Specialist Economy

DrPepper836

Warlord
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Oct 29, 2007
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I've been wanting to try out the Sidar for a while, but I can't get the SE down in FFH. I just can't get any specialists before guilds, which takes forever, and so have to run cottages. Does anyone have any tips on the Sidar, or even specialist economies in general?
 
Sidar specialist economy tips:
* one science city with an academy and max scientists
* one wealth city with brewhouse, cottages, trade routes, God King if you're small
* don't forget that AV and OO temples as well as a couple wonders allow scientists
* don't worry if the research slider is low. It doesn't matter.
* keep enough specialists hired in different cities so that they all produce great people
* don't be afraid to run priests, especially to force a city to pop a great person earlier. if you get a prophet and there's no good bulb for him, he'll still be OK to settle in the wealth city.

One general Sidar tip:
* they have good starting mana
 
You can also use the GPs to build and upgrade the Altar. Enough levels of that and your priest units come off the assembly line almost ready to retire to shadehood.

EDIT to add: You do know about shades, right? Cause if you don't, that could be your problem.
 
I do, and I have actually done the alter strategy before. I was more talking about a general SE applied to the Sidar, as I don't see how you could get enough scientists until guilds (which takes to long) to be able to pull it off. And I would rather not have to rely on shades, which aren't always guaranteed from early barbs, for research early on.
 
Theres no such thing as an early game pure specialist economy. Just build the Great Library and fit as many Sages everywhere that you can. Use aristocracy for most of your gold.

Also, the Brewhouse increases commerce, not gold. So put it in your Science city.
 
Also, the Brewhouse increases commerce, not gold. So put it in your Science city.

In the context where the advice was given, the wealth slider is high and the science city is mostly sages, so the gold city is most definitely where it should be placed.

The science city has lots of farms and whatever commerce it produces goes mostly into gold anyway. Any science the sages produce is unaffected by the brewing house. (Though maybe an academy should get +1 :) from beer, for all the keg parties.)

The gold city has lots of cottages and the commerce goes into gold, through wealth boosters into your treasury.
 
He said that in his experience he "had to run cottages". Without the cottages, his science slider is going to be low.
 
Whats the rationale behind high wealth slider?

Paying upkeep.

Higher than a usual for a cottage economy, anyway.

Since most of your science comes from farms and scientists, you don't have a lot of commerce that is converted into gold. So you need a higher wealth slider. Later there is also the bonus of gambling houses that grants :) from the gold slider, so that might be another incentive.

As far as I understand it, a specialist economy usually focuses on one type of specialist, sages or merchants, relying on commerce to provide the other half of a healthy economy. This allows cities to specialize, only building science boosters for sage centra, gold boosters for merchant cities and only the relevant half for commerce cities.
 
But surely Aristocracy farms are going to be generating most of your commerce? You only need 2 Gold specialised cities at most, which means sages everywhere else and the National Epic city which simply tries to generate as much GPP as possible.
 
You don't have to run aristocracy.

About the brewhouse, whatever. Sure, the higher your slider the better is it to have it in a city with an academy. If you only build one academy (which is what I suggested) that city is probably not going to be working a lot of commerce tiles. You could have multiple cities with academies. Or at least two, one with scientists and one with commerce - that is pretty reasonable.
 
You don't have to run aristocracy.
Does not compute! You should always run Aristocracy.

About the brewhouse, whatever. Sure, the higher your slider the better is it to have it in a city with an academy. If you only build one academy (which is what I suggested) that city is probably not going to be working a lot of commerce tiles. You could have multiple cities with academies. Or at least two, one with scientists and one with commerce - that is pretty reasonable.

Why wouldn't you build an Academy in a high commerce city? If I have a city with 2 Golds and 2 Dyes then it'll get an Academy before my capital. Early game turn advantage etc.
 
You wouldn't do it if your science slider was low.
 
Not much to add, but to be specific:

IIRC (please correct me otherwise!)

The Elder Council is easy to build and it allows one specialist (Sage)
Library allows another one (Sage)
Lots of wonders allow specialists
Pagan temple allows a priest
Most temples allow a priest
Markets add a merchant

I'm sure I don't have all of them. So you can get the specialists going.

Best wishes,

Breunor
 
Why would your science slider be low?

What do you mean, why? Because that's how the game works. If you're trying to make a point rhetorically, just make it.

My slider often gets low both in this mod and in the unmodded game. Here's an example. It's lower than usual in this game because it's the Sidar with specialists.
 

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