question about scientists

[kaskavel]

When ready to advance technologically, I use to try and bottom down the science slider so I barely make the discovery next round. I even do that 2-3 rounds before the discovery in order to check my progress. Typically during the last round I reduce my scientists and turn them into tax collectors up to the point that my last scientist precisely disovers the technology and one less scientist means that I will not make the discovery that round. My assumption is that extra science bottles get lost when a discovery is made, so it is better to get some cash, but is this assumption correct?

 

[tjs282]

Yes, that is correct. There is no overflow of beakers from any source, into the next research-project.

 

[CKS]

You are correct, but this is somewhat risky behavior. If a city is lost, due to conquest or flipping, you won't learn your tech. Additionally, a barb or enemy moving onto a high commerce tile or pollution hitting a tile can keep you from learning your tech. I'd recommend giving yourself a few extra beakers, just in case.

 

[Spoonwood]

Also, there's the time factor to consider. I mean, sure if you want to change all your scientists to taxmen to maximize commerce, go ahead. That even sounds fine to me with an empire of 10-15 cities. But, if you have an empire of 170+ cities, would you want to change maximize tax collectors? Perhaps you wouldn't mind, but I kind of do mind that for my current game... though some cities could use more gold for more cash-rushing.

Still though, I do see a point to changing scientists to tax collectors sometimes. Interestingly enough, I believe that the game usually makes tax collectors upon starvation of a city, unless your science and luxury sliders do not add up to 100%, though perhaps my memory is faulty on this.

 

[kaskavel]

You are correct, but this is somewhat risky behavior. If a city is lost, due to conquest or flipping, you won't learn your tech. Additionally, a barb or enemy moving onto a high commerce tile or pollution hitting a tile can keep you from learning your tech. I'd recommend giving yourself a few extra beakers, just in case.

Yes, this has happened, but not often. In many cases I can just put next round the slider to 0% science and hire exactly the scientists needed. If I have not reached a civilization rate of 1 tech/per 4 rounds, it doesnt hurt.

 

[kaskavel]

Also, there's the time factor to consider. I mean, sure if you want to change all your scientists to taxmen to maximize commerce, go ahead. That even sounds fine to me with an empire of 10-15 cities. But, if you have an empire of 170+ cities, would you want to change maximize tax collectors? Perhaps you wouldn't mind, but I kind of do mind that for my current game... though some cities could use more gold for more cash-rushing.

Still though, I do see a point to changing scientists to tax collectors sometimes. Interestingly enough, I believe that the game usually makes tax collectors upon starvation of a city, unless your science and luxury sliders do not add up to 100%, though perhaps my memory is faulty on this

Well...it is for heavy micro-managers. If I bother to check all my cities one by one, I can certainly afford to add this one too.

 

[Spoonwood]

Well...it is for heavy micro-managers. If I bother to check all my cities one by one, I can certainly afford to add this one too.

As CKS suggested, you probably would do best to have some sort of buffer of extra science for pollution or any declaration of wars by an AI followed by units in your territory or an unexpected city capture. How much of a buffer though, that's something that you will need to figure out though.

Oh, we're also assuming that you aren't reloading to change game events.

 

[justanick]

As CKS suggested, you probably would do best to have some sort of buffer of extra science for pollution

Commerce and thus science is calculated before pollution.

 

[CKS]

Interesting. I missed learning a tech once when my capital was hit with pollution. There must have been something else that happened that turn that messed things up for me. I probably wouldn't have noticed a privateer moving a citizen onto a tile with less commerce.

 

[BlackBetsy]

CivAssist2 is good for getting the exact number of beakers you need. I often stop my specialists right on the number I need to 4-turn, usually because I'm creating scientists to hit a specific number of beakers per turn. But the risk of losing a city or a tile is something I hadn't really considered and you should definitely create a buffer, something like 5-7 beakers per turn. If you are on the 1st turn of a 4-turn research cycle, the risk is lower because you have 3 turns to make up the lost beakers, but on that last turn you need a buffer for a bad event.

 

[kaskavel]

You are correct, but this is somewhat risky behavior. If a city is lost, due to conquest or flipping, you won't learn your tech. Additionally, a barb or enemy moving onto a high commerce tile or pollution hitting a tile can keep you from learning your tech. I'd recommend giving yourself a few extra beakers, just in case.

Imagine this happening the round you are finishing the theory of evolution. You run in panic through the advisors to stop the wonder complition and find out it only needs 1 shield and cannot be stopped, lol.

 

[BlackBetsy]

Imagine this happening the round you are finishing the theory of evolution. You run in panic through the advisors to stop the wonder complition and find out it only needs 1 shield and cannot be stopped, lol.

It can always be stopped by putting your civilization into anarchy. Or by switching it to a higher shield wonder.

One thing I've learned that before I want to do a Big Picture break in to swap out a pre-build for a new wonder is to have an earlier city complete something that turn as well. So if a Palace pre-build for the UN is going to finish next turn in my 3rd city, I'll finish a building in my capital city next turn as well. That way, I have one last chance to break into the city production sequence if something goes wrong.