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. sorry posted this in the wrong forum at first.

 

[Kennigit]

Depends on the situation. I've been finding a good combo in BtS by being able to get democracy w/ liberalism, then start a golden age so that I can make the free speech/free religion/emancipation/universal suffrage jump for free, and often can get economics for free market before the golden age is out.

I wouldn't put it off any more than to get democracy- A CE gets such a huge boost to towns w/ Printing Press & Free speech and the 10% science from free religion that to put it off would be silly. SE's probably can put it off for a little longer unless they don't have constitution, espescially since they would want to run Pacifism.

Usually I'd get it once someone gets education, just to not take any risks. I've lost it acouple times in the past trying to get greedy. Good techs are anything on the nationalism/constituion/military tradition branch, while printing press is good if you want to snag liberalism real early.

 

[AlessioCerci]

The key is espionage. If you can see what everyone is researching then you can get liberalism yourslef at the latest possible time and therefore get the most expensive tech. You have to research to one turn away from liberalism then go off on some beeline (assembly line/electricity etc) and when you see someone else get liberalism switch research and grab the most expensive tech.

True sometimes the most expensive tech isnt always the best, and as spockfederation said, free speech can be a big boost so it doesnt always work all the time.

 

[chisox1976]

So it is better to get it latter and not right away. Just wondering if some guys do it right away and why.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

So it is better to get it latter and not right away. Just wondering if some guys do it right away and why.

Leverage. A smaller free tech now can offer a better return than a bigger free tech later.

 

[CivDude86]

If you can get steel or rifling out of it that gives you a big military advantage thats going to outweigh any "small" earlier other techs if your going to war. If there are other continents to trade with then grad it asap to get astronomony (which is a pretty big tech) to get those trade routes or if your grabbing econ first unlikely then use it for that to bag the free merchant.

 

[petey]

The longer you put it off, the more expensive a tech you can get for it.

One strategy is to research it to one turn from completion and then go and research something else that's a prerequisite for a more expensive tech. Keep the EP's on the AI tech leaders so that you can see which of them is researching it and then switch back and do the final turn of research before they can get it.

Either that or just beeline for it and then use it to get some cheap tech you skipped that would only take you one turn to research at that point, just to show your contempt for the AI's abilities.

 

[patagonia]

Either that or just beeline for it and then use it to get some cheap tech you skipped that would only take you one turn to research at that point, just to show your contempt for the AI's abilities.

I've never snagged archery with Liberalism before...