early science

[natef]

i cant keep my research above %60 between the ancient and medieval periods im usually the germans or babylonians and i go for conquest at the beginning of the game with the germans i expand nicely but my science suffers and have a very expensive military if im babylonians i expand as fast as possible but i end up with dozens of unproductive cities and science again suffers, if i do get ahead in science from goody huts i never can make enough cash of selling the research to kick start my science probobaly because im stuck in regent

 

[andrewgprv]

Libraries + Marketplaces = Great Science Output

Build more Libraries and Marketplaces they make a BIG difference in the Ancient and Early Medevil Ages.

 

[GerrardCapashen]

Why are your cities unproductive. Before you can rake in the gold and turn it into science you must first fix the problems with your cities. Figure out why they are corrupted and fix that, and then you will have no problems keeping up in tech.

 

[danwhit]

I wouldn't sell my techs after the first couple turns(the first column of techs on the ancient era chart). First of all you probably won't get the value and the other civ will sell that tech to everyone. If you must sell a tech, don't do it when they come to you on **their** turn, do it on your turn(when you go to them and offer) otherwise after you sell it to them--everyone will have it before you can do anything else. Selling techs won't really boost your ability to do better research. It might get you some money but youll be even farther behind.

 

[MTheil3508]

Irrigate your cities and make them as large as you can. Build all available reseach improvments. The bigger the city, the more research, and this is muliplied with libraries, universities, and research labs.

Try to build wonders that help with research. Such ones would be: The Great Library, Newton's University, Copernicus' Observatory, Theroy Of Evolution. The Internet, SETI Program.

Wonders that reduce maintance, such as The Pyramids, Sun Tsu's Art of War, Smith's Trading Company allow you to increase you research rate by giving you more gold per turn. The Forbidden Palace also increses you gold per turn by acting as a second palace, thus reducing corruption. Build The Forbidden Palace in the parts of you civilization that are the most corrupt to give you the full effect.

 

[natef]

Thanks for the help, but one more question; approxiamately how many cities should i have before the earth has been completely settled with a standard sized map, without going to war with any other nations?

 

[Bamspeedy]

How many cities depends on the water% of the map, how large of a continent you start on and whether you share that continent with anyone and how closely you are building your cities to one another. I always have a goal of claiming more land than my neighbor (giving a preference to high food areas-bonus resources, and also strategic resources).
Usually in the ancient era, the AI just doesn't have the money to give you for techs, so you're usually better off trying to trade techs for techs. While in despotism irrigating won't do any good on grassland, except for bonus resources (wheat, cattle). Get luxuries so that you won't need your luxury rate up so high and use MP(military police) so you can have more people content in your cities, thus not having to hire so many entertainers and bringing in more commerce/shields by having more citizens able to work the tiles. Have 1-2 workers for every city improving the land and laying down roads. Get out of despotism as fast as you can.

 

[Karl_t_great]

Early tech's are relatively cheap, particulary second hand. I usually save my money until I have education, buy some, get most for peace.

Libs and uni's are not worthwhile in every city.For example a city of 6 pop giving 10 gold (count gold in city view map), and having 5 corruption:
%sci Base Lib Lib+Uni
0___ 0____0____0
10___1____1____ 2
30___2____3____4
50___3____4____6
70___4____6____8
90___5____7___10

So at 50% sci You get even when taking into accout the 1 and 1+2 for maint.
Take a look into DA (domestic advisor) view and see where all the money is going. If you cannot put 50% science
concider buing the tech's.

 

[tao]

If you have 50% corruption, build courthouses, not libraries. They increase shields plus commerce.

 

[fephisto]

Or you could just every once in a while use a bunch of archers (or whatever you can build) to raze and pillage so you could in the end get tribute

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

It can, at times, get pretty hard to keep up in techs in ancient times. A great way to compensate for this is to get the great library early, especially before you have all your cities fitted with libraries/marketplaces. This way, you can expand freely, and dont have to worry about your tech rate.

Originally posted by fephisto
Or you could just every once in a while use a bunch of archers (or whatever you can build) to raze and pillage so you could in the end get tribute

Yup.
You can go to war for the techs, raze/take a couple cities, kill off some of their military, and ask for techs in exchange for peace. That way, you can also get ahead in your expansion, and curb theirs.

 

[GerrardCapashen]

However, beware of keeping up a stalemate war for too long as this will eat up your finances and cause your research to fall behind. Teching up by winning wars only works if you can beat your opponent up quickly and without doubt.

 

[Navinist]

In ancient times I find it best to keep your research a 10% and rake in the money. I find the biggest priority is land grabbing and war. Create a strong army and a secure border, then switch to a more scientific approach. Its fairly cheap to buy techs in the begining, or get them from peace treaties through war and turning around a trading it to everyone you knoe for more techs are cash.

 

[Globetrotter]

On higher levels you will notice that it is quite impossible to keep up in tech, especially that these will tend to be pretty much expensive.
I usually keep a scientist so that my tech research is at least 40 turns to start with, and i try to grab techs from wars or from civs that have a couple of cities left, while being wiped out by other civs.