@Gunboat Diplomat
Some thoughts:
- After getting Code of Laws from Saladin on turn 166 it looks like you can get to Civil Service relatively quickly. Your capital already has an academy, but hasn't been cottaged as much as you'd expect at that point in the game. If you're building an academy you certainly expect a strong bureaucracy capital, so even during the war your priority should have been to finish cottaging around it. You can whip it less than other cities if the plan is for it to hold most of your economic power with Civil Service. That said, if you want to win the Liberalism race, it's usually a better plan to use the first great scientist for Philosophy, then the next two for Education.
- The tech trades you describe as desperate seem very reasonable to me. The AI will not give you "good deals" in the game, that's fine. In
@Fippy's beginner help guide on this forum, she mentions to focus on what you're getting from the trade rather than what the AI is getting. Almost never worry about the trade being lopsided in their favor (it builds diplomacy anyway), only worry about immediate strategic concerns. I would definitely trade Metal Casting for anything useful unless I was trying to get the Colossus. If I plan to attack 2 AI with Construction, I would trade Construction to anyone else (I guess it helps to know that the AI is very reluctant to trade Construction with each other, unless they are Mansa).
- Communism is the strongest economic tech moving in the industrial era, but I wouldn't go for it if I was planning to finish the map with Rifling or Steel. On the way to Rifling, Banking and Mercantilism gives you a free specialist everywhere, that adds up with many cities and is worth losing international trade routes if you have close to as many cities as all your trading partners combined.
- In the big scheme of things, I think there are two main paths following a Construction attack and you need to pick one of them. Either you beeline Steel and Military Science on the bottom of the tree (with Engineering and trebuchets, Guilds and knights along the way), or you go for the top part towards Liberalism and Cuirassiers, with Rifling being a possible continuation for both (but not necessarily needed). In both paths you still want the classical techs like Iron Working, Currency, Code of Laws, Monarchy, Calendar, looking for trades when possible. But if you're going for the top line you don't bother with Metal Casting, and if you're going for the bottom line you don't get Civil Service. You need 2 great scientists for Chemistry for the bottom line and at least 3 great scientists (Philosophy, 2 for Education) for the top line.
I think having a more focused strategy for the next steps after Construction, rather than pursuing a variety of things (i.e., avoid Aesthetics if not going to win the Music artist, and avoid MC if going for Civil Service), would be the biggest improvement.
- Getting back to this game on turn 166, I would probably suggest a hybrid strategy from the current position. After trading for Code of Laws, continue to Civil Service and keep cottaging your capital (and not elsewhere) to get the most benefit from academy + bureaucracy. Whip courthouses in the faraway cities if you're not whipping away good tiles. Then beeline Engineering and Steel, planning to generate the 2 great scientists for Chemistry along the way. Maybe trebuchets + elephants + maces are good enough to take on France if you have much superior numbers.
from IMP bonus.
is better than 1
1
and 
everything fell apart, but I was too focused on winning the war to notice. Plus, when you're whipping off mature cottages, you expect to take a financial hit. I've got all the autosaves from that game, so if there are specific markers that I should be looking for, I can track them down for you.
and I’m glad to see you kept it going!
