Early Maces, the gory details

[Paeanblack]

The earliest I have been able to get Macemen is about 400BC with Elizabeth on Monarch/Epic. With sufficient opponents in range, BC Macemen is a true game-breaker. Th

The general outline of the plan follows the standard development path for the first 2000 years.
-Explore a bit
-Research Bronze Working
-Settle next to Copper
-Build 4-5 Axemen and take the nearest enemy capital. Eliminate the opponent if convenient.
-In the meantime, research Pottery via the more useful Food tech.
-Achieve all of this by about 2000 BC

The gory details:
Early Maces requires 4 major techs:
-Code of Laws
-Metal Casting
-Machinery
-Civil Service

The idea behind early maces is getting all four of these by researching as few as possible. The ideal plan is to research the cheapest one, use the Oracle for another, and lightbulb the other two. This must be accomplished within the following constraints:
-Civil Service can't reliably be researched with the Oracle. Machinery certainly cannot be.
-Getting 2 great people as soon as possible mean putting all the GPP in one city.
-Great Engineer points can't exceed 3GPP.

Start researching to Priesthood in the meantime, pick a spot for your Oracle city and settle there. What you are looking for is:
-A 5-food tile. (Fish, irrigated Wheat/Corn/Rice, etc)
-Two hills.
-Forests. Lots and lots of forests. Look for 16+ forests within 4 tiles of the site.

While you are researching, upgrade the food, build 2 mines, and start pre-chopping the forests. When you have Priesthood, start the Oracle, and start chopping. Research Code of Laws. Time your chopping so you have at least 6 forests that drop either on the turn you finish the Oracle or on the turn after. Take Metal Working as your free tech. Build a Forge the turn after you build the Oracle by using those extra trees. Whip the last part if you ran out of trees or worker-turns. Start running an Engineer specialist immediately.

If you got all of this done by ~1200 BC, you are in great shape. Pat yourself on the back. Here are the finishing steps
-Research Polytheism.
-Build a Barracks in all of your other cities
-Get your economy prepared for war.
-Save up some cash to upgrade any level 3+ Axemen.
-Use the first Great Engineer on Machinery
-Use the first Great Prophet on Civil Service
-Hope that you get one of each
-If you get the engineer first, send the Confucian Missionary to the Oracle/Forge city and build a Temple. Run a Priest to increase your GPP and Great Prophet odds.

Have fun.

 

[aelf]

Soon you'll need Maths for Civil Service. End of CS slingshot unless you don't get the new patch

 

[DrewBledsoe]

Soon you'll need Maths for Civil Service. End of CS slingshot unless you don't get the new patch

And about time too...well until someone comes up with a new method..

 

[drkodos]

Soon you'll need Maths for Civil Service. End of CS slingshot unless you don't get the new patch

True, but I believe this system here advocated by the OP is not reliant on the CS slingshot. Of course, it still need by modified by adding the discovery of mathematics (and will thus push it back some 10 to 20 turns) , but I think it may still present a viable path to grab maces as early as possible.

 

[kniteowl]

Soon you'll need Maths for Civil Service. End of CS slingshot unless you don't get the new patch

Are you serious? you need maths before you can lightbulb CS in the next patch? that means the Great Prophet willl lightbulb Alphabet if you don't have maths...

LMAO I can see early tech whoring on high levels... bet there's a chance you could trade writing away for the early worker techs instead of alphabet on high levels Eg- monarach and higher)

Paeanblack The strategy has already been discussed on another thread, your better off seperating your Great Engineer and Great Prophet Pools, Poping both of them will only take 28turns if your philosophical.

If you combine both the pools, you have rely on chance.

Assuming you combine the pools and have both the Oracle, Priest and Engineer Specialist all producing GPP at the same time, it'd take you (300/16) 19 turns to get your 1st 2 Great People, and 9 turns isn't much of a difference. It'll take you a little bit longer because you have to build a forge after you pop MC from the Oracle.

Besides if you do get an Engineer as your 1st GP, your better off un-assigning the Engineer Specilist and replacing it with a Priest so there's a 98-100% chance of gettting a Great Prophet even if it takes a few more turns.

Here's the link to the other thread http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=186100

 

[Paeanblack]

Soon you'll need Maths for Civil Service. End of CS slingshot unless you don't get the new patch

Actually, adding Math as a CS requirement will hardly affect this strategy since I'm only slinging Metal Working.

There is a fair amount time spent waiting for the first two GPs to pop. During that time, I only need to research the second half of Code of Laws and Polytheism. Writing and Mathematics can be pretty close to finished in time.

What I do lose is flexibility to backfill some worker techs or go for Alphabet to pick them up.

 

[aelf]

Actually, adding Math as a CS requirement will hardly affect this strategy since I'm only slinging Metal Working.

Wait, isn't Masonry required for Maths? Once you unlock the former, I don't think a prophet can lightbulb CS. I thought that was the whole point of it.

 

[kniteowl]

Wait, isn't Masonry required for Maths? Once you unlock the former, I don't think a prophet can lightbulb CS. I thought that was the whole point of it.

??? I don't think so

Construction is the tech that requires masonry, Maths only requires Writing I believe.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

Wait, isn't Masonry required for Maths? Once you unlock the former, I don't think a prophet can lightbulb CS. I thought that was the whole point of it.

No, just writing.

Masonry is required for Aquaducts though.

 

[aelf]

Oh. I think that was Civ3. Sorry