Exchanging techs (MGE)

[Steve Clark]

Forgive me if this has been brought up before or is common knowledge, I haven't been around much. In my recent deity/AC game (MGE), I came up with a slightly different strategy in exchanging techs with close, powerful civs. Typically of doing AC with MGE, you just want to keep the peace and invariably, one of the most powerful civs is right next door to you. Quite frequently, one of their units are running into one of yours, thus precipitating an emissary session. Since I have allied myself with them, they resort to blackmail to maintain that alliance (which is in my best interest). The exchange usually goes like this (assuming I'm just starting to research Mass Production):

THEM (uncooperative): You don't have Communism and we would like Radio
ME: Let's exchange
THEM: They get Radio
ME: I choose Mass Production
THEM: Let's declare war on Japanese
ME: No
THEM: We are tired of this alliance, give us Miniaturization
ME: Got to give it to them
THEM (cordial): We welcome you
ME: Ask for a gift
THEM: They give me Communism

The end result is that they get two of my valuable techs while I get one good tech and one I don't need. Here's an alternative that can happen more times than not:

THEM (uncooperative): You don't have Communism and we would like Radio
ME: No, we don't need Communism
THEM: Let's declare war on Japanese
ME: No
THEM: We are tired of this alliance, give us Radio
ME: Give them Radio
THEM (neutral): We welcome you
ME: Ask for a gift
THEM: They give me Mass Production

This way I get the tech I'm researching while only giving up one.

[Ming]

Against the AI... who cares, let them dissolve the alliance. You can then contact them the next turn, and they will give you money or the tech to get another alliance started!

Plus, what are they going to do... Attack... Let them... then they will eventually beg for mercy and give you money or a tech for peace.

It's not like they can actually hurt you

[Mercantile]

LOL no kidding. Just once i would like to see the ai mount a really huge and intelligent offense

[Smokey tha nuke man]

da smokes has seen the ai launch a huge attack, but it was so messed up that they pratically killed them selves. first, they sent like, 30 or 40 tanks and some bombers to my home continent. the whole problem was that they always wasted time attacking some armors i had set up arounda mountaing range. they were in fortresses andwere tripiled up (3 to a fort) . they end result was that all thier bombers and about 3/4 of their tank force were destroyed in their first three offensive turns, while my defenses remained un broken. i finished the remaining tanks with some cruyise missles. then i nuked their capital and killed their spaceship. it was funny .

[Mercantile]

Usually they say this alliance is dissolved to me, or they say my snivelling and greed makes them sick. I can never maintain alliances very long

[Ribannah]

quote: Originally posted by Ming on 11-03-2000 02:53 PM Against the AI... who cares, let them dissolve the alliance. You can then contact them the next turn, and they will give you money or the tech to get another alliance started!

In MGE they don't do that as a rule, maybe once in a game to have you declare war on another tribe. So better try & keep that alliance (as long as it suits your purpose, of course).

The best way to handle this is to make sure you already have all their tech (except the new discovery which you will trade for). Then, instead of technology, they will hand you money as a gift. Be careful though: if they don't have anything to give, they are very likely to end the alliance right there.


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