Is there a Great Library strategy?

[Abraxis]

I think I've figured it out, but I've yet to test it. Could it maybe be a means by which somebody b-lining to a medieval or even classical tech could do so without falling too far behind? Cartography and Printing specifically are the two I'm thinking about here as both go very far up the tree with few dependencies.

Cartography is 790 science in only 3 techs leaving behind absolutely everything else to get you to classical. Sometimes you want to do this too, particularly if you're England or Spain and want to expand off continent. Or even if you're anyone else trying to be peaceful and you get boxed in, but have sea access.

I think maybe the intended gambit is Printing though. It doubles Tourism yields from Great Works of Writing, it's 805 science and 6 techs to get into classical, leaving behind 11 techs (not counting Writing). So, for someone wanting to focus on Great Works of Writing, this seems like a pretty good deal now doesn't it? Build a campus asap with a library to rush Printing in the science tree while going for Recorded History in civics, start building your Culture Districts on the way when you hit Drama and Poetry, then build your Great Library so you're not so backward in science anymore. Start collecting all the double tourism Great Works of Writing of writing to kick off your tourism before anyone else. You could even then get the venerable Forbidden Palace before anyone else and get a free slot to stick that Literary Tradition policy into permanently.

Edit: I just tried it out on Immortal with Egypt and it flowed very nicely. Early Builder > Campus > Pyramids > Library (with military and settlers in between where sensible) gets you all your inspirations into Great Library. From there you have two wonders for your Sphinxes bringing in 18 Faith to rush Great Writers and 8 classical tourism sites. I had plenty of production and gold to spare for military along the way as well, you don't need to over-extend to do it at all. You could also substitute the Oracle instead of Pyramids for cheaper writers, though it's a harder and more costly wonder to get.

 

[Victoria]

It's the science gambit, beeline the great library and then build it. The main problem being no-one wants to.

 

[Abraxis]

It's the science gambit, beeline the great library and then build it. The main problem being no-one wants to.

You made me double check to make sure this was the Civ6 forum...

You can't b-line the Great Library, the Civics Tree is such that almost everything is a pre-requisite. The science means nothing, 2 science... you're better off just building more Campuses and going through the science tree properly if that's what you're after, it would be much better in the long run. Meanwhile Apadana gives you two Great Work slots, so the only real value Great Library has is if you can build it while having somehow built a Campus and yet not researched many of the classical techs. Conveniently (and basically the only way unless you're Gorgo) this can be done is by rushing Printing since you leave so many classic and ancient techs behind while doing so. Under normal circumstances this would be kind of stupid since it's a very expensive tech for someone still so early in the game with low science output and no access to Universities for the Eureka. However, if you factor in all the free science Great Library earns you IF you rush Printing, it evens out. So when all's said and done, what you're really left with is extra Great Works of Writing slots that generate double tourism output as early in the game as possible. Putting you in the perfect position to start hoarding Great Works of Writing as early as possible while getting the greatest possible benefit from them.

Theory tested with Egypt and it works, with even extra synergy as Egypt, which seems pretty appropriate. I imagine it would work equally well with Brazil as well given his superior jungle Campuses and then the ease with which he can pump out Great Writers to fill up all his slots. France may also want to consider this since she's rushing one of her better discounted wonders (Forbidden Palace) and while she gets no production bonus for it, she does still get additional tourism for the Great Library, which as an earlier Wonder, will be more valuable. Of the three she's the worst at generating the Writers, but she does have the early opportunity to steal the works from anyone who might be better. Of course Gorgo could also do it given her unique ability to beat her way through the early civics tree so far ahead of the science tree, she can get to Recorded History soon enough she doesn't have to b-line anything in science, and she also has half priced culture districts for Writers. But I don't think the opportunity cost is worth it for her since she can just keep building military forever and win the game. Relying on things like strategy and planning is beneath her.

 

[CBE Player]

Long answer: IGNORE IT!

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

There are a few technologies that require you to build stuff in order to get their boosts so for these technologies you could get their boosts by using the great library because you are going to have to spend production anyway if you want to boost these technologies and in such case the great library is not really that bad given that it also provide other benefits as well (although so do the other stuff as well). However that still require you to delay these technologies.

So such strategy would likely be to research medieval and beyond while you build the great library, you are likely going to have many campuses because recorded history do also give natural philosophy so if you plan to use the library you should also probably plan to use that policy as well.

 

[Victoria]

There are a few technologies that require you to build stuff in order to get their boosts

You are kidding right?

Knights need feudalism which need workers or army, both of which need to be built
Need quads? Build 2 galleys
Build a water mill, build city walls....

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

You are kidding right?

You probably have gotten the boost to many of the technologies great library can effect so I think saying few is quite correct then talking about the great library.

 

[kb27787]

Why are ppl knocking on it? I always build it if the AI doesn't... In modern era of course lol it's good tourism and +1 appeal to nearby tiles as China it might actually be legit though. A worker with pyras and/or feudalism can build it singlehandedly and the cost of the worker won't exceed an amphitheater at that point in the game... And at least it comes with the slots....

 

[Jarms48]

Rome could be alright as well. If you're spamming a lot of cities early that extra culture from free monuments and populations start to add up. I still wouldn't suggest this though.

 

[stinkubus]

Just tried it. I had five cities with Rome (Emperor difficulty) on a start one tile of the coast that was pretty isolated. The biggest problem seems to be that it's too hard to not trigger enough of the eurekas to make it worthwhile as you won't get the library built in time or advance through your beeline quickly enough to make it worth while. I got eurekas to bronze, iron, wheel, celestial nav, and currency along the way. It's obviously also a TON of cogs that don't turn into settlers, units, or districts. I've gotten to frigates with 5-6 cities in under 100 turns before, and in this game I didn't get there until T110 or so.

I built two warriors and then a worker then three settlers. The next three cities were all on the coast next to several sea resources including multiple whales which turn into decent tiles after Cartography and a lighthouse, especially if you take God of the Sea. I built two campuses; one in my cap and one in my first expand and the cap got a library. Finally settled a fifth city that had a spot for a 3 adjacency campus and then finally started to focus on units producing warriors/legions (no archers, I wanted to leave as many techs as possible for the boosts) and naval units.

Tech wise I opened with mining then went straight for celestial navigation to get some trade routes. Next was pottery and writing, and then bronze and iron. I needed to get to iron working to fend off a mass of barbs as the southern pole of my continent spawned some nasty camps that had swordsmen pretty early.

After that it was a beeline to Square Rigging. The GL was done before I got there, around T90 or so. It netted me about 450 science in exchange for 400 cogs which were reduced to Autocracy and Corvee to 300. 1.5 sci / cog and of course I had to avoid several eurekas. No slingers were built (Legions are good enough, imo, and make bombard units good enough for Rome if you use them wisely).

 

[Esperr]

It is pointless to sit here and say "lol, ignore it not worth it blah blah blah". If your goal is simply to win then most of the game isn't worth it, the best most efficient route to victory is always 4 archer rush GG in the early game and just snowball away from there.

 

[stinkubus]

I don't necessarily try to play every game optimally, but I'm not even certain that the GL has a positive ROI. I avoided every eureka possible and still only got a one time boost of 450 science along with the 2 sci per turn from like T90. If I had conquered a city with a watermill it would have been even less because one of the boosts I did get was construction, and the AI loves building them so that was dumb luck.

If you really want the great work slots maybe it's worth it, but just for the science alone it seems strictly inferior to building more early campuses.