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Slow science, what am I doing wrong?

willg

Chieftain
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
3
I have CivIII 1.17f (mac version) and am having trouble with science. Whatever level of spending I assign to science the rate of research is the same as if I assigned just 1 unit of commerce to it until I build libraries (this is under despotism), ie. a Science rate of 10% is the same as the science rate at 90% (apart from the negative affect on my cash). My smaller and less commerce rich neighbours appear to be able to research much faster (I'm playing at regent level).

Surely this isn't right? Am I missing something obvious, I've tried playing as different countries on a different maps, all to no avail. However big my civ until I build libraries my rate of discoveries is awful.

TIA
 
Fisrt: they probably don'T research faster then you.

Second: while exploring you get a lot of tech from goody hut

Third: they can exchange tech together


So do you explore?? goody hut give tech only in the first age, so they are almost useless after that age, except if they give you a settler;) but that almost only happen as a expensionnist.
 
Yes I do explore and get advances that way. The other civ had made no contacts with other civs (as far as I could tell), so I still don't understand why my discoveries were coming so slowly. Is it right that the science rate has no affect under despotism until you build libraries?
 
yeah it'S kind of normal.

But as soon as you will change into republic or monarchy it will change.

i suggest in the beggining to put your science rate at 10% or so, just toi be able to research somehting... but research something you doN'T want, because when you get tech from goody hut you will never get that tech, you will get other, and since you can easily get 5 and more tech from goody hut it'S better not try and research something you want and take 30 turn to get it...

Also buy other civ tech, you can often by the tech from only 50 GC or from a world map.
 
If that is the correct behavoir from the game then it would seem counter to much of the advice I have seen and also illogical. Surely a higher science rate should have some effect on the rate of discoveries even under despotism. Is it really the case that one town of one person at 10% science rate discovers things at the same rate as a civ of 6 largish towns with 90% science rate? Much of the advice I have read says set science rate high very early in game when you have few costs.
 
i am all mix up.!!:)

Normally on despotism you won't get research done very fast, after on most of the other governement it will go faster.

If you play on monarch and higher you will found out that the AI will research faster then you so researching will give you nothing becasue they always get the tech before you.

but on lower level i admit it might be good to set research high since the AI is researching slower then you.
 
do you build roads??? if not that'S the problem.
because road produce trade wich are used for science income and luxuri
 
Originally posted by willg
If that is the correct behavoir from the game then it would seem counter to much of the advice I have seen and also illogical. Surely a higher science rate should have some effect on the rate of discoveries even under despotism. Is it really the case that one town of one person at 10% science rate discovers things at the same rate as a civ of 6 largish towns with 90% science rate? Much of the advice I have read says set science rate high very early in game when you have few costs.

there are some techs in the ancient age (republic is one) that cost so much that you won't notice much of a difference, if any, in research times between a 10% science rate and a 90% rate under despotim. Try building roads, they do help a lot
 
Advancing in the ancient age is largely done by buying/trading techs. You buy a tech from an advanced civ and trade it off to a less advanced civ for another tech/money. Your cities are producing almost no science this early in the game so its normal to have such a long wait.

You can go nuts rushing libraries, roading everything, and putting your science rate at near 100%, but it will make very little difference until you have a good number of size six and up cities with libraries, and a more productive form of government.

Above monarch level, i find myself not researching a single tech until the industrial ages, unless the AI does something foolish like skipping chivalry or military tradition. For the first third or so of the game, i buy all of my techs, this can be done very cheaply in 1.17 too, since the AI acquires the same tech usually on the same turn, decreasing the value quite a bit.

As things stand now with patch 1.17, it is cheaper, and easier to just buy techs for the first two ages.

It is possible to come close to matching the AI's tech rate in the middle ages, just not cheaply. Usually i'm behind by 2-3 turns or so. I'm speaking from experience on emperor level, so it may vary a bit depending on what level you play on.
 
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