What's the best use for each type of great person?
In the game I just finished, I had them being born left and right (I had all the great wonders and was playing on cheiftan) but I never used them because I didn't know how to make the best use of them.
It's really situation dependent; lot's of people plan their birth to use them at their highest potential, but it's not your case, so you could follow these simple rules at first:
In the early/mid game:
- prophet: shrine if you have the opportunity to have a good one; otherwise, settle in your future wall street city.
- engineer: set your view on a good wonder, and keep it for the occasion.
- scientist: search for your highest science-producing city and build an academy there if you can get at least 6 beakers. Otherwise, settle in your future oxford city (which should already have an academy)
- artist: settle it in a city where you (will) have culture problems; if you're at war, don't forget the culture bomb. Otherwise, keep it.
- merchant: send it on a mission if you have the opportunity to do a mass upgrade. Otherwise, settle in the future wall street city.
- spy: in the very early game, you may choose a victim and get a huge amount of EP against it, with which you'll be able to steal techs. Otherwise, settle the first, build scotland yard with the second, and settle the remaining. All in the same city.
In the mid/late game, they usually lose their benefit (which are better in the long term), except perhaps for the engineer. In this case, you may consider keeping some for golden ages, especially if you're planing a space race.
When you get better, obviously forget all these rules
