Resource-trading exploit

Quantum · January 7, 2002, 15:27

When you are the first among your trading partners to get a resource-revealing tech (for example steam engine revealing coal), there is a way to get a boat-load of stuff from the AI without giving the AI much of value.
For example, if you are the first to discover steam engine, make a note of all of the coal locations you can access. You need at least two so that you can trade one of them. You will also be able to see your rival's coal, even though they will not know it is there yet.
Wait until one of your rivals that has coal (but doesn't know it) is close to getting steam engine. Offer that rival steam engine - since it is an important tech, often the AI will give you a lot in return for it. Then, during the same trading session, offer the AI coal. Even though the AI has coal in its territory, the AI evidently does not yet know this. Because the AI has steam engine, it thinks "hey, I need coal" and will trade you a boat-load of stuff for it, even though it already has coal. This technique is most useful when you have one particularly wealthy rival that has the resource (but doesn't know it), and your other trading partners are weak. It enables you to get something out of your wealthy rival that you couldn't have otherwise gotten. And since the rival already has the resource, you aren't giving him advantage. In my opinion the next patch should have the AI update its "resources I already have" list immediately after a tech trade involving a resource-revealing tech.

Dry · January 10, 2002, 10:12

edit: removed, put under wrong topic

Marquis de Sodaq · January 10, 2002, 11:30

I've wondered if this resource trade exploit would work, but hadn't tried it. Good idea. Everybody in my game is closing on gunpowder, but my recon shows that saltpeter is plentiful. I'll sell both the tech and my 3 extras now that I know it works! Thanks for the tip.

MarshalN · January 10, 2002, 15:58

Sounds like a very borderline cheat/exploit to me, at best.... at worst, it's no different than asking for 99999999 gold.

Quantum · January 11, 2002, 14:31

Quote:

Originally posted by MarshalN
Sounds like a very borderline cheat/exploit to me, at best.... at worst, it's no different than asking for 99999999 gold.

I agree that it is a cheat. That's why I put "exploit" in the title. I figure FIRAXIS will probably fix it in the next patch. It should be as simple as having the AI update its "resources I have" list immediately after a tech trade instead of waiting unti the trading session is over.

Quantum