You are absolutely right.

Ofcourse the minors are interested in them! Since they can tech trade like anyone else, the tech still has worth. Especially since these techs are worth a bundle to the majors, these can be great sources of revenue for a single planet bound AI.

Therefore, no I don't think its an exploit at all.

It might feel more exploitive if the Minor races ever had any any real significant techs to trade for them. But in the games that I play in DA, the minors are Far behind the rest of the galaxy technologically( I vaguely remeber MRs being tech powerhouses in the earlier days of DL, but no more), and have nothing really helpful to offer...the most youll get is a bit of coin.


Furthermore, if you trade a colony tech to a minor race( or any other), you are, in effect, trading it to the rest of the galaxy, because it will just show up in their inventories soon after. Understanding this, if youre are going to trade a major tech like that, youre going to trade it to everyone on the same turn, so at least you will be the one to benefit from its transfer in every case, and nullify it as a bargaining chip for any other race. Its never a great deal for me to trade a major tech like that to a minor race...I just know that if I dont do it someone else will, and I might as well be the one to get a couple hundred BC out of it.


So in any case, its just a matter of course, and the player never really benefits significanty from trading the tech specifically to a minor race enough to call it an "exploit. Following the line of thought of the original poster, it would be an "exploit" to trade colony tech tech to any race that cant explicitly use it (there might not be any of those world types availiable to it), even though they could use that tech to aquire weapons or military techs to use against you.

That kind of limit is pretty much limited to military-type techs. I, too, wish there were a more detailed list of tech trading limitations, especially regarding minor races.

Although I do consider it a minor exploit, sometimes I like to research Mass Driver Theory really early and trade or sell it to all of the other races - but make sure not to give them Space Weapons. Pretty soon all of the other races are developing mass driver weapons, then I can develop one type of armor that will work against everyone.   

I've seen Minor races get thier expansion AI "unlocked", so to speak, and ramapge across half the galaxy. They were blowing things up like a pyro in a propane plant. I suspect that witht eh many planets they took that they would have found some use for the techs (although this was in DL, but I think the principle applies).

This is true. Although sometimes a race wont give you an option to pay them to attack another race, for whatever reason...usually because theyve become too chummy. Plus, Ive got to do something with the boatloads of constructors Im building every turn after all my econ bases are built.


Although, not to highjack then thread, there really should be a more "official" skillset for destroying interrace relations and political backbiting, aside from war. Maybe a "rumour" function tied to diplomacy skills, that let you wreck relations short of paying them off to wage war (Id like to see that much more difficult to do...even without super diplo or super manipulator, its far too easy and effective, sustainable indefinitely with no cooldowns in between wars). Your race would say "I heard the Torians like to eat Arcean Babies...", and the Arceans would believe you or not based on your diplo skill. If they believe you relations with that other race would decrease decrease one stage, etc.

Just thinking outloud...back on topic.

It's a smart and common tactic. I play Terrans, and do a lot of tech trading, but I still try to be very careful on what I sell or distribute. You have to take it for granted that once its out there, many other races will get it sooner instead of later. I always try to buy techs first and foremost and give none away. I love the galactic trade goods, as they can't go beyond whom you sell them to.

Another dirty trick is to sell your enemy a very expensive tech or item, empty their treasury, then bomb their trade centers with spies. . . just prior to launching a full scale invasion.