How to Use Marco Polo's Embassy to Get Techs?

Everyman · October 23, 2000, 15:05

I'm in the end-game phase of a Diety level game where the AI beat me to the Great Library, so I settled for Marco Polo's Embassy, among other key wonders.

I found the game to be much more enjoyable without the Great Library, as it allowed me to play a more active role in choosing my desired tech path, but I think I could have done a better job using Marco Polo's embassy.

This thread is to collect tips on how to best utilize Marco Polo's Embassy to get technological advances. Specifically -- how do you trade with other civilizations? what does it take to stay on good terms with them?

DaveV · October 23, 2000, 15:21

The key turn is the turn when you build the Embassy. Before contacting any of the AIs, look at the intelligence for each of them. Make a list of which techs are held by each AI, and note their attitudes. Plan out an order of contact whereby you will acquire the techs you need from a friendly AI, picking up techs that you can gift to make the other AIs friendly. If you're playing MGE, this may be your last best chance to trade techs and maps, or establish an alliance (since, next turn, they'll probably all hate you).

For each AI, I'll do the following:
Open up a dialog. If the AI is neutral or better, he will offer a cease fire and a peace treaty. This should improve his attitude a couple notches. Now, ask to trade techs, and trade as many techs as you need from that AI. Finally, ask to exchange maps or ally. If the AI is unfriendly when you open the dialog, you may have to part with a tech or two before you can even establish the peace treaty.

Adam Smith · October 23, 2000, 18:16

DaveV has the right strategy for fleecing . . I mean negotiating.. with the AI. You can also keep this up throughout the game. I play with an 8x11 xeroxed copy of the tech tree handy so I can keep track of who has what as the game goes on. Once you have Marco Polo you will keep getting messages like "Germans discover X" or "Sioux acquire Y from Chinese", so it is easy to keep the list up to date. Dont be afraid to give the AI a couple of techs to improve their attitude. Its just another cost of doing business.

Also, you can use Marco Polo to help you pick out the techs YOU want to research. I will try to dig up an old post on how to do that.

Scouse Gits · October 23, 2000, 19:35

Everyman - I'm glad you have found out the value of Marco's. On a medium and large world it is really essential for selective tech trades and for maps. (With maps you can direct trade) I usually find it is best to choose one or two civilised nations to become trading partners. (Egyptians/Babylonians/Chinese etc.) Once you have discovered The Republic make sure you give it to them quickly, as they will usually soon become republics themselves - making your caravan bonuses more lucrative because of their increased trade output.
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SG (2)

Adam Smith · October 23, 2000, 23:25

More fun with Marco Polo, from a very old post, as promised:

Suppose you want to research a particular technology. You have all the prerequisites, but your only choices on the research menu are three crummy technologies that you don't really need right now. Not to worry. Just do the following:
1. Pick a crummy technology that someone who will trade with you already has. (You need Marco Polo to have contact with other civs. You also need to keep track of what technologies the other civs have BEFORE you select your technology.)
2. Research Crummy Tech for one turn.
3. Send an emissary to the civ that has Crummy Tech, and offer to exchange knowledge.
4. Give them what they ask for (within reason) and then select Crummy Tech from the menu of technologies they offer.
5. The next turn you will have completed Crummy Tech by trading, and will get a new set of choices on your research menu. About 95 percent of the time the technology you really want will now be available to research. If so, select it. If not, repeat steps 1-4 with another Crummy Tech.
6. Special added bonus: the beakers you accumulated researching Crummy Tech carry over to the new technology, so you haven't lost ANY time in researching the technology you really want.

This trading tactic can be used to explicitly direct your research to the goals you want. Since this kind of situation usually comes up five or six times per game, you can reach your ultimate technological goal (space shuttle modules, howitzers, whatever) 25 or 30 turns sooner than you otherwise would. You can reach important intermediate goals (Michaelangelo, Factory, Hoover Dam, Space Flight) somewhat sooner too.

DaveV · October 24, 2000, 07:41

Another trick with Marco Polo: you can direct the AIs' research, too! Check which tech each of the AIs is researching. If it's one you already have, and don't mind sharing, gift it to them. They'll move on to a new tech, hopefully one you don't have (otherwise, gift them again). This turns the AIs' research cheats into an advantage for you.

Julius Brenzaida · November 3, 2000, 07:00

Good idea to use Marco Polo. What I should add is that Ai civs pursue different techs according to their style. It is wise to ally or remain friendly with at least a militaristic and a civilized civ if you wish to exchange techs.

But as it has been pointed, this tactic doesn't work well with MGE. They always get so hostile, you quickly don't bother anymore. The Great Library is a must have, not Marco Polo !

Scouse Gits · November 3, 2000, 08:58

This ground has been well trodden before today, but I must disagree with you, Julius, the Great Library is a non-starter for two reasons:[list=1][*]the only time it really helps is when you are behind the AI - I don't plan on being behind the AI....[*]the Great Library actually acts to slow down your directed research towards your required tech advances[/list=a]these should probably be put in the opposite order.
The arguments, both for and against the Library and the Workshop can get very complex, but, IMO, on balance the Library is a NO and the Workshop - well if it doesn't stop me getting anything else and I'm not planning on ruling the seas with the Super Ironclad - which the workshop turns into a nasty green destroyer - I might get it.....

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Scouse Git[1]

"CARTAGO DELENDA EST" - Cato the Censor
"The Great Library must be built!"
A short cut has to be challenging,
were it not so it would be 'the way'."