Science Poll 740AD

[TimTheEnchanter]

We have Bridge building and are researching medicine…the highest priority items from the previous science poll. At this point, we need to define the next directions we will take our research.

We will have the prerequisites for the following techs: Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Feudalism, and Navigation. These open several opportunities for research.

Science Ministry comments:
Navigation:Because discovery of Navigation or Invention cuts trade deliveries in half, the science office recommends that we do not immediately research Navigation until some of our foreign caravan deliveries are made. Navigation leads to physics and magnetism (galleons) and thus has value as a mid-range research objective.

Feudalism: Obsoletes the warrior. The science ministry strongly urges that we avoid discovery of Feudalism for the immediate future. Keeping the option of a 10s unit helps IPRB units. Because our shield production is low in many cities, rush buying should be occurring in many cases. Feudalism is a prerequisite to Theology, but this should not be a priority until we are approaching Democracy and need Bach to control unit unhappiness. Feudalism and Chivalry can often be traded for from AI civs.

Economics: Allows development of Adam Smiths Trading Company and Stock exchange. Neither of these is of great benefit to us right now. Furthermore, Economics is only a prerequisite to Corporation which is quite a ways off.

Chemistry: Prerequisite for explosives, but not until gunpowder is also researched.

Engineering:Leads to several new options, and is strongly recommended as our next technology to research. Allows King Richard’s (Not one of our priority wonders) but also allows development of Sanitation to grow our SSC, and Invention, leading to Democracy, Gunpowder and beyond.

The recommended choices of the Science ministry are (F)Sanitation, (G) Democracy and (E) Magnetism. Because of the penalty on trade deliveries, we recommend pursuit of Engineering and Sanitation before either Invention or Navigation. Magnetism should be available around the time we learn Democracy so we can have boats (Galleons) that do not cause unit unhappiness in a Democratic government. The Science ministry does not suggest prioritizing Gunpowder yet because this technology usually makes the AIs very angry and uncooperative and it becomes difficult to exchange techs with them once it is acquired.

The Science ministry sees a possible path as something like: Engineering, Sanitation, Invention, Navigation, Physics, Democracy (trade for Feudalism while researching), Theology, Magnetism. An alternative would be to research Democracy immediately after Invention.

 

[TheViking]

I assumed one is supposed to vote for three techs and voted for the recommended F, G and E.

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

I'm curious about the current wave of support for Economics. I expected Theology (Bach) would get more support than Econ. Not that it's a bad tech, I'm just wondering what the perceived value is at this time. We don't have very many 1g improvements right now, and we can't seem to rustle up enough camels for our SSC wonders, or Leo, which should take priority. We don't even have a Bank yet, so I have a hard time believing it's the Stock Ex. I'd appreciate it if someone who voted for this would explain their reasoning. Like I said, I'm curious.

 

[Jayne]

I voted economics as it's one of my usual priorities. We may not have many €1 improvements, but we may later, and the additional income helps. Plus stock exchange will benefit our SSC.

But also, I think the relative popularity of economics over theology at the moment is because theology is on the poll as 'not recommended yet'!

 

[TheViking]

I'm at work so I can't check the tech tree but in the poll it looks as if we have all the prereqs for economics and can therefore get it very soon which IIRC is not the case. This may be a factor.

EDIT:
Having found the Civ2 tech tree poster online at CFC I see I didn't remember correctly, we have all the prereqs for Economics. This is a fairly important factor IMO.
END EDIT

Also a stock exchange for Dou is useful (it will hopefully soon have a bank) but I agree that AS isn't particularly useful at the moment, getting $$ from caravan deliveries instead of using the caravans to build AS is far more beneficial at the moment.

So I voted for (E) (plus F and G) since we really need galleons once we become a democracy.

 

[funxus]

I voted for it because I usually prioritize it, and because 20g out of the 35g we pay in support are paying for 1g improvements. We'd be able to reduce taxes with 10 percentunits without much money lost.
I agree with you though, that there are many other important things before we should build AS.

 

[Leowind]

I voted F and G, and voted for Economics as my third choice, but definitely third choice behind the others. I think Funxus summed up my reasons as well.