Oracle slingshot to...

[Orion071]

I was playing a Monarch game with Ghandi the other day and I had a fantastic start. Gold, Sheep and Stone in my capitol's BFC and another Gold and Marble together for city #2. So I get Stonehenge pretty quickly and tech up through Priesthood to start the Oracle. Normally on Monarch I would just grab CoL with the Oracle and go from there, but with 2 Gold mines working I was teching so fast that I could research CoL myself and use the Oracle for Civil Service. So I finish CoL, and the Oracle 1 turn later... and Civil Service now requires Mathematics?! (Warlords 2.08 patch) So what do people use the Oracle for nowadays? I know on the much higher levels I've seen it used to get Monarchy, but I'm only playing Monarch and I'd like to do better than that. Metal Casting? Feudalism? Research Math and get Civil Service anyway?

 

[svv]

Is Ghandi philosophical in warlords? And, did you build pyramids and/or great wall?

I'd look hard at doing metal casting, build a forge, hire an engineer specialist, and with him combined with your pyramids or great wall if you have them, try to farm great engineers).

 

[thecivdude]

hmmm.... for me, i have a similar approach... i get stonehenge and the oracle asap... they help the GP growth of a prophet who can build a religious wonder if you establish buddhism or hinduism... after establishing the religion it's all military from then on... so i take iron working with the oracle. i'm usually the first with swordsmen as a result and it's time to conquer. my choice is IW, but i'm open to new ideas too...

i also use ghandi, he's my favorite. best for a ruling religious start if you go that route. religion funds my military and normally i don't build the pyramids in favor of the boost in GPs from the parthenon...

hope this helps

 

[Evanesce]

"Oracle slingshot to..." Fusion!

In all seriousness, Metal Casting is a pretty decent goal. Y'know, I don't always pursue the Oracle; I should probably start doing that every game.

 

[dragomaster]

what options do you have?

Ushaly i take the tech witch is most expensive or have the best inpackt off the top three expensive techs.

 

[Squad23]

nowadays i slngshot Feudalism. That really helps. Allways worked. Playing on monarch.
It is the most expensive tech what you can get from the oracle i guess...

Being in the medeival era around 1000 BC is cool

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

Oracle can slingshot to all sorts of madness. The only real penalty to racing for the oracle is delay getting pottery for pop-rushing granaries, iron working for swordsman, or construction for catapults. The Oracle is not Oreos, you can eat it anyway you want.

- Code of laws, Confucianism, great prophet for Kong Miao and have more peole believing in your true faith than buddhism or hinduism (holy shrines spread religion like mad)
- Library-supported civil service, if you're brave
- Metal-casting, forge, engineer, pyramids
- Play as Qin Shi Huang, same as above, but pop engineer for machinery, go rule the battlefields with Chinese UU with 2+1=3 first strikes and collateral damage (you can only feel their true power against humans that field masses of axeman)
- Horseback riding for Keshiks or Numidian Cavalry
- Alphabet, for trading to AI, on monarch/emperor

 

[Godel]

Or research Mathematics/Masonary and take Construction with the Oracle. Can work on Emperor or even Immortal with a high commerce start. Great if you have Ivory or play Korea (financial + hwachas!)

 

[rtfischbeck]

Philosophy is my favorite target these days. Just go meditation instead of poly.

 

[kniteowl]

Tried playing as the Aztecs?

IF you have a high production start, Beeline to Priesthood then Mining ==> Bronze Working, build/chop Oracle and Slingshot to Iron working and Jaguar Rush your closest neighbour. Instead of wasting your commerce on IW you can research Worker Techs

Other Slingshots that have already been mention are

Note Military Traits are Aggressive, Charismatic and to a lesser extent Protective

Metal-casting
- Recommended for Philosophical, Industrious or Chinese Civilizations
- Philosophical - Faster GE Generation
- Industrious - Cheap Forges
- Chinese - UU
- Forges for extra early Happiness if you have Gems/Gold or sliver,
- Can assign a Engineer Specialist for a GE

- To Rush Pyramids OR​

- Light-bulb Machinery for early Crossbowmen/Cho-ku-nus​

- Head Start on Colossus, highly beneficial on water maps

Machinery Same as above but riskier

Codes of Law
- Recommended for Organized, Spiritual, Military Traits or Aztec Civilizations
- Organized - Cheaper Courts==> Easier Expansion Peacefully or Militarily
- Spiritual - Cast System==> Fast GP generation
- Aztec - UB Sacrificial Alter
- Founds Religion
- Military Traits using this Slingshot is optional but early courthouses help out a lot at lowering Maintenance cost after early wars

Philosophy Same as Above but Riskier
- Generally Players use a GS to Light bulb this tech (Requires Meditation, Mathematics and Drama OR Codes of Law)
- Pacifism Civic combined with Cast System, very powerful Synergy

Theology
- Recommended for Spiritual or Military Traits Civilizations
- Theocracy Civic Allows Early level 3 Units Fresh out of Production
- Founds Religion
- Early Head Start on The Sistine Chapel

Horse Back Riding Optimal ONLY when using this Slingshot for UU
Eg - Carthage & Mongolia

Construction risky - requires Mathematics & Masonry
- Recommended for Koreans or have Ivory Resource nearby
- Early UU (Catapults) or Elephants give you a Military Advantage over your opponents

Monarchy
-Generally Used on very high Difficulty Levels when very low on Pre-Calander Luxury Resources (Resources That make Citizens happy Eg - Gold, Ivory etc)

Feudalism Same as above but riskier
Never Tried this Slingshot, I Don't see the benefits of early Longbowmen or Vassal States, The Vassalage Civic Maybe useful but I'd Rather Slingshot to Theology for a early military Civic. I'd only use the Serfdom Civic when Spiritual and on slower Speed games (Eg - Epic/Marathon). It Opens up Guilds but by the Time you reach Guilds, most AI's have this tech available for trade. It is not the most expensive tech to slingshot with Oracle, Philosophy is the most expensive tech you can slingshot with the Oracle and Machinery is Equal to the number of Breakers compared to Feudalism.

Alphabet Never Tried this Slingshot and Haven't Played Blake's (recent) Better AI but using this Slingshot for Tech trades to combat against the Better AI on high levels is probably more worthwhile.

 

[cabert]

When I play Gandhi I go for cultural victory.
Meaning that I use the oracle to grab a good religion.
The best possible is theology and theology has great trading potential.
+ if you earn christianism, it makes theo a less sought after tech, giving you a better chance for divine right.

My (very tough) opening for Gandhi :
- polytheism
- masonry, settle second city near (or on) marble
- monotheism,
- priesthood, start oracle in marble city
- writing,
- BW, chop the oracle, take theology

You have 3 religions already, an open door for a fourth one (confucianism via writing to be lightbulbed or researched) and a possible fifth one via divine right.
Of course, you don't know agriculture, pottery, AH, fishing,... so it may be better to lightbulb CoL when available and research those finally

 

[Yeekim]

Side note about Feudalism: early Feudalism allows for early Vassals. The earlier you can Vassalize someone, the earlier you can reap its benefits. Also, the more hope that he can rise again and become a formidable military ally.

 

[TyranusBonehead]

most often I'll slingshot Code of Law or Civil Service depending on what I have at the moment.

 

[bassist2119]

Usually playing a game that focuses CE with religious financing, my latest fav is to oracle machinery and have a GPr bulb Civil Service; it's actually quicker to maces than oracling CS

 

[MusX]

from those harder techs I often trying feudal, theology or metal casting, rarely machinery

 

[dirtyparrot]

I believe that I got Education once from the Oracle on Monarch, although being able to do that is extremely rare under standard settings. Machinery or CS are definitely doable on Monarch and probably Emperor as well, although I haven't tried for it in a very long time. I tend to go along the top of the tech tree.

 

[TWSqueaks]

I believe that I got Education once from the Oracle on Monarch, although being able to do that is extremely rare under standard settings. Machinery or CS are definitely doable on Monarch and probably Emperor as well, although I haven't tried for it in a very long time. I tend to go along the top of the tech tree.

I've done the same, I have no idea why the AI was so ass backwards, considering it was a Pangea map, but I realized I could build soon after conquering my second CIV as Shaka, and boom, Education.

Oh man, I didn't realize. That's pretty impressive.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

 

[Bezurn]

Holy necro batman!

 

[DMOC]

I usually oracle Metal Casting.

 

[bestbrian]

Holy necro batman!

Funny, I didn't even realize it until your post.

Although I found it strange that the one post was bemoaning the loss of the CS slingshot; that's been gone forever.

On Topic: If I build it at all (highly dubious as the AI loves this wonder and the Religious Tech line), I usually go for Metal Casting, although I once pulled off a ridiculously early Machinery (something like 1000 BC), and proceeded to kick a** with BC Crossbows.