How do you use you GP?
- Thread starter Bigv32
- Start date
sgrig
Comrade
Depends on the circumstances. If I'm behind in tech, then bulbing an expensive tech that no-one else knows is a good way to catch up (if anyone is willing to trade of course!)
Virtual Alex
King
I am always really reluctant to bulb them in the early game. Because a "lightbulb" is worth about 1700 beakers or so (as you can tell from later in the game when you can only partially bulb something) so wasting it on a tech thats only 600-1000 seems like you are losing beakers. In the early game I prefer to settle them because the benifiet will have a long time to net you gain. Like a settled scientist early giving 6 beakers is huge, and after 100 turns thats 600 beakers not countering library/uni bonuses. So maybe after 100 turns it's like 800-1000 beakers just from that one scientist. Seems better.
Later when you are trying to get expensive techs then I bulb them.
Later when you are trying to get expensive techs then I bulb them.
semirami
The Wolf
There isn't a simple answer. It's different every game. All I can say is that usually lightbulb is better at high levels.
Jerrymander
Epistemologist
I don't bulb unless it's for a pinnacle tech, like Theology or Civil Service, or if it's only a "partial bulb". I like to settle my early ones. A good "trick" is to pop a few early Prophets using the Egyptian Obelisk, then settle them for +5 GPT. +5 GPT from turn 50 is very helpful, and lets you do 100% research later, longer.
Jerrymander
Epistemologist
On higher level difficulties (Emporer/Immortal/Deity), the AI gets a huge bonus in research, so bulbing with Great People is often one of the only ways to maintain tech parity.
MrCynical
Deity
It's true that you'll probably get more total beakers by settling the GP than by bulbing it in the early game. However the idea with bulbing is that you not only get the tech, but early enough that you can trade it to all the other civs for additional tech, effectively multiplying the number of beakers you can get from the bulb. This is particularly effective at high levels where all the AIs will probably have a few techs more than you for much of the game. There's also the point that a beaker is worth far more at the start of the game than the end. A bulb gets you a tech earlier - you can now start building units/improvements earlier - this allows you to attack/whatever earlier, and so on. A small boost in the early stages can snowball into a huge boost in the late game relative to if you hadn't used the bulb.
The final point is the obvious one of where there's a bonus for being first to the tech, and you're in a situation where you won't make it without a bulb.
I generally prefer not to use golden ages too early, at least if I'm sure the game will run all the way to the space race. I like to have at least one if not two golden ages in the late stages there to finish off the space race, and it harder if I burn the cheap golden ages early on. I do still use them occasionally from about the middle age onward, but only if I get a GP which isn't particularly useful for some reason (e.g. a prophet with no religions/shrines available or a great artist - well just about any time).
The final point is the obvious one of where there's a bonus for being first to the tech, and you're in a situation where you won't make it without a bulb.
I generally prefer not to use golden ages too early, at least if I'm sure the game will run all the way to the space race. I like to have at least one if not two golden ages in the late stages there to finish off the space race, and it harder if I burn the cheap golden ages early on. I do still use them occasionally from about the middle age onward, but only if I get a GP which isn't particularly useful for some reason (e.g. a prophet with no religions/shrines available or a great artist - well just about any time).
semirami
The Wolf
You'll get more beakers, if you settle your great person, but you underestimate the fact that they devalue later in the game. Bronze Working at 3000BC( 120 beakers) is more important, than Plastics(7000 beakers) at 1800AD.
Virtual Alex
King
Yeah I understand what you are saying.
semirami
The Wolf
Oracle-Theo-CoL-Math-use the prophet from Oracle to lightbulb CS
With merchant you need a lot of techs, like Currency, MC and Alphabet. But if you pop a merchant, send him to trade mission and use the gold to "lightbulb", whatever you want.
Jerrymander
Epistemologist
I was merely using it as an example. I've only bulbed it once with a lucky Prophet since 1.52.
Bleys
Deity
I bulb or settle for a while, then I start saving them up for Golden Ages.
In my opinion worrying about wasted beakers from a bulb doesn't matter - techs are what matter, not beakers. Beakers have no value apart from their ability to get techs. If you look at it as what fraction of a tech you get from a bulb rather than how many beakers you get from a bulb then bulbing late is more wasteful than bulbing early!
senor_k
Chieftain
If you're going for a cultural victory, creating Great Works is usually better than settling the artist. If it's early, though, and you are planning on getting or already have some cultural amplifiers (cathedrals, National Epic, etc.), then settling is better.
To get a rough idea of what you should do, multiply how many turns it will take for the closest city to legendary culture by the amount of culture per turn provided by the artist, and again by the cultural modifier in that city, and compare it to the amount gained by creating a Great Work.
To get a rough idea of what you should do, multiply how many turns it will take for the closest city to legendary culture by the amount of culture per turn provided by the artist, and again by the cultural modifier in that city, and compare it to the amount gained by creating a Great Work.
The way I use GPs varies as the game progresses. Early on it's good to settle them or build their specials (academy, scotland yard, shrine). They have plenty of time for that investment to pay off.
In the middle game lightbulbing becomes attractive as the techs get expensive and all the "beakers" are used. Early techs are too cheap to be worth lightbulbing. In the late middle game corporations (if you're using them) become a way to use GE, GM, GS and GA.
Late game the power of the Golden Age becomes the best way to use a GP or 2 GPs for a second. I find the 3 GP Golden Age to be a bit too expensive and lightbulb techs, if possible.
Special Missions: The GSpy can't be used to lightbulb but does get a special espionage mission worth 3000 EPs on Normal speed. The GM has a trade mission that can be very useful way to get 2000 gold or more just when you want to upgrade your CR3 macemen to rifles or grenadiers. The GA has his special 4000 culture bomb that seems weak in a normal game but can be the vital part of a quick Cultural victory.
I use GPs for each and every one of those many uses and don't have a particular favourite.
In the middle game lightbulbing becomes attractive as the techs get expensive and all the "beakers" are used. Early techs are too cheap to be worth lightbulbing. In the late middle game corporations (if you're using them) become a way to use GE, GM, GS and GA.
Late game the power of the Golden Age becomes the best way to use a GP or 2 GPs for a second. I find the 3 GP Golden Age to be a bit too expensive and lightbulb techs, if possible.
Special Missions: The GSpy can't be used to lightbulb but does get a special espionage mission worth 3000 EPs on Normal speed. The GM has a trade mission that can be very useful way to get 2000 gold or more just when you want to upgrade your CR3 macemen to rifles or grenadiers. The GA has his special 4000 culture bomb that seems weak in a normal game but can be the vital part of a quick Cultural victory.
I use GPs for each and every one of those many uses and don't have a particular favourite.
I read somewhere that the keyword for the Civilization IV creation team were "choices". I think there should be a way to use the great work ability other than to achieve cultural victory. Maybe the Great Work could give some kind of revenue also (like Mona Lisa is a tourist attraction) or something similar.
But maybe Im just hijacking the thread, sorry.
Eunomiac
Chieftain
mcaber said:
"Choices" doesn't have to apply to the single Great Work ability, but to the Great Artist in general -- and there are lots of alternative uses for a GA's than a culture bomb: you can also settle them (best use for them if you're going for a cultural victory that's more than ~150 turns away), bulb technologies, or save them for later (either for a golden age or to found a corporation).
Moreover, the usefulness of culture bombs isn't limited to the pursuit of a cultural victory -- in fact, I don't even consider that the best use of +4000 culture. I find them especially useful during war, when a newly captured city can be sent through three border pops (10, 100 & 500). This puts lots of cultural pressure on nearby enemy cities. Even if they don't flip, you can starve them out or cripple the enemy Civ's economy by flipping improved tiles in the other cities' BFC's. Sue for peace, and once you win the game, you'll be able to pick out the moment you did this by looking for the sudden downturn in your victim's score graph
I've also used a Great Work to grab an Oil resource that appeared just outside one of my younger city's BFC. So there are tons of uses for Great Artists!
