How to use my Great Scientists?

[Mik1984]

I like to send the merchants on distant trade missions to pay for modernizing my army or navy.

In my previous game the gold from a trade mission was lower than my one turn 100% slider budgetary surplus, so why even bother? I'll get the same amount of extra from 3 turns of a golden age.

 

[Rusty Edge]

In my previous game the gold from a trade mission was lower than my one turn 100% slider budgetary surplus, so why even bother? I'll get the same amount of extra from 3 turns of a golden age.

I guess your way is better - both faster and more efficient.

I used to like the camel caravans in Civ I- so using GMs the same way is probably a holdover habit.

Sometimes I have to fight the urge to spam roads because of CIV III.

 

[PaulusIII]

I decided on building academies and keeping some around for some late golden ages. There was no need to bulb any on the liberalism race since I'd already pulled ahead of the competition and was set to be the first to liberalism. My economy was a hybrid of some big food surplus specialist cities and some heavily cottaged cities, so I think it paid off well in the end.

For other games, I should indeed consider trying to get some other specialists to try and get some more diversity. Thanks for the good advices!

 

[Calouste]

It's more than that. You forgot the 1 from oxford, so it's actually 29.25, 30.15 with free religion.

Anyway settling is almost never a good idea unless you're doing a OCC. Academies will always yield better results. It's not hard to get a city that's putting out more than 60 base beakers, especially if it's a CE and you can run US for the extra hammers instead of rep.

Depends on the (state of the) game. Early on, a settled GS will give you 15.75 with Pyramids, Library and Academy, 10.50 with just Library and Academy. It's hard to get that kind of return on an Academy in another city until much later.

I have played a few games with Pericles (which the OP was about) recently, and cheap Libraries and Philosophical make him a GS production line. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have managed to produce 4 or 5 GS's in the BCs in those games.

 

[Gooblah]

A Great Scientist can do three things:

Settle as a Super Specialist: This creates 1 raw and 6 raw . This is good in the early game and late game, but usually not-so-useful in the mid-game. The 6 becomes 7.5 with a Library, 9 with Representation, and 11.25 with Representation and a Library. This is Code of Laws in ~30 turns, without factoring in commerce. With commerce added in, this is Code of Laws in around 10-15* (if you're running 80%-100% on your research slider). This is a huge advantage. The extra hammer also comes in handy, but to a lesser extent.

Build an Academy: An Academy boosts the raw beaker amount by 50%, and the Library, Observatory, and University bonuses are added to this. I suggest building an Academy in the early game only if your commerce city (usually the capital) produces more than 13 beakers per turn at 80% on the slider. This means that the Academy would be more beneficial than a Super Specialist. In the mid-game is the time you should be building Academies. The capital, science cities and general commerce cities should all be getting Academies; Cottages usually mature into Villages or even Towns, and bring in a TON more commerce. In the late-game, after the Academies have been built, use the Great Scientists as Super Specialists instead.

Help Research a Technology: Usually the one cast away. Use this option if it will trigger an important military technology, or a technology you really need (like Mathematics or Alphabet or Compass). As you enter the late Classical and early Medieval Era, the Great Scientist can only usually lightbulb a part of a tech. If your science machine is up an running, you can finish that tech off without losing too many beakers on the previous tech. Or, save up those Great Scientists and burn multiple on the stake to learn more about that new-fangled Blasting Powder or how to Study the Stars to guide big ships.

 

[Mik1984]

In the late-game, after the Academies have been built, use the Great Scientists as Super Specialists instead.

If you are playing on a larger map, the probability that you run out of cities in which it is worth to build academies is 0%. Those great specialists seem to be another thing that could be map size adjusted it this game...

 

[ranger101]

I tend to build Academies, with the following exceptions:

1. If I am behind in technology or need a religion, I will lightbulb Philosophy. The AI likes philosophy, and will trade you civil service, feudalism, etc. for it. I try to save the 1st scientist for an academy, usually in the capital city.

2. I will sometimes lightbulb Education (gets you 2/3 or so), to ensure that I get to liberalism 1st.

3. I never lightbulb anything after Education.

4. Late game I might settle scientists in Oxford or build further academies.

 

[djvandrake]

*Stupid Question*

Can great scientists found a corporation?

 

[Mik1984]

"Standard Ethanol" and "Aluminum Inc." is founded by a GS.

http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/bts/#corporations

 

[pi-r8]

It's more than that. You forgot the 1 from oxford, so it's actually 29.25, 30.15 with free religion.

Anyway settling is almost never a good idea unless you're doing a OCC. Academies will always yield better results. It's not hard to get a city that's putting out more than 60 base beakers, especially if it's a CE and you can run US for the extra hammers instead of rep.

Actually it's even better than that. the bureacracy bonus stacks on top of all the other bonuses, so it's 9* (1+1+0.5+0.25+0.25+0.25) * 1.5 = 43.875. Plus a hammer...

 

[BalbanesBeoulve]

Bureaucracy affects commerce, not beakers. So no, bureaucracy doesn't boost the science output from specialists. It also doesn't affect the gold from settled merchants and priests, or shrines.

 

[Mik1984]

Actually it's even better than that. the bureacracy bonus stacks on top of all the other bonuses, so it's 9* (1+1+0.5+0.25+0.25+0.25) * 1.5 = 43.875. Plus a hammer...

No, it doesn't add anything to beakers, just .

 

[pi-r8]

Yeah sorry I was wrong about this. I guess it doesn't effect beakers or money from specialists.

 

[Tlalynet]

If I get one very early in the game, first specialist or second, I tend to settle it to bridge me through the early game expansion penalty and to help with warring. Otherwise academies all the way. I just cant lightbulb ever, perhaps if I played immortal or dieity I would find the use for it.