knowing thy neighbours/opponents

[guermantes]

When I play against the AI, is there a way to explicitly find out how the other civs are doing techwise? I always assumed that I am supposed to be kept in the dark as regards their tech achievements, and that the best I can do is to deduce what they have from seeing what wonders they complete and what they are willing to trade/buy from me. But then I see Vel writing in another thread that

First caravel headed toward the big continent, and have met japan (broke, 4 techs behind. sold him drama real cheap but it didn't seem to improve his dour mood). Met spain (down to one city...Madrid) also dirt poor, annoyed with us, and 4 techs behind. Met Inca...ALSO annoyed, broke, and 3 techs back.

How could he know that so precisely?

Money, food and hammers I know I can see with F9 but I never found a way to monitor others' tech progress. Guessing from trade preparedness has always seemed very inconclusive to me and indicative at best.

So am I missing something or am I supposed to be more or less kept in the dark as to what techs the AI civs have researched?

[Solver]

You can know what the others have by observing what techs you can sell them. If you can sell a tech to them, they obviously don't know it.

But you're not supposed to always know what they have. For example, if an AI can sell Steel to you, then Railroad won't appear in the list even if they know it. So it's a combination of watching the possible trades and, of course, what the AI actually has - what Wonders, units, etc.

[Blake]

Go to the tech screen (F4)

Click on the AI civs portrait. That's the maximum detail you can get on the tech situation - next to your portrait is the techs you have that they don't, next to their portrait is the techs they have that you don't.

[rjmatsleepers]

Originally posted by Blake
Go to the tech screen (F4)

Click on the AI civs portrait. That's the maximum detail you can get on the tech situation - next to your portrait is the techs you have that they don't, next to their portrait is the techs they have that you don't.

Can I put forward a couple of minor quibbles?

Firstly, my impression is that the techs next to your portrait are the ones they are willing to trade for. I believe a tech will disapear from that list when they are so close to discovering it that they no longer value it. I don't know whether there are other circumstances in which they would be unwilling to trade.

Secondly, if you have turned off tech trading, I believe no techs appears by the side of your portrait, even if your are a long way ahead in the tech race.

RJM