most important tech in civ 4

[Joshua368]

No you won't, because you won't have writing, priesthood, code of laws, or any other tech that lets you actually run them .

I don't think I'll have much trouble making a case that "citizen economy" isn't optimal haha! Especially since you couldn't chop trees anyway...

Edit: I misread that, and took it in reverse.

no AG would be funny. A lot of seafood or livestock would certainly help...and hey! You could cottage over food resources for food-positive commerce tiles! Score .

No you'll eventually have to get writing, code of laws, etc. to continue the tech tree.

I'm thinking something along the lines of the list from an old quiz question... found out exactly how many techs were not required to reach future tech or fusion. Found out we don't need Agriculture/Hunting/Animal Husbandry, we don't need the Aesthetics line, we don't need the Polytheism line, as well as obvious ones like Archery, Horseback Riding, Democracy, Military Tradition, etc.

I'll probably try a space race win with absolutely no unrequired techs on a low level like monarch/prince sometime. With no cattle or farms, you'll have to rely on fish! (Fishing --> Astronomy --> Physics, required)

 

[Roller123]

Agriculture is one of the few techs that you don't need to research for any other technology... so now this post feels like a challenge.

There is no need to. The goal of the game is to win, not to research. Since civ4 allows to set quite a wide selection of values, given the appropriate map, settings and difficulty level it would be possible to win w/o any tech at all. For example, Inca on Settler on Marathon on Duel size map.

Also, it is true, many techs restrict further advancement. This is not however what the OP asked i think. He asked for tech with the most impact. In any case all win restricting techs are equally critical, regardless of their actual value. Agriculture shines even more here, since it isnt even required, and still, i believe, is the most important tech in the game. Youll get maybe one city(the starting one with map regenerated coastal food). And thats pretty much it.

 

[Cashew]

Ridiculous. It's impossible to pick one. How well would you do without pottery? Bronze? Assembly line late game?

Monarchy and pottery is a pretty important combo to get early though.

If you can kill everyone with your axe stack of doom you don't need pottery

 

[Matthew5117]

If you can outtech everyone with your towns from pottery you don't need bronze. Double

 

[Levgre]

I've completely skipped agriculture on some Island games. No agriculture resources, and no fresh water where it was especially advantageous to build farms.

I guess I will say writing. It is a pre-req for so many techs.

 

[Airefuego]

Bronze working has won me the most games. Chopping and Axemen.

I have won many games without rifles, assembly line, grenadiers, etc.

Obviously on an average map playing without agriculture, pottery, animal husbandry and fishing would be fairly tough.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

If you can kill everyone with your axe stack of doom you don't need pottery

Laff. Good luck hooking it up or building anything of consequence without mining or roads.

 

[alfon]

Bronze Working and CoL. Bronze to chop and build a huge stack of axes and CoL to help your economy recover.

 

[Camikaze]

I'll put my vote in for Assembly Line. It can be a game changer if used properly.

 

[TM Moot]

i won't say Rifling at all (can't remember ever beelining it)

i like Optics and Steel, but i guess you have to go with Bronze Working (for chops, whips and axes)

 

[Flying Pig]

Code of laws and currency. Together they can massively increase your income with no work.

 

[Matthew5117]

^I have to agree. This is why I usually take the Writing->Mathematics->Currency->Code of Laws->Civil Service route, although its more expensive to go this route when you want CS, its a lot better as opposed to the stupid religion civics that everyone already has.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

^I have to agree. This is why I usually take the Writing->Mathematics->Currency->Code of Laws->Civil Service route, although its more expensive to go this route when you want CS, its a lot better as opposed to the stupid religion civics that everyone already has.

How about writing ---> priesthood ----> CoL -----> trade for monarchy/math/alpha -----> CS?

Another good one is writing ---- > alpha ----> trade for monarchy/math ---> CoL -----> CS. If the AI is being slow grab currency yourself too.

You'd be trading for IW too.

The AI loves certain techs, especially math and iron working are like clockwork for them.

 

[Matthew5117]

Maybe. But I don't leverage Monarchy very well...

 

[ston]

I'm going to vote for Biology. In the later game, it immediately gives a huge growth boost to all cities which have farms within their fat cross (i.e. pretty much all of them) and it paves the way to Medicine which will allow the Environmentalism civic and/or hospitals to add much needed points to all cities

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Maybe. But I don't leverage Monarchy very well...

All you need is a granary, some food, improved tiles, and garrison units...

 

[Solid]

Bronze gets my vote I guess because it´s almost always the first tech i research. If I start with mining that is. many other techs can be a game changer. Early CS, early rifle or assembly line. But those techs are game chanching if you get them early not if you don´t. You can win the game with early rifles. Just mass the rifles and go kill. If you get them later you can not do that.

BW on the other hand are almost always needed. whip (free hammers), chop (low cost hammers) and axes (rush unit and barb killers)... Three game changers in one tech... Both military and production...

 

[6K Man]

It's probably Bronze Working, for Slavery, Copper, chopping and Axe rushing.

But - I'm going to argue for Astronomy, which allows Observatories (which soften the science hit you take from SciMeth), allows overseas trade (big commerce), makes invasions feasible and enables Galleons/Privateers (with additional techs) which really let you control the seas and exploit the backwards AIs.

 

[Matthew5117]

All you need is a granary, some food, improved tiles, and garrison units...

There are actually two major reasons why I don't leverage Monarchy.

The major one is I know when I revolt out of Monarchy, I'm going to have major because I don't have the to replace the provided by Monarchy.

The second reason is because I usually don't have enough workers, so I build maybe 2 or 3 improvements around a city before moving on the next one, especially how I favour early rushes a lot.

 

[IAM]

Bronze working, although I don't ussually go for it first. Like to start infrastucture and go that route 3 to 6 techs later. Another critical time in my games seems to be around Code of Laws when I really need those court houses.