SPECIALIST ECONOMY - The Choice of Leader

Iwo Jima

Warlord
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SPECIALIST ECONOMY - The Choice of Leader :bts:

This article is not about how to build SE. This article isn't answer what is better - to grow Great People in GPFarm or by Wonder Spaming. I assume, that both trait, Phi and Ind, are good for SE. So, I only write here about some leader advantages for SE, sometimes about hidden advantages.

What do you need for SE?

1) a lot of food! So, nations with Expansion trait are good, because they get cheap workers for fast farming (early game), +2:health: = + 2:food: in later game, cheap granary means fast growing (early game) and with fast farming is very fast growing. Cheap harbor means fast health bonus = some additional food and some free commerce, that you need. Also, many of Exp leaders has Hunting in the start, and scout is very useful for searching the best place for GP farm or Wonder farm.

  • So, here there are two candidates - Peter(Exp/Phi) for GP farming and Bismark(Exp/Ind) for Wonder farming
  • Unexpecting choice here is Suryavarman(Exp/Cre) for Baray building(+1 food) and cheap libraries(read below). Also, note that Baray and Library in the same technology path and Writing is only 1 tech away from the start!
  • Another unexpected, but a good choice is Sitting Bull(Phi, Pro) and Lincoln(Phi/Cha) due to Farming and Fishing techs at the start. So, you do not depend on starting position. Also, Writing is only 2 techs away.
Also note, that starting Fishing tech combining with proper coast birth place could be considered as an early food advantage.


2) a working place for specialists! There are some variants here of what you need. Fastest access to working places(FAWP) - I mean the fastest tech path to first working places. Cheap working places(CWP) - especially libraries, forges and temples. Additional working places(+WP). Fastest discovering of Code of Laws (FCoL) - so, starting Mysticism and good commerce could be advantageous. Free additional specs (+Sp).

Also, it's very important what working places you will get - priests and scientists are the most common in the begining. Engineers, merchants and spies are usually delayed. Artists can't help a lot for economy purpose and their role is secondary.

So, here best candidates are:

  • Ramesess (FAWP, CWP, +WP, FCoL) for Egyptian Obelisk (2 pri places) and cheap temples. Cheap Stonehendge is perfectly suits to SE strategy. Also, Ramsess could mix GP(priest) farming and Wonder farming. Building Angkor Wat(+3WP, +1:hammers:/pri) is brilliant idea for most strong priest economy. Very tough production and money man! Obviously, cheap Piramids. Good chance to build Oracle for Code of Laws. And also note cheap Forge+early Piramids combo for early GE, although I believe it's not the best strategy for Ramsess. Note also 1 tech from Writing, although early libraries do not suited to main strategy.
  • Pericles (CWP, +WP) for cheap and quite fast libraries and Greek Odeon(+1 artist wp). If you want a lot of scientist and great scientist, Pericles is the best. +1 artist wp is slight bonus, because artists are not so useful for economy/research propose, but you get good chance to pretend for Culture Victory, so you have some strategical flexibilty.
  • Both german leaders, Bismark and Frederick are good (+WP, CWP) for cheap Forge, and especially for Assembly Plant (4 eng places (normally it is 2)) Good method to convert a lot of food in early game into a lot of hummers later. Note, that Assembply Plant is cheap with coal, and extra cheap for Frederick due to Org trait. Also, while Bismark has a good chance to build 'mids, Frederick with some luck could grow GE and rush this wonder. Note, that building Oracle for early CoL is not suits to Bismark despite his Ind trait.
  • Gandhi(CWP, FAWP, FCoL) is perfect mostly for his cheap temples, ability to bulb Code of Laws and some flexibility between generating of early GP(for religion bulbing) or GE(for Piramids rush). Also consider Fast Workers as slight bonus for fast farming. Another bonus, is fast access to Masonry for building early Great Wall or Piramids, although I recommend to do that only with Stone.
Some other solid candidates are:

  • Saladin (CWP, FAWP, +WP) for Arabian Madrassa(2 sci, 2 pri places) and flexible choice between priest farming and scientists farming. Depending on your start, you could go science tech path and grow early GS or religion path and grow a lot of GP. Both ways are good.
  • All russian leaders are suitable. Peter was mentioned above. Cathy(FAWP, CWP, +Sp) for fast and cheap libraries. As a bonus, Great Warlords (from Imp trait) could be settled and give +3:science: with represenation. Stalin(FAWP, CWP, +Sp) for fast and cheap Forges, Piramids, ets. GE farming suits to him. Research Inst (+2 free sci) comes into play very late, so it could help only in researching, not in GPFarming, but the bonus of +6:science: quite good, so all russian leaders could beeline to Superconductors without doubt.
  • Good choice is Isabella(food, FAWP, CWP, CoL) Expansive trait for food production, Spiritual for cheap temples. Also combo Fishing(could give good starting commerce) and Mysticism could give you fast religion tech path researching. So, early Oralce for CoL, or even simple researching CoL is possible.
  • Gilgamesh (CWP, FAWP) very special choice, if you want run spy economy. Cheap and early Ziggurats could give you early GSpies. Also, as Cre leader, he has access to cheap libraries. Note, Writing is only 1 tech away. But choose your strategy carefully. This leader is mostly for experienced players.
  • Another difficult leader for SE is Louis(Ind, Cre). Despite early and cheap libraries(only 1 tech away from Writing), cheap Piramids/Oracle and +1 free artist in Salon, combining all of that into single strategy is very difficult. Possibly, the best way to operate with Louis is science tech path and fast building wonders from Aesthetics/Music brunch, especially if you have Marble.
Also, as general note, all Industrious leaders could build cheap Temple of Artemis and has a good chance to get Great Mearchant. Bulbing CoL with GM is much easier than with GP. So, it could help to Ramsess(due to his religion tech path) and Louis(because Polytheism is required for Aesthetics)


SUMMARY
("-" means not big or ocassional advantage)

the best(random order):
  • Peter (food, GPFarm, scout, +Sp) scientist/eng oriented
  • Pericles (food-, GPFarm, scout, CWP, +WP-) scientist/artist oriented
  • Frederick (GPFarm, scout, CWP, +WP) scientist/eng oriented
  • Gandhi (food-, CWP, FAWP, FCoL) flexible in early GP or GE generating
  • Ramesess (WonderSpam, FAWP, CWP, +WP, FCoL-) early priest farming oriented
  • Bismark (food, WonderSpam, scout, FAWP, CWP, +WP, FCoL-) scientist/eng oriented
good:
  • Sitting Bull(food-, GPFarm, FAWP) scientist oriented
  • Lincoln(food-, GPFarm, FAWP) scientist oriented
  • Saladin (CWP, FAWP, +WP, FCoL-) flexible in early GP or GS generating
  • Cathy (scout, FAWP, CWP, +Sp) scientist oriented
  • Isabella (food, FAWP, CWP, FCoL) priest oriented
  • Stalin (scout, WonderSpam, FAWP, CWP, +Sp, FCoL-) scientist/eng oriented
  • Suryavarman (food, FACW, CWP) easy tech path, scientist oriented
difficult:
  • Gilgamesh(CWP, FAWP) flexible in early GS or GSpy generating.
  • Louis (WonderFarm, CWP, +Sp, FCoL-) scientist/artist oriented.


Thank you for reading. Please, add your notes or comments ;)

PS: sorry for Caps in the title. Don't know, how to edit
 
Merchants aren't that hard to get and next to priests, perhaps the best specialists. Code of laws isn't that far from writing, a very important tech and you'll definitely want priesthood for the Oracle. Until then you won't want a specialist economy, at least, not until you raise your happiness cap some and you'll probably use the whip to build infrastructure.
 
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