I haven't seen much written about selling techs as part of anybodys strategy. The selling of thechs is a central part of my gameplay. I notice whenever I meet a new race I am always behind in tech, but can always sell them something. I always go for 10 or 20 credits for x turns. With all 7 races and the minor races, this "tribute" income sometimes equals 1/2 of my gross. The one thing I have noticed is once I start selling techs to the other races they seem to stop researching. they have no techs to trade. Anybody else notice this. Is it a bug?
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I sell nearly anything (except planets, useful starbases and a few key techs and things) to nearly anyone. Makes good money.
I rush built some luxury (spices?) in my current game and whored it to minors and the weaker friendly majors for a tidy profit. I rushbuilt and whored all subsequent luxury specials (but controlled my selling of gravity accelerators).
I play at beginner level but I gather the AI gets stingy at the higher difficulties so such strategies may become unviable at higher levels (I dunno).
If the AI is stops researching that would not be a bug (as tetleytea mentioned). The same thing happens when tech whoring in Civ3.
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vincible
Yep, reckon you are right. I was having a field day pimping away then I read a couple of posts by highest level players mentioning that the AI might only give a one or two gold for a tech. Oh well, have to unlearn the bad habits I am getting.  Been down that path before though particularly with Imperialism 2 and Civ, what works wonderfully at Tutor level is a disaster at Impossible. Umh, interestingly a good strategy at highest level can be a suboptimal strategy at lowest level. OTH Nowadays Imp2 is the only TBS game I want to play at impossible so I probably will not try to go up to the highest levels.
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I too play on crippling, and I trade techs every chance I get, both selling and buying. The AI's will often trade with each other, so why not beat them too it and act broker. You may get techs "for free" by buying them from race A and selling to race B. Or with high diplo, even make a small profit.
I do not wait for higher cash prices - money in the pocket now is worth more than possible money later. Waiting may just result in an AI doing the trade before you.
Note that on easier difficulty levels, I find it easy to stay ahead on tech and generally wait with trading the really good stuff.
       
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One tactic I find to be very useful is to trade obsolete ships for technology. Whenever I research a new type of ship, I usually replace my fleets with the newer ship type. This leaves a lot of older ships sitting around taking up money to maintain.
I used to just disband the ships, but now I rename them something to distinguish them from my useful ships for the diplomacy screen (I usually rename them "lend lease") and give/sell the ships to a friendly neighbor. Not only do other races appreciate the ships as gifts, but you can add them to a tech deal to help take the cost down.
Depending on the situation, the AI will even trade techs for ships. Since the AI considers all military ships to be of some value (even if they're just starfighters or defenders) I find its a good way to catch back up in the tech race should I fall behind.
   
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I don't let a little thing like being at war prevent me from trading techs.
Last game the friendly Altarians had some nice techs and I didn't have quite enough to swap for it. I was at war (as usual) with the Drengins who had some tech so I swapped with them (without making peace) to get enough to offer the Altarians.
Am I a whore?
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#16
by Citizen Mr Pink 7 - 6/24/2003 7:03:31 AM
noo not the fighters and covetts. I love those things, they make my mil rateings so high.
As for tech whoreing, it still works great. I use it in my opening. My basic opening is go 100% spending 100% mil until Im done colonizing. Then I tech to diplomacy. Once I get there I can useualy trade for all the non military techs and maby some money.
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#17
by Citizen gezeder - 6/27/2003 3:09:21 AM
I was a bit dissapointed to find tech whoring so effective - i've only had the game about 30 hours now, and just started my second game (i quit my first game, huge galaxy was a mistake, too much micromanagement hehe)
I decided from the start to trade tech for whatever I could get, to whomever, regardless of situation.
By the time I'd researched my 8th Tech, my tribute income was about 600ish (my tax at this point was around 70!!) - I was spending 100% and still making a fortune.
And worst of all.... using espionage i found every single ai had bankrupted itself to pay me off (spending was 0 in most everything)
Oh well, guess i'll try a harder difficulty level. Still, tech whoring seems a little too.... easy....
Gezeder
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Yes, it is overpowered, gezeder. Only at Maso do you find yourself unable to sell techs for any significant cash, still works at Crippling.
    
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). 
