Free Math Tech

[marceagleye]

I just noticed this recently. I was playing a game a couple of months back and when I directed the Science Advisor to Mathematics he granted me the tech instantly and for free then asked for the next tech to research. Because this worked in my favor I naturally didn't complain. I thought maybe my game had a simple one-time malfunction and I let it go. However it happened again this week. Now I am realizing both times I already had Ivory hooked up.

So now I believe this to be true but I need verification. If you have the Ivory luxury before researching Mathematics, you get the tech for free instantly when you tell the science advisor to study it, enabling you to build the Statue of Zeus right Away. Can anyone confirm this is true?

Also I forgot to say the first time it happened I was the Americans and the second time I was Carthage. Neither of these civs have the Scientific trait. So I believe this free tech applies no matter who you're playing as.

 

[EvilConqueror]

Was the last tech you researched philosophy? If you're the first to research philosophy, you're granted a free tech (whichever tech you start researching next).

 

[marceagleye]

I think I did indeed study philosophy before mathematics, but I don't recall it being immediately before. Also, I didn't know this about philosophy. Mathematics is the only tech Ive gotten free in the ancient age and both times I already had Ivory.

 

[marceagleye]

Okay I just did a test case. I loaded my current game as Carthage at 4000 BC Autosave. There is Ivory right in the Capitol city. Hooked it up while studying pottery. I went for Mathematics next and no free tech. However cultural expansion popped a goody hut and gave me ceremonial burial on the same turn. So I tried again, this time popping the goody hut with my first warrior before initial cultural expansion. After learning pottery I went again for mathematics. Again no free tech.

So here I guess now this issue is dead. Indeed it was philosophy that gave the free tech. How strange the circumstances were the same both times I got the free tech.

 

[ecuwins]

You also, typically, don't want to take math as the free tech. Ideally you want to get the most expensive tech for free *cough* Republic(or, in some cases, Monarchy). Depending on your situation, Map Making or Literature may be a better choice - for instance if you have a pre-build ready to finish and you need to switch to the Lighthouse or Great Library. That's just one of many examples to give you an idea.

 

[Spoonwood]

Ecuwins hit it dead-on. The non-typical case might be in a 20k game where your 20k site doesn't have many hills, and you have ivory hooked up, and your beaker count won't matter all that much with regard to research (say... at Chieftain), and you either had your GA already or you won't trigger your GA before you get out of despotism. Thus taking Maths as your free tech might work as the better call.

 

[Lord Katana]

You also, typically, don't want to take math as the free tech. Ideally you want to get the most expensive tech for free *cough* Republic(or, in some cases, Monarchy). Depending on your situation, Map Making or Literature may be a better choice - for instance if you have a pre-build ready to finish and you need to switch to the Lighthouse or Great Library. That's just one of many examples to give you an idea.

On higher difficulty levels, how would you expect to get replubic as free tech? You'd also need CoL and then research Philo... Personally i always go for Map Making since it's highly valued by the computer players. Those 2 techs (philo and MM) usaully get me on par with the others and sometimes even only 2 tech away from aging.

 

[Bartleby]

On higher levels, you can get the Republic Slingshot quite easily if you are the only civ that starts with Alphabet on an archipelago map. If any other civ starts with Alpha, or the map is a pangaea then you can still get it if you are very lucky.

 

[ecuwins]

On higher difficulty levels, how would you expect to get replubic as free tech? You'd also need CoL and then research Philo... Personally i always go for Map Making since it's highly valued by the computer players. Those 2 techs (philo and MM) usaully get me on par with the others and sometimes even only 2 tech away from aging.

Republic slingshot shouldn't be a problem up to and including Monarch. At Emperor it's still not too hard but you must pay a lot of attention to trades. Beyond that, it's like Bartleby stated - highly situation dependent. If I don't think I can beat the AI to Philo if taking Code of Laws first, then I just go straight for Philo and take Code of Laws as the free, and then research Republic. I like getting out of Despotism asap.

 

[KaptainK714]

i also find that if too many AI's have scouts they grab tech from goody huts and Rep if gone before i get there.