Literature

[RJM]

Literature opens up three valuable wonders - the Great Library and both the National and Heroic Epics. It requires Aesthetics, which the AI doesn't prioritise. At the moment, it looks to me like one of the few no brainers in the game.

Would anyone like to play devil's advocate and put forward the case for not researching Aesthetics and Literature?

 

[Quaren]

Only reason as I see it is if you play on low difficulties(noble and lower) where you can beat the AI to all the wonders and most of the religions if you grab what they prioritize first.

On the higher difficulties Aesthetics isn't only good for literature and wining GL but also when the AI tech faster then you it is very good for trades.

 

[bobbyboy29]

Another pro is that it gives you a shot to be first to music. Music gives you a free GA and is also good trade bait.

Here are some cons of researching lit early:
1) Being relatively cheap it isn't great trade bait alone, you usually need something else or to partially research a tech to trade for it.
2) Depending a lot on the map, if you don't have marble, aren't ind and still have space to settle then you usually are better off spending hammers on settlers and workers and picking it up later for the epics. Also you may need some other techs much more desperately, CS, currency, col, monarchy etc...
3) Even if you get there early, if you don't manage to get TGL then the returns are marginal compared to some of the other techs i just listed.

So yeh, it is a great tech but unless you really need TGL its often fine to leave it until later and then pick it up in a trade. That having been said as soon as i see marble nearby I usually go for it.

 

[Framesticker]

If I got my basic BC techs down (Currency, Monarchy, CoL, etc.) and in no immediate war threat, I like to go down the Music line. TGL is an amazing wonder for GP farms (+12GS points/turn is great for producing Scientists for the Lib line) and the Heroic and National Epics are most useful when constructed early. The free GA from Music can also be used to 1) be settled in a city struggling to keep its tiles against another city (typically a Creative civ or one with Wonders like the Parthenon or SoZ), or 2) saved for an anarchy-less GA period for civic switches, saving over thousands of beakers at points. You can go for super early Aesthetics, then often trade it with techs like Drama and Music for Currency, Monarch, CoL, Civil Service, Machinery, Metal Casting and plenty more other highly useful early techs.

 

[vranasm]

Isolation/semi Isolation is biggest reason to not go immedietaly for Aesth since you want to secure research/wealth build option for your cities, with CoL and happy (Monarchy / calendar depending on map) first.

In interesting map here on forums in semiisolation with Elisabeth I went aesth->lit line after getting math->cur->CoL if i remember correctly

 

[Zx Zero Zx]

I only go for it if I know I won't be one of the first two to Alphabet. It's an expensive tech in the BCs. Plus I am a warmonger and the only thing that it gives me is Heroic Epic. More often than not it is better to get CoL, Currency, or Monarchy instead.

 

[GGS]

Devil's advocate, is it?
Civ4 is a situational game without silver bullets. The excellent wonder-line you favour can turn into a very modest cash-for-failure programme with the majority of leader traits and/or the lack of appropriate resources. Then, there is war. You don't need to build a great wonder you can capture. You can't kill an enemy at your gates with books and such.

 

[UWHabs]

No industrious and no marble = sometimes not very good to chase after the great library.

No war early/no barb xp = no HE until later

ideal GP farm site not settled yet = no NE yet

Especially if you need to work on the economy, it can take all your time going alphabet/CS/monarchy/currency/calendar and it's not worth going towards Lit. For me, if I have marble, I'll usually try for lit. If not, I don't worry about it and tend to go towards bureaucracy instead.

 

[TheWilltoAct]

TGL is an amazing wonder for GP farms (+12GS points/turn is great for producing Scientists for the Lib line)

Don't you mean eight?
[2GPP base + (2 scientists x 3GPP)]?