No Tech Trading

[Dis]

I usually deny alphabet of course. This works well. I also deny certain high ranking military techs, or techs to wonders I'm still trying to get (though if I'm far enough along in building, I'll take a chance they don't have a great engineer).

My last game I was selling techs just to get cash.

You can't quite tech whore like in civ3. But you can still sell the same tech to multiple civs. Try to get the most out of a tech. You just have to take the initiative and click each civ in the game. sometimes I'm lazy about this as well. But it's the way to get ahead.

[Datajack Franit]

No Tech Trading. I play Emperor and I cannot have my Praetorians getting obsolete in 400AD

[Snotty]

I often turn tech trading off so as to make single player more like the multiplayer I play.

Also I have a strong dislike of having to regularly talk to every AI when I research a new tech.

[BigStone]

Quick Q here... :

If you disable the Technology Trade does it also stop the
tech trade between the AI opponents.... ?

Thanks

[rah]

If not, it would be kind of silly to use

Yes it does.

[AmericanCitizen]

It seems like every online game has no tech trading on. It annoys me.

[ElConejo]

Originally posted by AmericanCitizen
It seems like every online game has no tech trading on. It annoys me.

I can only presume it is to cut down on some form of cheating - one way or the other. Other than that it would also cut down on two (or more) people teaming up against another - trading techs amongst themselves and swell their power to destroy the odd man out.

Humans are devious and deceptive.

[Possibility]

ElConejo is correct, in multiplayer, no tech trading is usually requested. In a 5+ player free for all, the smart man will always team up with his next door neighbor and mop the floor with the rest of the players that go it alone. But just hope you dont get back-stabbed, hehe. With tech trading on, the two can team up and advance in tech twice as fast as everyone else, which usually isnt a good thing ;-)

And of course, you dont want to be in a multiplayer game and get stuck alone on an island unable to trade while everyone else on the main continent is swapping techs and advancing at a 3-4x faster rate then you.

Possibility

[AmericanCitizen]

We still shouldn't be banning tech trading, but instead should be playing with the smart men.
You take large risks by tech trading, and it can become a really interesting political game....I wish there were more players who played it like a game of politics instead of who can rush the most units...

[ElConejo]

Originally posted by AmericanCitizen
We still shouldn't be banning tech trading, but instead should be playing with the smart men.
You take large risks by tech trading, and it can become a really interesting political game....I wish there were more players who played it like a game of politics instead of who can rush the most units...

Sounds like you are interested in something along the lines of my new attempt at MP titled "A Few Good Leaders"... I dont know if you'd be interested or not, but its ment to get away from the mainstream "OMFG!!!1!!1!! I just k!lleD JoO!" concept of MP and get more into just a good old fashioned game... right now I want it to be AI vrs Humans to get us aquinted, but I'd like to form relationships with other MPers like myself who want more than just a slug fest from MP Civ4...

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156886

[AmericanCitizen]

It sounds wonderful. I'll definitely join!

[Possibility]

Count me in too. I need some new mp games to play.
possibility454@hotmail.com

[MasterDave]

I have tried No Tech Trading on Monarch, and I have found that unless you are EXTREMELY aggressive early in the game, the AI will leave you in the dust fairly quickly. On this level or above, it is clever use of tech arbitrage and an early monopoly on Alpahabet that allows the typical human empire to keep up with the AI's.

Multiplayer free-for-all games should definitely be no tech trade. Team games, or "unofficial" team games where people have their own empires and conduct their research independently are friendlier to tech trading.

Tech trading also allows the humans to bribe the AI and brings out more "political options" in terms of forming power blocs and getting AI's to declare war on eachother. I think if you disable the tech trading, you shut off the ability to significantly influence the AI, and that would make a single player game more dull IMO.

[rah]

I used to think it was an advantage but at the higher levels I have learned better and agree with MD.

The only time I turn it off is for MP games and those very rare games when I'm trying island games and don't expect to meet anybody early. (culture attempts)

The ONLY nice thing about turning it off is the AI can't make outragous demands for you to give them techs.

[Blaupanzer]

Originally posted by rah

The ONLY nice thing about turning it off is the AI can't make outragous demands for you to give them techs.

And then giving you a diplomatic hit for saying no. Between that and religious hostility, some civs are never good trading partners. Still, I never turn it off due to arbitrage and the use of techs to gain allies in war.