Can somone explain the slingshot

D

Drofd

Chieftain
Joined
Dec 30, 2005
Messages
68
I need help getting past noble
 
All you have to do to beat noble is rush for bronze working, pump out 2 workers, and chop every tree in sight.

The slingshot refers to getting 2 techs at once, by using the oracle, being the first to liberalism, or rushing for a tech that gets a great person (like economics) and using the great person to found another tech. It's very helpful, but isn't the only think you need to know to beat noble.
 
Yep people usually talk about the slingshot to get Civil Service or such. However, I used it the other day to get 90% of Divine Right. (The Spiral Minaret is HUGE if used properly.)

Wodan
 
Drofd said:
I need help getting past noble
Click to expand...

The most typical slingshot is the CS (Civil Service) slingshot. You discover priesthood, then bee-line to get Code of Law (which opens up CS). Once you build the Oracle, you'll have CS as one of the options for free tech.

In my experience, this straight CS slingshot is very difficult to implement at higher level. Unless you have gold or gem it takes forever to research Code of Law, and by that time the Oracle is built by somebody else already. And you'll be quite thin in military techs and resource techs. The more practical way is to use the same idea, but instead use the Oracle to discover Codes of Law (you need writing first, but you can do it quite early), build a temple and use the priest to collect religious GPP (or if you build Stonehench first in the same city), after 20+ turns you'll have the Great Prophet. If you haven't research masonry and have researched both meditation and polytheism, you will get CS (still need a few more turns of research) using the Great Prophet.

Beelining for Liberalism to get the desirable free tech is usually more realistic. The AIs seldom research education first. Make sure you are well defended or you'll be attacked by civs using more advanced units.
 
I'm a big fan of the Liberalism slingshot to get Military tradition early. Generally by the time you reach liberalism you should be able to research gunpowder. Use the free tech on Nationalism and it shouldn't be too long until you can start pumping out cavalry while your opponents are only just getting knights and musketman. It provides a huge advantage for quite a while.
 
gettingfat said:
In my experience, this straight CS slingshot is very difficult to implement at higher level. Unless you have gold or gem it takes forever to research Code of Law, and by that time the Oracle is built by somebody else already. And you'll be quite thin in military techs and resource techs. The more practical way is to use the same idea, but instead use the Oracle to discover Codes of Law (you need writing first, but you can do it quite early
Click to expand...

I've quite often used the Oracle slingshot (on monarch level) to get theology - you need to have monotheism and writing researched, but if you're going for early religions then you may well do that anyway. It means you're getting a hugely expensive tech free, which leaves you in a good bargaining position for swapping techs later on.

gettingfat said:
Beelining for Liberalism to get the desirable free tech is usually more realistic. The AIs seldom research education first. Make sure you are well defended or you'll be attacked by civs using more advanced units.
Click to expand...

Interesting. My experience (again on monarch) tends to be the reverse. I can get Oracle-CofL/theology very easily but I invariably get beaten to liberalism (though I've had a couple of frustrating times of being beaten to it by just 1 or 2 turns). I guess I'm just not accustomed to a strategy that focuses on that branch of the tech tree early enough.
 
The name of the game is technology, so I often prioritize education, which means I can be the first to liberalism. If possible, I like to select astronomy as the free tech, as it's hugely expensive, and it's nice being able to have 50% more research with both universities and observatories.
 
Wodan said:
Yep people usually talk about the slingshot to get Civil Service or such. However, I used it the other day to get 90% of Divine Right. (The Spiral Minaret is HUGE if used properly.)

Wodan
Click to expand...


IMO spiral is the best wonder in the game
 
Fallen Angel Lord said:
I'd actually say there's quite a few better than spiral such as three gorges damn, and even Notre Dame on higher levels.
Click to expand...

Notre Dame is superb, as is the Three Gorges Dam, but the latter comes in quite late.
 
It depends on how wide spread your religon is of course, I but ya Notre Dame is big, i still like the spiral though
 
I think liberalism is one of the most valuable techs. The civics that come with it are capable of taking you through the rest of the game. The free tech is also the most powerful for it can solve any number of problems:

Playing on an archipeligo or old world map? get astronomy
need money? get coorporation and the free merchant.
Are you Russian? get military tradition and cossacks (this one takes some set up, the others don't
 
A viable back door way to slingshot is to build stonehedge, get your prophet(s) research monarchy, priesthood etc etc, discover theology. Theology is huge if you have tech trading on, you can get alot of techs off it from some of the AIs...
 
I ususally don't do the CS slingshot but almost always get Liberalism first in a competitive game. I then use the free tech to get Astronomy pretty much every time.

I love the Spiral Minaret but consider the Kremlin to be far more important. If I was told I could only have one world wonder in the game it would probably be the Kremlin. Spiral Minaret is in my top ten for sure, possibly even top five.
 
Don't know if it realy counts as a slingshot, but in a recent game i found out when i bee-lined to alphabet (which is a viable strategy anyway) and trade for all early religion techs (which i will do most of the times try anyway, when trading away alphabet, try to get as much as you can for it)

and

building the stonehenge (also a very viable strat.),
= getting a great prophet

= getting theology which gives you chritianity

And you have your own little religion at at least emperor , large (contintens,st.)

When i play emperor i find i won't get a religion (won't even try it) very soon. If i am lucky i can conquer one, but if not is also seems to me religion isn't spreading fast into my city's. So i won't have a religion for a long time which isn't nice when playing emperor with lots of angry faces...

So when you are a beeliner to alpha, need a relgion , built the stonehenge, you can get a religion. Just a thing i picked up.
 
DementedAvenger said:
If possible, I like to select astronomy as the free tech, as it's hugely expensive.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised at the variety of tech choices that people make. I am obvioulsy missing something, or maybe my plans are too long term.

When I get the option to pick up a free technology (like through the oracle) I pick the most expensive one (in terms of beakers) because that is the one which would take longest to research.

For example, someone above picked Code of Laws (350 points) instead of researching Metal Casting (450 points). Wouldn't it be better to spend your research time on the 350 points and take the free 450 instead of spending an extra 3 turns researching Metal Casting instead of Code of Laws?
 
Here's an explanation on CS Slingshot and PCS slingshot, which I wrote in another thread. (I know, I'm lazy :mischief: )

For you information, I am talking about getting a very quick advantage in tech over the AI. PCS can get Nationalism and 4 cities in 400BC!!!

CS Slingshot:
Step 1: research Bronze working (for Chop Rush)
Step 2: research Pottery (you can get Pottery through 'Weel'+'Fishing' OR 'Weel'+'Agriculture'. By default the computer choses Fishing, which is a stupid if your first city is not near water. Chose wisely!)
Step 3: research Writing
Step 4: build a library in your capital and assign 1 or 2 scientists to it. You need them to grow a Great Scientist. That Great Scientist is used to build an Academy in your capital. (don't forget to remove the scientists afterwards)
Step 5: research Priesthood and start building the oracle.
Step 6: research Code of Laws
Step 7: the difficult part You want to finish the Oracle just after you got Code of Laws AND you want them as soon as possible. You can speed up research by using scientists in you capital (see Step 4); and you can speed up the Oracle by chop rushing. (You can also pre-chop forests: start chopping and cancel on the turn before finishing. You can then use those forests as an immediate boost later on.)

Additional notes:
1. you'll notice that you have time to build other things when using this approach. A good tactic is to start with a worker, chop/build a settler, and settle near a Bronze Working resource OR a resource which gains a lot of commerce (for example: Gold). Then build some defensive units and/or get another city only.
2. You know that cottages are important, right? If not, ask!

The advantage:
1. You'll have a HUGE tech lead, founded confusianism and can spread irrigation.
2. If you now research Metal Casting & Machinery, you can build an invincible army of Maceman (AI only has Axemen).



PCS Slingshot
The idea is the same as CS Slingshot, but now you want to use a Great Prophet to invent Civil Service and use the Oracle to get Nationalism immediately afterwards.

Step 0: DO NOT GET MASONRY! If you happen to get it from a gooddie hut, change strategies and go for CS Slingshot.
Step 1: research Bronze working (for Chop Rush)
Step 2: research Mysticism if you need to chop rush Stonehenge.
Step 3: choprush Stonehenge to get the 2 Great People Points for a Great Prophet.
Step 4: research Writing
Step 5: build a library in your capital. You may assign 1 scientist to it BUT know that there will be a chance that you'll get a Great Scientist instead of a Great Prophet. If you do, PCS is not viable anymore (go for CS instead).
Step 6: Start building the Oracle (DO NOT FINISH IT) and/or start pre-chopping (the time frame for finishing the Oracle will be very short (see Step 11))
Step 7: Research Code of Laws
Step 8: Do whatever you like until your Great Prophet is finished.
Step 9: Use your Great Prophet to research Civil Service.
Step 10: Civil Service will not be finished. You will still need one or two turns to finish it. Do it, switch technologies if you need to.
Step 11: Finish the Oracle and get Nationalism for free.

Additional notes:
See above

The advantage:
1. If you pull this off and still lose then you should get shot!
2. twice
3. and you CIV IV copy should be destroyed as well.


One last thing. I did not invent this strategy. I believe Velociryx of Apolyton came up with this. (www.apolyton.com)
Click to expand...

Before anyone asks: No, they're not really effective on emperor or higher!
 
Mordraken said:
When I get the option to pick up a free technology (like through the oracle) I pick the most expensive one (in terms of beakers) because that is the one which would take longest to research.

For example, someone above picked Code of Laws (350 points) instead of researching Metal Casting (450 points). Wouldn't it be better to spend your research time on the 350 points and take the free 450 instead of spending an extra 3 turns researching Metal Casting instead of Code of Laws?
Click to expand...

I do the same thing (usually), but that is secondary to what my longer term strategy is or my short term needs are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
[BTS] General questions about slavery
Replies
10
Views
1K
a pen-dragon
A
M
[BTS] Earth 18 civs - How to Win (Monarch-Emperor) : 3nd game - India (Emperor)
4 5 6
Replies
110
Views
2K
sylvanllewelyn
S
AcaMetis
Nobles' Club 382: Lincoln of America
2
Replies
23
Views
1K
Implo
Implo
AcaMetis
Nobles' Club 381: Augustus Caesar of Rome
Replies
8
Views
614
0urBall
0
AcaMetis
Nobles' Club 380: Darius of Persia
2
Replies
38
Views
2K
Master_Of_Ideas
M
Back
Top Bottom