Great scientist tech bulbing or an academy?

i just experimented. in my game settings bnw emperor, large map, pangea, quick settings. it seems beaker production is good if two scientists are planted as academy. My formula for the remaining scientists is 8 X (220-turn#) X 1.33 X 1.5 and compare it with just bulbing it to a technology. The 220 is the turn where science is very essitial for advance weaponry. 1.33 for university amd 1.5 for research lab

for slower games planting more academies is more benificial as the the number 220 becomes larger.

neoaspilet11 said:

i just experimented. in my game settings bnw emperor, large map, pangea, quick settings. it seems beaker production is good if two scientists are planted as academy. My formula for the remaining scientists is 8 X (220-turn#) X 1.33 X 1.5 and compare it with just bulbing it to a technology. The 220 is the turn where science is very essitial for advance weaponry. 1.33 for university amd 1.5 for research lab

for slower games planting more academies is more benificial as the the number 220 becomes larger.

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But here you are strictly comparing the amount of science production. Even then, you are not including the fact that bulbing allows extra science from being able to build science bulidings, e.g. public schools and research labs faster. Bulbing to acquire certain key techs also allows better food and production and free policies - e.g. chemistry, fertilizer or first modern era tech.

Someone may have done the math, but I feel it's likely more complex than a simple equation of academy beakers versus bulb beakers. Bulbing early might have more statistical benefits than first meets the eye.

For example, bulbing reduces the number of turns to acquire techs that lead to science buildings and National Wonders. Those saved turns have to be translated into beakers, too.

Or, maybe a better way to frame it is that the ultimate resource in the game isn't actually beakers; it's Turns To Win (TTW). Of course that's a seriously hard (impossible really, or else civ would be a spreadsheet) statistic to calculate; but in any case, I think early bulbing might need to be revisited.

Zaimejs said:

Is this a joke? I can't tell if you're being serious.

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Maybe he plays as Babylon

Pre Industrial: ALWAYS settle - get a lot of science that way and the value stays over the game. I will bulb when absolutely necessary for a key wonder/military tech.

Post Industrial - In my recent game (post: Took PTO etc.) I bulbed after Order's Spaceflight Pioneers and Hubble worked out - then I needed the Space techs ASAP and I bought Great Scientists - kept bulbing and great engineering the spaceship parts to win.

Advice: Always settle unless absolutely key for wonder/military unit.

I just finished a science victory as Korea (I know, how original). I settled every great scientist until the Modern era, at which point I saved them for bulbing key techs. I had a total of five academies that game, and was in the tech lead for virtually the entire game, starting in the late Classical era on Emperor difficulty.

Based on that experience, I'd say settling great scientists is best choice for most circumstances.

Well, Korea has a bonus for academies, so you'll want to settle later with Korea than with other civs.