Music Beeline for Non-Culture Games

[Artichoker]

As I learned recently in my current game in the Vassalage series, the Music beeline is a powerful strategy, even for non-culture games, because of the following reasons:

1) If you get it first, you will get a free Great Artist.

2) Just like Aesthetics, AI leaders are not very inclined to research it themselves, usually preferring Drama instead. This increases the trade value of Music.

3) As a precursor to the Philosophy trade, the Music beeline acts as a storeroom for your beakers while you are waiting for the Philosophy trade to come to fruition.


I find that 1) is most useful when there are cultural borders in contention. Whereas 2) comes into play when there are more tech trading partners.

Case 3) is very specific to a Philosophy-bulbing strategy, but it works particularly well in conjunction with Vassalage, since the required tech--Feudalism--is easily available by trading away Philosophy.

In the current game, I started researching Music at around 100 AD.

 

[Gumbolt]

Erm use a GS to get philosophy and then tech music once you have the other pre quiste techs?

I dont see why you cant reach both first if you are beelining for liberalism.

I might use the GA for a golden age. Drama seems such a waste for the beakers required unless you go divine right.

 

[CornPlanter]

Well on a contrary, I found that AI ussually go for Music. I never manage to research it first unless I really want it (e.g. like liberalism or economics).

 

[Artichoker]

Erm use a GS to get philosophy and then tech music once you have the other pre quiste techs?

I dont see why you cant reach both first if you are beelining for liberalism.

I might use the GA for a golden age. Drama seems such a waste for the beakers required unless you go divine right.

I'm not sure what you're asking here...the "waiting" is often necessary to time the Philosophy trade so that you can trade it to as many other leaders as possible, thus increasing the advantage you gain from the Philosophy trade. In some situations, bulbing Philosophy and trading it right away may not give you the best conditions for tech trading. So spending some research on Literature and Music can help by increasing the amount of trade fodder that you have in total...and it also can win you a free Great Artist.

 

[UWHabs]

It varies. Sometimes it'll be delayed (some games I've had musket battles with everyone, but seems like nobody has Aesthetics). Sometimes it'll go early.

In general, I would only go for it for the GA for basically a "free" golden age. Combine that with the Taj (which you can often get soon after if you're lucky), and that can really help.

 

[futurehermit]

I find it can go either way. When I get music first (never by trying, but rather when the tech advisor recommends it and I figure I can get it first) I will use the GArt on a GAge usually immediately following the GAge from Taj, if I can land it.

 

[Hero]

When I go for Music it's usually only because I've failed to resist my Great Library addiction. If I'm one of the first to Literature, I figure I might as well take a shot on the Great Artist too.

 

[Gumbolt]

I'm not sure what you're asking here...the "waiting" is often necessary to time the Philosophy trade so that you can trade it to as many other leaders as possible, thus increasing the advantage you gain from the Philosophy trade. In some situations, bulbing Philosophy and trading it right away may not give you the best conditions for tech trading. So spending some research on Literature and Music can help by increasing the amount of trade fodder that you have in total...and it also can win you a free Great Artist.

I wasnt suggesting trading any techs away. Have a look at the Sury Emperor cookbook series. Theres 2 saves at 400ad where the player has teched philosophy and music before the AI.

I was suggesting using a great scientist to bulb philosophy. As for early tech asthetics and literature are useful for Glib. Really depnds on the game I suppose. I find if you trade a lot the Ai generally tech much faster.

In terms of trade. The chances that every Ai will offer you a tech for music is not guaranteed. Most refuse to trade certain techs till the wonder is built or its advantage has passed. Caender, construction etc

Really depends which level of play we are talking about also. Theres a huge gulf between immortal and noble. Whats easy on one level can be tough on another.

 

[Artichoker]

Well on a contrary, I found that AI ussually go for Music. I never manage to research it first unless I really want it (e.g. like liberalism or economics).

Of course, the likelihood of getting it first will depend on how early you start researching it.

I have found that by prioritizing it early, it can be rather easy to get first. If you succeed, its trade value will be very good since AI leaders won't prioritize it once you've snatched the free Great Artist.

The main drawback of the Music beeline is that the tech does very little by itself other than the free Great Artist. So if you're hard-pressed with more urgent matters, you will need other techs to help you.

But if you're just waiting for the right moment to cash in through tech trading, then Music is one of the best places to go.

 

[Artichoker]

I wasnt suggesting trading any techs away. Have a look at the Sury Emperor cookbook series. Theres 2 saves at 400ad where the player has teched philosophy and music before the AI.

I was suggesting using a great scientist to bulb philosophy. As for early tech asthetics and literature are useful for Glib. Really depnds on the game I suppose. I find if you trade a lot the Ai generally tech much faster.

OK, I was also referring to the Philosophy bulb, and researching Music.

But my point was that Music helps you time the Philosophy trade, because sometimes you want to research a tech for which you don't have the prerequisites (say, for instance, you want to research Engineering but you don't yet have Machinery).

Since you need Machinery to research Engineering, you can't do so until you actually get Machinery, which you are planning to get by trading away Philosophy. But, on the other hand, you don't want to make the trade immediately because you want to time the trade with the other trades you will be making with Philosophy.

That's where Music comes in. It gives you an opportunity to win a free Great Artist, and it also lets you build up your tech trade fodder for the time when you actually do trade.

 

[DMOC]

The Music beeline is very strong in certain situations. In the end, while it does give you the benefit of trades, you need to check for AI's researching Aesthetics/Drama early, which may be a hint of them researching Music. You can also hang on to the artist for a Golden Age after Liberalism, instead of building the Taj Mahal.

 

[JBossch]

I recently used the music beeline pretty successfully on an immortal/standard/fractal game. I burned the GA on a Golden Age which I used to switch civics to Burea and CS I think, and then power my way to Liberalism. Anyway, Ive come to throw out my old thinking about drama being weak and instead went for it early to get to work on theatres/Globe for some early drafting. I am Ethiopia and I have over 20 Oromos already before 1000AD, ready to bury my neighbor. Wish me luck!

 

[Artichoker]

Besides being potentially strong (if you win the Great Artist), the Music beeline also has the advantage of being flexible, since there are 2 different ways to get there.

You can either take Literature or Drama as the prerequisite for Music. Literature has the advantage of enabling a few wonders and being cheaper, but Drama has the advantage of unlocking the Theatre.

I think in most cases Literature would be the more efficient route, but for some leaders or civs Drama would be better, due to bonuses for the Theatre.

 

[JBossch]

^^^ Yeah it really depends. If you have been pursuing the GLib then Lit is probably the best choice. I went through drama for theaters as explained above. I am really becoming convinced of its strength especially with a creative leader and plans for a draft war.

 

[Bostock]

The main drawback of the Music beeline is that the tech does very little by itself other than the free Great Artist.

If you're not in Caste and you're still founding cities or you've captured one where a theatre does not make sense/is not possible, then the ability to build culture in newly founded cities can come in handy.

But otherwise, yeah.

 

[Artichoker]

My assessment of the Music beeline was based on settling the Great Artist, but based on people's idea of the early Golden Age, I see it having potential.

It seems like the key to making it work is having both Pacifism and Caste System during the Golden Age for a +200% bonus to GPP.

Assume, for example, that Philosophy is in the bag before the Golden Age begins. This can be achieved by spending a GS on a Philo bulb. If we also assume that the other GS was used to settle or build an Academy, this means that we're on our 3rd great person.

The 3rd great person has a cost of 300 GPP, but this can be reasonably achieved by one city running 5 scientists, using the following calculations:

base GPP/turn=

5*3 = 15

adjusted GPP/turn=

15*3.00 = 45 GPP/turn

On turn 1 of the golden age, we adopt Caste System and Pacifism. On turn 8, we switch to Slavery and our religion civic of choice. This means we have 7 turns to run unlimited scientists at +200% GPP. Which means in 7 turns this single GP farm can generate:

45*7 = 315 GPP

which is slightly more than the 300 GPP required to pop the 3rd GS.

For the 4th GS, we can can put some progress into it as well. After 7 turns, it can also run 5 scientists and gain 315 GPP. The cost will be 400 GPP, so there will be 85 GPP remaining. On the 8th turn we can run 2 scientists at +100%, for 12 GPP. This leaves 73 GPP after the Golden Age left for the 4th GS. At 6 GPP/turn after the golden age, this means the 4th GS can be gained in 13 turns.

 

[Artichoker]

We might be able to improve efficiency (maybe) by using the 1st GS to bulb Philosophy, and only partially working towards the 2nd GS, saving it for the golden age and pacifism. I haven't worked out the math for this variation, but the basic idea is that since the 2nd GP isn't gained yet until the golden age, we can push it out very quickly in the middle of the golden age while another GP farm works on the 3rd GP.

Of course, this variation may force us to delay an early Academy or settled GS, but the sacrifice might be worth it since it can allow us to gain more leverage from the golden age and pacifism.

 

[Bleys]

Wow, this is like Deja Vu all over again! I was JUST going to post this last week myself, how did I miss it til today?

My style is early Lit beeline, get the GL in my GP farm, especially if I am IND or have Marble. I just find this works every game as a pair of techs I can trade off for quadruple their beaker value, and backfill all the stuff I missed like Med, IW, maybe even Sailing, etc.

So with Music right there, I often go for it for the Artist (as well as having another tech I can get triple my money trading), and I got to thinking, isnt Music basically "Free Golden Age, except when YOU want it"? I save the Artist every single time for an opportune push into a tech, a civic swap, a big production boost (every try a GA during a close Space Race? It can pull you ahead easy even if you are a few parts behind).

So yes, I am a big fan of that early Music grab. If I have Marble, not only will I get a GA, but quite often I build the MoM (usually in my HE city to keep the Artist wonders grouped up) so I get a 15 turn GA (I play Epic). However, I generally save the Golden Age until either I am pushing for Lib, or about to go into Nationalism and draft. Especially the 15 turner, you get 3 civic swaps, a period of Vass + Theo, then into Nat + Theo, then out and back to FS of Bur + Caste + Paci or OR. I rarely pop a GA before that.

 

[Bleys]

Well on a contrary, I found that AI ussually go for Music. I never manage to research it first unless I really want it (e.g. like liberalism or economics).

Heres the thing though, if it goes early to the human, the AIs stop pursuing it. Its like a few of the Religion Founding techs, like Theology and Divine Right. Once they are discovered by someone, the AIs suddenly drop it to the bottom of the priority list.

I am playing a game where I just traded Music to 5 of 6 AIs for a total of 2 smaller techs and 2500 gold, and this was in 1000 AD. I was first to it, Artist is sleeping til I need him, and none of the other AIs ever even bothered to research it. I likely could have held it longer, but there is a religious block, so I didnt want them trading it around.

 

[Gumbolt]

I normally do the Glib route too on a lib rush as Asthetics gives you trade options. Although i have been researching alphabet lately as the Ai seem to take ages to research it at times. Waiting can be a pain!!!

Sometimes I will wait till I have nationalism then do GA to help get the MM wonder faster. 20-40 turns is ages. If I have a good production city this is much lower. Change of civics also helps here.

Does anyone actually beeline music for the wonder?