Any race with strong research has a large advantage.

from Stardock Forums
Just not in research.Since research is such a cash cow in this game any race that can get a jump in research can gain in so many areas. In my present game the Yor and the Drengin have already tapped out the cash of the minor races by selling them tech.When I go to the two minor races I have 1 tech to sell them that they dont already have and they are minus cash flow!Guess who could have sold them that with a higher research bonus.I know thats how the yor and the Drengin are popping out constructors like crazy.I managed to get out 1 constructor have built no improvements to speak of,maybe soil enhancement and just built my first freighter.
I froze my entire production to get out of debt.But I have no defenders 0 military and I know from having played before will be attacked fairly early.Sure I can do this too you say, but not playing as a pacifist with no research bonus.I might as well stop and start over with a modified race that has a large research bonus. I bet I will always be in good shape with that.I think research influences. too much in other areas of the game instead of trading research straight across.If i tank this game I will embark upon AI altered games with high research to prove if this is true.
342 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
A lot of high level players don't even research much at all, they let the AIs research, buy what techs that pop up that noone but that one AI has, then after buying it sell to the other races. In fact, I know of no high level player that spends his/her attribute points mainly on research (and you don't need to make a special mod to do it, you can get +70% research as the game ships when you create a new game).

I usually take a research bonus of +20% but I've never felt the need for a higher one. From the brief description you gave it sounds to me like you didn't expand as well as the AI in the beginning boom phase, that can be anywhere from a mild to major setback depending on how much of an edge the other civs got over you. In other words, your empire sounded like it was in trouble all by itself, regardless of what the other races were doing.

Minor races can certainly go broke buying tech, but in my experience they normally get into money troubles when races like the Dregin keep extorting money out of them in order to keep from being attacked. Even worse, often more than one AI race is extorting from the same minor race. When that is the case you can pretty much write off selling them anything.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Buying research from another AI and reselling it to another will most likely keep you at a research parity with the other races,but it will not make you that much money unless you have a major advantage in diplomacy.
But yes if you start out in a slightly poor position with regard to the other races and are also behind in research your poor position just snowballs from there.However I can see that higher level players may learn how to lease ships or improvements to keep up or gain an advantage over the other races verses a so so player who may not utilize leasing.
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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Well although techs give you an edge in diplomacy i have always gotten more out of other races with trade goods.sometimes even 4 techs with a single trade good. i am usualy a fediralist and up taxes to 45% and move my Govt spending till i make only 3 or 2 a turn in the begining. i have my atributes 6 tech 3 influence and 1 on sensors. it seems to work rather well for me.if you try it i hope it works well for you too
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
If you wana make a bunch of money selling stuff to the AI go for diplomacy over research. You can get obscen amounts of money. I agree with coffeefreak. Sell trade goods, they have a huge bang for their buck. As for starting out, I max gov and military spending and start popping out colony ships and a constructor or 2. I only rush buy any if Im playing on a small map. Once Im done colonizing and claiming resources I go 100% tech and, tech up to diplomacy and trade. I ten trade Comm Theory and Trade for whatever tech the AI has. Next I go 100% social and build, Translators, any other trade goods that I have. Now trade some more ;). BTW, the minor civs may not have been buying tech, they may have been extorted.