How do you do it?

[Amorphus]

When I see screenshots of people playing games, I notice people are only in like 1050AD and they already have more technology than I do in my 1950AD game, and I skipped some techs even. I'm just really confused about this, the science rate bar seems to only reduce the research rate a TINY bit - not that much. I am playing on chieften, I don't know if this has something to do with it - but probably.



Amorphus

 

[Civrules]

Maybe they have AP on?

 

[silver 2039]

On higer levels the tech rate is fater because the AI's trade more.

 

[denyd]

Trading...As an example in the recent GOTM 25, the first tech I researched was Chemistry. I only researched Metallurgy, Miltary Tradition & Scientific Method before the game ended. The rest I got through trades, the Great Library and TOE.

You have no chance to out research 8-10 AI on any level above regent. What to do is pick 1 or 2 techs that are important to you and go for those. While doing that explore, make as many contacts as possible and trade your techs for techs as often as possible.

Never trade a new tech to the AI during their turn (they'll trade it around stealing your chances). And when all else fails, pick on a weak opponent and attack in force. After you take a couple of cities they'll give you a couple of techs for peace.

The most important tech if you're behind is scientific method. If you get there first and can build the TOE, go for Atomic Theory & Electronics. That will give you 3 techs to trades (be very stingy in trading these) to get you to tech leadership.

Good luck

 

[Gogf]

Also, if you build a lot of libraries and universities, it goes a lot faster. On the tech bar: think of it this way, one turn off of forty advances is 40 saved turns. One more free turn from libraries and universities is 80 saved turns total. Let's say you build TOE (Theory of Evolution) first, that saves you two techs, and that's abour twelve turns. So that saves you 92 turns. You can save a lot more with slightly higher science. Just remember, the least number of turns to research something is four, don't waste money trying to go below that.

 

[JazzToucan]

As mentioned above, the real difference is seen on the higher levels due to trading. On Monarch, I'm typically in the late middle ages around the 1300's or so.

 

[Revolutionary]

thats one of the biggest advantage the AI has in the higher difficult levels. In demigod me and the top AI civs are usually in the industrial age by 1000, and usually I don't became the tech leader until the very late middle ages or early industrial age.

 

[FenrysWulf]

Also, do you build roads/railroads on every city square? They really increase trade, which improves your science rate.