Just mucking around testing out different starting build orders and this happened -

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/lanskyj13/Civ4ScreenShot0004-1.jpg

I have never gotten a free technology higher than what I consider the cheapy ones that a civilization or AI (archery) can start with. So just curious now if there is any limit on the extent of the technologies villagers will give to a player? I'm sure the odds are minuscule, but they are apparently higher than my presumed zero.

astronomy is the limit.

astronomy is the limit.

lol i thought you said the sky is the limit. then again astronomy is the study of the stars. :lol:

I have had techs like sailing, pottery, animal husbandry, masonry and BW for free, i have never gotten anything from writing or iron working and onwards because I have finished exploring by then.

bhavv, all your time on island maps and you never popped Astro from a hut? Send Missionaries off in Caravels to pop em for you on the islands you cant reach before Astro. I have done it a bunch of times.

Best I think I've gotten was Math. Sad that a bunch of savages had to teach us 2 + 2. :rolleyes:

Possible techs are:

Fishing
Hunting
Mining
Mysticism
Agriculture
Archery
Priesthood
The Wheel
Masonry
Pottery
Animal Husbandry
Sailing
Bronze Working
Writing
Horseback Riding
Aesthetics
Literature
Iron Working
Mathematics
Drama
Monarchy
Calendar
Construction
Compass
Currency
Metal Casting
Music
Astronomy

Any of these techs you can research has the same likelihood of being popped from a hut.

Editted per KMadCandy

Astronomy was popped from a hut in one of the ALCs if you're particularly eager to see it happen (good luck finding it, mind). I've never gotten anything particularly advanced, but it can't be that uncommon on Archipelago-type maps where some landmasses aren't explored until late on.

This is where Explorers are actually useful. I popped some unseemly late techs on an undiscovered continent once.

The best is when you discover AH and then pop HBR the next turn, or discover BW and pop IW the next turn. I've had both of those happen.

Ive had astro a few times. The latest was in BOTM14 when I let a cities culture pop the hut. :)
My favourite although I've only had it once is Music. Tech and a free GA. At least I'm pretty certain I had the GA anyway. Too long ago. I'll have to leave some more huts un popped in the LHC's and see what I can get.

I get writing quite often. rarely do I get anything better.

Never got Music, got Drama a pile of times though.

I don't play island maps too often; i prefer fractal, but the best (or most expensive i should say) tech I've gotten more than once has been MC. Still, I mostly get money or maps.

im a very new player, completed 15 games at the most, all marathon and I got astronomy a few times as well, on undiscovered, protected huts.

Highest tech I ever popped was IW... but in one game as Kublai I popped Archery and then on the next turn HBR... fun game :D

one more to add to ShannonCT's list, Aesthetics.

This is where Explorers are actually useful. I popped some unseemly late techs on an undiscovered continent once.

spies are even better, they can even pop guarded huts! at least they could before 3.17. haven't tried it since i started playing again, i wonder if they changed that...

@KMadCandy

Spies can still pop guarded huts in 3.17-I just played a terra map and popped 4 guarded huts with them. I had one hut that I popped with a spy that gave me a warrior. It moved the guarding Barb archer off of the tile that originally had the hut to place the warrior.

Writing is my highest

Popped astronomy twice so far in all my civ games. Also had 1 game where I popped mining, BW and IW within 10 turns or so. Crazy game :)

While playing on Earth 18 as England, I popped Astronomy from a hut (Not long after I had Optics to boot) when my explorer got the hut just above where America usually starts. I had edited them out this time around.. lol I was happy. Helped me colonize the new world that much faster!

I don't neglect those lone villages on small islands. It's not unusual to get some good techs that way. Plus those island ladies, well, let's just say...

I got future tech 1 once.

Scary... They were on a island surrounded by mountains, i paradropped just for fun.

The mountains are to prevent them to be unleased upon us all!

My best game is when I played Darius and popped Mining / BW / IW in a row, AND found Iron in my BFC.

Can you generate a Great Artist by savages teaching you music?

So thaaaaaaaaaaaaaat's the real Shakespeare.....