In GC1, if I recall correctly, trade benefits equally to both sides of the trading route.
This is not good, in my opinion. Look at how trade seems to work on our planet:
- the side with the highest technology level provides high technology goods
- the side with the lowest technology level provides basic items
This means that any trade should result in some technology transfer.
Also, the current scheme doesn't favor establishing trade routes; it is as good to wait as to do it yourself.
So here is my suggestion:
- the side which created the trade routes gets full money.
- the other side gets 80%.
- if you're trading with a race that possesses the advance you're currently researching, you get a research boost equal to 20% of your current investment (once per race, not per route), with a minimum of 5% of that tech total cost.
The last thing means that if you're resarching technology T (cost 800), which races X, Y and Z with which you trade possess, and are currently investing 200 points in research (normally 4 turns), then you'll really get 200x(1+3x0.2)=320 in research, which will give you T in three turns only. This also means that if you we're not doing any research at all (slider on 0%), you'd still get a 15% x 800 = 120 investment in that tech per turn anyway, and you'll get it free if you wait 6 turns.
This means that:
- you may be tempted to diversify your trade (not trade exclusively with one race) to maximize the bonus you can get, OR trade exclusively with one race (to minimize the risks of technology leeks).
- you will be tempted to trade with technologically more advanced races than you (so if you're leading in research, everybody may well want to trade with you) ; as this may change, you may want to reconsider established trade routes during the game.
- minor races will get a way to technologically keep up (they tended to be very backward from the middle of the game onward)
- you may be tempted to exchange technologies a little more now (whatever you do, unless you don't trade, you're leeking your technologies away anyway).
Yves
