Term 3 - Ministry of Science

Welcome to the Licentian Ministry of Science!

Here you will find the greatest minds in our nation working together to achieve technological superiority in our region. Please wear a lab coat, and don't mind the explosions...

Administration
Minister: Sigma
Deputy Minister: Pajka

Current Research Queue (# of turns)
1. Drama (9)
2. Meditation (6) (Germany won't trade)

Last 5 Researched/Acquired Techs
Iron Working (trade)
Masonry (trade)
Archery (trade)
Fishing (trade)
Alphabet

Available Techs to Research (# of turns) (civs that have it)
Sailing (7) (Mongolia won't trade)
Horseback Riding (17)
Polytheism (7) (Mongolia won't trade)
Priesthood (5) After Meditation
Mathematics (17)
Metal Casting (39)
Philosophy (62) After Meditation

Discussions
3A: What techs are we willing to trade?
Secretary of State: Trades!
3B: Technology after Alphabet
3C: Taoism or Catapults

Polls
3A: Tech Trading Policy (closed)
3B: Technology after Alphabet (closed)
3C: Taoism or Catapults? (open)

Link to Term 2 Thread

Current Tech Tree (click to enlarge)

Honorable Science Minister Sigma I would like to understand our research philosophy.

I think this is where we are at so I hope you don't mind if I write it down in case I forgot something.
Techs in hand
Ag - farms
wheel - roads
Hunting - spears
Bronze - axes and copper
Mysticism
Writing
Alphabet - trading

Now the question is what can we trade? To me, it seems there's a logical to trade for either Poly or meditation. Both open the door to priesthood, which if it can't be traded for, should be researched.

Priesthood with alpha (which shouldn't be traded IMO) opens the door to Code of laws which accomplishes many things for all our citizens.

For the spiritual, it gives us confucianism which will improve our economy as well as make our cities happier.

For the warmonger, it gives courthouses which are the most important warmonger build.
For the culturally inclined, we can convert to caste system which will double our GP points.
The last thing is it gives us a free tech. To me that tech would be metal casting since it leads to machinery. Machinery early will be more devastating to our enemies than IW. Macemen are simply overwhelming.

Poly 100 beakers - opens priesthood
meditation 80 beakers - opens priesthood
Priesthood 60 opens code of laws with alpha
Code of laws 350- free tech, court, confucianism and enables caste

currency 400 beakers - also opens code of laws and Markets
IW 200 beakers - swords and reveals iron
math 250 beakers -duct and leads to construction and cats.
metal casting 450 beakers - leads to machinery (700 beakers) which opens macemen which make swordsmen less important.

Can you give your thoughts.

Thank you for the analysis Whomp. I think the most important thing that you missed is that Code of Laws does not give you a free tech for being the first to research it. Your argument is good, but unfortunately it is flawed. Knowing that you wouldn't get Metal Casting for free with it, even though everything else is correct, are you still behind your proposal?

It's good to look in the long term, but I think Iron Working's benefits are too good to put off for much longer. Besides giving us swordsmen, it reveals the location of Iron, so we can strategically place our next city/cities, to get the iron for ourselves and/or cut an opponent off from it.

My bad Sigma. I'm so used to slinging CoL with the Oracle I forgot that's part of the deal.

With that said I'd still be behind the proposal since I think the other techs, like IW, can eventually be traded for. We have a 300 beaker tech in hand with alpha so my assumption is we can get IW (200 beaker) when we need it. The other thing is Boaring Wallow will be building a library so no settlers or swords would be built in the near term so IW is really not a critical tech right now.

It would seem to me from a militarisic standpoint more axes and spears at 35s are more important than swords at 40s IMO because I don't see offensive actions in our near term horizon. Axes are really the better value for us right now since they are +50% vs. swords and spears are 100% vs. mounted units.

Whomp,

I'll take your input into account when I'm writing up my tech trading plan. Of course, we'll have a chance to discuss and vote on this plan once I have presented it.

<lurkers comment>

Whomp for Deputy Minister Of Science...

I am pleased to announce that our researchers have discovered HIEROGLYPHICS!
(otherwise known as Alphabet)



Chieftess has started a thread to discuss trades - Click here
I have posted a thread to discuss our next research - Click here
Go and voice your opinions!

I still have not received any applications for Deputy. If you want to be the Deputy Minister of Science, just send me a PM. (you'll probably get it because no one is applying)

And last but not least...
This is my 100th post!!

I have selected my Deputy Minister of Science... Congratulations to Pajka!

He will do well as deputy this term.

I am going to be away for up to 4 days. Until I return, or unless I can get internet access while I am away, Pajka will assume the position of Minister of Science.

First post updated with most recent information.