty massive force by 700 bc. Just swarm over your first target in a few turns, change those production cities into building production. 20 somthing production turned into research in 500 bc is pretty huge. Start of the game is all about production and specialists, shouldnt be building any cottages before 200 bc in most cases.