Trading/ Ho Hum.

[Ned]

Has anyone noticed that every game seems to have the same pattern. At some point, you begin trading techs to the AI for large amounts of cash. After awhile, the AI, which started 70 research/30 cash, is now 70 cash/30 research and paying you very large amounts of cash for tech - so much so that you can run 100% research and still make money.

There may be other ways to win the game, but the above seems to happen every game I've played.

Is there another way to play this game, or is this it?

Ned

[Jaybe]

I have not used this technique to a major degree, so there must be other ways.

You seem to be stuck in your method (I might well be stuck in my own).

[Hermann the Lombard]

Re: Trading/ Ho Hum.

Originally posted by Ned

At some point, you begin trading techs to the AI for large amounts of cash.
Ned

Lots of other ways to play the game, including zero research, buy or extort all tech.

Are you playing with the patch? My understanding is that tech whoring has been much reduced.

[Ned]

Yes, 1.16f.

As to the "extortion" method, I presume that the key is to have a very large military.

But does it work with Civs across the ocean?

Ned

[Quasar1011]

I rarely trade or sell techs. I do buy them. What I do sell is luxuries, so that civs will pay me. I also ask what they would give me for my world map, and they send me GP. When I win a war and they want peace, I make sure they pay tribute in GPs. I build Wall Street and watch my money climb. So I wind up ahead of the AI civ's in science/culture/money without giving them any techs. This can be done even under communism, by the way.
-Daryl

[Arrian]

Ned,

My games do end up like that. I sell techs that I consider relatively unimportant (techs for wonders that I've already built... dead end techs that I've had for a while, etc.). It's the best way to turn a minor tech lead into a HUGE one. Usually, this occurs around the end of the middle ages/beginning of the industrial age for me. The AI will pay crazy amounts of money for tech, and I'm fine with giving them free artistry

There are, however, clearly other ways to skin the proverbial cat.

-Arrian

[Smash]

yes the game goes pretty much the same every time

phase 1-early warmongering on your landmass.A little excitment.Some actual progress.Perhaps a great leader and a golden age.Eventually run out of enemys and are restricted by naval movement.Maybe you get Lighthouse but need to wait for Chivalry or whatever.

phase 2-tech broker phase...rather dull and tedious.Contact every civ every turn and middleman techs.Returning to your save game seems less and less like a good idea.

phase 3..three things:

1-Spaceship and bail
2.Back to phase 1 when suitable tech is secured(boats,cav etc)
3.Retire as you are sick of moving units all over and watching automated workers undo your previous improvements.

[Ned]

Smash, Yes, your experience is the same as mine. I typically trade all techs, simply giving myself a few turns to start a Wonder in order that I finish it first. I can keep research at 100% and still make over a 1000 per turn.

I too had thought that Shift-A was supposed to prevent workers from turning mines into irrigation. However, I believe I have had the same experience as you - workers want mines and irrigation in neat rows and will undue previous terraforming to get that pattern. This inability to tell the worker or terraformer what to do was a problem in both CIV and in SMAC. It doesn't seem to have been fixed.

(Just an aside, I find that Ctrl-N stops working if one ever, by mistake, types Ctrl-Shift-N. This forces one to use Shift-A to build RR's, and that leads to a miny war with the headstrong workers who want to irrigate one's mines.)

In my last few games, I simply win as soon as I build the UN. The trick is this: just prior to completing the UN, enter into mutual protection pacts with as many civ's as possible. Even though this may cost an arm and a leg, your new allies will vote for you, on the average.

My other "two" victories were cultural. I have never had the opportunity to complete the spaceship.

Fighting a war overseas seems completely conterproductive given the severe corruption problem. One would do this only to kill a leading civ, IMHO.

Ned

[Thrawn05]

When I build the UN, I am usually several 1000s of gold coins ahead of everyone. I usually give them all about 500 to 1000 a pice and see what happens. Usually I can just abstain and still win.

[Ironikinit]

I tend to retire early, myself.

Shift+A works for me. I'll set a few to cut forests when hospitals and factories come available. By then rails are everywhere and forests can go. Ctrl+F for cut forest. Honest, I have no problems with automated workers. They tend to build rails where they aren't needed at the end of improving an area, but other than that... I keep a few under my control to add to pollution clean up.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Smash

3.Retire as you are sick of moving units all over and watching automated workers undo your previous improvements.

If you use Shift-A, that won't happen.