Hurry up and release 1.18! I can't take the AI's tech trading any more!

[kailhun]

I fully support the thread.

In my current game, which may turn out te be the last under 1.17, the Dutch, Germans and Romans (me) had contact. The Dutch or Germans were leading the tech race, and I bought or stole my way after them. Around the year 800 the English and Americans were discovered.
I traded world maps and checked out the new neighbourhood. Ancient, Spearmen times, pathetic. I talked to the English and Americans and they were ahead of me in tech to the same level as the Dutch and Germans! Their civilisations just hadn't had time to implement all the new ideas yet. The Dutch and Germans had obviously dumped all their tech. It couldn't be called trade.
Just a lot of not-fun.




Robert

[watorrey]

I just want to voice that i think they crippled the enjoyment of the game with the current tech trading and pop rushing rules.

Spending money on tech research should have a high priority in this game. As it is, it isn't worth doing at all.

The AI cripples itself during a post communism war. Only then does research become a viable option.

Firaxis is so worried about stratagies bring fair to the AI, they forget that we are the ones that paid money for the game and have a right to enjoy it. We are *suppose* to take advantage of the AI weaknesses.

[notyoueither]

I set research to 0. Buy tech to get it.

Then when my core cities all have Uni's I go for the lead. Sometimes works.

BTW. Contact is a good thing. The more civs you are in contact with who have the tech you want, the cheaper it is to buy.

The bottom line is that the human can use the system just as easily as the AI does.

Although, I will hand it to the critics, setting research at 0 as the key to victory is very counter-intuitive for a Civ type of game.

Salve

[korn469]

nye

i have noticed the exact same thing, that it is much cheaper to buy techs than it is to research them, until late in the game when many civs are dead, and the other civs are embroiled in MPP wars and are self destructing because of the draft and forced labor, and out of the three or four civs left, one usually cannot afford to buy or research all of the techs unlike in the early game, so you don't get nearly as much of a devaluation bonus, then that is when you actually start to research...but buying techs can still prove fairly cost effective

the only ways they can fix this imo is to limit devaluation, make the AI sell the tech for more, and make the AI sell tech cheaper to civs it likes and not sell techs to civs it is furious at

[Dis]

makes me glad I don't play with the patch

this game is getting worse. but I still have hope, or else I wouldn't be here.

[Kilroy_Alpha]

What makes you think they won't break the game even further with the next patch? I can imagine Soren deciding that buying tech is an "exploit," and somehow getting rid of that, rather than actually fixing anything.

[watorrey]

Originally posted by Kilroy_Alpha
What makes you think they won't break the game even further with the next patch? I can imagine Soren deciding that buying tech is an "exploit," and somehow getting rid of that, rather than actually fixing anything.

This is part of the problem. They are so worried about thier precious AI getting exploited, they ruin the gameplay for the ppl that pay money for it.

Games are suppose to be fun and this lost alot of it.

Q: hmmm... why am i here posting instead of playing??
A: THEY RUINED THE FREAKING GAME!!!!

[Zachriel]

Game works great. If you don't like the AI tech trading, you would like mine worse. Trading is a good strategy, so you must be a part of the trading network.

However, you should not be able to trade resources, luxuries or techs unless you have a friendly road connecting your civs. If I am between you and the spices you want, you should have to go around.

[mimi]

Hmmm... let me think. Isn't the entire point of a computer game to outwit the AI? We certainly don't play them to win money, or enhance our relationships, or increase our cardiovascular fitness.

[Kilroy_Alpha]

Originally posted by mimi
Hmmm... let me think. Isn't the entire point of a computer game to outwit the AI?

I thought it was to HAVE FUN.



Also, shut up. If you think this is the entire point of a computer game you need to get out. You outwit humans, an AI has no wits to outwit in the first place.

[Uncle Thade]

Ribannah...

The only problem with that is what if your starting location doesn't enable you to trade for techs, (lack of resources or luxuries)? Still, it needs fixing no matter what. I will certainly try this 0 tech rate thing... wunderbar! Thanks.

[Jack_www]

I think that this problem has to do with tech values devalueating. There has been some dicussion about this Strategy forum. When the Computer players trade tach with themselfs it devalueates the tech each time. Also now the computer will not pay that much for techs that are not worth that much. The main problem I think is that they tried to stop the common pratice of human players trading tech to the computer for hugh amounts of money and the pop rush that many human players did before the patch. This in turn cause the tech values to devalueate so fact that you are in the modern age by 1200 AD and the fact that the computer drafts and pop rushes so much that it ruins it's cities beyond repair. I am confident that they will fix it in the next patch. In one game I started after I installed the new patch I was able to tech trade with the computer players, and I am getting about 400 to 500 gpt, but the ages go by so fast their is no time to enjoy them. One I might try and see if I can go into the editor and see if I can fix the tect devauleating problem myself and the problem with the AI pop rushing itself to death.

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by mimi
Hmmm... let me think. Isn't the entire point of a computer game to outwit the AI? We certainly don't play them to win money, or enhance our relationships, or increase our cardiovascular fitness.

Doh! There goes my retirement plans.

[Arrian]

Hey all,

Just so you know, Firaxis is definitely looking at changing the tech devaluation (a major factor in the "backwards civ catches up in one turn syndrome) and progress rate. For those interested in knowing a bit more about how this works, see:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42905

and

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43559

You can see from the second one that Soren specifically indicated Firaxis is looking at the problem.

I just wanted to make sure you all knew that.

-Arrian

[Egyptian]

I am in complete agreement with the original post. The tech trading with the latest patch has DESTROYED the game. All the civs are the same, and it's me against the world. If a civ askes me to trade for a tech during their turn and I sell it to them, every other civ is guaranteed to have that tech that same turn. The crappy part about it, is that the civ I sell the tech to will sell it to the other civs for very little (1 or 2 gold). I never sell techs to civs during their turns anymore. The civs need to trade techs less, or at least require more in trade from other civs! FIX THIS FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!