I don't know if you guys have heard this strategy before, but I just toyed with it recently. The basic idea is to try and rush (rush as in build quickly, not hurry or whip in any way) a Great Library very earily, before you even have basic techs like the wheel and warrior code. If you pull it off you get a huge slew of free techs, probably even half a dozen in one turn.
You need to choose a civ that starts with alphabet. Our inital research goals don't have much leeway, so if you want the pyramids it helps to have a civ that starts with masonry. The French start with both masonry and alphabet, they are also industrious which is gonna help with what we have planed.
Start the game as normal, but research writing as your first advance. Because you have few cities, its gonna take 40 turns for your first advance no matter what you choose. Since writing takes longer to research than advances with no prerequistes, you'll save time later by researching it now.
As you work on writing, you need to have a city close to your capital start construction on a city palace, you'll switch this city to the great library obviously. Make sure you have two defenders (for unrest) before you strart this city on the palace. As you finish writing, you only have a dozen or two turns to get some basic necessity techs such as bronze working (for spearmen) and ceremonial burial (for temples) before you must begin researching literacy. Of course you are playing a risk by not being able to build any offensive units, so you are gonna have to curb any early conflicts.
Theres no point to researching literacy right away after writing, as by the time you finish it your palace won't be near completion. However, if you go for too many techs before literacy, you'll risk building the palace (you will also decrease the free techs you get from this strategy)
If your workers have been busy making roads, you should be able to increase your science budget up enough in order to research both bronze working and ceremonial burial in 16-21 turns. Literacy must also be given extra science attention, depending on how much of your palace is built. Once you get Literacy switch the palace to the Great Library and research advances such as philosophy and code of laws (you don't want to learn any techs the AI's are gonna likely have.)
When I tried this strategy the completion of the Great Library gave no less than 7 (seven!) immediate advances: iron working, warrior code, the wheel, horseback riding, pottery, mystism, and polytheism. Map making soon followed, not to mention I had literacy, code of laws, and philosophy to boot!
I think the trick in getting this strat to work effectively is to be able to get as many shields done on the palace and great library as quickly as possible. Make sure to mine every square your great library city works. Also, your great library city's size is gonna increase beyond its capacity to be happy without a temple, so increase your luxuries budget when this happens (you don't want to waste precious shields on entertainers). It greatly helps to be playing against many civs, as there is more of a "pot" of techs for your library to choose from.
I also turned off all barbarains for this, as to prevent the AI from getting any techs from minor villages (the goodie huts). This resulted in each civilization in having a handfull of different techs, and with only ME having ALL of them!
Don't forget that you must have communications with a civ in order for your library to potentialy learn from it. This means you are gonna want communications with everyone, so buy them with techs and gold (just don't trade literacy until you finish the GL)
I would appreciate any feedback!
You need to choose a civ that starts with alphabet. Our inital research goals don't have much leeway, so if you want the pyramids it helps to have a civ that starts with masonry. The French start with both masonry and alphabet, they are also industrious which is gonna help with what we have planed.
Start the game as normal, but research writing as your first advance. Because you have few cities, its gonna take 40 turns for your first advance no matter what you choose. Since writing takes longer to research than advances with no prerequistes, you'll save time later by researching it now.
As you work on writing, you need to have a city close to your capital start construction on a city palace, you'll switch this city to the great library obviously. Make sure you have two defenders (for unrest) before you strart this city on the palace. As you finish writing, you only have a dozen or two turns to get some basic necessity techs such as bronze working (for spearmen) and ceremonial burial (for temples) before you must begin researching literacy. Of course you are playing a risk by not being able to build any offensive units, so you are gonna have to curb any early conflicts.
Theres no point to researching literacy right away after writing, as by the time you finish it your palace won't be near completion. However, if you go for too many techs before literacy, you'll risk building the palace (you will also decrease the free techs you get from this strategy)
If your workers have been busy making roads, you should be able to increase your science budget up enough in order to research both bronze working and ceremonial burial in 16-21 turns. Literacy must also be given extra science attention, depending on how much of your palace is built. Once you get Literacy switch the palace to the Great Library and research advances such as philosophy and code of laws (you don't want to learn any techs the AI's are gonna likely have.)
When I tried this strategy the completion of the Great Library gave no less than 7 (seven!) immediate advances: iron working, warrior code, the wheel, horseback riding, pottery, mystism, and polytheism. Map making soon followed, not to mention I had literacy, code of laws, and philosophy to boot!
I think the trick in getting this strat to work effectively is to be able to get as many shields done on the palace and great library as quickly as possible. Make sure to mine every square your great library city works. Also, your great library city's size is gonna increase beyond its capacity to be happy without a temple, so increase your luxuries budget when this happens (you don't want to waste precious shields on entertainers). It greatly helps to be playing against many civs, as there is more of a "pot" of techs for your library to choose from.
I also turned off all barbarains for this, as to prevent the AI from getting any techs from minor villages (the goodie huts). This resulted in each civilization in having a handfull of different techs, and with only ME having ALL of them!
Don't forget that you must have communications with a civ in order for your library to potentialy learn from it. This means you are gonna want communications with everyone, so buy them with techs and gold (just don't trade literacy until you finish the GL)
I would appreciate any feedback!
