Please explain the "NC Start"

not sure what game you're playing, but my AIs never have 300g on turn 10. They are usually able to get that much by turn 30-40 (given their uses of it), but that's it. Even then, they don't always hit Philosophy early now.

 

143 and 5/turn is the usual turn 10 sale.

I rush to Philosophy, since there's usually only one AI that has it at the time I want to start signing RAs. NC first helps there quite a bit.

 

Hammer decay is 2% per turn after 10 turns for units and 1% per turn after 50 turns for buildings, according to the XML. I haven't tested it in recent patches, though.

 

I'll have to check this out.

Keeping in mind that they left a tonne of Civ4 crapola in the XMLs that aren't being used.

 

If you put hammers in wonders, you never lose them(except if you got beat by AI for world ones, but you get the same amount of money). For units and buildings, it's like Mouseypounds said.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=400695

 

Y can sell 6 open border for 300 (50 each)

 

Thanks for all the info everyone has provided so far!

A couple more questions:

1. Do you bother with Oracle or Great Library in capitol or any other city? I've been trying to pick up one of the two but it's a lot of turns that my capitol isn't producing settlers. On the other hand, if I build like three settlers, some AI seems to get it before I do.

2. What's the recommended use for the Great Person from Meritocracy? I've been either getting a scientist to drop an academy in my capitol to get multiplied by the NC and university or an engineer to rush Oracle or Library.

 

GE seems to be the clear choice if you have a late wonder that is critical for the type of victory you are going for. As a result of using it on a late wonder, I usually skip Meritocracy until the last SP choice before I need it.

 

What about a GS to make an Academy?

I haven't tested it, but I think having an Academy very early in a NC Capital could be worth it.

 

Can anyone post what turns they are getting each Tech and Policy?

 

Here is very nice post with turn for tech. and policy order

 

er, that's pre-patch

 

Can anyone tell me if Aristocracy affects the build speed of the NC and other national wonders?

 

Cheers.

 

@ Martin

How do you have a luxury for sale on turn 10? You must be settling right on the luxury and it would have to be a mine (gold, silver, gems) and then research Mining first? Doesn't this often place your capitol on a sub-optimal spot that could really hurt later? I guess this is a Diety strategy where you need all the help you can get to start?

 

Yes, you need a luxury that can be mined for a turn 10 resale.

As far as suboptimal location/burning a turn: I really don't care. If you loan the 5 per turn back out, that's 143+112=255 that you wouldn't otherwise have. For perspective, that's half of El Dorado, which is considered horribly imbalanced.

It's the difference between Friends and Ally status with a Cultural, which makes a big difference that early. Alternately, it enables you to buy Friends with a Cultural and still usually have enough cash for a Library if you're going NC first. Finally, it permits purchasing a Granary in the starts where a Granary is crazy.

If you put all the pieces together correctly, you can have Scholasticism as early as turn 60 in an OCC. That's a huge shot in the arm for early research, and it lets you tear up the Classical era and acquire the Medieval techs that are crucial to your game in a hurry. In the last Arabia OCC I played, I had Currency around turn 60 and Education on turn 70 without having to bother with blocking for Research Agreements.

 

Are you bulbing Theology to open up Patronage that early?

Thinking out loud - research mining, than to Theology. Buy a library (borrow if necessary) to speed up NC. Don't go crazy with SPs early as you want the Patronage ones to be cheap. As soon as you have the timing down so you can open Medieval and get a SP together, friend or ally (borrow if necessary) with a cultural CS. Setup some RAs along the way.

Now your science is rolling in, your culture is healthy, and you're poised to take full advantage of whatever cultural CS alliances you can scrounge up, which will simply accelerate your culture and science gain.

Is that close?