Playing a tech race.. how to keep advantage?

[sacjim]

So I'm playing humans that are 100% tech, Psilon-types. Well into the game, the senate votes to share all tech. Of course I vote no, being far out front, also of course everyone else votes yes, so they automatically get all my tech!!
So is not being in the council the only way to keep my advantage? So basically, it's either have tech OR have trade (since you have to be in the council to trade)?

[PriestOfDiscord]

Hah, talk about bad luck. As of now, the UPs are randomly selected, so it wasn't directly because you were such a tech powerhouse. To put it bluntly, you just got screwed.

I'm talking from secondhand experience though. I don't have the game yet, I'm going out for it now.

[sacjim]

Oh, I see. Then it's not likely that the same issue would come up again. I shouldn't have quit the senate then
Once I quit the senate, and lost all my trade, I couldn't support my empire, had to lower spending to almost nil, and got behind in every way.
Then the Drengin and Yor both declare war w/me, with me being sandwiched in the middle. ouch

[Draginol]

Yea, that tech one is fairly rare and as more UP issues get added, it'll become even more rare.

[CiverDan]

I got the game today...I am playing tiny, all fool (just to get accustomed to everything). One thing I immediately found is that trade is VERY important. Without it, you are forced to really reduce your spending. so, IMHO quitting the UP is very bad is almost all instances

[Eric S]

As a side note, CivIII-style tech-whoring is possible, but not as effective as it was in certain versions of CivIII. I'm more likely to use it to trade techs that I've got for techs that I want. As long as I've got a little lead on the AIs, I can usually manage to keep it, even in games that are going badly, as long as I'm maintaining decent relations with half or more of the AIs.

[The Templar]

Originally posted by Draginol
Yea, that tech one is fairly rare and as more UP issues get added, it'll become even more rare.

Don't make it too rare, it saved my ass about an hour ago! Of course, my humans are maxed out diplomats who ran out of things to trade for techs ...

And sacjim, we'll have none of that MoO3 talk over here (it might jinx the game)

[Trifna]

sacjim, here is what I propose you: sell your techs to the AI, so you wont ever get a BIG lead but you'll always have an advantage on money (thus on research). My economy is always going at 100% and it permits me to keep my lead even if they get the very few techs I have that they don't. Be careful to chose the techs you share though.

[sacjim]

Yeah, I trade techs, but it's hard to know which ones to trade, since I can't tell what 'level' they're at.
However, I have discerned that races pay more for higher techs. It would just be nice to know the tech level before selecting to trade.

[PriestOfDiscord]

Originally posted by Trifna
sacjim, here is what I propose you: sell your techs to the AI, so you wont ever get a BIG lead but you'll always have an advantage on money (thus on research). My economy is always going at 100% and it permits me to keep my lead even if they get the very few techs I have that they don't. Be careful to chose the techs you share though.

This is a sound strategy. The game I'm playing now is an attempt for a Tech victory, and I'm using this plan to great sucess. Just build a core of strong defenses and dig in for the long haul.