Jumping from Monarch to Emperor

[DWetzel]

That surprises me. I would say I get Gunpowder from it a bit more than half the time on balance. Once, by the grace of God, I got as far as Metallurgy, but that was very rare. (These are in 20k games, often of the OCC variety, where I am not likely to be researching anything, just accumulating cash.)

You can influence getting those extra free tech or two at a cost. If you donate, say, Invention to a couple of other civs when you get it for free (and by donate I mean sell, of course!), between the four of them they are likely to get Gunpowder fairly quickly, often before Education comes in (or at worst, one will get Education, one will get GP, and they'll trade, so you get both).

You can also influence it by getting Engineering and Feudalism into the hands of the AI; they're more likely to go Invention than Monotheism, in my experience.

 

[Spoonwood]

Yea, I've usually gotten Gunpowder from the Great Library. Often *just barely* so, but I've gotten it. Chemistry on the other hand comes as a different story. Also, capnvonbaron, you play in Vanilla. Different traits affect research path (like Spain or England researching Currency instead of Construction). You don't have seafaring or agricultural tribes. I did manage to get all the way to Military Tradition from the Great Library in a 5cc demi-god Persian game I played back over the summer. Unfortunately, I've deleted the screenshot there.

 

[eldar]

I've had Mil.Trad. from the GLib too before... typically I don't build it except in culture games.

Top half is best researched for Diplo/SS/20K/100K games.
Bottom half for Dom/Conquest.

By the time I'm in the MA, I know which way I'm going. If it's top half/science, I'll start pre-building Universities and try to use Sun Tzu as a pre-build for Copernicus and go Mono->Theo->Edu->Astro. 100K I stop before Education as I don't want the ToA to expire (and won't have built the GLib, great though it is for a 100K game). 20K, buzz to Mono->Theo->PP->Edu->Banking->Demo->FA, then back to Music.

I think what I'm trying to say is, the path you take, depends on your chosen VC.

For players struggling to make the leap, trying to build expensive structures to research your way out of a huge hole isn't the way to go. By the time you've researched Education, that hole will be so big you'll never get out. Barracks, marketplaces, and knights are pretty much all you really need. Worry about libraries and universities later. Build 'ducts, harbors as required.

 

[capnvonbaron]

woo! Yeah, never gotten THAT far up the tree with the GLib!

I kinda figured there would be a difference between C3C/PTW/Vanilla. It depends on the tribes you have, too, I'm sure.

And there is the "Give a gift of GLib -- then take it back" trick... I suppose you could bungee up to the Modern Age if you did that one right!

 

[Spoonwood]

People have climbed to the modern age via the Great Library elevator. You can find that around here somewhere if you look.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

I think the differences between Vanilla/PTW and C3C have to with the different chances for the scientific freebies. In C3/PTW there is an exceptioanlly high chance that the freeby will be Monotheism, and only very, very rarely Feudalism or Engineering. So, when the game enters the Middle Ages, Monotheism will be around instantly, and most of the AI will be researching either Theology or Feudalism. Engineering OTOH is not amongst the AI favorite techs, and has pretty good chances of being ignored altogether. No engineering means no Invention, no Gunpowder etc. I have had games where the AI (without my participation) coughed up Education before Engineering even.

In C3C I figure this might work out differently with the higher chances of some sci AI getting Engineering for free and thus opening up the lower branch. OTOH, I think if you played C3C without scientific civs you still might encounter games where Education is around before Engineering is though.

 

[Aegis]

I ended up winning via Space Race. I did hold the UN elections and won that way, but I wanted to keep going to see if I could beat the AI in the SR.

As promised, Screenshots:

4000 BC - I moved my settler one spot to the right so I could 1) Be on a river, 2) be on the shore and 3) be in range of that wheat:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/Persians4000BC.jpg

Location of Egyptians, Iron and Luxuries:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/Persians-IronandLuxuries.jpg

Archers headed for the Iron:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/Persians-AdvancingArchersforIron.jpg

Archers on the warpath; They were far more effective than I thought they would be:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/Persians-IronisMINEArchersonthewarp.jpg

Sigh. Saltpeter is DEEP into Japanese territory:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/SaltpeterisWHERE.jpg

After a long time, I finally acquire the Saltpeter. Note I'm attacking mostly with Immortals and a few sparse Knights against Musketmen. Massive amounts ofTrebuchets, FTW!

My plan to obtain oil - Send an amphibious assault on the Roman stretch of land separating the two seas, capture & raze that city, plant my own city on a spot where ships can traverse from one side to the other, then sent my Stack of Doom up to the island where the oil was:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/InSearchofOil.jpg

Last turn:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/LastTurnFTW.jpg

It was a very fun game. I had to fight for Iron and really work to get Saltpeter and Oil, which required an awful lot of planning. Now that I have this game under my belt, I would like to try a more conquest-oriented game and go with Monarchy -> Communism for the duration of the game.

Victory Score:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/PersiandVictory.jpg

Power Ranking:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/PersiansPowerRanking.jpg

I destroyed the Egyptians, the Babylonians destroyed the Japanese (But I could have if I wanted to), and the Greeks destroyed the Indians.

Top 5 Cities:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Dusksoverture/PersiansTop5Cities.jpg

It's the first game I've ever played where I did not have a top-5 city. =o)

 

[capnvonbaron]

hah.. somehow managed to draw almost all vanilla civs!

 

[Aegis]

hah.. somehow managed to draw almost all vanilla civs!

I purposely selected those Civs because they were 1) not Agricultural and 2) not Expansionist (goody huts were turned off), seeing how this was my first foray. My not-so-wise decision was to include so many Scientific civs.

One thing that I am pleased about is that I did not go to war with Babylon, despite them bordering me for so long. The reason being is we worked very well together and I only like attacking civs who either declare on me, or I have no choice but to because of resources/luxes.

 

[capnvonbaron]

wait... I think I missed something...

you turned off goody huts?

did you not select expansionist civs so that they weren't disadvantaged?

 

[Spoonwood]

I've read around here that AI expansionist civs never train a second scout.

 

[Spoonwood]

Congratulations on the victory! I'd really suggest warring as a Republic (or even as a Democracy if playing as religious)... especailly once artillery proper roll around.

 

[capnvonbaron]

I've read around here that AI expansionist civs never train a second scout
.

hmm.. yeah, makes sense they only ever have one. My personal policy is to whack the little buggers as soon as I can catch them. Easier done with jag warriors or impi... by the time horsemen come around, they've already popped all the huts anyways I don't ever remember seeing another scout after the first one dies.

EDIT: I don't think I have ever seen an AI explorer for that matter... I guess the AI puts units with no attack/defense pretty low on the build order, huh?

 

[Aegis]

wait... I think I missed something...

you turned off goody huts?

did you not select expansionist civs so that they weren't disadvantaged?

Yup, exactly. In other words, I didn't want to have to deal with Barbarians and an escalated tech race, so I turned off Barbs/goody huts. On the other hand, I didn't want to face completely gimped AI so I chose to not include Expansionists.

 

[Aabraxan]

Congratulations on the victory!

 

[capnvonbaron]

Yup, exactly. In other words, I didn't want to have to deal with Barbarians and an escalated tech race, so I turned off Barbs/goody huts. On the other hand, I didn't want to face completely gimped AI so I chose to not include Expansionists.

Check I kinda thought thats what you meant, but the part about "stepping up a level" threw me. Very gracious of you!