Tech avalanche

[Venger]

(Note - I am official coiner of that phrase)

I'm doing some light modding and spicing up of Civ3 to see if it can capture enough interest for me to actually finish a game of it...

Anyways, the one thing that still bothers me about Civ, from Civ2 to now, is tech avalanche. I've reduced the research rates so it takes longer to discover techs. BUT...

The AI still tech whores between each other, meaning that, by, 40 turns into the game, the human player is behind everyone else by about 5 techs.

Is there a way to either eliminate or reduce tech whoring between the AI? Maybe disallow trading more than one consecutice tech? Buy one, you have to research the next one...or somesuch? Hell, I'd just as soon do AWAY with tech trading and have a slider that controls AI research bonus, so the AI can be competitive in tech without snowballing the player...

Additionally, any other advice on reducing tech avalanche? Nothing is worse than finally being able to build a new unit, only to discover a new tech that obsoletes the unit before you can build them! I'd like to lengthen the time period out, actually get a more historical feel for having early tanks, bronze swordsmen, knights templar, etc.

Thanks,

Venger

[Jaybe]

Difficulty Levels tab:
For the level you are playing, ...
AI to AI Trade: set to 100 so AI sees no profit in trading for it. Or even set it BELOW 100??

--
Question is, would you be able to sell your own techs with such settings? You might be in need of luxuries, etc.

[Venger]

Thank you! Can't believe I missed that one!

Has anyone played with this and found the right balance between allowing trade and crushing tech whoring?

Thanks,

Venger

[SpencerH]

Isnt the tech whoring simply a part of the game level? If you reduce it, you're just turning an emperor or deity level game into a monarch level game.

[alva]

Originally posted by SpencerH
Isnt the tech whoring simply a part of the game level? If you reduce it, you're just turning an emperor or deity level game into a monarch level game.

Part off, but not the whole story
from monarch on the AI gets: production ,
hapinnes,free unit bonusses,...etc

[Velociryx]

YES! I've been wondering that same thing! Sheesh...that's a good thing to know....the one thing I can't stand is the insane way that games shoot up the tree...with everybody trading absolutely everything, the entire notion of what to research in what order has ZERO meaning. What could be....what should be one of the most strategic elements of the game is reduced to an absolutely meaningless afterthought.

Glad to see that there's a way to remedy that!

-=Vel=-

[ALPHA WOLF 64]

are you playing the current patch? i've noticed that tech whoring is reduced somewhat in 1.21. Also, I eliminated communications trading until the middle ages, therefore, the AIs cant trade wildly with each other until they've actually made contact.

[Jaybe]

In my current Regent game, I set the AI to AI Trade to 120 from the default Regent 140. 120 is the Warlord level.

[Velociryx]

What effect have you noticed with that setting? Less trading? Almost no trading?

-=Vel=-

[SpencerH]

I'm playing the GOTM IX. Its at emperor. What I've noticed is the same old bug that we all saw with CIV and CIV2. The AI galleys didnt sink! I watched many, many cross open waters where some of them should have sank, not one did. It meant that the AI could trade while I could not since I couldnt afford a fleet of galleys to find the other civs. Therefore, the AI civs got a big tech lead. I think this kind of AI behaviour is the root of the tech advantage that the AI gets.

[FrustratedPoet]

Would the AI Galleys sink more often below Regent level, do you think?

[SpencerH]

I dunno, I never play there.

[Soren Johnson]

Originally posted by SpencerH
I'm playing the GOTM IX. Its at emperor. What I've noticed is the same old bug that we all saw with CIV and CIV2. The AI galleys didnt sink! I watched many, many cross open waters where some of them should have sank, not one did. It meant that the AI could trade while I could not since I couldnt afford a fleet of galleys to find the other civs. Therefore, the AI civs got a big tech lead. I think this kind of AI behaviour is the root of the tech advantage that the AI gets.

If you see the AI moving its galleys over water, it is because they have the techs which allow them to do so (like Navigation or Magnetism). Works the same for the human.

[Ribannah]

Spence, most likely one of the AI tribes built the Lighthouse.
That's what I did myself in my GOTM9 game, and the AI galleys behave as they should. It's now 850 AD and so far I have kept Japan, who had by far the best territory, totally isolated by refusing to sell contacts.

[Jaybe]

Originally posted by Velociryx
What effect have you noticed with that setting? Less trading? Almost no trading?

-=Vel=-

The 120 setting seemed to work well, overall, but this is my FIRST 1.21 game.

The usual game of catch-up once I made contact with 'the new world.' The vassal state strategy on my continent did not work well on my continent research-wise as no-one had contact with the unknown civs until I repeatedly sent my galley's out and finally met someone. The vassals (Haiawatha & Abe) have been 'absorbed'. The Iroquois just had to go when my only coal source quickly ran out and they had one.

This is my most dominating game I have yet played. Will win culturally if I ever make it to 100,000 culture points. Right now its the year 1760, I have about 46,000 culture points, Infantry has been around for awhile and I just got tanks.