The AIs will initiate trades with any other one AI as much as they will with you (notice sometimes an AI will come up with an offer of a one to one tech trade). The more AIs you have in the game, the more likely they are to pick another AI when they decide to do a trade like that (it's random with every player in the game having an equal chance of being picked).

If you have the full complement of AI players in the game, and tech trades on, the AIs will generally trade enough that they all keep more or less the same tech level in non-military techs. If you refrain from trading with them yourself, this can be quite an advantage for them.

I think it works out that there more AI players there are, the more of an AI advantage tech-trading is. OTOH, when tech-trading is on, the AIs tend to all ahve the same weapons & defences, which can be handy. Disabling tech-trading makes for a more variable military situation....

Hi!

Maybe this does't is off topic - if you think so please ignore it.

But I was always wondering if tech trading affects your relationship to the AI. Or is it only the trade with freighters?

To get back on topic. I would think that leaving tech trading on, but restricting yourself to no trading would be the hardest way. As mentioned above.
But you would need a great deal of self-control to not use it yourself. Could be difficult when there is a Drengin invasion fleet on the way to your borders. But the whole point is making the game harder, isn't it?

What I would like is the option to trade, but excluding weapons and defense techs. You could benefit from the diplomatic possebilities of trading and assist allies in buiding up their economy or research etc. But Everyone has to keep up on offense and defense by themselves.

The AI does trade tech, but a smart player can do it much better. Buy a tech one AI has and sell it to all the rest; that will get you the tech and a monetary profit. Or leapfrog down the tech tree by buying techs that you don't have prerequisites for.

Leaving tech trading on but refusing to trade is the hardest way to play, that's what I've been doing. I'd also like the option to turn off the free tech you get when conquering a planet, or at least make it so you can't get a tech you can't currently research.

Does disabling tech trading increase your score in Metaverse games?
Does enabling "Allow AI extra CPU time" increase your score in Metaverse games?

I always turn teck trading OFF. This way all civs don't have the same techs by mid game. That bores me.
I like when I have beams and the enemy has missiles, for instance.

I also play with 'very slow tech trading'.