No learning new techs from captured enemy cities?

[Raebad]

What are your thoughts on the fact that Civ IV, like Civ III, does not allow you to learn a new technology from an enemy civ when you capture its city? (this feature was in Civ II).

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I just know that it was a feature that had a big effect on gameplay in Civ II, and in my opinion its absence increases the need for tech trading with other civs. Tech trading kind of annoys me, because it doesn't strike me as particularly realistic and artificially speeds technology advancement. But-- I'm not sure how realistic capturing enemy techs is either. So yeah, I've got a mixed opinion- just wanted to hear the perspectives of fellow Apolytonites.

[-Ab-]

It should be possible to steal tech
thru conquest or spys but the AI is too weak to cope with it and the game woudl be too easy

[Brutus66]

I think I go through the tech tree too fast as it is.

[Sabre2th]

Capturing techs was very much overpowered in Civ2. As far as unrealistic trading... they have to include it somehow and that's the model they came up with

[Mayfield]

They should go the HoI 2 "blueprint model", where you can trade blueprints for tech but you still have to research it. Blueprints just cut the research time in half.

Then allow capturing and trading of blueprints.

[Kassiopeia]

I like it in the sense that it forces you to focus on developing technology even if you're warmongering. You can't just build a huge army and forget everything else, since you won't get the techs anyway by conquest. Making demands and threats with military power as leverage should be an option, though, AFAIK the infamous "red options" make that impossible for now.

[LordShiva]

Red options! I hate those!

[Dis]

I think if you capture their capitol you should get all the civ's technlogies, but not if you caputure their outlying cities. This would make the conquest game more interesting.

[Backpack]

Here is a solution.... - Requires a MOD.

Script a captured city to roll the dice, and 1 in X number of times a city is captured, from a Civ that has tech you don't, it give you the tech, or alternativly gives you some % of beakers from the tech.

Heck make it 100% of the time award, and make the award % of beakers dependent on the random function.

[Sava]

I always disable tech trading. I hate how the AI tries to blackmail you with it in diplomacy.

I don't particularly like tech gains from conquest either. Sometimes it is silly... a backwards Civ gets lucky and can now build Modern Armor because they gained the tech from taking over a size 3 city that was poorly defended?

I'm glad they disabled that from Civ4.

It is not realistic at all.

Case in point.

Before the revolution in Iran, the US gave Iran some fighter jets... F-14's I think. But then the revolution happened and the Ayatollah Khomeini took power in Iran. The US was screwed because they just gave Iran F-14's. Before Iran had control of the airfields, the engineers responsible for maintaining the jets removed some key components. They were able to escape.

The jets remained in Iran but were unflyable.

My point is, Iran, even with dozens of F-14's with only a few components missing, could not get them working, let alone build F-14s themselves.

Not to mention how stupid it would be for some backwards Civ to suddenly invade a city and be able to build advanced units because of a military victory.


So to getting rid of gaining techs by Conquest.

[Godzilla]

Stealing a tech each time you take a city I don't like.

Using techs as a tool during the peace talks

These are usually techs that I have ignored in the past to reach a different goal, so getting them just saves time for later when I have to fill up the tree...

[smellymummy]

Originally posted by Mayfield
They should go the HoI 2 "blueprint model", where you can trade blueprints for tech but you still have to research it. Blueprints just cut the research time in half.

Then allow capturing and trading of blueprints.

this is good idea. and it's doable, as it is, great people can give you x amount of beakers for a tech. it's the same thing as blueprints.

taking over an enemy city which has advanced buildings, airplanes or ships in the harbor, these kind of things all make sense that they could possibly provide insight to your own scientists.

[Bhruic]

I made a mod that allows you to 'capture' test tubes towards tech from cities. Basically, you get 25%-75% (randomly, currently) towards a (random) tech the enemy has that you do not.

Unfortunately, I haven't got any feedback on it yet. Feel free to try it out and let me know what you think.

Bh

[Drachasor]

If you are doing well in a war against a civ you can demand and get a tech from them for a 10 turn cease fire. Maybe even more than one. Beyond that you can't do much more.

Hmm, has anyone tried offering a city for tech? Maybe taking 5 or 6 cities from someone and then waiting a while and offering one back for a few techs is possible.

-Drachasor

[Drachasor]

I would say though, that generally the increased amount of production and science you get from conquering new cities makes up for not getting tech. If you could both capture cities and get tech from them then conquest would be overpowered.

In all honesty tech was never captured very well by invaders. Look at the fall of Rome.

-Drachasor