I'd really rather they just gave the numeric value for the stuff on offer. I do not care if it is "gamey;" just tell me how much adding or removing something from the table will affect the current value the computer attaches to the offer so that I don't have to waste time clicking through techs to balance out the deal with the minimum exchange of credits or other filler currencies (e.g. useless ships such as most of those acquired from ship graveyards or surrendering opponents or the salvage ability) or whatever other criterion I use to judge whether or not the deal is satisfactory. The computer already assigns values to the various things you can offer and adjusts the value based upon what's already on the table; forcing me to go through all the various things I can offer or ask for just to figure out which package works best for me is irritating busywork when I could be actually playing the game rather than fighting the interface. Assigning a qualitative value is a step in the right direction from where we currently are, but it'd be better to just give the quantitative value of the offer and the various parts you can add or remove. Just get rid of the waste of time that is the blind adding and removing of stuff until the hidden values that the computer assigns to both sides of the deal are equal rather than taking the halfmeasure of making the player slightly less blind by giving a qualitative assessment of the value of each thing you can add or remove from the table.

Other than specialization techs that you've been locked out of by your research choices or trade with and gifts from other empires, I don't believe this is currently possible. The techs you can offer are given the names of the equivalent techs in the tech tree of your trade partner while the techs you can ask for are given the names of the equivalent techs in your tech tree, and so you see things like the Terran Alliance offering the Drengin Empire Labor Exploitation (DrenginIndustrialSpecialization1) instead of Manufacturing Specialization (TerranIndustrialSpecialization1), and as far as I know you cannot trade for techs that don't have an equivalent in your own tech tree or trade techs to someone if they don't have an equivalent in their tech tree (unless I'm greatly mistaken, nonsynthetic factions using the Yor tech tree are unable to trade for the techs to build farms despite being able to make use of such even if they're in contact with factions that have the tech to build farms, synthetic factions which don't use the Yor tech tree are likewise unable to trade for the various synthetic population techs even if they're in contact with a faction that uses the Yor tech tree, and nonsynthetic factions, which are fully capable of making use of the various Assembly projects unlocked by the Yor tech tree since custom nonsynthetic factions that use the Yor tech tree can make use of them, are unable to to trade for those projects when in contact with a faction using the Yor tech tree).

These are wonderful ideas.

Also, a turn timer for trade lockout would be nice, the ability to decline gifts would be good, and a separate option to provide military assistance in addition to trading would make sense, why must I stand there with ships for turn after turn watching them get their butts kicked before I can hand over the keys?

Thanks