liberalism

[chisox1976]

Just wondering your thoughts, if it is better to get liberalism earlier or later. I usually do it just after nationalism get miltary tradition and then research gun powder. Usually get my curvalisiors by about 1400 and they are a good defense against longbowmen. I play on noble and always get it.

 

[Dracandross]

Just wondering your thoughts, if it is better to get liberalism earlier or later. I usually do it just after nationalism get miltary tradition and then research gun powder. Usually get my curvalisiors by about 1400 and they are a good defense against longbowmen. I play on noble and always get it.

It's about turns saved in my opinion. If you take it early you have to take early tech for less beakers but if you save it for later you end up getting more beakers out of it. If you have something useful to get with that take it instantly otherwise stall a while. Usually new techs give something to build/increase science so its not worth waiting long.

Few examples:
Planning diplowin. Get few scientists and bulb some of astro-scientific-electricity. If you got artists they go with radio-mass media. Take one with liberalism you cant bulb.
Planning spacerace, take democracy to get SoL earlier or astro to get observatories.
For cultural win you can't stall anyway...
War well theres always good wartechs and liberalism is not one of those wait a while.... (not that paper-university are either)

-Dracandross

 

[Larklight]

Get it to within one turn, then if no-one else is close to it, stall until you can push for economics. That's all I can normally get for it. Astronomy is also quite powerful.

 

[_Lasher_]

I really like that in BtS, with enough espionage points assigned to your rivals to see their research, you can actually see when they are approaching Liberalism. You can plan what tech to get with it, if you are ahead.

However, in most of my games, I'm just lucky to get there first and will take the most expensive tech. I usually get sidetracked into some huge war by an aggressive neighbor (or a neighbor with nice land/useful resources ) so there is not much to choose. But as long as you have good trading-partners, getting any relatively advanced tech soon can get you much more than just that one free tech.

Anyways, astronomy is a good pick, if you are the first one to get it. Or go for the most expensive tech with which you can build a wonder you want. With the saved turns on the researching, you can probably build the wonder before the others can.

 

[Almond]

On lower difficulty levels where it is easy to lead in the tech race I always shoot for it. Free tech is great. I always use it for whichever tech is most expensive. On higher levels it is darn hard to get first and I don't bother.

 

[Larklight]

On higher levels it is darn hard to get first and I don't bother.

What level does it become too hard? I got it on a Prince OCC game, then backtracked, picking up currency, machinery, guilds and banking to allow me to pop Economics.

 

[Almond]

What level does it become too hard? I got it on a Prince OCC game, then backtracked, picking up currency, machinery, guilds and banking to allow me to pop Economics.

Harder than Prince. I dunno. The harder the difficulty the more luck required to get liberalism first.

 

[oyzar]

even at emproer and imortal it is possible to get it qith quite some consistency...

 

[Sisiutil]

even at emproer and imortal it is possible to get it qith quite some consistency...

I've played a few off-line games on Emperor now and have still been winning the Liberalism race. The Great Library is very helpful there; I tend to rely on Great Scientists for an Academy and to lightbulb many of the pre-requisite techs (Philosophy, Paper, Education) while I research other things.

 

[MrCynical]

It's possible to win the liberalism race in most immortal games in BtS. Most AIs simply don't put that high a priority on it.

 

[Indiansmoke]

It's possible to win the liberalism race in most immortal games in BtS. Most AIs simply don't put that high a priority on it.

I have seen the Dutch leader going straight for it in 2 emperor games, he skiped Guilds, banking, engineering, drama, music etc. Both these games where hemispheres though and he was isolated at his own continent.

Alltogether I don't think that liberialism is THAT important. I have seen various AI's (especially Mansa) skip education, liberialism and go straight for nationalism, for Taz Mahal and maybe drafting. I have tried this path in my last games and I think the golden age from the Taz propably makes up for the free tech, especially if you have masaulium of mausolous. This beeline is also faster than the liberialism one since education is very expensive.

On emperor it is often that if you get nationalism as a free tech from Liberialism then someone has already build the Mahal or if about to finish it.

 

[Diamondeye]

I almost always grab it asap, not strictly beelining, but make sure I get it and take Astro with it.