Alright, another fun question, which is the first tech for you to research in most games. For me, its Polytheism so I can expand my influence and get the continent to adopt my religion early. Other people favor bronze working and a few I imagine like The Wheel. Which is the first one you research?

What difficulty are you playing on?

There seem to be far to many variables here to decide on a single tech. I'll often make either pottery or bronze working a priority, but what I research first is entirely dependent upon the terrain, my civ, and the difficulty level.

It depends on the number/types of civs I'm playing against, and also on the terrain. If there're few opponents, or opponents who don't start with mysticism, and I'm starting with say, lots of coast and few forests, I'm definitely going for Hinduism or Judaism (starting with agriculture, mining). If my chances of getting an early religion are slim, and there're grassland and forest around, I go bronze working and pottery.
edit: And this is for multiplayer. Cottage + river + financial = 3 gold, which boosts your research early on.

Wheel is pointless early on. Your cities are small, so they don't need to be connected to resources, and workers can get most anywhere in a city radius within a turn or 2.

It's impossible to found an early religion on any level above Regent, so cross out Meditation and Polytheism. If you're playing below Regent (it's a gamble on Regent usually), these are a good choice.

Sailing and Fishing are useless. Period.

Masonry is useless because you need workers to build quarries.

Mysticism is pointless if you don't start with it, and it's still pretty useless after all the useful stuff has been researched.

You don't need archers right away, so Archery is useless.

Cottages are useless early on, so Pottery is a pathetic choice.

So, having ruled out most of the stuff, it is seen that the only viable techs early on are the following: Animal Husbandry, Mining/Bronze Working, Hunting, Agriculture. Mining/Bronze Working is the most productive while you're making workers and settlers, and there is NO debate about it. Agriculture can improve your production if you've got wheat, corn or rice in your capital's radius. The same is true of Animal Husbandry and Hunting with respect to the various resources they improve.

All of the other techs can be researched later on when you'll be able to make proper use of them.

It's impossible to found an early religion on any level above Regent, so cross out Meditation and Polytheism. If you're playing below Regent (it's a gamble on Regent usually), these are a good choice.

...

Mysticism is pointless if you don't start with it, and it's still pretty useless after all the useful stuff has been researched.

Two myths here. About the "pointless Mysticism", maybe it is useless right at the start, but it depends on whether you plan to create first a settler or a worker. The problem is that without it you get neither Obelisks nor culture - unless you play a creative civ. If you plan to create a settler as soon as possible, the real question is how will you make the second city's fat cross grow - so, even if you dont research Mysticism at the start, you can't avoid it for very long (I repeat, unless you play creative).

The other myth is about the "religion creation inability in higher levels". Of course, to have such an option as first tech research it assumes that you started with Mysticism. This statement assumes that 1) there are at least 2 AI opponents that started with Mysticism, and 2) they will start researching the two different religious techs, so you can get neither of them yourself. So, probability of success is highly dependant on the number of AI opponents and the specific AI opponents you will have, but I would say the chance is definitely NOT 0%, and can become much bigger than 50% if you follow a very simple research strategy:

Delay research of Meditation for as many turns as you need to get it (for example, if it says that you need 9 turns, for the first 9 turns research something else). If on this round you don't see the message "Buddism was founded" switch to Meditation, being almost certain you will find Buddism first.

It's another question whether this is a good strategy or not - I just claim it is not "impossible" to get early religions. But it is still true that it is a bit of a gamble to start researching a religious tech immediately.

It's impossible to found an early religion on any level above Regent, so cross out Meditation and Polytheism. If you're playing below Regent (it's a gamble on Regent usually), these are a good choice.

That's crazy, I have started a number of Emporer games I haven't finished, and if you start with Mysticism you will be able to get Hinduism via Polytheism over 90% of the time. I've even gotten Hinduism on Immortal, although at that level it is only about 50-50 odds. As far as I can tell, all AIs with Mysticism will research Meditiation as their first tech.

My general strategy (with Huayna Capac) is to research Polytheism, Mining and Bronze working. While doing this, I'll grow to size 4 or 5 and create 2-3 Quecha to steal a worker from a rival Civilization. That worker will have returned, and my first worker will be built at the time bronze working is finished. The two workers will chop another, and then I go on from there.

Last night I played the earth map as India, Prince level, epic speed. I researched and got Hinduism first, then I researched and got Budism first. Two religious first. I can't see why it's easier to get buism than it is hinduism. Anyway, I got them both, right where they belonged.

But normally, I go for bronze first no matter what, unless I want a religious game.

I play with Togu so I start with fishing/the wheel

I go Mining-->Bronze Working

Then I usually grab Mysticism and chop rush Stonehenge (at 2-3 cities at this point)...then I concentrate on getting Ag, AH, Archery...then most likely Iron Working...then Alphabet and start trading

It's impossible to found an early religion on any level above Regent, so cross out Meditation and Polytheism. If you're playing below Regent (it's a gamble on Regent usually), these are a good choice.

Sailing and Fishing are useless. Period.


Both points are completely untrue. Some of my best games on Monarch level have started out with me researching Fishing and founding an early religion. Fishing is very far from useless as a first tech if your capital has two or more seafood tiles.

Cottages are useless early on, so Pottery is a pathetic choice.


Cottages are not useless for, say, a capital with a majority of flood plains tiles. Also Pottery allows you to build a granary which is important if you have to do a lot of population-rushing under slavery (not unlikely for a flood plains start).

Cottages are not Also Pottery allows you to build a granary which is important if you have to do a lot of population-rushing under slavery (not unlikely for a flood plains start).

I never use slavery, so I am probably ignoring an important tool. How many hammers are a slave's life worth on a standard map?

I never use slavery, so I am probably ignoring an important tool. How many hammers are a slave's life worth on a standard map?

I think it's the same as a tree :lol:

But don't do this until you have a granery (or use it to build one)

Cottages are not useless for, say, a capital with a majority of flood plains tiles. Also Pottery allows you to build a granary which is important if you have to do a lot of population-rushing under slavery (not unlikely for a flood plains start).
To an extent he is right. You won't be working a cottage with your first or second pop, so you can probably wait a tecj or two to pick up Pottery. Add in the time to build a worker and you increase even more the time until you will have a pop to start working a cotttage.

There are basicly two main choices for your first tech. If you're worried about your score, or just really want an early religion, you'll go for Mysticism>Meditation/Polytheism. This is a lot more viable if you start with Mysticism, as you're much more likely to beat your opponents to a religion.

If you don't start with Mysticism you'll almost surely want Mining>Bronze Working. Even if you do start with Mysticism you'll might want to get Bronze Working right away. No other early tech gives you as much as Bronze Working does. It lets you chop, it tells you where your copper is, and once you get The Wheel (which you will soon) you can hook that copper up and build some Axemen/Spearmen as soon as possible. These units will be the mainstay of your millitary for the next 2,000 years or so, and the earlier you get them the better off you'll be.

There are lots of unusual situations where you'll want to get a few techs before you get Bronze Working (usually to found a religion or build a fishing boat), but this will probably not be the norm in your average game. Every turn you delay getting Bronze Working after you could have a worker puts you at a disadvantage. The trick with early tech progress is to remember that Bronze Working is the goal, everything else you research beforehand should be a carefuly calculated delay that you shouldn't undertake without good cause.

There are basicly two main choices for your first tech. If you're worried about your score, or just really want an early religion, you'll go for Mysticism>Meditation/Polytheism. This is a lot more viable if you start with Mysticism, as you're much more likely to beat your opponents to a religion.

If you don't start with Mysticism you'll almost surely want Mining>Bronze Working. Even if you do start with Mysticism you'll might want to get Bronze Working right away. No other early tech gives you as much as Bronze Working does. It lets you chop, it tells you where your copper is, and once you get The Wheel (which you will soon) you can hook that copper up and build some Axemen/Spearmen as soon as possible. These units will be the mainstay of your millitary for the next 2,000 years or so, and the earlier you get them the better off you'll be.

There are lots of unusual situations where you'll want to get a few techs before you get Bronze Working (usually to found a religion or build a fishing boat), but this will probably not be the norm in your average game. Every turn you delay getting Bronze Working after you could have a worker puts you at a disadvantage. The trick with early tech progress is to remember that Bronze Working is the goal, everything else you research beforehand should be a carefuly calculated delay that you shouldn't undertake without good cause.

This is all really good as long as you have trees in your starting area. It's based on the fact that you will go worker, chop worker, chop settler. But if you dont have trees, then I dont think it makes sense to always go for bronze. I can see where you would want to use mining, fishing, or agriculture or animal husbandry to boost production towards your next city.

I usually start with Clearcutting... oh, I mean bronze working.