Tech Recosting and the Arcane path

[orgonebox]

As an avid magic addict, the tech recosting has changed my strategy significantly. Whereas before I didn't necessarily have to worry about the beaker count beyond ensuring I had a couple of cities pumping out good weird science, I now have to actively pursue a sage sink, a city that pumps out sages that are settled as great scientists.

While I'm sure that at lower difficulties and less distressing game options the tech recosting isn't an issue, I find that at emperor and above I can't pursue the higher tech brackets effectively without establishing a research monster. Any comments or thoughts on how tech recosting has affected your game?

[Yarnosh]

Isn't it pretty much standard strategy to create a "great person farm" city regardless of the Civ version/mod? Seems like in FfH I get sages more often than anything else by default. I have to go out of my way to get, say, prophets to build the Altars.

[Breunor]

Orgonebox,

Is this an issue of tech recosting, or is it the change to cottage growth? With cottage growth nerfed, of course, the relative benefits of a specialist based economy are greater.

I agree that great scientists are a little easier, say, than FfH because getting an Elder Counsel isn't too hard.

I've tended to use cottage based economies (and I also play at Emperor) and I am rethinking that strategy.

Best wishes,

Breunor

[orgonebox]

The specialization necessity might be due in part to the cottage growth nerf, but I've always played a mixed economy game, and never had to specialize beyond the wish for a particular type of great person. The new tech recosting certainly affects the player more than the AI. In a current game, both the Lanun and the Hippus have teched far past my luchuirps, in spite of me stomping the lanun down to one city within the first 175 turns. The hippus have just gone off the hook, as usual, and it's only by diplomatic manipulation that I can keep other civs at war with them. Overall, there's a definite sense that to keep up with the AI at a higher level (and by "keep up", I mean stay within a thousand points), you have to focus on science - pure raw beakers plus whatever bonuses you can build/settle. If you can build a cottage monster AND settle that as a science city, then you're gold.

[Monkeyfinger]

As an avid divine magic addict, commune with nature's recosting breaks my balls. Druids upgraded from mid-level priests are the pinnacle of that path, even more so than high priests, especially if you're a dwarf.

Aside from that most of the techs I really like have been cheapened or kept the same, with a few slight increases being the exception. Never really cared for the high-end arcane line (with the exception of pass through the ether for military victories on big maps, and that's been cheapened, even though AL's more expensive). Never been big on the high tier martial NUs either, which require the other techs with notably huge cost increases.

[orgonebox]

Originally Posted by Monkeyfinger

As an avid divine magic addict, commune with nature's recosting breaks my balls. Druids upgraded from mid-level priests are the pinnacle of that path, even more so than high priests, especially if you're a dwarf.

Aside from that most of the techs I really like have been cheapened or kept the same, with a few slight increases being the exception. Never really cared for the high-end arcane line (with the exception of pass through the ether for military victories on big maps, and that's been cheapened, even though AL's more expensive). Never been big on the high tier martial NUs either, which require the other techs with notably huge cost increases.

Ah yes, I won my Luchuirp game with a tower victory and the aid of overlords-upgraded dwarven druids. I had five earth mana and hemah was twin-casting earth elementals with seventeen strength. It was nice to start the tower and tell all the armies of the world to drop on by. The only combo that might work for non-dwarven civs is empyrean, or possibly the fellowship, but units that can cause stack damage are precious indeed. However, I do kind of hate the removal of lichdom from world units. I mean, how much of an exploit is it to get an extra twincaster if you have to plan for it?