Favourite starting technology?

[Han Wu Di]

My favourite starting technology is Masonry and Alphabet which is only for France.
Unluckily,I dont play France,I play China for its architecture and UU.
So my question is whats your favourite starting technology and why?,
Does starting technology affects your strategy , gameplay or gamestyle?
I like the starting tech of Masonry and Alphabet because I can rush to Republic and build Pyramid faster
Starting tech affects to me a bit because i always rushes to Republic....The slower i get to republic the slower is my civ development!

 

[philippe]

ceremonial and warrior code

 

[DaSilva]

I only play random huge map with 16 civs and as a result of being purely random I close meh eyes and just click the mouse and see what happens.

 

[Han Wu Di]

16 Civs??It is damn bloody slow when u enters mid game...

 

[Parmenion]

My PC used to be able to handle 16 civs no probs (2 or 3 second delay between turns even in mid game), but then I had the new patch and now it's more like 20 or 30 seconds....?

Anyway, the best starting techs are without a doubt Ceremonial Burial (can start building temples immediately which is important on the higher difficulties) and Masonry (as you have already said you can get pyramids underway ASAP).

 

[damunzy]

I like bronze working for defense....I guess we know who the warmonger is.

 

[Frodo Bolson]

The first techs that should be researched are the ones that reveal strategic resources in the map, or are in the way to those technologies, so you know the best places to expand your empire. Next the ones that allow wonders, next the ones that allow buildings and last the ones that allow just units or other technologies. At least that's the way I choose them, playing for cultural victory. If you play in a warfare style, I would research in the second place the ones that allow stronger units or millitary buildings or wonders, but the ones that show strategic resources would still be first.

 

[Belasaurius]

yep the starting tech can decide your fate!

 

[andyo]

no mater what civ i start with - i always gun straight for the great library - and get whatever techs are needed for it asap - if you get there first, you will grab all the techs the other civs waste time getting for you - i love to profit off the cheating a.i.'s work mmmuuhahahahahahhaaha

 

[Fayadi]

For me no matter what Civ i started with I fire straight to The Republic after that The Great Library but try to be flexible,dont be overdependent on that wonder,gunning straight to the Literature has high risk?why?If you dont get the Great Library you wasted many turns researching Literature,Writing.I used to be overdependent on The Great Library.Thats not good,be flexible!

 

[pills]

I like Bronze Working and/or Ceremonial Burial. Bronze Working because of the early spearmen, and CB so I can build that temple between settlers.

 

[Richard III]

I prefer ceremonial burial if at all possible: I build temples at that moment when my pop in early cities is too small to support new settlers or workers quickly (e.g as the fourth or fifth build). The culture benefits are obviously large, and since as my favorite civ (Aztecs) I also build the pyramids early, it helps manage pop growth later.

For those worried about slow games (which happily is not a problem on my machine) try my normal game: 12 civs on a large map as opposed to 16 on a huge. I'm finding I'm enjoying the midgame much more since there are more civs left alive to deal with, and the size seems big enough that there is some space to stretch one's legs without being bogged down entirely.

R.III

 

[Sultan Bhargash]

bronze working is key because the sooner you know where the iron is, the better.

Japan starts with the wheel, and is the only civ that starts out able to see where a strategic resource is. I always reccomend japan to beginners for that purpose. I don't know why it is that way.

ceremonial burial is also a good starting one, the other civs will hungrily trade you for it.

if it were worth playing island maps (some day they will alter corruption for the island maps) it would be worth starting as the english who are ready to cruise toward map making with pottery and the alphabet.

 

[Jason Fox]

Cerimonial burial for temples right away. I also like bronze working for spearman and a quick road to swordsman.

I'll also try to get the wheel as early as possible to see horses. If I'm not close enough it will change my whole strategy as far as where to expand.

 

[CrazyDuck]

yup its Cerimonial burial and Bronze Working for me too

I then make a beeline towards The Republic

 

[Mathias]

I agree with Han Wu Di, masonry and alphabet are my favorite techs to start with, but for different reasons. Masonry and alphabet are the most expensive early techs, not having to study them can get you an early lead. My least favorite is pottery. It is quite useless for me, as I will almost always get it from one of the first 3 huts. Another plus to starting with masonry is that you are industrious, your workers work faster, and captured workers work at normal rate.

 

[Frodo Bolson]

Also, the first turns, were you don't still have many units or buildings to mantain, you can set science research to the 100% and still earn money, or at least stay without losings. Whatever you want to research, increase science at that point, and reduce it when it becomes expensive.

 

[Selous]

Originally posted by andyo
no mater what civ i start with - i always gun straight for the great library - and get whatever techs are needed for it asap - if you get there first, you will grab all the techs the other civs waste time getting for you - i love to profit off the cheating a.i.'s work mmmuuhahahahahahhaaha

no actually, a exploit that sometimes works and it is such a shameful exploit, if u can gun fast to litriture and build the great library REAL fast (before anyone starts to research litriture) then the AI will usually not bother litriture for AGES ... and so get no librarys!!, then u can run away with the science

so i think litriture is the most valuable vs the AI and especially if none other civs have it

but i usually go for horseriding as fast as i can so i like to start with wheel so i know if i should or not

 

[andyo]

Originally posted by Selous


no actually, a exploit that sometimes works and it is such a shameful exploit,

i don't know if i would call it a shameful exploit - i think it is just a matter of priorities - or playing smart, or i guess a gamble, because if you can get there first, and can build the great library frist, you will come out ahead - but there have been plenty of times it hasn't worked, and then you can be in a bit of trouble

 

[mangdiws]

i usually rush to iron working so i can build swordsmen quickly. once i have 10 or so, it's invasion time! hehehe.