How to beat the AI to RoK, as Khazad?? [FFH2 MNAI Monarch]

[Bum]

Hi there,
I just played three games as the Khazad (with Arturus Thorne) and tried to beat the AI to Way of the Earthmother. But every time some AI faction got there first.

Do I really need to leave EVERYTHING, including "essentials" like bronze working or Animal Herding, by the wayside in order to beeline that tech?? I just got the impression that it's impossible to beat the AI

One start was on flood plains with abundant food, the other was in a hilly region, the third now is in a jungle (which really sucks without bronze working). Each time some AI beat be to it by 20-30 turns.

What do you do if you really want to found an "early" religion like RoK? Is that possible at all if you have to snatch some techs for axemen or resources before researching Way of the Earthmother?

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

you need to bulb the tech with a great prophet

 

[Bum]

How do you produce prophets so early? Do you manually turn some citizens into specialists even when your city is only 3-4 pop? Or is there some other way?

I never bothered with specialists that early, partially because I thought increased food from worked tiles was in the long run better than the specialist yields.

(Kudos to the guy who made MNAI, his AI appears to be a whole lot better at this game than me )

 

[BobCW]

Bulbing is more-or-less the only way on higher difficulties, because of how many bonuses the AI has. Sometimes they'll inexplicably ignore random religious techs for ages, but you can never count on it. Exact techs will depend on the lay of the land, strategic concerns, etc. but generally I would do the following:

* Aim for Myst as your second or third tech, with Calendar or crafting possibly coming beforehand if you have Dye / Incense / Multiple Wines.

* Adopt Godking and Pacifism as soon as they are available.

* After Myst, research Crafting -> Mining.

* Use boosted Godking production + chops & mines to produce a Pagan temple ASAP.

* Immediately start running a priest. Your prophet should appear within 22 turns or so, less if you're a Philo leader. If you're feeling ballsy, you can also build an elder council and run a sage, giving you a great person much more quickly but also massively stunting your growth and potentially giving you the wrong type.

* Once the Prophet appears, bulb Runes.

* Enjoy your religion! Hopefully it was worth the sacrifice...

 

[Bum]

Thanks for the tips. That is definitely going to change my early game strategy.

 

[BobCW]

No problem. Bear in mind that those steps are only necessary if you want to consistently beat Immortal or Deity-level AI to the Runes. It is entirely possible to simply research it first while following a relatively normal set of opening techs (ie prioritizing food & commerce over getting a quick Pagan Temple). You just won't be able to beat the AI every time. A lot will depend on how good your starting resources are, and if the Dwarves are in the game- they love the beeline the tech, and Beeri and Kandros in particular are very difficult to out-research without resorting to a bulb.


You could also try playing one era in. That'll allow you to start researching the Runes as your first tech, and you'll have enough worker techs that your capital can be fully productive in the meantime.