Which technology bonus is most powerful?

Which of the tech bonuses (from researching it first) do you think is most powerful?

  • Atomic Theory (+2 science in every city)

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • Code of Laws (Free Trading Post)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Communism (-33% cost of factories)

    Votes: 9 11.5%
  • Construction (Free Workshop)

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • The Corporation (+5 gold in every city)

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • Currency (Free caravan and market)

    Votes: 4 5.1%
  • Electronics (+2 trade in every city)

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Engineering (+1 production in every city)

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • Industrialization (+5 gold in every city)

    Votes: 7 9.0%
  • Invention (Free great person)

    Votes: 10 12.8%
  • Irrigation (+1 population in every city)

    Votes: 13 16.7%
  • Literacy (+1 science in every city)

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • Masonry (Free wall)

    Votes: 5 6.4%
  • Mass Media (+1 population in every city)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Monarcy (Free great person)

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • Networking (Reduced university cost)

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Nuclear Power (+2 production in every city)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Printing Press (+1 culture in every city)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Railroad (+2 production in every city)

    Votes: 7 9.0%
  • Religion (+1 culture in every city)

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Space Flight (Entire map is revealed)

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • University (+1 science in every city)

    Votes: 2 2.6%
  • Writing (Free spy)

    Votes: 3 3.8%

  • Total voters
    78
To decide the best bonus is very hard. I voted for invention. A free great person is always good. But so are many other bonuses. What I know is that I am sure about the most useless one:

Networking: 1/2 of cost of Universities. That is a joke. If I reached networking it's because I already had Universities in all the cities that needed it. And even if I missed some, I have money to rush all new ones.

I agree with the most useless one, but I would also like to add Spaeflight as one of the worst. I have more or less never had more than a few "useless" areas uncovered when I reached spaceflight. Of course, good to see other cities, but the cities that are of importance has already been revealed through diplomacy earlier in the game, unless I´ve already went close by with a ship or unit.

There are other benefits with being first to spaceflight though, e.g., the ability to build the spaceship before the others... ;)
 
false goes to the city with most gold potential

False, it goes with the best gold city when you are getting currency, then he was right :rolleyes:

However, irrigation, huge bonus, if you have perhaps romans, chinese, or rushers, you can say you won the game.
 
Because I could only vote for one, I choose networking because half-cost universities is huge even at that late in the game. This is my first to discover checklist:

Masonary (wall is the price of a wonder that early in the game)
Irrigation ( I try to postpone this one unless I am agains Egypt until I have three or four cities. +1 population in all cities is equal to the effect of a great humanitarian, which is huge)
Monarchy and Invention (two free great people, almost one right after each other can realy change the tide of the game in your favor?
Industrialims and Corportaion (+10 gold for city can make any large empire very rich and give you the money to rush a couple more armies for the domination)
And last but not least networking.
The other +1-2 trade and culture for many of the other techs can add up, but it is not something you would go out of your way to research. And the free buildings have a habit of appearing in cities that don't need them like a market in my sience city and a workshop in a city that has one hill in its borders instead of my city that has four hills that I was planning on reachinged with a courthouse for example. All of the bonuses are helpful, though, and it is a good aspect of the game to give another pro to being a scientic civ.
 
Like most, I beeline key techs for a variety reasons - it could be for a key wonder or building that I need to build, new unit I like, possible change of government, key resource I'd like to take advantage of, or the 'first-to' bonus.

With all of this included, several techs stand out. When considering the 'first-to' bonus as the priority, I really like to head for Monarchy for the early great person - the first of only two that offers this. A great person at this stage can really set things up, but the added bonus of being able to utilize dye is great for any science or gold city you are trying to develop for sure. It also allows for the Monarchy government of course - nice if you'd like to push some culture in your capital to speed along another great person (though I still like to remain in Republic early if I am trying to REX). This is another reason to get peeved when you are up against the English - no Monarchy bonus for you!

Invention is similar. Another key person that you get (and deny the AI) and opens up a key wonder in Leo's Workshop. It also leads the way to the key techs you'll need to eventually beeline combustion.

Other nice techs with great 'first-to' bonuses that also offer other good reasons to beeline include Currency (before breaking 250 gold will get you banking at that mark of course), Industrialization (the needed factories), and Communism (opens up the production-rich government).

I see a lot like the irrigation bonus, but I rarely ever get this. Although I like to expand fast, I usually don't have THAT many cities to really take full advantage of this bonus. Further, unless I have wheat in a few cities it does not offer too much beyond that. I think there are more important and rewarding techs around this era to go for. Mass Media - appearing later in the game when I am likely to have a very good number of cities - is a great one to hit.

There is actually one that is not on the list above that I like to get early and gives a nice bonus as well - Navigation. Assuming the Spanish are not in the game, getting to Navigation first gives a free Galleon, and that can be very nice to have for help in defense, city attacking, quick settling and exploring of islands, or Atlantis-hunting. Nice not to have to build one outright. Also, allows you to work whales which can be helpful depending where your cities are located.
 
Why does invention have more votes than monarchy?? :confused::confused::confused:
 
I think Irrigation is very important, and maybe the most powerful, but if the game lasts past an early rush, Industrialization usually give you a huge advantage. By the time I receive it, I'm usually in Democracy and still have more sceince than gold cities. If I get Indust first, then 99 out 100 times I'm getting Corportation first two, which means +10 gold, which helps facility rushing buildings or units either for an impending rush, or eco victory (rushing markets, wonders, banks etc.).

so that's kinda combining two, but to me, industrializtion and corporation go together almost always.
 
You get a free galleon, which basically means you will get the City of Atlantis artefact.
So even, though it is not a direct bonus.. Navigation = 3 Free Techs!
 
Woot, I'm the only one that voted for Atomic Theory lol.
 
I got the free trading post when I was playing Egypt. The trading post went into a City surrounded by 4 dessert tiles. The result was pretty impressive.

Irrigation and Masonry are two of my favorites. The early bonuses are bigger game changers in my opinion.
 
Top Bottom