Welcome to the Ministry of Trade and Technology. Just take a seat on that couch, and we'll be with you in a moment. If you're hungry, just take a doughnut...

No, wait... We haven't invented those things yet. :eek:

That's why the Trade and Tech office is here for you! Since we're not gonna be trading for a while anyway, we just need to invent stuff.

Minister of Trade and Technology: Octavian X
Deputy Minister of Trade and Tecgnology: naervod

Technology News
The first tech discussion is up! Go and voice your opinions! http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73985

Two new polls! Which tech shall we research after we discover math? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74729)
Informational: Which tech path should we pursue next? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74730)

I am curious on the plans the Trade and Tech department has for Term - 1.

Since I am hoping to get Iron Working so that we can hopefully raise an army.

To raise a "good" army that is, we will still need bronze working first. Reasoning to get Iron working first also is to see where the iron is early and plan are settler placement plan accordingly.

The Ministry's research projects will be announced soon, my dear General. We first must consult the citizens. :)

Understood. I hope you will take our advice soon, if not at the start as initial military strength is essential to our survival and eventual conquest.

An application regarding the deputy position has been sent. Even if I don't get the position, I will still gladly look forward to working with the Trade and Technology Ministry in the coming term.

Darn, I didn't know these threads where posted already. HEY OCTAVION! :)

I have many suggestions, though will only tell if I make the position. If not, its alright.

Wow, I didn't expect three applications. This will be difficult...

OK: Cheetah, naervod, and amirsan: Consider this you're first 'test.' I'll not respond to your first PMs directly. If you're reading this thread, it's good proof you're active. :)

Second: If you still intend to pursue this position, please send a PM detailing what you believe should be our tech strategy over the first term. Details are important, and I will be judging your answers not on tech path chosen, but on the answers themselves, more spefically: clarity, familiarity with the Tech tree, attention to detail, as well as attention to the big picture. Thank you. :)

OK, reply to that question sent.

ok, I like quizes :D atleast on this subject. Starting now.

Hi Minister Octavian,

I hope this does not spoil your quiz for the deputy position, that is a great idea and I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for the Internal Affairs ministry... :D

To best direct our settlement strategy, it would be helpful if the techs which reveal resources (Iron Working and The Wheel) were acquired as quickly as possible. Either trade or research works fine for me. :)

We can recover The Wheel from trade. Iron working on the other hand, I sincerly doubt we would beable to acquire by research. It would be easier to go for mathematics/currency (a path not taken by the AI much) and use those techs to trade off.

Also, there is always the lit/Great Library path.

Math is the best way to go, as explained more to Octavion on the PM and in my debates for the nominations before Term 1 elections.

Sent reply to the tech path question.

Yes, mathematics are a very usefull tech for trading early in the game. But if we find ourself on an island away from any other civ, or the civs we meet become hostile against us, it won't do us much good. :-/

Originally posted by Cheetah
Sent reply to the tech path question.

Yes, mathematics are a very usefull tech for trading early in the game. But if we find ourself on an island away from any other civ, or the civs we meet become hostile against us, it won't do us much good. :-/

Which is why we don't let them become hostile towards us. ;)

It will actually do alot good. Becuase with Math first we should be sure to get Currency or Construction first. So when we discover other islands and civs we will have much more to trade. It will take everyone else a minimum of 15 turns to research the one of the two exlusive techs we have (Masonry and Alphabet). So right off the bat we are 15 turns ahead or so! Then you must take into consideration how much they spend on research. So when we get Math 15+ turns before we should be able to get Construction or Currency before anyone else.

Anyways, the AI hardly ever go for this route anyways, but they will pay big for those who do. They usually go for the Alphabet Repbublic and usually get Iron Working and Mysticm way before we do. So going through that route wont do us hardly any good. ;)

I thank applicants for their willingness to serve the nation as Deputy Minister of Trade and Technology. All three of you submitted excellent answers, and all of you deserve this position.

However, I can only chose one person.

Therefore, based on his excellent response to the question, and his past history of service to Fanatica, I hereby appoint naervod to this office of Deputy Minister of Trade and Technology.

nearvod, your first duty may be coming soon. It's possible I'll be away this weekend. ;)

Originally posted by Strider
Also, there is always the lit/Great Library path.

Something tells me thats something well be going for.

In my opinion for military terms, getting Iron working should be a primary objective not only for military, but also for our settler placement. I also think that if we make a party in additon to our "civ-hunting" party to hunt down barbarians, Perhaps a goodie hut or two can give us some techs or cash. If all else fails, it at least will get some veteran warriors/added conscript warriors/more explored up map.

One more annoucment: I plan to take up the habit of marking all tech discussion/polls with the http://forums.civfanatics.com/images/icons/icon5.gif icon. It's a good symbol for scientific inquiry. :)

Congrats naervod with the Deputy position. :)

Oct: Wouldn't a lightbulb be more appropiate?

amirsan's suggestion seems good. mathematics -> currency at 40turn/tech. should we wait some turns before trading away mathematics?

Originally posted by D'yer Mak'er
amirsan's suggestion seems good. mathematics -> currency at 40turn/tech. should we wait some turns before trading away mathematics?

Waiting would be near useless to us, mathematics wise. All it contains it catapults, trade both currency and mathematics off immediantly.

Congrats Naervod. I am sure you'll do great at the position. :)

...though I am finding it pretty hard to get a chance at experience lately...

Thank you Octavian, Cheetah, and amirsan. I will do my best to serve the department and the people of Fanatica.

Octavian, if there is anything you need of me, just ask.

My idea with Mathematics is that we should trade it immediately and set our science slider low, so we can spend money on other things. The low science research rate will be made up for by the techs we get from trading Mathematics, and Alphabet and Masonry, which are two of the most expensive first level techs.

if we trade mathematics right away someone else might beat us to currency. if the deals we can get from trading mathematics are too bad, mabye we should wait. then again, some expansionist civ might pop mathematics.. or currency.. aa nevermind :mischief:

We will hold it for around 5 turns, then trade it.

How about Mathematics(To trade to other civs for other techs) - Writing - Literature, and start the Great Library.

The techs that we should try to get when trading Mathematics are Iron Working(Swordsmen and the Iron resource) and Writing(Need it for the Great Library)

That's what I was thinking, although we should probably also get Bronze Working (especially since we need it before Iron Working) and Currency some point soon, the latter mainly to trade.

Yeah sharkey, thats what I said, though we should trade for Writing instead, and go for Currency instead. Unless ofcourse there is no one in our island. :)

Hey Octavian. Can we get a list of priorities as far as research AND trading goes? With our present conversations, I don't think going for currency is going to do us much good if we don't have the important lower level techs. We need an adjustable priority List to monitor trades versus research. Thanks.

Minister, there is a typo in your OP.

does this place have any power? aren't all Tech descions made by the citizens?

no, the final decision is made by the minister, though the minister can ask the people for thier input. ;) This time I guess the decision was made by the people.

I see it as the other way around, amirsan. The decisions are made by the people; I simply pass their orders on the President, as well as organize the process by which these decisions are made.

That said, a new poll is up. Which tech shall we research after we discover math? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74729)

hi, just wanted to act another aspect to the time-of-trading issue.

if we trade away maths (and the rest) soon may also depend on how many enemy civs we know already. cause if we know only one, then that one will get all the benefits from trading maths away to the other civs.

maybe at least in a situation when we have contact to one civ and see the border of another civ next to it, then we should get into contact with that civ too before trading...

or whatever

well, we should really figure out who has the power, and aren't you guys always going to go w/ the people anyway? i personaly think the people have the final say

hey well that shows how much I know about government. Better go read the CoS for the fifth time...

Oh and about your topic Octavion, I think we should wait until we have Math then trade it, then see what we dont have then, then decide what to research.

Discussion on Tech Trades with Imperial Russia (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75517)

Two Ministry of Defense sponsered threads and polls

I wish for the T&T office to partisipate in the following polls and discussion threads.

Military Poll: Unit Quantity (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75905)

Military Discussion: Attack Russia or no? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75904)

At this point id now go straight to the Great library, then we can sit back a little and get the more important techs (currency, Mapmaking, etc)

I would personally, prefer going straight for currency and then for the GL. As long as we time a pre-build right, it should make no differance. I would propose that one of our cities, instead of building settlers, workers, or the like, start on a palace pre-build once it's built, for the GL later on.

We ought to be considering researching something that the AI's won't or can't research next. Writing (the current choice) is grand central for tech. The time spent on researching it means we're not working on anything more valuable, and given this starting position we'll have trouble even keeping up unless we make careful research decisions.

I think one of the cities should start pre-building for GL as well. it would save us a lot of gold and time. It doesn't matter whether we get writing first or not, once we get it we should go for literature (unless another civ's got that first as well), then switch to GL, and finish it in a few turns.

i say go for Currency first, so we've a strong tech we can trade for writting and possibly literature.

Octavian,

As the Minister of Trade and Technology for this term, and for next term, I have a forward looking question for you that I'm hoping will help spark a conversation.

In general, what do you think our trading practices should be? Should we be aggressive in trading our techs? How about map trading?

I have no concerns, I'm just wondering what your plans for the future are.

Thanks!
-- Ravensfire

Will this department be posting a poll on what to research after writing? there seems to be no concensus.

Originally posted by donsig
Will this department be posting a poll on what to research after writing? there seems to be no concensus.

I'm too impatient so I posted a poll:

What should we research after writing? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77299)

Thanks, donsig. The issues brought up in this thread will be addressed in the upcoming Term 2 T & T thread.