Best way to tech w/o cottages or mids?

[QuantumPion]

What is the most effective way to tech up when playing as a non financial / non philosophical civ, with no pyramids? Spam farms on every possible tile, and run as many cast system scientists as possible? How about when lacking strong food sources and/or are isolated?

[kossin]

Pointy sticks economy.

[AutomatedTeller]

So... no food, no good cottage sites, no way to find other people to do pointy-stick research?

restart? I mean - if you can't do anything...

maybe research to alpha and build research in all your cities on your way to optics?

[Wulf38]

If you can find at least one city site with riverside tiles, cottage that. Otherwise focus on food and hammers, build wealth/research and run scientists. Non-rep specialists and building wealth can get you to cuirassiers in time to take some land, or to Constitution if you want to tech up more with your specialists.

[Skallagrimson]

1. Writing.
2. Scientists.
3. FTW.

[TheMeInTeam]

Whip infra; your alternatives are lacking. Later on you can run caste/pacifism or some such for bursts of GPP to speed your tech temporarily.

Get as many trade routes as possible.

Capture better land before you fall too far behind.

Build cottages if your land isn't utter crap?

[Kid R]

Same way as without them, just a little bit slower. The pyramids even cost a ton of hammers (assuming a hammer weighs 4lb) and in many if not most starts are not an optimum build.

Anyway as the people are saying land is not only power, it's tech too.

[QuantumPion]

Originally Posted by TheMeInTeam

Whip infra; your alternatives are lacking. Later on you can run caste/pacifism or some such for bursts of GPP to speed your tech temporarily.

Get as many trade routes as possible.

Capture better land before you fall too far behind.

Build cottages if your land isn't utter crap?

I'm on an Archipelago (Emperor difficulty). I have a couple good power cities but the rest are fairly meh coastal cities. Unfortunately I missed out on GL AND colossus by 1 turn. I didn't really feel the need to run slavery to whip infrastructure since my cities aren't that great, they are just building wealth so I can keep my slider high. I did get 10 cities total though which has probably been my saving grace.

When I finally met the other AI's, I was ahead of most of them except Zara whom I'm about tied with. I did win the liberalism race handily. Just got Astro and am planning on working towards constitution, then assembly line + combustion.

Big Pics:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

[Tristan_C]

Originally Posted by QuantumPion

When I finally met the other AI's, I was ahead of most of them except Zara whom I'm about tied with.

Yes I was about to say with the conditions outlined in the OP, you have to bank on the AIs facing similar difficulties and being as tech-retarded as you are. It looks like that's more or less what happened. If NOT isolated, and especially if the AIs have better land than you do, one good alternative is espionage since it returns more than beakers point-for-point.

[plasmacannon]

The phrase "It's the Economy stupid" comes to mind here.
Every game you need to have some idea on how your economy will succeed.
CE= Financial = Cottage spam + Colossus + windmills are a great start.
SE= Philosophical = Caste System + Pasificism + Great Library and more wonders are a great start.
Trade Economy = The Great Lighthouse, Currency, Castles, Free Market, Cothon (when Carthrage).
EE= The Great Wall, get Alphabet and steal techs or treasury.
IND leaders can build wonders for fail gold.
IND or SPI leaders build UofS and Spiral Minerat for gold and research.
SPI definitely found at least one religion and spread it everywhere.
Conquer cities, burn, if, you can't afford them.
Raid Improvements for gold.

These ARE the plans.
I do at least one of these, usually, multiple, every game.
It sounds like to me, you started without a plan and ended up where you are.
First mistake.

Playing Civ, by Planning your Economy, and you shall surely be victorious.
Playing Civ, hoping to gain an Economy, and you shall surely perish.

Some Civ applied Sun Tzu.

To help you where you are at, try to do as much of the above, that are still possible.
Certain wonders are built, capture those cities.
Castles are obsolete, but, free market is still available, build harbors, maximize trade revenue, especially to overseas cities.
Spying for techs or gold, will still be useful.
Found any remaining religion or capture any holy city and convert.
Build UofS and Spiral Minerat, if, still available.
You can still run specialists, but, they will have a lessening effect at this point.
Great Merchants will get you some gold to be able to keep your tech slider high.
Golden ages for Artists. Prophets too, After, you have built your religious building.
Conquering cities for gold will still work, and Raiding Improvements for gold too.

In 'Always War' games, Raiding is what I do all game.
Sometimes the only way to out tech the AI, is to destroy their improvements, until, your Improvements are greater than theirs.
This will work with whomever you are at war with in any game.

[GGracchus]

Build the 10 HA wonder and have fun.

[Zx Zero Zx]

Attack the world with your shiny army, then capitulate them for their shiny techs after a few cities. Or run the hammer economy where you build wealth research and more units.

[AutomatedTeller]

Originally Posted by QuantumPion

I'm on an Archipelago (Emperor difficulty). I have a couple good power cities but the rest are fairly meh coastal cities. Unfortunately I missed out on GL AND colossus by 1 turn. I didn't really feel the need to run slavery to whip infrastructure since my cities aren't that great, they are just building wealth so I can keep my slider high. I did get 10 cities total though which has probably been my saving grace.

When I finally met the other AI's, I was ahead of most of them except Zara whom I'm about tied with. I did win the liberalism race handily. Just got Astro and am planning on working towards constitution, then assembly line + combustion.

Big Pics:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

having 3 gold and a lot of coast is a good way to get commerce for teching....

[QuantumPion]

Originally Posted by AutomatedTeller

having 3 gold and a lot of coast is a good way to get commerce for teching....

Yup and that is entirely what I relied on.

I ended up winning my game but it took a while. It was really hairy at first. I wanted to start island hopping and taking out the AI's one by one but I had no iron or oil. I took out the weakest AI with just galleons and infantry but to proceed from there I had to tech to fission to be able to make destroyers.

Anyways from there I just beelined flight for marines+fighters combo and was able to take out everyone else from there, eventually getting a diplo victory when I had everyone except Zara. That game kind of sucked though, I hate having such a terrible economy and research rate the whole time.

[TheMeInTeam]

^ Fission/rocketry/fascism/flight = nukes/paratroopers. Maybe throw in radio there for subs and drop flight because on all or mostly-coast maps you don't need paras. I'd probably still get AL unless you're running kremlin cash rush though because the production is very useful.

Oil is nice but IMO inferior to uranium if you MUST have only one of them.

[§L¥ Gµ¥]

Originally Posted by kossin

Pointy sticks economy.

I like it.

[Skallagrimson]

Originally Posted by GGracchus

Build the 10 HA wonder and have fun.

The 10 HA wonder is pronounced "HAH" when countered by the 5 pike wonder built by a more advanced civ. That's exactly what I said with my pikes when Shaka's HAs came to call.

Similar snickers to Genghis' keshliks now.

[bob_d]

Originally Posted by QuantumPion

What is the most effective way to tech up when playing as a non financial / non philosophical civ, with no pyramids? Spam farms on every possible tile, and run as many cast system scientists as possible? How about when lacking strong food sources and/or are isolated?

You need to build even MORE cottages than you would if you were financial to make up for the loss of commerce

I don't think that building farms to run more scientists makes sense unless you have the mids.

[TheMeInTeam]

SPI definitely found at least one religion and spread it everywhere.

Replace "found" with "adopt" maybe. MAYBE. The real draw for SPI is that lack of anarchy + cheap temple, which is ok when just going for an easy point off of autospread but EXCELLENT when going for a culture win. SPI is one of the top culture win traits.