Best stratagy for tech discovory order?

[Mezz]

How do you decide between your "Wants" and "Must Haves". Lately I've been streamlining to "Iron Working" and "Music" for my iron resource and a free artist (to push culture near close boundaries..... I usually play Duel with 5 Civ's so free land disappears quickly). When does it become "A Bad Stratagy" to learn an advanced tech while negating earlier ones such as "Sailing" or "Priesthood" or "Meditation" for one sole tech that allows a more powerful army "Gunpowder" or land improvement "Metal Casting" (that allows workshops right?)

Or is it a better idea to learn all the techs in the "Bronze Era" then the next etc. Essentially trying to keep the tech tree progressing from left to right without needing to go back for a weaker tech (at least not having to go back a huge distance).

 

[kossin]

It depends on the map too much to answer correctly... one game going for the Music GA is a good option but the next one it isn't because 4 AIs are also beelining it.

Back to... play the map.

Improve land, tech rate, tech what AIs don't have for trading purposes...

 

[madscientist]

TEch prioritizing is dependant on difficulty and the game progression. Iron working is a must have if you do not have copper or horses and Shaka nearby, yet can be delayed until an AI trades it if you do have copper. The Free Great Artist from Music is usually not worth it alone, however the AIs will back trade alot for it.

Sailing is a valuable early economic tech allowing trade routes via the seas, something I would never delay that long.

If you have friendly neighbors, sometimes researching something like Aesthetics (Which the AI does not prioritize much) and trading it around for things like iron working, MAth, alphabet makes it worthwhile.

Ignoring priesthood means ignoring Monarchy. Doable sometimes, but generally the happy cap become's an issue.

 

[DaveMcW]

When does it become "A Bad Stratagy" to learn an advanced tech while negating earlier ones such as "Sailing" or "Priesthood" or "Meditation" for one sole tech that allows a more powerful army "Gunpowder" or land improvement "Metal Casting"

It's bad when you don't have any friends who will sell you the earlier techs.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

1. Beeline techs that let you trade for multiple techs you can use/need. Turn your slider down until you can get a tech at 100% the whole time. Once you can, look at the AI trade screen and see what it doesn't have. Pick that (if you are on high levels, go for aesthetics and trade it for alphabet, after that you can see. Below immortal or possibly emperor, just research alphabet directly IMO).
2. If 1 isn't possible because you can't trade, research techs that benefit your empire most directly.

Ignoring priesthood means ignoring Monarchy. Doable sometimes, but generally the happy cap become's an issue.

You can get monarchy through mono. It's possible to skip priesthood forever, although I don't recommend it since it is cheap and reasonably useful (obviously strong if you can get oracle too).

 

[BigTime]

1. Worker techs
2. Writing
3. Tech for trading (aesthetics on higher difficulties, straight Alpha on lower)

This is highly variable of course, with rushes, wonder gambits, and other needs like archery and perhaps iron working, but those are usually my priorities. Like kossin said, play the map, don't come in to the game with a solid tech path in mind. If you start 15 tiles away from Shaka, you obviously don't want to beeline Alpha straight away.

 

[shyuhe]

Trade for iron working. About the only time you should tech it yourself is if there are readily reachable gems hidden under jungle.

 

[Orzio]

Trade for iron working. About the only time you should tech it yourself is if there are readily reachable gems hidden under jungle.

Or if you want to do a swordman rush?

 

[shyuhe]

Or if you want to do a swordman rush?

Rush with axes or with catapults unless you have praets, which don't really count as swords anyways.

 

[Orzio]

Rush with axes or with catapults unless you have praets, which don't really count as swords anyways.

But if there is no bronze close.

 

[Oggums]

Iron Working can almost always be traded for.

A swordsman "rush" doesn't really work past Monarch level. By the time you can self-research IW and build up your sword raider stack, you're going to need catapults. Tech something else and trade for IW, and attack with swords+cats.

Do this:

Turn your slider down until you can get a tech at 100% the whole time. Once you can, look at the AI trade screen and see what it doesn't have. Pick that (if you are on high levels, go for aesthetics and trade it for alphabet, after that you can see. Below immortal or possibly emperor, just research alphabet directly IMO).

Aesthetics really is a bad idea below Immortal; You'll probably just end up waiting for someone to get Alphabet before you can trade it. If someone does have Alphabet before you turn the slider up, and is willing to trade, then do Aesthetics.

 

[Negator_UK]

It's bad when you don't have any friends who will sell you the earlier techs.

So is this the best time to take advantage of prior-tech bonuses ?? Whenever I try to use these in normal games I feel like I'm playing sub-optimally, but but I keep trying because 20%+ research bonuses are just too tempting....

 

[Oggums]

Research the more advanced techs to trade, then if the AI wont trade a bronze era tech that you need, just self-research it. It's probably only a couple of turns at that point, anyway.

You'll also help prevent "We fear you're becoming too advanced." It sucks to trade for Priesthood, then have someone later refuse to trade Feudalism because of it.