I usually hesitate to use them. Though I would mostly waste my GG as an instructor and the GE for rushing wonders, the rest would just pile up on my capital. How do you guys effectively use each of them?

I can't decide on an answer because there are a lot of factors that determine the best use of GP:
- phase of the game;
- type of Great Person;
- the victory I'm aiming for.

But per GP I would say:
- GE - Rush wonders, lightbulb
- GM - Lightbulb, SS
- GS - Academy, lightbulb
- GA - Great work, lightbulb, SS
- GPr - Shrine, lightbulb, SS

GS - lightbulb philosophy, or half of education, depending on when the GS shows up. post-education, i would build academies.

GM - trade mission, always,

GA - great work

GP - shrine if available, otherwise lightbulb theology or divine right.

GE - rush wonders only...rush small wonders like globe theater, oxford or wallstreet.

I can't answer the poll because it varies for me. I always check what tech I could get from a GP, but I only use them for it if it will gain me an immediate strategic advantage that plays into my game plan. Otherwise...

Great Prophets - since the Warlords patch nerfed using them for Civil Service, I tend to use them for shrines, then settle later ones in the Wall Street city (which usually has a shrine). I find they don't usually pop for worthwhile techs anymore. Meditation? Thanks, I'll pick it up on my own...

Great Scientists - like agc28, I use the first one on Philosophy, especially if Taoism hasn't been founded, the next one for an academy in my science city, and the next one, if he appears in time, to help with Education towards winning the liberalism race. However, I've worked out that you get better results from settling GS in the science city rather than using them for additional academies, unless you have cities producing 60 research points per turn before multipliers are factored in.

Great Merchants - in the early or mid-game, I tend to use these guys (especially the free one from Economics if I get him) for trade missions to finance upgrades of my veteran units. Later ones get settled in the Wall Street city.

Great Engineers - I almost always use them to complete wonders. I think I've only settled one once, ditto for popping one for a tech.

Great Artists - I'm not fond of these guys unless I'm going for a cultural win. My first preference is to use them for a technology, but if it isn't anything I want, I'll settle them in a border city. I used to use them for great works (i.e. culture bombs), but I've been seeing information that culture per turn will bring better results than one big spurt of it; also, I find cities I've just captured are usually better off in revolt, since they're often surrounded by enemy culture until I capture the next city.

As for golden ages, I almost never use great people for those. The only exception is during a pursuit of a space race victory, when most of my cities are building space ship parts.

Great Artists - I'm not fond of these guys unless I'm going for a cultural win. My first preference is to use them for a technology, but if it isn't anything I want, I'll settle them in a border city. I used to use them for great works (i.e. culture bombs), but I've been seeing information that culture per turn will bring better results than one big spurt of it; also, I find cities I've just captured are usually better off in revolt, since they're often surrounded by enemy culture until I capture the next city.

I've found that a single Great Work can be a welcome addition in OCC, allowing you to contest for resources in that outer ring much earlier than you would otherwise (as a general rule, your one city is going to be putting out much more culture than the neighboring habitats, so the only issue is to start pouring that culture into ring #4).

I didn't vote, because i would check all 4 and it's not allowed.

G. Engineer - stockpile for wonders.
G. Scientist - Super Specialist
G. Merchant - Trade Mission
G. Prophet - Holy City Shrine Build or Super Specialist
G. Artist - usually a cultural bomb

I rarely rarely ever lightbuld, and the Golden Age just doesn't mean squat to me.

I only had one choice, so I picked the one I use most, lightbulb the technology. However, I agree with some posters that great prophet has a horrible tech sequence, especially since I tend to close out the religious techs later than the science techs, so it's much more useful to use it for a shrine or super specialist most of the time.

Merchants gets to go on a trade mission. It seems to have been showing up right when I need to get through Guilds so it has been a lightbulb more recently.

^_^ I never thought about culture bombs, sounds nice and useful. So I guess I'll have to start making use of GP for techs.

All of the above. At most, only one golden age though, and only in special circumstances.

Scientists: Mostly Academies.

Prophets: Shrines, techs that give a religion, otherwise I settle them in high cash cities (often a shrine city). Late game I'll save them for a GA in order to finish the space ship quickly.

Merchants: Settle them in low food cities. Hardly ever use them for a trade mission. Late game I'll save them for a GA.

Engineers: Wonders, except post building of the space ladder.

Artists: Yuck. Great work mostly, but I avoid them like the plague. I usually don't even build the national epic because I can't stand artists, which is silly of course.

Generals: Moslty military instructors.

Well it is all situational. But I tend to lightbulb my great persons the least.

I usually only lightbulb philosophy since it gives you a religion and it gives you the jump on military tradition and cavalry

If you have a Great Scientist settle in the city
(This is an Academy, right? or is that something different?)

Are his 6 extra lightlbulbs subject to library and other multipliers?

Artists, Scientists probably settle if it's early in the game. If they lightbulb a vital tech, then I'd do that. Late in the game, all lightbulbing. I do build one Academy with my first Scientist. Under rare circumstances I'll use a culture bomb.

Merchants go for a trip and earn cash if I have Open Borders with a rich civ that I can reach safely. Otherwise settle in the commerce city.

Engineers finish wonders, if there are any good ones available. Otherwise, lighbulb a key tech. Otherwise, save until one or the other. Never settle.

Prophets, build shrines or save for future shrine if I'm going to get a religion. Otherwise, lightbulb a worthwhile tech. Often nothing good available, so settle in commerce city or maybe in production city.

I'll just go by order.

Scientist - ALWAYS use them for Academy. Unless I got Academies in most of my cities, then I'll just wait to use them for a Golden Age.

Prophet - If I got a Religion, Srhine. If not, usually I'll have them become a super specialist if I'm down in $$$. But sometiems I also go for Theology in the earlier parts of the game.

Artist - Ugh. Only the Great Work. Usually on a city that's really surrounded.

Engineer - Mostly for Wonders. Unless it's in the later part of the game and there aren't any left.

Merchant - Hardly get these. But I go for $$$ or save them up for Golden Age.


I hardly care for Golden Ages. It helps, a lot, but I'd rather have the long lasting effect. I go for Taj Mahal, always, and get a Golden Age out of that. Sometimes I get a Golden Age out of 2 Great People, if I don't need them.

I'm still learning how to effectively use GP, but for the most part it's like this:

GE: Hurry production of a wonder.
GA: Great work or join as super artist
GS: Academy or lightbulb
GP: Holy Shrine for the religion I found, if any. Otherwise, lightbulb
GM: Trade route if at all possible, otherwise lightbulb or super merchant

GE: Wonders, always
GA: Culture bomb for cities that need it. If no good bombable cities exist, hold for a golden age.
GS: Pop for technology. If no good poping choises exist, found an academy. If late in the game and I'm high up the tech tree, I may use for golden age fodder.
GM: Trade missions. If money is no object, I'll found as a super specialist
GP: Holy shrines. If none available, use for golden age fodder.

If you have a Great Scientist settle in the city
(This is an Academy, right? or is that something different?)

No. An academy is a 2x library, that can only be produced by sacrificing a great scientist.

Are his 6 extra lightlbulbs subject to library and other multipliers?

Yes (the hammer is also subject to multipliers).

Scientist - acadamy
Prophet - shrine, then golden age
Merchant - trade mission
Engineer - wonders, then golden age
Artist - great work if a city needs it, then golden age

I like to do a golden age while I'm building spaceship parts, so I'll save a great prophet that isn't used for a shrine and either an artist or engineer that I have no use for.

G. Engineer - stockpile for wonders.
G. Scientist - Super Specialist after the academy
G. Merchant - Trade Mission
G. Prophet - Holy City Shrine Build or Super Specialist
G. Artist - usually a cultural bomb or in my top 3 cities specailist

i've been trying on a harder difficulty level lately and lightbulbing more, never used to lightbulb anything except religions or CS before. i don't remember ever using any for a golden age.

my current coop team game with hubby, i got a lovely start position. 6 coastal squares (2 had clams), wheat, stone *literally* on the plains square where my settler started (i moved up on a forest before settling), corn, on a freshwater lake and just one square from a river that hit 3 of the fat cross squares. 6 forests, 2 hills, one had gold, and i'm hannibal, financial, start with fishing and mining and hubby started with mysticism. it is a lovely city, i named it Gold on a Lake and it was getting over 200 beakers way before i got an academy.

getting the academy tho was KILLING me. hubby kept popping the great people at first, and none of them scientist (grrrr) altho now i'm getting them more often. twice tho i got an engineer, and then a merchant, before finally the scientist i'd been coveting for an academy. the merchant was handy, got us lots of gold on a trade mission, the 2nd engineer Henry Ford actually got renamed to "Henry Ford the [insert bad word here]' since there were no wonders that were gonna take more than 8 turns for a long time to come. i ended up *finally* getting my scientist not too long before Henry, after been sitting around for years, got used to rush statue of liberty.

Super Specialist
Special Skill
Technology
Only when i have 2 at the same time to i use them for a golden age.

So much hate for the Artists! I find they're more useful later in the game, where they help with techs like Military Tradition or Fascism. If I get one early, he'll get settled in a border town, to help nullify the economic burden. (On Oasis and Hub maps the extra culture can also help snag some lovely resources from culture starved AI towns.)

Late game Prophets can be good or bad, depending on how many I've gotten already. Sometimes they're very nice after a string of Scientists, especially if you've founded one of the later religions. Getting a Prophet in the middle of a space race, though, is incredibly annoying . . .

hehe i use the artists the same way ... passive border town war ... i just love pushing back them borders and swallowing up cities ... i like to merge them vs. bombing them ... somehow it seems that the +12 culture per turn works better than the 4000 boost ... the +3 gold is nice too :)

Scientists: Mostly Academies.

Prophets: Shrines, techs that give a religion, otherwise I settle them in high cash cities (often a shrine city). Late game I'll save them for a GA in order to finish the space ship quickly.

Merchants: Settle them in low food cities. Hardly ever use them for a trade mission. Late game I'll save them for a GA.

Engineers: Wonders, except post building of the space ladder.

Artists: Yuck. Great work mostly, but I avoid them like the plague. I usually don't even build the national epic because I can't stand artists, which is silly of course.

Generals: Moslty military instructors.

Hi.

I missed something here: a) How do you make a Merchant or Prophet a Great Artist? And, (b) why do you save the GA until the end, do you use them for cultural bombing or something?

Thanks for your help. John

The perils of lingo, JohnYoga-- GA in this case is Golden Age.

GP- Shrines
GM- Mission, or SS
GE- Wonder, or SS
GS- Acadamy
GG- depends
GA- Early SS, late GW

i never use the bulb. :shrug:

Great Priest - Super Specialist
Great General - War academy
Great Artist - Great work of art
Great Engineer - Start a wonder and rush it
Great Mercant - Trade Mission
Great Scientist - Golden age or Academy

Great Prophet
I use it for the religious building of my state religion asap.
Then the other religions founded in my state, but only if the culture is necessary near enemy boarders. Then I use them for Tech, or specialists, in small cities in need of production and culture (if I have the sistine chapel)

Great Artist
I ALWAYS use them for the culture bomb

Great Merchant
I ALWAYS use them for the trade mission

Great Scientist
I usually make the Acedemy. Not for the science bonus, but for the cultural value. If I have no cultural competition I make them specialists.

Great Engineer
I ALWAYS use them to rush production of a World Wonder, even if I have to save him until one comes along.

Great General
I usually use it for the academy or the specialist, depending on whos producing what and how fast.

I would like to see the GREAT PHILOSOPHER, maybe a mix of Great Artist, Great Prophet and Great Scientist, on a smaller scale.

Great Scientists: I used to do all acadamies, but Ive come to see that after a couple acadamies its really not worth it. So now I lightbulb all of them through education, then I'll build my acadamy. One thing to take into account is what you can lightbulb with them...my last game I got philosophy first (religion), paper (and build sankore) and used one to chop education down by roughly 75% (I was the first to liberalism because of this, plus earlier start on oxford which in your best science city usually blows away SEVERAL acadmies).

So with lightbulbing great scientists I founded a religion, built a cheap wonder that helps with research, got the free tech from liberalism, got a head start on Oxford (philo leaders would take advantage of this even more)...and thats not taking into consideration how I traded paper and education to grab the techs I skipped. All from lightbulbing. I think this is a much better return then your third or fourth acadamy (or even your second).

Great merchants: If I get one early enough I'll use them as a super specialist...you can make more money in the long run. Ive used them before to lightbulb currency, also. But majority of the time I'll do a trade mission and use the money for mass upgrading of troops.

Great prophet: If it hasnt been discovered yet (or if Im Napoleon or Mehmed and am beelining for gunpowder) I'll lightbulb Theology. This is a great way to grab a religion without burning lots of turns on it. Plus its fairly expensive, making it solid for trading. After that, the usual...shrines, then specialists

Great artist: Almost always culture bomb. If im going for cultural win I'll attach as a specialist ONLY if its very early on. I think one time I lightbulbed Music because its almost 1000 beakers.

Great engineer: Wonders all the way. If I get one real late I'll probably attach as a specialist...often I dont need broadway, hollywood, etc. Sometimes I'll use one to build a national wonder if I have no great wonders to build (and none in the relative future).

Great general: Lately I've been saving them for education. I tend to get my first one around the time I research civil service or education. The +2 experience is nice but easily duplicated via civics. If I dont have a unit near level 5 (or im done building acadamy+one specialist) then I'll attach as a warlord. Ive found making a Warlord on a mounted unit as a super healer works wonders on long campaigns.