Great Scientists

[DS_Legionary]

I had forgotten that C3C had great scientists, it's been so long since I had gotten one. Last night I decided to go out of the norm and instead of doing the usualy beeline to Republic I decided to research Philosophy and pick up Poly as my free tech. Well, Poly netted me the Great Scientist....anybody else get these guys very often. It seems like it's been months since I had one last. Needless to say, the Pyramids was mine.

 

[narsqrd]

a few games back i was playing as germany and got 2 of em, one in the ancient age and another in the middle. lucky me i thought, but then i couldnt get a mgl if my life depended on, so im wondering if getting one of the leaders lessens your chance of getting the next of the other

 

[Aabraxan]

I don't get SGLs very often, but it's nice when it happens.

Yes, narsqrd, it does. As I understand it, you can have multiple SGLs, but having either an SGL or an MGL prevents you from being able to generate an MGL.

 

[Theov]

Never had one. Played 2 large map marathon (or what it's called) games.
How do you get one??

 

[vmxa]

There is check from C3 days that looks for a leader and if one is present you do not get a military leader. That chek does not exist for sci leaders, so you can get more of them, but no MGL.

Note the AI can build great wonders with an MGL as the check for that exist only in the interface used by humans, not used by the AI.

 

[DS_Legionary]

@Theov, you get them by being the first to research a technology. I think it's a 3% chance for civs that aren't scientific and a 5% chance for civs that are scientific. I could be a bit off on my percentages, but I know the Scientific civs have a better chance of getting them.

 

[The Professor]

I have only ever gotten them as Scientific civ's. It seems to help to play at lower levels, although that probably only helps because you're more likely to be the first to research a tech.

 

[Sweetchuck]

I usually get at least one during a long game.

Funny thing, it seems to come around later in the second age - always wondered if the formula gives you a chance bonus around that time, but I don't think it does.

I've also gotten them in the third age, but they're not as useful then.

Once got one after the very first turn. Talk about hitting the lottery. I actually used it initially as a scout for a few turns then sent it back to get that first wonder.

 

[Othniel]

Once got one after the very first turn. Talk about hitting the lottery. I actually used it initially as a scout for a few turns then sent it back to get that first wonder.

I'm guessing you popped a monopoly tech from a hut next to your start position. That is really good luck! But using it to scout around? That makes me nervous just thinking about it. Bob the Barbarian might be lurking just out of sight in the fog...

 

[geishapunk]

There can only be one MGL at the same time.

 

[Bucephalus]

I'm guessing you popped a monopoly tech from a hut

Hmm...... I've just asked in another thread if it is possible to get a SGL from a monopoly tech popped from a GH, and Marsden says that it isn't.

Does anyone have a definitive answer?

 

[vmxa]

Yes and I posted it in the thread you mentioned. Basically a chart of all the things that can come from a hut and a leader is not one of those things. A tech is and that could beget an SGL.

 

[AznWarlord]

I occasionally get Scientific, most of the time, it's like your situation, where I get Philo and get a free tech like Map Making. Or during the late Middle Ages where I usually become the scientific leader.

 

[Son_Of_Dido]

One time, one glorious time, I got double the SGL goodness, one for each end of the Philosophy-to-Republic slingshot. It was beautiful.

SGLs are like MGLs in that they are very much random and tend to come in clumps and droughts. However, unlike MGLs, SGLs can be stocked and hoarded.

I have generally found that your odds of getting one do tend to increase a little in the later eras, when you've gotten "ahead" of the AI's tech pace and thus you get more techs first, and thus more opportunities to get one.

But it is very random, and it's not unheard of for me to get more SGLs in a game with a non scientific civ than with a scientific one.

 

[The Professor]

I can agree with Son of Dido, here. My last game, I played as Persia, going for space victory, and I didn't get a single SGL, although I probably was the first to at least a dozen techs. I am currently playing as Britain--on an archipelago map, so the tech pace is definitely slower--and I just got my third SGL, and I haven't gotten to the Industrial Age yet. Feast or famine.

 

[Chamnix]

Hmm...... I've just asked in another thread if it is possible to get a SGL from a monopoly tech popped from a GH, and Marsden says that it isn't.

Does anyone have a definitive answer?

Yes and I posted it in the thread you mentioned. Basically a chart of all the things that can come from a hut and a leader is not one of those things. A tech is and that could beget an SGL.

Marsden is correct - you can get a tech from a hut, but you cannot get an SGL from a tech popped from a hut.

 

[DS_Legionary]

Marsden is correct - you can get a tech from a hut, but you cannot get an SGL from a tech popped from a hut.

If no other civ has researched that tech then yes you can pop an SGL from that tech. If somebody else has researched then you are S.O.L.

Since I usually play warmonger style and do a Monarchy/Commie run govt wise I'm usually just at tech parity until the Industrial Ages. That's if I'm lucky most times. Once I hit the industrial ages I nab ToE and nine time out of ten am the tech leader for the whole age. Modern era comes around and tech parity usually comes back just due to the AI bonus kicking in. (I play on Emperor/Demigod)

Think I'm gonna try a relatively peaceful game as England this time around though and see if I can tear up the tech tree. Hopefully I'll bang out a couple of SGLs.

 

[Chamnix]

It is kind of difficult to prove that something will never happen, but playing the attached save as the Russians, I kept reloading and popping the hut several hundred times until I had popped a tech exactly 100 times: I got zero SGLs .

 

[Othniel]

It is kind of difficult to prove that something will never happen, but playing the attached save as the Russians, I kept reloading and popping the hut several hundred times until I had popped a tech exactly 100 times: I got zero SGLs .

I haven't tried your save, but my experience has been the same as yours: I've never gotten an SGL from a hut. At the same time, there is this quote from Sweetchuck from above:

Once got one after the very first turn. Talk about hitting the lottery. I actually used it initially as a scout for a few turns then sent it back to get that first wonder.

If we take Sweetchuck as his word, I can't think of anyway he would have gotten an SGL on the very first turn except by getting it from a tech popped from a hut. Of course, no disrespect intended toward Sweetchuck, but he could have misremembered the circumstances or something, and if he was the only one claiming this was possible than I would be more skeptical. But vmxa also claims to have gotten an SGL from a hut tech. So, for me too but I'm inclined to believe it's possible even though it seems really rare.

 

[TheOverseer714]

Your first tech popped from a hut is usually Ceremonial Burial, unless you are a Religious tribe. If there are any Religious tribes on the board, you wouldn't have any chance at a SGL in that circumstance. Then the odds of an SGL occurring are rare anyway. Odds of getting tech from a hut aren't great either. So I assume it would be quite rare to get just the right circumstances.