"Beeline" for internet?

Does someone think it is practical and worth it to ignore everything not leading towards internet, except for the techs that pay themselves immidiately, if researched first(e.g. liberalism)?

It would mean to leave a lot aside, e.g. military tradition, rifling, democracy, but the reward would be huge, research 40 techs to get 44 for free, assuming you avoid a runaway comp.

Carn

Well.... I guess you'd cripple your economy and military by doing this. Certainly at higher difficulty levels I don't think you'd live long enough. Furthermore, by not discovering some techs you slow you're tech research down a lot probably, and the others will have their spaceships flying while you're still figuring out electricity...

But please, by all means, give it a try and post pics

You should be able to trade most tech's, eventually anyway.

But still a weak strategy, probably.

I'd much rather have a tech lead than cripple my research for 100 turns in order to merely reach tech parity with the 2nd most advanced civ.

There are some games where Internet was my only saving grace, but it's definitely a desperation wonder, not a winning strategy. If I had paid more attention and planned better, I would have never been in the position of having two Civs leading me at that stage of the game; I should have attacked and set them back long before.

In most games, the research and production you use going for the Internet would have been enough to research into some kind of a good military advantage and build an invasion force to knock down a couple of the leaders a notch.

I'd be interested in the final results of this. Of course, if you beat everyone to Internet first just to get the backward techs, why not just spend the time & production on a Spaceship or something?

That said, as long as you cultivated the funding of your research through Pottery, I believe the research path would take you down all the related 'beaker-enhancement' technologies along the way.

Might work best with an isolationist strategy/start - with a switch to Representation ASAP, Bureaucracy until Free Speech, liberal use of Caste System, Mercantilism with all Scientist Specialists, & Pacifism until Free Religion. Then, Libraries, universities, and observatories almost everywhere! Any other thoughts on how to make this work best?

Suggested Civ: Queen Elizabeth - Philosophical & Financial

I doubt this would work above Prince, but who knows... Try it and post the results!

To the original question - no

A month or so back, someone around here suggested "The Al Gore Challenge" - clicking Fiber Optics in 4000 BC, and never making another tech choice for the rest of the game. Obviously it's not something you'd want to do at higher levels, but it could make for an interesting variant.

Could this be combined with the Catherine Cottege Spam strategy as detailed in another thread?

cleverhandle said:

A month or so back, someone around here suggested "The Al Gore Challenge" - clicking Fiber Optics in 4000 BC, and never making another tech choice for the rest of the game.

Click to expand...

Do you know if anyone's actually done this? The idea is so whack, I might just try it in my next game!

If it came earlier - much, much earlier - then yeah, I'd say go for it. Like the Great Library used to do.

Hell, go for it anyway, and tell us how you went!

When you are backwards but have enough production capability the Internet can be quite useful. In a memorably game I used it. In the beginning I had huge problems and never could get level tech wise with the AI. Thanks to the Internet, good production and effective spies I could win the Space Race. Indeed really a desperation strategy, but it really gave me the onkly chance of winning

Heh , by the time you get this tech you probably got all the techs you really need.

Just stick with the Kremlin and Universal sufferage thats your best choice IMO.

The only reason I WOULD grap the Internet is so the AI's don't get all my hard earned techs. And by then I got basically what I need to win ( Stealths and modern armor) I'm a crush and raze kinda guy . They don't get even close to it anyway and if my spies DO see someone researching it, I instantly open up a can of whoop arse on them

Later happy gaming

Ok, just for sh*ts and giggles I started a new game to see what techs would be required for The Internet. Elizabeth starts with Fishing & Mining, both of which are requirements; clicking on "Fiber Optics" gave me these techs in the order the game chose them:

1. Sailing
2. Hunting
3. Animal Husbandry
4. Writing
5. Mathematics
6. Calendar
7. Bronze Working
8. Iron Working
9. Compass
10. The Wheel
11. Pottery
12. Metal Casting
13. Machinery
14. Optics
15. Astronomy
16. Masonry
17. Mysticism
18. Polytheism
19. Monotheism
20. Theology
21. Paper
22. Printing Press
23. Scientific Method
24. Physics
25. Electricity
26. Radio
27. Computers
28. Education
29. Gunpowder
30. Currency
31. Monarchy
32. Feudalism
33. Guilds
34. Banking
35. Replaceable Parts
36. Rifling
37. Construction
38. Engineering
39. Chemistry
40. Steel
41. Artillery
42. Rocketry
43. Satellites
=> 44. Fiber Optics!! <=

Hmm, lotta important techs missing...like Agriculture, Archery, and Horseback Riding...no Priesthood (so no Oracle), no Liberalism, not even Steam Power for factories to take advantage of Electricity! At least we'd get Writing & Astronomy early...and a world with Computers before Gunpowder would indeed be quite interesting!

I wonder if it would be cheating to rearrange the techs to get stuff like The Wheel and Masonry earlier? Or start with a civ that at least has something like AGRICULTURE as a starting tech?? Or would that be violating the spirit of the Al Gore Challenge?

Ugh. That's horrible.

I could defend with bronze working alone quite capably, but to have to research Calendar, Iron Working & Compass without a single cottage? Then researching Metal Casting & Machinery when you have only a few poorly developed? Would be a great game of catch up...

... that suddenly makes getting the Internet a worthwhile goal!

So - who's making the sacrifice... and at Prince difficulty (minimum)?

No courthouses? Religion? Markets? (shakes head) We can trade, I hope?

The last 7-10 techs on that list are the ones that would break you. A lot of the earlier ones you could trade for, but a lot of those later techs the AI is tight-fisted with.

Seriously, somebody please play this game. (not me)

The last 7-10 techs on that list are the ones that would break you. A lot of the earlier ones you could trade for, but a lot of those later techs the AI is tight-fisted with.

Click to expand...

Do note that alphabet is not on the list. You're not trading for the early ones until the AI gets around to it!

jerVL/kg said:

clicking on "Fiber Optics" gave me these techs in the order the game chose them:
3. Animal Husbandry
11. Pottery

Click to expand...

Why would Fiber Optics need both? Just pottery would be enough.


If someone would give it a try, may the following list help you

Fiber Optics requires:
36(50800): fishing(40), mysticism(50), mining(50), the_wheel(60), masonry(80), pottery(80), sailing(100), writing(120), bronze_working(120), iron_working(200), mathematics(250), monarchy(300), calendar(350), construction(350), currency(400), compass(400), metal_casting(450), paper(600), optics(600), feudalism(700), machinery(700), banking(700), guilds(1000), engineering(1000), gunpowder(1200), printing_press(1600), chemistry(1800), replaceable_parts(1800), astronomy(2000), scientific_method(2400), steel(2800), physics(4000), electricity(4500), radio(6000), computers(6500), fiber_optics(7500)


and either of:
7(18120): polytheism(100), monotheism(120), theology(500), rifling(2400), artillery(4000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

7(18340): priesthood(60), meditation(80), civil_service(800), rifling(2400), artillery(4000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

7(18360): priesthood(60), polytheism(100), civil_service(800), rifling(2400), artillery(4000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

7(18420): polytheism(100), monotheism(120), civil_service(800), rifling(2400), artillery(4000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

10(30420): polytheism(100), monotheism(120), theology(500), rifling(2400), steam_power(3200), combustion(3600), railroad(4500), flight(5000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

10(30640): priesthood(60), meditation(80), civil_service(800), rifling(2400), steam_power(3200), combustion(3600), railroad(4500), flight(5000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

10(30660): priesthood(60), polytheism(100), civil_service(800), rifling(2400), steam_power(3200), combustion(3600), railroad(4500), flight(5000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

10(30720): polytheism(100), monotheism(120), civil_service(800), rifling(2400), steam_power(3200), combustion(3600), railroad(4500), flight(5000), rocketry(5000), satellites(6000)

16(40490): priesthood(60), meditation(80), code_of_laws(350), civil_service(800), philosophy(800), economics(1400), corporation(1600), nationalism(1800), education(1800), constitution(2000), steam_power(3200), combustion(3600), railroad(4500), assembly_line(5000), industrialism(6500), plastics(7000)

17(40650): meditation(80), polytheism(100), monotheism(120), code_of_laws(350), civil_service(800), philosophy(800), economics(1400), corporation(1600), nationalism(1800), education(1800), constitution(2000), steam_power(3200), combustion(3600), railroad(4500), assembly_line(5000), industrialism(6500), plastics(7000)

17(41470): polytheism(100), monotheism(120), code_of_laws(350), theology(500), civil_service(800), divine_right(1200), economics(1400), corporation(1600), nationalism(1800), education(1800), constitution(2000), steam_power(3200), combustion(3600), railroad(4500), assembly_line(5000), industrialism(6500), plastics(7000)

Sorry to all those, who want to see me blunder, my comp is in repair.
As i'm abstinent, my brain is firing crazy ideas to fill the emptiness.

After having rethought, i of course agree, that only researching the absolute necessary techs would fail horribly.
But if one is trying to get fiber optics asap, his speed will actually slightly if he researches several early techs, whose cost are insignificant compared to the fiber optic, radio, etc.

Thank to the list of ekanata i can for example see that when going the fastest research path (50800+18120=68920) and sidestepping early for agriculture(~70), animal husbandry(~140), alphabet(~150), archery(~100?) and horseback riding(~250) will just add ~750 additional cost, which is insignificant to 68920 and their cost will more than pay before getting internet.

So the better question is, which techs are worth sidestepping for, as they pay before getting internet?

Which ones do not pay before getting internet, so are better got through internet?

For buildings and wonders this questions can be answered, e.g. alphabet will pay fast and then literature is just one step away(~300?), which will pay as fast, via great library, heroic epic and libraries.

The optimal "beeline" internet should probably look at least up to early middle age nearly identical to standard research plan.
When is it worth to ignore the rest to get Al Gore?

Carn

it is strange how can be writing without alphabet... but I guess you would fail... unless tech trading is allowed.