Startup research strategy

[DaveShack]

I agree with some of your points Mike Lemmer, like getting pottery, but we need not get mining OR archery, because those beggining techs are very easy to get if you are the first to get alpahbet.

I thought that too (easy to get once having alphabet) but to my surprise in many games some or even most of the AI's won't trade techs at all! Then you're stuck researching old stuff, plus you don't have the units those techs would have led to. I suspect it's something related to a power advantage on the AI's side.

 

[Tubby Rower]

In my earliy games I thought that running to Alpha was a good idea too... Then if you hold on to it too long, the AI hold your tech superiority against you and won't trade with you even though they are getting ahead of you for the reason "we fear you are becoming too advanced"

 

[Mike Lemmer]

I agree with some of your points Mike Lemmer, like getting pottery, but we need not get mining OR archery, because those beggining techs are very easy to get if you are the first to get alpahbet.

Swiss, that's quite a risk.

1. The AI likes to research techs evenly rather than shoot for a single high one like we do. Therefore the odds of having an even trade are almost zilch.
2. Going that long without Archery is begging for trouble.
3. The cost of researching a tech decreases as more civs learn it, therefore the price of those low-level techs will drop.

 

[GenMarshall]

If we took the masonary route we could forest chop the great pyramids allowing us early access to Universal sufferage.

But first we would need to aquire Bronze Working inorder to chop forests. But I do strongly recomend that we leave the forests alone during the early part of our civilization to take advantage of any production the forest tile on a non-hill terrain. Later as we advance, we can build lumber yards to gain more production out of our forests.

 

[Blkbird]

A poll hast been set up, please vote there:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=154322

but continue discussion here in this very thread.

 

[Hardvark]

I'd actually go up one of the religion paths just to get Priesthood (Oracle). Forest chop the oracle, and get us a free tech. (hopefully something like fuedalism, Machinery, Monoarchy, Monotheism, etc.)

I agree with Chieftess that we should aim for the Oracle. But my preferred free tech would be Alphabet (we'd obviously have to have researched writing before the Oracle was finished). It might leave us a little backwards at the start, but providing that we've met some people by then, we'd quickly catch up through tech trading - also, having raced to the Alphabet, no-one else is likely to be able to trade tech. This strategy has never failed me, even on Prince level (well except once when I was beaten to the Oracle by 4 turns, but let's not mention that ).

 

[Blkbird]

Thank you all for your participation so far. The official instruction of the Ministry of Science for the Game Session 1 has been posted:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=3592902#post3592902

This discussion continues nonetheless.

 

[Swissempire]

Blkbird, please see my questions in the poll thread and the instruction thread. Thank you

 

[GeorgeOP]

Blkbird made the decision. According to the CoL, he has the final say in what we research and in what order. He didn't have to ask our permision, or set up a poll. He did both just so he could gauge what the people wanted to do. Although AH won the poll, there is a clear contingent that feels we should go after a religion right away. One of the major debates against going after a religion was that we didn't start with Myst. No one debated that we shouldn't go after a religion, we just said that we probably wouldn't get one because we didn't have Myst. So in his instructions, he put in that if we do get Myst early and increase our chances of getting a religion, to go for it. Even if I don't agree with it, I still admire the outside the box thinking.

 

[Blkbird]

Explaination for the official instruction:

1. Both the majority of the citizens and the Ministry agree that the agricultural and the religious research directions are the most suitable alternatives for our initial research.

2. Comparing the two with each other, both the majority of the citizenery and the Ministry favours that agricultural is more reliable, while religious is high risk, high reward.

3. The risk of the religious direction would be significantly reduced if Mysticism is presented to us within the first few turns. While most civs who start with Mysticism are likely to pursue Meditation in order to race for Buddhism, the competition for Polytheism shall be minimal before Buddhism is founded.

4. Given that Polytheism has positive side-effects even in case if it fails to secure Hinduism, like leading to Monotheism and allowing participation in the race for Judaism, or leading to Priesthood and allowing building the Oracle, the Ministry determines the potential benefit outweights the significantly reduced risk.

 

[Swissempire]

I'm kinda ok with it now, but you should still present it to the citziens. Edit: my bad

 

[Blkbird]

I'm kinda ok with it now, but you should still present it to the citziens.

There was no time. This complementary clause was formed by me minutes before the start of the Game Session, and it was partially based on the result of the poll that shows strong support of the religious direction, even sympathy among those who in the end voted for agricultural. In a way, it was a compromise I made from the discussion and the result of the poll. I couldn't have done it earlier, as I wouldn't feel I had enough data.

 

[Swissempire]

There was no time. This complementary clause was formed by me minutes before the start of the Game Session, and it was partially based on the result of the poll that shows strong support of the religious direction, even sympathy among those who in the end voted for agricultural. In a way, it was a compromise I made from the discussion and the result of the poll. I couldn't have done it earlier, as I wouldn't feel I had enough data.

Ahh, the refreshing taste of polictical manuevers! Kidding!

 

[Blkbird]

Please discuss the upcoming research strategy in this new thread:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=155451

 

[Beorn-eL-Feared]

As the scientific representative of the idiot community, I propose we follow strictly the following research order, in that order:

1- Top to bottom
2- Right to left
3- as availability comes and goes

Sincerely, B.

 

[DaveShack]

As the scientific representative of the idiot community, I propose we follow strictly the following research order, in that order:

1- Top to bottom
2- Right to left
3- as availability comes and goes

Sincerely, B.

Wrong thread, try again in the other one that Blkbird pointed to in the post above yours.

 

[Blkbird]

No, actually, DS, he is in the right thread. In the new thread his suggestion would be of no use anymore because he's already "missed the train".

I guess time constrains don't apply for idiots. How about causality, then?

 

[Beorn-eL-Feared]

I read the other post and complied before you had this up, stormcrow.

 

[Tubby Rower]

I guess time constrains don't apply for idiots. How about causality, then?

You are not winning friends