SevenSpirits
Immortal?
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2007
- Messages
- 512
In pre-release screenshots we saw of the tech tree, Civil Service cost only 20% more than the other early Medieval techs. Now it's 60% more, and for good reason. It's pretty ridiculously good.
Unfortunately, the price change only makes it MORE critical to acquire it immediately without paying for it, and this makes the Great Library -> Civil Service plan even more powerful. In all my games so far, the cost of Civil Service may as well have been a million, because I've only used the Great Library or a Great Scientist to get it.
To get it with the Great Library (the fastest and most powerful route), you need Animal Husbandry -> Trapping, and Pottery -> Writing -> Philosophy. You must finish the last of these on (or before) the turn that you finish the Great Library.
Even with a horrible, no-production start, you have enough time to build scout/worker/worker/GLib and can get it done by about turn 34 on Quick. Two workers are a good idea because you'll grow quite quickly after CS comes in. This speed is approximately necessary to land the wonder on Immortal difficulty, and you actually might barely lose it!
If you're lucky, you will have a decent start and can squeeze in another tech and/or build. Mining is pretty safe. Mining + Masonry (to accelerate the GLib with Marble) is risky. Calendar is in between, and it's fairly good since it allows some resource hookups and, if you have good production, Stonehenge before the GLib. (To play it safe, you may want to pause Stonehenge while working on GLib.)
For tech order, you probably want to get Animal Husbandry first for the horses, and after that you should go for Writing next if you don't have camps to build. This is because the GLib generally takes longer to build than Philosophy takes to research.
If you're planning to divert to Calendar, you may want to get Pottery->Calendar first.
If you're playing on lower difficulty than Immortal, you have more time. Not sure how much - I've only played once on King and once on Emperor. I got it way later (like 4 techs) in those games though.
Unfortunately, the price change only makes it MORE critical to acquire it immediately without paying for it, and this makes the Great Library -> Civil Service plan even more powerful. In all my games so far, the cost of Civil Service may as well have been a million, because I've only used the Great Library or a Great Scientist to get it.
To get it with the Great Library (the fastest and most powerful route), you need Animal Husbandry -> Trapping, and Pottery -> Writing -> Philosophy. You must finish the last of these on (or before) the turn that you finish the Great Library.
Even with a horrible, no-production start, you have enough time to build scout/worker/worker/GLib and can get it done by about turn 34 on Quick. Two workers are a good idea because you'll grow quite quickly after CS comes in. This speed is approximately necessary to land the wonder on Immortal difficulty, and you actually might barely lose it!
If you're lucky, you will have a decent start and can squeeze in another tech and/or build. Mining is pretty safe. Mining + Masonry (to accelerate the GLib with Marble) is risky. Calendar is in between, and it's fairly good since it allows some resource hookups and, if you have good production, Stonehenge before the GLib. (To play it safe, you may want to pause Stonehenge while working on GLib.)
For tech order, you probably want to get Animal Husbandry first for the horses, and after that you should go for Writing next if you don't have camps to build. This is because the GLib generally takes longer to build than Philosophy takes to research.
If you're planning to divert to Calendar, you may want to get Pottery->Calendar first.
If you're playing on lower difficulty than Immortal, you have more time. Not sure how much - I've only played once on King and once on Emperor. I got it way later (like 4 techs) in those games though.
