Researching technology is a major portion of the game. Looking through all the available techs and deciding which of them is the most useful is one of the largest ways to make it feel like you own your empire. I want to have to decide whether researching Laser IV to give me an edge in combat is more important than researching xeno industry to give myself a manufacturing bonus. That's one of the most important ways I feel like I'm playing the game. If I can research either Laser IV or Xeno Industry, then trade whichever I researched to Player 2 for the other, and then trade those two techs to Players 3 and 4 for more technology still, that means that my choice in research doesn't matter, and that is a major turnoff

Right on. Another vote from me. Tech trading busts the game.

I agree. Tech trading needs to be drastically reduced. I want to be able to research and build (expand) my empire a bit more slowly, but this has not been the case. Often, I have to grab 3-4 techs a turn just to stay competitive. I would rather advance slower and enjoy my new ship options as they come. As it is, I had 5 new techs in my last turn, making it all go by too fst for me, and this just to stay in the race.

Give us options to reduce and turn it off. If you want it in, then you don't have to adjust it, period. Win/win!

BTW, have you guys considered, oh, reducing tech rate to very slow and see how that pans out?

There are not enough techs and each tech in the early game is too important to allow their free exchange. The lack of technical specialization that results in pooling the techs removes much of the 'personality' from the AI races. I'd rather see one race specialize in manufacturing, one in weapons, one in planetary improvements, etc to reach their goal, than see everybody with everything from beginning to end of game. I'd hate to see tech trading gone completely, but I would like to see the AI take into consideration it's relationship with it's trading partner, the uniqueness of the tech and the importance of the tech to it's particular area of focus before trading away a potential advantage.

in my opinion the tech trading should be managed like in civ4.First of all should be introduced for every technology the cost in research points. Secondly AI tech trade should be based on costs of technology and relations between the 2 races. I would add also modifiers based on race history and style of play (for example altarians and drath, or yor and iconians should have a negative modifier in tech trade, humans and arceans positive),( Drengin should give away less military technology, humans less diplomacy techs).

3. a high level of allies agreeing to joint research.

Me like lots. Me want in game. What game did this in 4x "recently"?? Was it SEIV? There was no tech trading, just treaties which gave you both research bonuses. GCII could do this easily...... right......?

Hey PP, as a Diplomat you should know that it most certainly is if you've got a good enough diplomatic edge! Also get to the Galactic Bazar achievement ASAP and then you can buy / trade for almost anything.

Well, I haven't gone so far in games I have made

Playing the game with really slow tech advancement does fix this problem, somewhat. Even totally focusing on research and owning 10 planets, again all focused on research it takes me about 7 turns to research a new tech. None of the computer players focus as hard on research as I do so I have a nice tech advantage. When I dont solely focus on tech, as I usually dont, advances take as long as 20 turns. There is very little trading done on a per turn basis. The thing I do hate about the frequent tech trading is that all my opponents have the same weapons and defense. Whichever weapon is researched first in the galaxy, not by me, that is the one all the computer opponents are using. They dont bother to research something different until mid to late game. So if the Torians get mass driver technology for most of the game everyone will be equipped with mass drivers because the Torians sold it to everyone. This ruins the whole point of the combat system. All I have to do is research beams, cheap, and armor, not cheap, and go kick ass. I wish they would evaluate their system better. I am still one step below normal difficulty though. I do not think it is that much of a difference. From what some have said it is worse on higher diff.

BTW, have you guys considered, oh, reducing tech rate to very slow and see how that pans out?

I'm going to do that next, but that's not a perfect solution. I like to do the research. I like to look at my empire, decide what I need most, and then get it. When I'm getting more technology through trading than I am by researching, I'm not choosing things but more having them handed to me. Changing the speed at which I would get tech helps, but I still prefer to research more tech than I trade for.

There was a big deal made about races each developing unique weapon,tech paths and matching up well to certain races, while being weak against others, but with this A.I trade madness everybody knows everything.

I give another vote to more coy A.I tech trading.

I haven't played Civ4, but almost every factor you mentioned is already part of GC2. Different techs require a different number of beakers to research, and the AI does take this into consideration when trading. Your relations also affect what they're willing to offer in response to a trade, and the relations take into account any racial prejudices and history. I don't think it makes room for the Drengin giving away less military technology.

If any new technology discovered by one race are after one or two turns traded to all other races every effect on racial prejudices, differences in tech costs and so on have no effect. All players are grumbling here that tech trading is messing a lot the gameplay,so there is some truth in it

Personally, I like the "blueprints" idea, with a modification or two. 1) Start with a base research cost of a tech. 2) Reduce the cost if you have blueprints. 3) Increase the cost if you don't have the preceding tech (larger increases if you're skipping multiple techs).

the blueprints idea is a very good idea, if implemented it should be a lot better than tech trading for gameplay.
(HOI2 did a great job about research and how blueprints were implemented)
I support ur 3 modifications also

I'm playing on Normal now and every AI has a near 100% identical list of techs and far more techs than me. I just can't pluck out of thin air 20 techs I want and immediately have them, which certainly seems like how the AI is doing it. I am investing heavily into research, but I might have to change that and crank up the spending for my military, since I'm being attacked by superior AI ships.

I've played this game for about 3 hours and it's getting frustrating to see that the AI has a huge advantage over me when I'm spending the majority of my money ON research. Plus I have like 3 or 4 Research Bonus tiles of 100% and that doesn't seem to help much.