How to advance fast?

[shl7070]

When pilfering through the forum I saw people getting industrial in 500AD and modern in 1300AD, how this can be done?
My best achievements are medieval in 50BC, industrial in 1370AD and modern in 1750AD which are paltry relative to the ones I saw here.
Because of that I never won by spaceship.

 

[ChaosArbiter]

Expand quickly and get a lot of farms up; play on higher levels so the AI can actually research on its own and the tech pace is sped up because they trade to each other so often. Map size also plays a part, as larger maps take longer to research, IIRC.

 

[Spoonwood]

Build roads, lots of libraries and universities. Popping huts in the ancient age for techs and researching the less expensive techs can help on lower levels. Trading with and gifting scientific tribes for their techs can also help. The "what's the big picture" trick (playing as scientific upon entering a new era, click on "what's the big picture" once you learn the last tech, gift all scientific tribes up to the new era, trade for their techs, and then hope to take a good second tier tech as your freebie) also helps.

 

[GamezRule]

I am not sure if it's just a bug, but I have picked my freebie before.

 

[Spoonwood]

Not sure that actually happened GamezRule. You can select a tech that you would research, which happens as the same tech as your freebie.

 

[GamezRule]

Well, it was kind of a weird scenario. Some things also went buggy, cause it told me I had just finished construction. (My freebie was Steam Power)

 

[shl7070]

Build roads, lots of libraries and universities. Popping huts in the ancient age for techs and researching the less expensive techs can help on lower levels. Trading with and gifting scientific tribes for their techs can also help. The "what's the big picture" trick (playing as scientific upon entering a new era, click on "what's the big picture" once you learn the last tech, gift all scientific tribes up to the new era, trade for their techs, and then hope to take a good second tier tech as your freebie) also helps.

I don't forget roads and libraries, I am not that stupid. If I look at my best research game- Germans,continents,regent level.
I didn't manage to pop anything but barbarians. My ancient age research was still low and I had little trade opportunities then. Most of research was done by making actual research. My pace improved to tech per 4 turns in medieval (with full science infrastructure+super science city) but without trade and with lots of wasted time during ancient age. The problem is how can I research better in ancient. I moved to medieval in 300AD, industrial in 1340AD and never reached modern (scored domination using tanks in 1770AD).
I can post a save.
Don't kill me for the low amount of workers there. I had a lot more during development phase (20 workers+4 slaves per 18 cities at max) and absorbed them in the cities to make way for my invasion stack. Later some were built again for railroads

 

[Raliuven]

I don't forget roads and libraries, I am not that stupid. If I look at my best research game- Germans,continents,regent level.
I didn't manage to pop anything but barbarians. My ancient age research was still low and I had little trade opportunities then. Most of research was done by making actual research. My pace improved to tech per 4 turns in medieval (with full science infrastructure+super science city) but without trade and with lots of wasted time during ancient age. The problem is how can I research better in ancient. I moved to medieval in 300AD, industrial in 1340AD and never reached modern (scored domination using tanks in 1770AD).
I can post a save.
Don't kill me for the low amount of workers there. I had a lot more during development phase (20 workers+4 slaves per 18 cities at max) and absorbed them in the cities to make way for my invasion stack. Later some were built again for railroads

I don't think that Spoonwood was trying to be insulting - just checking to make sure you didn't miss something fundemental/basic. 90% of the time, that's the answer. Since I have been playing for diplo victories lately, I've been working on trying ot excellerate the research pace. I've found that up to Monarchy, the AI is nearly useless in the research department. I can research myself into the modern area by about 1500AD (obviously I need to do some more work to get to 1300AD).

As a preamble - I have PTW, not C3C, so some of these items may be little different. I can beat Emperor on most occasions - haven't tried demi-god yet - I'm busy playing Civ 4 Col right now.

Basic principles - yes build roads and libraries and universities. Farms will help alot. Forgo building things you won't use with a near 100% research rate - like banks, stock markets, etc. Use old units (or even new units) to disband in semi-corrupt cities to get courthouses, libraries and universities built. Get a second core up and running quickly. Since the AI will be useless in research, take them for every gpt you can get on tech exchanges. I gift them out like candy by the early middle ages. This lets me do 4 turn research until nearly the end of the IA.

I also grab the HG and Bach's to keep luxury expenses to 0%. By steampower (when HG go obsolete), make sure to have enough luxuries hooked to keep expenses to 0%. Since I have techs to burn, I make tech for luxury trades.

If I plan for diplo or space race, I don't plan to do much warring other than securing a second core and punishing any AI that gets to big for its programming. So my army is minimual and my government is republic/democratic. Maximize income. Don't research optional techs. Try to figure out what techs the AI will search so you can skip them. Let the AI research those - you'll have plenty to trade. Grab Newton's and Cops - put them in the same city with a high income. Use GL to rush improvements/wonders. No need for armies.

 

[GamezRule]

I am going to post a save of the game I am currently playing. I have done all the research by myself. The AI is useless on this level. Take note that I had to research every single tech I own from the middle AA on to now except for chivalry which I skipped and only got a few turns ago.

 

[shl7070]

I also grab the HG and Bach's to keep luxury expenses to 0%. By steampower (when HG go obsolete), make sure to have enough luxuries hooked to keep expenses to 0%. Since I have techs to burn, I make tech for luxury trades.

.

I failed at that. The 4 lux I had were not enough even with a marketplace so I needed 10%-20% lux. Started with 20% and then built some temples, cathedrals and courts in the size 12 semi-core cities (This lux rate wasn't enough in half-corrupt cities), then lowered to 10% but then started massive invasion wars and needed 20% again. I never managed to eliminate lux on republic unless I approach domination already.
In the best case I had 30% tax and 10% lux.
In worst case had 50% tax and 20% lux.
The AI coudn't pay gpt for my tech so I was forced to leave tax at 30% for maintenance and unit support. Of course with tax of 30% banks were good for some hard-core cities and for all metros (Added smith to the equation).

Regarding rates my rule for republic is lux no more then 20% and science no less then then 30%, for monarchy lux no more then 10% and science no less then 60%.

 

[shl7070]

I am going to post a save of the game I am currently playing. I have done all the research by myself. The AI is useless on this level. Take note that I had to research every single tech I own from the middle AA on to now except for chivalry which I skipped and only got a few turns ago.

Looked at the save. The idea to ICS the south and west is probably the main difference as is a denser core. What is startling me is how you got the nerve to start colossus when you had two cities with aztecs nearby, then immidiatly going for GLB and all the while having no iron.
With what had you conquered the aztecs? with horsemen?
The rest were probably taken care with AC and cavalry. I don't believe the incas sold you iron while being destroyed by you.
If I had started this I woudn't have the nerve to build colossus and instead would build archers and try to get rid of the aztecs ASAP but then would probably advanced slower.

p.s.
What is the map setting? Looks like standard-continents-70%-temperate-5Billion.
Mine was standard-continents-80%-cold-3Billion which is crappier.

 

[Hasdrubal Barca]

Run tech research with deficit, so you don´t have enough money in the tresury? who cares, you´ll probably only lose a worker, granary, barracks or temple, if your a whip-monger you can make them all again easily, and outpace your opponents in those key expensive techs you really need.

Besides, losing a worker to -350gpt is worth anyday for me.

 

[Abaddon]

Run tech research with deficit, so you don´t have enough money in the tresury? who cares, you´ll probably only lose a worker, granary, barracks or temple, if your a whip-monger you can make them all again easily, and outpace your opponents in those key expensive techs you really need.

Besides, losing a worker to -350gpt is worth anyday for me.

What a devilishly ingenius idea!

 

[Abaddon]

Use old units (or even new units) to disband in semi-corrupt cities to get courthouses, libraries and universities built.

What a devilishly ingenius idea! x2

 

[Aabraxan]

shl7070, I took a quick look at the 3 saves that you posted earlier. I just peeked in CA2, but I haven't had the time to crank up the game and look at them in dept. Still, here's what jumped out at me. Well, the first thing is: damn! How much food can Berlin really use?!? Hamburg and Koenigsberg are in no danger of starving, either! That said, on to the rest.

1) 230 BC -- Why are you researching The Republic? Did someone beat you to Philosophy? Or did you take something else as your freebie off the slingshot?

2) 1020 AD -- You've only added 5 cities since 230 BC. With all those hills and cows, you could have set up a couple of settler and worker pumps. That would have gotten you more cities, and workers to improve around them. I also think tighter city spacing would have helped. You're currently paying 52 in unit support. That's 26 units over the limit in Republic. 9 more size 7 cities would have cut your unit support to zero. Commerce converts directly to beakers, and that would have let you bump the science slider up another 10%.

3) 1385 AD -- Clearing your continent and ICSing the tundra would have gotten you both specialists and more unit support. Specialist output is exempt from both corruption and multiplier buildings. You've built courthouses in cities that were only 20-30 percent corrupt to begin with. that's shields and upkeep that could have been spent elsewhere.

By the way, what's your preferred victory condition? If you have one in mind, that will help with many decisions along the way. I see temples all over the place and a fair number of cathedrals. That's fine if you're going for a cultural victory, but if space or conquest is your goal, it's not a great idea. If you run a search for "prevaricating parasites," you'll find The Famous Bedean Temple Rant.

 

[MysteryX]

Two other things that affect the tech pace are the number of Scientific tribes with whom you are competing, and how much war the other tribes are getting themselves into. With the bonuses to research and free techs on era change, several Scientific tribes actively trading each other can fly up the tech tree in a hurry. Lots of wars drag on the tech pace, because tribes at war are devoting resources to the war machine and away from research, disrupting each others' production, and not trading with each other.

 

[Spoonwood]

If you have one in mind, that will help with many decisions along the way. I see temples all over the place and a fair number of cathedrals. That's fine if you're going for a cultural victory, but if space or conquest is your goal, it's not a great idea.

If you have difficulty procuring enough luxuries, temples and cathedrals can make sense. Don't know if that applies here though.

 

[GamezRule]

Looked at the save. The idea to ICS the south and west is probably the main difference as is a denser core. What is startling me is how you got the nerve to start colossus when you had two cities with aztecs nearby, then immidiatly going for GLB and all the while having no iron.
With what had you conquered the aztecs? with horsemen?
The rest were probably taken care with AC and cavalry. I don't believe the incas sold you iron while being destroyed by you.
If I had started this I woudn't have the nerve to build colossus and instead would build archers and try to get rid of the aztecs ASAP but then would probably advanced slower.

p.s.
What is the map setting? Looks like standard-continents-70%-temperate-5Billion.
Mine was standard-continents-80%-cold-3Billion which is crappier.

Notice a little thing called 20K on the save. My city will reach 20K culture around 1600 AD at the current rate, and will probably get a little sooner before time runs out. Good enough to place 9th on the HoF charts, which isn't bad considering this is my first 20k attempt.

My horsemen cut through the Aztecs like butter, as they did the Americans. The northern part of the Incan lands were quite easy also, but they became tough once I got to their mountainous core. The Immortals were mostly a waste because they move so slow. I mainly took them out with AC once I got to the core. I fought everything else with horses, except for France which got the cavalry treatment. They went down in 4 turns with the last being 1170 AD.

If you want I can post a few saves from throughout the game.

 

[Abaddon]

@slh - Looked at your save... gosh you spread out don't you! I would have had easily double the cities you have. For so much of the game cities are limited, I tend to go as compact as GamezRules does.

@GamezRules - Couple of things about your save interest me. Firstly, destroying cities rather than capturing them? Also, how did you manage to capture so many wonders? Lots of prebuilds/chops etc?

 

[Aabraxan]

If you have difficulty procuring enough luxuries, temples and cathedrals can make sense. Don't know if that applies here though.

Well, I know how they work. As I recall, though, he has at least 4 luxes.