Starting Technologies--Random or Constant?

[Deadeye]

Are the starting technologies random or constant for each civ?

Some civs I I have started with got only Irrigation, Mining, and Roads while the Persians got Alphabet and Bronzeworking and maybe something else.

Are there any other trends among the different civs?
Consistent patterns when facing them?
Obviously knowing these things can be useful in the begining of the game. At leats for me.

 

[duke o' york]

I don't think so.
Many people believe that if you get bonus techs and/or two settlers at the start of a non-deity game then your starting position will suck but this isn't necessarily so. I've found that you are often closer to another civ than some may find comfortable, but I think this is an advantage as you can then wipe them out and they will not reappear by you again if this is set - allowing you to expand into the "set" territory for 2 civs, not one.

 

[Rodgers]

I have ALWAYS played as the Romans, am I missing out on anything by doing so?

For example, does any particular civ develop trade/science/happiness etc anymore rapidly than another, regardless of how well the player manages his game? Is there ANY in built bias at all?

 

[duke o' york]

There isn't any built-in bias for your starting techs, but the different civs will have different priorities when you are playing against them. I normally play as the purple civs because you will get research bonuses with them - see the Key Civ thread for details but I will play as the white civ on a OCC. You may be handicapping yourself playing as the Romans all the time, but the key civ differences can be evened out with some careful trading and shouldn't make much difference at all on levels below King or Emperor.

 

[EdwardTking]

All civilisations start out with Irrigation, Mining & Roads all the time.

Any other starting technologies are bonuses.

On Deity each civilisation always starts with two settlers; on non Deity difficulty levels the second settler is a bonus too.

If the computer has assessed the starting position as being less than good; it will award the tribe (you or an AI) an or several extra technologiy and/or a second settler.

In assessing the starting position; it is known that the computer regards the following as being less than good:

* inhospitable terrain (how poor is it)
* being on an island (the smaller the worse)
* being near another civilisation (the closer the worse)

The accuracy of the computer assessment is much debated.

With respect to inhospitable terrain; I personally believe that it does not matter what the starting square is (grasslands or plains), but that it is the surrounding 20 squares that count.

I think that forest, grassland and ocean are regarded as good; others poor.

I think that the assessment reflects food, shield and trade production prior to improvements and does not reflect either specials or huts at all.

Tundra and glacier are awful. Desert and mountain are very poor (one shield only); likewise swamp and jungle (one food each). Hills with two food are better but poor. Forest (two shields and one food), Grassland (two food and one shield) and Ocean (two trade and one food) are better.

 

[duke o' york]

Last weekend I started a King level game with 2 settlers, Bronze working and Horseback Riding despite the fact that I was on a huge island all by myself and the starting position was a 4-special location! And not just near one, slap bang in the middle of the 4 - something I'd never seen before. Maybe the computer didn't rate the position that highly as there were 3 desert squares in the radius (one an oasis mind) and only 3 grasslands but they were all shielded so I wasn't complaining.

 

[Old n Slow]

The starting gifts seem to be a skewed random distribution. I saw a thread elsewhere (I think poly -- the scouse g's in action) about some extensive research:

There seemed to be some tendencies regarding the militarism/ neutral/ civilized breakout of the civs (i.e. the militaristic civ, if given a tech would have a greater chance at Warrior Code, whereas the civilized civ would have the greater chance at Alphabet); also the later starting civs (i.e. purple as opposed to white) had a greater chance of starting with an extra tech.

On the other hand, the purple civ has a greater chance of starting in diminished location -- I once started a game as purple on the tundra at the south pole -- circled the globe & found no grass in sight -- yucho