Good/Evil Tech tradable with those of opposing alignments

It's been discussed -- I think that some of the techs make more sense that others. It would be nice it you evil could only use evil techs and good / good techs. I think neutrals should be able to trade for both... they need some perk. Although the rest of the game is structured to direct you toward good or evil so buy design I guess neutral doesn't need additional powers.

Actually, I think the tech trading works the way it is intended. And it's harder to abuse then you'd think -- try trading for disruptors? LOL

Cheers,

Cypher

~SDC~

What do you mean trading for disruptors? The good civilizations of the galaxy (including me!) have no problem aquiring it from the evil civs and soon everyone has it. Perhaps they'd developed a way to make disruptors safe for their users but that isn't the point. How could such stupidity be functioning as intended. If stardock go through the effort of restricting techs based on alignment then why allow them to fall into the hands of those who are not allowed to research them through trade? What buisness does a good civ have with advanced slavery or the dark side doctrine or an evil civ with benevolance doctrine. As I mentioned above nuetral civs should be able to have thearetical knowledge of these techs (gaining no benefits) and in the typical mercenery manner trade it with those of the correct alignment for heaps of cash or other techs.
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What buisness does a good civ have with advanced slavery or the dark side doctrine or an evil civ with benevolance doctrine.

Most alignment-based techs aren't black and white issues like this (and there's no reason an Evil civ couldn't practice some form of benevolence).

~SDC~

I think Cypher is referring to the difficulty in getting the AIs to part with military techs - they're horrendously overvalued. This isn't really an alignment issue, more of a comment on the tech-trading system in general.

I believe that fixing the alignment "loophole" you mention was discussed as a possibility for the expansion pack, but I don't know if it's going to make its way into the finished product.

Arturas Magi
If most morality specific techs aren't black and white as you claim then why isn't everyone allowed to research them. Why bother preventing civilizations from researching such techs on morality grounds if they can then buy them of other civs? The only tech I can think of that is just a tech in the simple sense is hypertrade and hyper warp. As you said above why couldn't an evil civ practice a form of benevolance. Quite simple really, it's not likely that anyone's going to be fooled by you're apparant niceness if your civilization is steeped in evil is it.

It's happened a number of times in our history. Some of them not so long ago, either.

~SDC~

I think it's a bit harsh to say it's "stupid". It's actually quite justifiable. A given good civ does not have the "ability" or "capability" to develop/research an evil tech (let's imagine because developping it would require some "inhumane" proceedings, that are illegal in that good society). So that civ cannot develop it. But what prevents it from acquiring it from some other civ that has developped it? I can assure you that there will be some people within that good civ to say that a tech/knowledge is not evil per se, all depends on how you use it (or rather do not use it). There is nothing wrong with knowledge. After all, for instance, USA, France, UK, Russia, China, have weapons of mass destruction (and some of them, including USA, even have bio-chemical weapons) yet there is no talk about invading them to take care of that problem, since we consider them "responsible" (even thogh they developed those weapons in the first place). However the fact that India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, worries everyone. Not to talk about North Corea. And some other contries, we invade them just to make sure they don't have it.

I guess it shows clearly that a tech is not evil, as long as you are the one with the finger on the trigger...

Back to the game: since the tech per se is not evil (knowledge is not evil) you can trade for it and have the knowledge. The question is can you act on it? And a good civ shouldn't (altought some within it will again justify it by saying "our motives/intentions are good" -- think of landmines: the USA is one of the few countries who hasn't signed the treaty to ban it, although it is an evil tech that makes civilian casualties years after the war -- why? because they know they are not evil and their intentions are good: they need the mines to protect the south corean border -- biggest minefield in the world I think). The game is now even more coherent than our reality: the new ships in the expansion pack can only be build if you have the right alignement no mather the techs you might have.
Of course you can say that a good civ has no business learning slavery, but if they don't use it, what's the troubmle. You might say that's quite a thin line. True, but mostly in these matters all lines are, so that even the good guys can justify just about anything. MAybe if a good civ acquire and use some evil tech, them maybe it's relations with "better" civs should drop a bit?
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A nuetral civ (and by that I mean any civ that is not officially good or evil, not those nuetral civs that are more/less than fifty percent but still officialy nuetral) should be entitled to use an aquired evil/good tech to build improvements with an immediate morality penalty for the civ involved. If a tech provides overall benifits to a civ then it cannot be used unless that nuetral civ is more one morality than the other. I believe that if a civ is benevolant/corrupt enough to be classed as either good or evil by the game then they would never purchase such knowledge from an civilization beacause it would be utterly worthless to them. The weapons of mass destruction and landmines example rougly correspond to their galciv equivilants terror stars and planetery invasion tactics that harm PQ. They should not be restricted from any civ on moralality ground although the use of terror stars should drasticly hurt relations with anyone with relations nuetral or better with the victim civ.
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