Keeping up in tech race early

[The Omega]

Build more cities? I'm playing on Regent, and I'm very good at keeping up in the tech race. Build lots of cities, so you get research form each city. Build roads EVERYWHERE. Trade techs with the AI. I'm normally able to pull ahead mid-middle ages, or if I'm lucky (the AI is so broke they can't research) by the late ancient ages.

 

[MajorFallout]

Another little cheat I use very early in the game is to make sure that I get either a settler or a scientific discovery when I land on a hut. I usually save the game before landing on the hut, so that I can make sure the correct result is acquired.

It's a cheat but at least you're not left behind in the game - it's normal to get at least 4-5 scientific discoveries before the medieval times appear.

 

[tR1cKy]

... It has been a while but whem I played vanilla Deity my typical start would be 100% on pottery, then minimum on either math or preferably polytheism, then min. on Republic...

On Vanilla, Pottery is known from the start by 5 civilizations: America, England, Iroquois, Russia, Zululand. On a standard map, you can expect to have at least 2 of them in the game. So there's a fairly high chance of getting Pottery from early trades once established contact with someone. A 100% research on it may result in a total waste of money.

The best tech to research at the start are those which aren't known by anyone: Writing (if you know Alphabet), Iron Working (if you know Bronze) & so on. Usually the zero research gambit is the best option, unless you get a great start position with lots of gold from the beginning.

 

[bonscott]

Some good advice. I'm going to go a different direction though:

Sounds like you are near the end of the first age since you are trying to build the GL. But you say you still don't have all your cities connected by roads. I think your first problem is that you don't have enough workers. Never should you have a square being worked by a city that isn't roaded and new cities shouldn't go more then say 5 turns before being connected. Get two workers going quickly. Have one improve the land around your first cities, then second protected by a spear should do nothing but road out to future city locations. Get a third worker ASAP to stack with the first on city improvements.

Secondly, it doesn't matter if you are behind on tech. It *will* happen the harder difficulty you play. Key is to trade, trade, trade. Typically I'll be nearly a half era behind by the end of the ancient age. Trade extra lux and resources for tech. Research tech the AI highly values such as the governments and things they don't go for often (non-military techs like Music Theory). By the middle of the middle ages you should be nearly caught up with all your trading. Music Theory, a lux and some GPT may just get you 4 or 5 techs at once for example.

So don't worry about being behind in tech, you will catch up.
Forget the GL and just about any early wonder. It's a waste of shields better used elsewhere like for workers and some military and those every important libraries.
And get workers going quickly and often and try to never have a square worked without a road.

Good luck!

 

[VilleDick]

Well it appears as though I am crappy at worker management. I like to have the tech lead obviously and it concerns me when I don't. I just feel like early in the game I get hammered in the tech race and it takes me 2 ages to pull even. I would love to get Coperincus and Newton but the AI usually gets there first. I think I'm on the cusp of being a better than average Civ player but I can tell I need work on managing my workers and early expansion. Thanks for the advice folks.

 

[tR1cKy]

I got Newton on Deity, by rushing it thanks to a Leader.
Up to Monarch, you can outrun AI's in tech by the half of Middle Age, and get both Copernicus and Newton.