No Tech-Trading Challenge

[Dominae]

Are you tired of checking the Diplomacy screen every turns? I am.
Are you dissatisfied with the game because you rarely do your own research? I am.
Are you bored with all the Sid threads that are so popular these days (sorry Sid fans)? I am.

Welcome to the NTTC - No Tech-Trading Challenge!

The name is pretty self-explanatory, but here are the rules:

1. No trading for techs from the AI.
2. No selling techs to the AI.
3. No gifting techs to the AI.
4. No accepting techs as spoils of war from the AI.
5. No receiving free techs from the Great Library.

I know the last one seems out of place, but building the Great Library sort of defeats the whole purpose of what NTTC is all about, namely doing your own darn research! Apart from these five rules, everything is like your normal epic game.

I've tinkered with this format a bit in the past, and it's a blast. IMO, tech trading is the single most powerful AI exploit out there; for me, it takes a lot of fun out of the game. Certainly it's a skill that we learn and that makes us better Civ3 players, but taking away all the AI's income gets lame after a while. Enter the NTTC!

Anyone up to taking the challenge with me?

Below I've posted a sample NTTC game that I've been having a lot of fun with. The map is surprisingly interesting for one that's purely random. I picked the Russians for reasons that should be obvious. I decided on Emperor difficulty. Taken together, this and the particularities of the map (no spoilers for now) make this quite a challenging game. Anyone game?

[Dominae]

(Wow, I probably should have cut that image down to the essentials. Oh well.)

Here's the save:

[Dominae]

Edit: Nah, forget it.

[Catt]

I may play this soon (maybe later this week). I too have been playing no tech trading games (or very limited tech trading games) and it's a lot of fun and quite an interesting twist on the game.

Catt

[vmxa1]

1. No trading for techs from the AI.
2. No selling techs to the AI.
3. No gifting techs to the AI.
4. No accepting techs as spoils of war from the AI.
5. No receiving free techs from the Great Library.

Except for 4 and 5 that is a normal game for me. I never like to contact the AI and I make few trades, just too lazy. I normally will not make the GL at emperor either.

Glad your retirement from Poly was not fully implemented.

[Aqualung71]

I'm in!

I think Emperor is the right level. In my limited experience, this would be a very difficult thing to pull off at Demigod (for me, anyway), but at Emperor will be a good challenge.

How do you want to do this - post DAR's using AU format, as in, first 40 turns, then perhaps another arbitrary timing like say 1000BC (80 turns)?

1.22?

[Aqualung71]

DP - sorry

[Dominae]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Except for 4 and 5 that is a normal game for me. I never like to contact the AI and I make few trades, just too lazy.

Ah, but when you need to make trades, you do. No such luxury here!

Glad your retirement from Poly was not fully implemented.

Thanks.

[Dominae]

Originally posted by Aqualung71
How do you want to do this - post DAR's using AU format, as in, first 40 turns, then perhaps another arbitrary timing like say 1000BC (80 turns)?

However you like. First 40 turns is always nice though...

1.22?

Yes.

[Aqualung71]

I presume if the AI demands a tech we are permitted to cave in to their demands like the weak powerless cowards that we are?

[Dominae]

Sure...(I doubt you'll be able to abuse that priviledge!)

[Aqualung71]

Well, I've started this game, and it certainly requires some different thinking....particularly regarding research choice.

[mahi]

I will give it a try next weekend. Normally I play on Monarch, but I think it is time to move up. As I do not like to check the Foreign Minister each turn it suits me fine.

[KingJoff]

Is stealing techs via espionage still permitted?

[UnOrthOdOx]

Good to see you back at Civ3 Dom. I'll fire this puppy up next time I play.