Liberalism: Which free tech?

[OutOfFaze]

I realise this may have been covered, but on doing a search for Liberalism I got 10 pages of only vaguely relevant threads.

I almost always start by grabbing Pyramids and the Oracle > CoL slingshot so I can set up a specialist economy early doors. My question is, is there an equivalent slingshot available with the Liberalism tech? There isn't one readily apparent to me. I play on a Noble or Prince usually, what is a realistic target for me to aim for?

Astronomy is about the best I can spot.

Cheers.

 

[DMOC]

You can get insane techs like Radio with Liberalism if you have high research and the AI's don't.

A slingshot? Get 4 Great Scientists after researching Calendar, Metal Casting, Alphabet, Code of Laws, Meditation, and most importantly, Civil Service. Use 1 Great Scientist to bulb Philosophy. Then 2nd to bulb Paper. Then third and fourth to bulb Education together. You can now research Liberalism.

 

[Peachrocks]

I usually choose one of three techs but always the most expensive one of these available to me and I've usually planned it before hand.

Nationalism (for nationhood, Taj Mahal, leads to military tradition), Astronomy (for Observatories, trade across ocean) or Steel (ironworks, cannon).

Of course I have once got super conductors on Monarch in BTS with Liberalism with my people still wielding Maces as their strongest weapon (not counting airships ), but those three are the technologies I usually get

 

[madscientist]

Liberalism depends on the competition, and what exactly you need. A few of my ideas on Liberlaism

MOST IMPORTANT! Do not lose the game trying to get there first. It is a beeline, so much is sacrificed, usually guilds (knights) and Engineering (pikes/trebs). Make sure an AI is not going to slam you with Superior Mideival stuff.

Now

How to get there:

1) The big techs are Philosophy, Paper, Education. Most AIs are slow teching these although some of the wonder hogs (Pericles, Mansa, Darius, Liz) will also bveeline and bulb them. All can be bulbed with a GS

2) Understand "What can be let go". You can get ALOT of good backfill techs off Philosphy if you get there first. Education is almost always worth selling for Guilds, Engineering, and other fillins to 2 AIs. However, make sure you are close to teching off Liberalism.

3) My general preference is to manually tech Paper which is fairly cheap for it's time, Bulb most of education (2 GSs for it is a waste), and Philosphy varies. The AI will usually NOT tech education early.

4) I generally will tech liberalism right away to get one of several favored techs (more on that in a bit) ASAP which helps you out early. Sure you can save it (sometimes even the post-scientific Method techs) but why wait so long to get a distinct tech advantage.

5) Liberalism is much more than a free tech. It opens two of the strongest research Civics in teh game, Free Speech (Very big for a CE based game) and FR (helps tech rate, happiness, and sometime invaluable for diplomacy). Thus the faster you get it, the faster you will overall tech.

Now, What to take for free???????? Depends on numerous things including the competition, empire status, map, victory path.

So here are the one I generally get, in the usual preference

Nationalism: Really depends alot if I need to war very soon or whether an AI manually researched it. Benefits are first crack at the Taj and a free GA (which if you play your cards right can lead to string of others by getting 3 more GPs, usually 1 for free from economics). The Taj GA also allows you to wait to adjust civics without Anarchy, especially if you are industrious and/or have Marble. The other benefit of Nationalsim first is the Draft. Getting an edge to draft Muskets and rifles before teh AI can is a big advantage, especially for survival or planning to take out a tough customer (and a supreme back-stabbing tech).

Astronomy: If you are isolated (a lone continent even if you MET everyone via optics), or already conquered you continent. Oversea trade routes get's you ALOT of commerce as well as opens up resource trading which can eliminate alot of happiness/unhealthiness problems. Also you have a new beeline, gunpowder/engineering/chemistry for some serious naval supremacy in Galleons/Frigates/Privateers.

Printing Press: Less popular only because the next GS can usually bulb most of it. However, taking Printing Press and swapping to Free Speech is a MAJOR uplift to the CE game! It also opens up the path to rifling (guilds/banking/replaceable part/rifling).

Economics: A weaker tech but a Free Merchant is nothing to sneeze, nor is early Free Market! If you can trade for nationhood and eventually Consitution, you have quick access to coproration for another trade route, thus doubling those trade routes in sometimes 2 techs.

Chemistry: Trading off eduation pre-liberalism can typically get me Guilds/Banking/Gunpowder/Engineering if I have several stupid, I mean friendly partners. Nab Chemistry, tech Military Science and upgrade you CR II and CR III maces to grenaders and finish teh game, or at least the continent.

Those are techs I can always get at Monarch, and usually at Emperor. Now you may be able to nab things like Scientific Method, Democracy, even Steel but if you getting those for free, you basically DON'T need the free tech to win

 

[AndrewN]

There is a picture round here somewhere of a player getting Future Tech I from Liberalism , but I suspect that is not the answer you are looking for.

madscientist covered most of the bases, the techs I normally look for are Astronomy (IIRC it is the more expensive) or Nationalism, both top rate techs. I normally prefer Astronomy as the increase in trade routes and the ability to trade resources is huge, but it is very game dependent.

 

[OutOfFaze]

Excellent replies one and all. Thanks for all your help.

@madsientist: I think that post could go up in the Strategy Articles section. Very useful to those who don't already know. Thanks.

 

[madscientist]

Excellent replies one and all. Thanks for all your help.

@madsientist: I think that post could go up in the Strategy Articles section. Very useful to those who don't already know. Thanks.

Perhaps I'll rework (can you say Spell check) and put it in.

 

[Gumbolt]

On my last game i nabbed steel. I think if I hadnt backfilled metal casting i could of done better. MC does help to stop barb galleys.

I teched liberalism to one turn of completion and left till an Ai became a threat. Plus of steel is the Ai avoids it as it goes for United nations/radio route.

 

[Roxlimn]

madscientist:

You gotta add Steel there. Cannons gotten in the nick of time is a major indication for invasion - they're butch, especially if you're Spain.

You don't have to tech Chemistry yourself. In fact, if you find that you can trade FOR Chemistry to get Steel from Lib, you're probably not certain of winning the game.

 

[PaulusIII]

The Immortal University featured the 'bulb towards steel and take it for free with liberalism'-tactic on several occasions because cannons is usually just what you need for the next war.

My personal preference for liberalism tech - there is none. It's all dependent on the situation. If I have time I might shoot for a really expensive tech, if I don't I'll settle for something cheaper.

 

[Bleys]

Lately its been Steel all the way. Very doable even if you dont pump out GSs. Any foot soldier can take a city once they are Cannoned down, and the best part is the Cannons rarely die to less than an LB, not like their fragile ancestors, the Cat and Treb. And they last a long time, big window.

 

[cabert]

I try to get biology, if the AIs tech miserably.
Not that often, though.

I did it today on noble (to push the edge I had from pyramids + great library, I research up to 1 turn from scientific method, then liberalism up to 1 turn left, switch back to scientific method, finished it, then finished liberalism, and had super farms to feed specialists all over the map), but never went further than military tradition on higher levels.
As someone else said, liberalism has it's own value!

 

[TheMeInTeam]

No mention of MT yet? Easier to get than steel, and it unlocks cuirassers with gunpowder...assuming you have the resources, that is.

Cuirassers are the earliest non-UU 12 str unit you can access - they can win wars very easily so don't forget this tech path! It might come in handy.

 

[semirami]

Or MS. Grens are better than cuirassers, because they don't need a resources and unlike cuirassers aren't vulnerable to any unit, before machine guns and infantry. Also if you plan naval invasion you'll need ship of the line.

 

[Iranon]

Steel is my most usual choice as well... it's the highest-impact one I can get with any regularity.
If I am running a SE, I might try to get something juicy towards Biology instead.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

My last game, I got assembly line on Emperor in a space win. I wanted Industrialism but couldn't put it off any longer.

 

[pigswill]

A minor (though occasionally useful) item to know is that if you've researched compass and MC and avoided machinery then you can bulb most of liberalism with a GS. Once you've done the lib bulb you can then trade freely for machinery, guilds and engineering while finishing off liberalism.

 

[apenpaap]

I often research liberalism until there's only one turn left, and then just start researching other stuff. Using the techscreen at the diplomacy advisor, you can check whether an AI is able to research liberalism. Once one of them is, I finish lib and take the most expensive tech available (unless it's not very useful of course).
But my favourite tech to get for free is Assembly line (I play on noble/prince, so that's quite possible to do)

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Astronomy is good too, bulbing that involves putting off civil service and it opens up foreign trade routes so nice1.

 

[Roxlimn]

TheMeinTeam:

I like doing MT occasoinally from Lib, but you need Nationalism for that, and getting or trading for Nationalism before MT isn't as easy as getting Chemistry, for some reason.

My usual scenario in beelining MT is to use Lib to get Nationalism, then tech MT manually (or with Great Artist help).