Trading population

[trooper]

I know it may sound a bit doubtful, but I think that population trading with his allies is definitively a good way to improve one's empire, by turning domed worlds into atmosphere compatible ones.
But what are the best ways to perform that kind of trade ?
It's impossible to sell or drop cargo on a foreign planet, so the only way is to sell a full transport ship or abandon a planet with its population ?

[capnq]

You don't want to abandon a planet. That just removes the population from the game, and gives you a choice whether to leave the facilities intact.

You have to give or trade a ship with population in cargo, or a planet. You might want to design a special transport for the trade, so the person you trade it to won't get any "free" techs from you by Analyzing it after he offloads the population.

[Arkcon]

It's cheezy, but I'll trade an empty colony ship for the colony ship the AI just sent into my territory. I can sweeten that deal with 5,000 organics or something. They take it and I get a colony ship, population, colonization tech, and I deprive them of that world in my system they wanted.

Ah, the power of cheeze http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[trooper]

Originally posted by Arkcon:
It's cheezy, but I'll trade an empty colony ship for the colony ship the AI just sent into my territory. I can sweeten that deal with 5,000 organics or something. They take it and I get a colony ship, population, colonization tech, and I deprive them of that world in my system they wanted.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">One more evidence that prove that AIs are really stupid !

[Phoenix-D]

One more evidence that prove that AIs are really stupid !"

Actually a player either way has no way of knowing what condition the ship he is receving is in. This makes ship trades a bit risky. You could get the fully equipped colony ship you're expecting- or you could get a badly damaged and outdated clunker that will cost more to get back to your territory and repair than you could ever gain from the trade.

Phoenix-D

[trooper]

That's why I think that ship trading is reserved to good human player allies...

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
One more evidence that prove that AIs are really stupid !"

Actually a player either way has no way of knowing what condition the ship he is receving is in. This makes ship trades a bit risky. You could get the fully equipped colony ship you're expecting- or you could get a badly damaged and outdated clunker that will cost more to get back to your territory and repair than you could ever gain from the trade.

Phoenix-D<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">True enough, I used to trade with the neutrals for that big population transport that's always orbiting their homeworld -- but more often than not, it's empty.

The AI could be improved on it's trade evaluation 'tho. You could always outsmart it, but it should assign reasonable values to things, and have it's anger rise if it got screwed.

[Ed Kolis]

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
One more evidence that prove that AIs are really stupid !"

Actually a player either way has no way of knowing what condition the ship he is receving is in. This makes ship trades a bit risky. You could get the fully equipped colony ship you're expecting- or you could get a badly damaged and outdated clunker that will cost more to get back to your territory and repair than you could ever gain from the trade.

Phoenix-D<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Can't you right-click on the ship in the "view package" window to make sure you're getting what they say you are?

[Fyron]

It doesn't tell you if the ship is damaged, or out of supplies. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[couslee]

A cheezy trade with the AI and taking advantage of it's lack of programming is one thing. I think a person should refrain from hose-bag tactic against the AI. I find it funny, that there are soo many Posts complaining about the sorry AnonI, yet there are a ton of Posts of people taking advantage it.

"the AI needs all the help it can get.....cause I cheeze-wiz it every chance I get..." http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

If someone in a MP setting traded "less-honestly" they would get a LOT of ships, all pointed at their planets.

[Gandalph]

Originally posted by couslee:
A cheezy trade with the AI and taking advantage of it's lack of programming is one thing. I think a person should refrain from hose-bag tactic against the AI. I find it funny, that there are soo many Posts complaining about the sorry AnonI, yet there are a ton of Posts of people taking advantage it.

"the AI needs all the help it can get.....cause I cheeze-wiz it every chance I get..." http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

If someone in a MP setting traded "less-honestly" they would get a LOT of ships, all pointed at their planets.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">ROTFLMAO, you hit the nail on the head with this!!

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by couslee:
I find it funny, that there are soo many Posts complaining about the sorry AnonI, yet there are a ton of Posts of people taking advantage it.

"the AI needs all the help it can get.....cause I cheeze-wiz it every chance I get..." http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now wait, I'm the Last person to say the AI needs anti cheeze functions just for me...I just think it's a good development angle. If the AIs could trade with each other, they'd be a better challange for a person