Rate staring techs !

[DigitalBoy]

Huts 100% add luck to the game. The best way for balance is without them. You could definitely learn from Crusher. Maybe you should private message him for help. It's obvious you need it from your lame comments about one of the best players in the forum.

Lots of jealous people around.

Well, I like huts in the game. Sometimes I get some a bunch of techs out of them, but usually I just get some gold.

And as far as luck affecting games go, aren't goody huts way less significant than starting position, map layout, and who/where your rivals are located? And combat in CivIV is based entirely on RNG; not that a properly executed war won't still have a >99% chance of success, but the point remains. Even having a spare unit survive here and there can make a modest difference.

EDIT: Oh yes, and I find the claim that disabled huts doesn't make the game easier at higher levels rather dubious. If the AI gets more huts from start scouts than you do, then that's that many more chances they have for getting good stuff from it.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Well, I like huts in the game. Sometimes I get some a bunch of techs out of them, but usually I just get some gold.

And as far as luck affecting games go, aren't goody huts way less significant than starting position, map layout, and who/where your rivals are located? And combat in CivIV is based entirely on RNG; not that a properly executed war won't still have a >99% chance of success, but the point remains. Even having a spare unit survive here and there can make a modest difference.

EDIT: Oh yes, and I find the claim that disabled huts doesn't make the game easier at higher levels rather dubious. If the AI gets more huts from start scouts than you do, then that's that many more chances they have for getting good stuff from it.

Huts can actually make high level games easier still. Although the AI will get more huts, its ability to utilize such advantages is dubious when compared against the relatively fewer advantages the human will still get. The human popping bronze working or AH from huts in the first 5 turns, however, is a pretty clear advantage with some game-changing implications. The gold popped from a couple can help a lot too.

Huts might make just winning harder in some situations too though, since the AI does get a boost and on occasion it's the AI that had the better start already.

Huts are always helpful to the human in HoF, because the object of a HoF is to win faster or outscore other humans playing the same settings (or similar enough), in which case you want the global tech rate faster anyway generally. Huts are still better in human hands of course, similar to the comparison between colonies vs keeping cities.

 

[fantsu]

Fishing is number one. Cheap.

 

[Snovvdog]

Mining and hunting first, the rest I'm not sure...

 

[futurehermit]

1) Mining
2) Agriculture
3) Hunting
4) Fishing (for inland starts I would prefer wheel)
5) Wheel
6) Mysticism

 

[Crusher1]

There was certainly no attempt on my part to start any sort of fight or flaming. I was only rating my tech preferences and why I prioritize them how I do. Game balance is the most important thing to me.......I hate random maps too - my perfect map would be identical resources in every spot, position, to include land - the whole thing. If you wanted a change of pace simply pick a different map.

Thanks to everyone showing me love and support for a very basic and easy concept to grasp. Some people like to move their game forward while others prefer to slosh around in the slums.

 

[mi6agent]

well not everyone who agree with you can move out the slums haha

 

[Bostock]

This flamefest has been approved for General audiences.

 

[v8_mark]

On a different note, I think Optics is a good staring tech - makes things much clearer...

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

I think Optics is a good staring tech - makes things much clearer...

Um.... what??

EDIT: Ohhhh... lol staring

 

[TheMeInTeam]

On a different note, I think Optics is a good staring tech - makes things much clearer...

The internet might be even better, as you can literally stare at an area indefinitely (or at least until you need to move to use the bathroom, eat, work, etc) if there is a camera there. Yes yes, optics is an important element on the camera lens too.

I kind of wish hunting didn't obsolete warriors.

 

[Bostock]

Hunting is perhaps a better deal the lower level you play (happywarriors become less important, and if nothing else hooking up iron becomes less important, and researching archery becomes less of an unacceptable sacrifice). While it's unrealistic to try to keep starting techs from varying in value at all from level to level, for hunting it's perhaps too severe.

A strength of 2 for scouts and a defense malus (can you do that?) against melee and archery units might balance things out, though that still does little for people who play without huts.

 

[bestsss]

it was mentioned but staring w/ scout (hunting) sucks for not being able to steal workers and does obsolete warriors which sucks even more.

 

[futurehermit]

I love hunting as starting tech. Why? I find that the significant increase to early exploration can really, really impact early development and strategy planning. Knowing where neighbours, resources, choke points, etc. are, and just your surroundings generally--sooner--can help you gameplan your strategy sooner and lead to more optimal early development.

I also play with huts on, so scouts are a big help there. Nothing like losing your starting warrior at 3000BC because he popped 4 barb warriors...

 

[Soirana]

Hunting is perhaps a better deal the lower level you play

I feel opposite. I was despising Hunting up to emperor and when changed my mind...

 

[Peachrocks]

Agriculture is my favourite starting. I instantly like a civ more that starts with it.

Mining. Faster BW, faster chopping, faster knowledge of bronze, what's not to like.

Wheel. Would be equal to mining except for the fact I only really like it if I start with Agriculture too, its a liability with some starting techs.

Mysticism - Not bad, being able to get monuments or stonehenge without having to think about researching it first is not a bad benefit but the above are better in most regards.

Fishing - Useless on inland starts, but very good on water starts. It's inconsistancy dooms it I believe.

Hunting - I play with huts off because randomness cheats the difficulty level you are playing at. It can be much harder or much easier than it should be. As such the tech is a bit useless. With huts on it probably ranks higher than Mysticism.

 

[ladedadedum]

1) Mining. Beelining to BW to get slavery and chops to pop more settlers is too important to have any other most of the time.
2) Wheel. Got to hook up your improvements, leads to pottery.
3) Agriculture. Farms are good to start feeding your gp.
4) Hunting. I don't play with raging barbs so it isn't really needed. Even at higher difficulties being passive and rexing is prefered. The fog busts so fast with expansion that I don't really come across many barbs anyways.
5) Fishing. It's too situational.
6) Myst. I can hardly ever get any early wonders or religion out anyways. It's good if you start with it. Poly is a religion and is a req for lit anyways, plus leads to priesthood which is nice if you want to use Oracle for whatever. I can go either way on this one.

imo.