[BTS] just curious, if you could start game with any tech in tree (just one) which would you pick?

[tramwajg]

like in title, imagine you can start with any tech from anywhere in tree, but has to pick one, which would you want?

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Liberalism. Then I could pick another

 

[a pen-dragon]

Steam Power for Levees and faster workers or Communism for immediate SP and expansion not being limited by maintenance (also +10% production counts for whipping).

 

[Thrasybulos]

Communism

Also allows The Kremlin for crazy whips.

Computers for a BC Internet? Mind you, it would make for a different game, but not necessarily stronger...
For a lolz bloodbath, Artillery would be the best choice?

 

[Fippy]

With a really strong capital, CS might actually be best.
Even on turn 1 you already get 50% more beakers (Palace), prolly 2 more for the worker..
any wonder would be much easier to build etc.

 

[mycophobia]

Computers for a BC Internet? Mind you, it would make for a different game, but not necessarily stronger...

could you build the internet fast enough for it to be worth it?

 

[Thrasybulos]

That's why I said it wouldn't necessarily be a stronger game.
Those 1,000 hammers (assuming Copper) are a very deep hole indeed you'd be plunging your civ down into...

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

Either "astronomy" or "iron working".

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Hmm, what's the strongest unit you can build with no prereqs? Rocketry for SAM Infantry perhaps??

 

[AcaMetis]

Tough choice. Civil Service/Communism for instant Bureau/State Property, Fusion for free Great Engineer to rush Mids, Satellites to reveal the whole map/get circumnavigation bonus, there's a lot of good options.

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

Fusion for free Great Engineer

Open worldbuilder, click "fusion", close worldbuilder. No free great persons.

Founding religion works.

 

[tramwajg]

nice answers! I was curious what strategies others would make up

 

[mycophobia]

i'd probably do the boring obvious thing and go Communism and ICS like crazy

 

[SittinDown]

A few I think would be fun to try:

* Communism - State Property is really good and unlocks pretty late. Maybe pairs with Imperial nicely, since you can cut maintenance a lot. The workshops aren't relevant for a while.
* Artillery - Anti-Tank and Artillery don't require rifling, so after you get setup early on, you can pretty much roll the map with 1 artillery, 1 Anti-Tank, and a bunch of warriors.
* Biology - Like the extra food which is immediately available, and unlocks farms anywhere.
* Physics - Free great scientist, an early blimp for scouting, and could be useful for cracking top units on conquest.

Also good:

* Civil Service - Bureau early. Snowball with power capital.
* Steam Power - Fast workers all game. Snowball. Levee is a little too expensive to build for a long time.

* Astro - If you're on an ISO map, getting this early would be massive, since half the ISO strat is to divert all hands to astro.
* Satellites - Full map knowledge on turn 1.

 

[SittinDown]

Rocketry for SAM Infantry perhaps??

I think that's right, but I like artillery a little better. Anti-Tank and Artillery, so you get a power 14 unit and a super-strong siege weapon. I think that's a little better than SAM infantry at 18. But with 1 SAM infantry, you could pretty much just walk conquest the map.

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

@SittinDown
We have to choose the technology before knowing the map and the civilisation. The map can be Great Plains or Archipelago. You can be surrounded by friendly leaders, or stuck in a corner with aggressive leaders and no strategic resources.

 

[SittinDown]

Gotcha. If we have no way of knowing what map type it'll be, I'd probably skip Astro. If you do pick Astro, and it is ISO, though, it's a very powerful combination. I don't think the leader factors in all that much.

I think Civil Service, Steam, and Communism are the safest bets. Artillery is also high quality, but it'll be a while before you can divert to building a super-unit. It'd be like building an early wonder, but if you got setup with about 4-5 cities, it'd be unstoppable in classic age.

Another factor to note is the free tech advances the era, which makes the AI's stronger, I believe. So CS might be a better pick than something really late in the tree.

I did a few quick experiments with CS, Steam, Communism, and Biology. Bio was actually pretty fun. 5 food floodplains makes any site with a FP worth settling.

 

[civac]

This has been tried in a MP game on realmsbeyond. Winner picked Bureaucracy which seems to be the strongest economic choice, much better than Communism. But you'd have to survive attacks from people taking Rocketry or Artillery. It's not so easy to make late game units with the material capabilities of an ancient/classical civ. So sometimes these attacks can be held.

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

If one anti-tank pillages everything but does not attack cities, then how do you kill it? How do you kill it cost-effectively?

But it doesn't solve geographical or economic problems.

 

[civac]

You don't have to kill it cost-effectively. You are the Bureaucracy guy and you are defending. You have way more stuff. My best guess is to use horse archers.

Regardless you can die to such an attack, certainly. Would have to read up how the game went. IIrc the Bureaucracy player wasn't attacked early on.