Surefire Tech Strategy?

[Master Shake]

It seems like this works in every (monarch level) game.

First order of business, I rush straight to Philosophy. (I keep the slider at 50% until I begin to research philosophy, at which point I max the science setting. This usually means -1 or -2 gpt but I have enough gold by then to take the hit.)

After acquiring each tech along the way, I trade with everyone. The techs involved seem to be especially difficult ones, but for this very reason, once I've researched writing, it seems teh AIs are willing to give me two, sometimes even three techs in exchange. Then when I get philosophy, plus the free tech (usually literature for me,) they are again willing to give two, sometimes three techs in exchange for thsoe two.

So by this time I am usually either even with the top AI or ahead of all AIs. Next order of business--rush to Monarchy. (I keep the slider at whatever is closest to 0 gpt, either on the positive or negative side depending on circumstances.) This sometimes means I have to get code of laws first (is it code of laws right before Monarchy? I forget at the moment...) but that is in itself a valuable tech. (Or whichever tech it is I am thinking of.) The AIs may have researched two while I am researching that one, but they seem willing to trade in most cases. And when I've got monarchy, AIs will give me pretty much everything they own in exchange)

Next, I research currency. (AIs seem to go for construction more often, so I go for currency because I find it is best to try to research what you think the AI is *not* researching.) Trade currency for construction. This sometimes boosts me into middle ages, sometimes I have one more tech to go. But in either case, I am the most advanced player on the map.

My middle ages strategy differs depending on what kind of game I am playing. (I sometimes rush to chivalry, sometimes don't bother researching it at all.) But *usually* I end up at some point rushing to Democracy. Again, a very difficult tree to move up in, but rewarding nonetheless. AIs will *kill* for Printing Press, and once you get to the actual Democracy tech, they will even sometimes trade you "military tradition" for it. (Until I discovered this I could never get Military Tradition from the AI.)

Industrial age, there is no question--rush and I mean *rush* to Scientific method and get Darwin's Voyage built. (Even if I don't build any other wonder in a game, I always build this one.) Use the two free techs to get up to Electronics, and then get Hoover's Dam built as well! And sell your techs to get tons and tons of gpt and other techs.

This usually means I can't get Women's Sufferage, unfortunately, and I'm looking for a solution to that dilemma. I suspect there is not one, however, and I'll just have to consider it a trade-off.

Question--Does Darwin's voyage give two free techs to a civ which *conquers* it?

Anyway, I have no particular tech strategy in the modern era except I prioritize the UN if I am not one of the two largest civs.

Thoughts?

-mS

PS the tone of this post has not come out the way I intended. I am not happy about the existence of a "sure-fire" strategy such as the one I just posted. I want different games to call for different tech strategies. But in my experience, at least in the first half of the game, and to some extent in the second half, there is this single tech sequence which maximizes benefit in *all* cases. If I try a tech seqence other than the one I just named, things don't turn out well for me. Meanwhile, when I *do* use this tech sequence, I consistently stay ahead or at least even with the AI. So I'm hoping for discussion of that issue, as well as the actual sequence I just outlined.

 

[anarres]

Congrats! If you can do that every time on Monarch you shoud move up a level.

You will find that even as far as Deity you can be tech lead out of the Ancient Era if you "do the right things". You will however need to find new and different tech strats at each consecutive difficulty level, which it appears you would like.

 

[Master Shake]

Well, I can stay in the tech lead at monarch level, but I don't win every time. I often get rolled over militarily.

-mS

 

[Zer0xChan]

hehe, I'm usually a few techs behind in exchange for having a large enough military to conquer any civs that annoy me...helps for getting the techs I don't have too

Only games I've played on monarch where I had the tech lead coming out of the ancient era I would normally begin to get hurt militarily

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by anarres

You will find that even as far as Deity you can be tech lead out of the Ancient Era if you "do the right things". You will however need to find new and different tech strats at each consecutive difficulty level, which it appears you would like.

I have a tech lead on Sid, its just a matter of trading constantly and exploring.

 

[Charis]

The outlined approach is very solid, and pretty common for Monarch. Anarres' comment was my first response -- "Well done, step up to Emperor!"

Your response to that however might show partly why you're seeing the same approach to tech game after game -- a neglect for military. In the absense of conflict, full speed ahead on tech is going to work well, as will emphasizing wonder techs. Often the variety in the strategy or approach depends on your military ambition. Knowing whether to cut off research to cash rush extra units, going first for iron working before anything else to knock out your nearest neighbor early, actually doing something when you get to Chivalry besides pony shows, forsaking totally the upper path to Democracy to instead get to Mil Tradition and Metallurgy -- all these militarily driven choices add great variety to the game, and when the difficulty is right, means no choice is going to be surefire.

If you find yourself keeping up or ahead this nicely in tech but are getting rolled over militarily from time to time, there is a huge avenue of opportunity awaiting you (that is of course unless the thought of using the liberally leaves you unsatisfied)
A good deal of fun about Civ is the ability to come from behind, not leading tech the whole way, but surviving a half-age (Emperor) or full age (Deity) deficit and coming back to beat the top dog. The reason your approach seems 'always' optimal is that it *is* pretty much optimal for the Monarchy/peacelover game. So don't limit yourself to that pair!

Good luck
Charis

 

[derekroth]

I seem to favor an opposite approach. Its called nothing but aggression. Finding your closest neighbors, trading the initial techs and then attacking them works for me. And if they get a tech that you want, somtimes they will trade it along with a peace treaty just to save their skins. Then you can finish them off. Once I own my continent, all the little countries left on the other continent(s) are not much of a threat. And by that time, I am ahead in science anyway just from trades and the fact that I have a higher science capacity from being large. On the mid and below levels, there are many sure fire strategies.

 

[FenrysWulf]

The AI in conquests seems to advance faster than in PTW, and I've had a lot of trouble keeping up. The only way I can get ahead at the beginning is by reloading on goody huts to make sure I always get a tech. Still, by the late middle ages I am usually falling behind. Since I tend to have a large empire, I can't figure this out, besides the fact that the AI seems to trade with each other a lot more. They never want to make reasonable trades with me even if my reputation is spotless, so it is getting kind of frustrating.

 

[Dragonlord]

Originally posted by cgannon64


I have a tech lead on Sid, its just a matter of trading constantly and exploring.

Really? I'm trying a Sid archipelago myself and have been keeping up pretty well, but not in the lead - the AI is always already 4-5 techs ahead by the time I make first contact and I find it impossible to pass them.
Maybe with a lot of luck on goody huts - but even though I took the Portugese for the expansionist trait, I didn't get a single tech or settler from a goody hut - it seems the probabilities for getting really valuable goodies are WAY down on Sid!

 

[Masquerouge]

Originally posted by FenrysWulf
The AI in conquests seems to advance faster than in PTW, and I've had a lot of trouble keeping up. The only way I can get ahead at the beginning is by reloading on goody huts to make sure I always get a tech. Still, by the late middle ages I am usually falling behind. Since I tend to have a large empire, I can't figure this out, besides the fact that the AI seems to trade with each other a lot more. They never want to make reasonable trades with me even if my reputation is spotless, so it is getting kind of frustrating.

At what level do you play ?
And usually a tech lead comes at earliest in the late Ancient Age, if you're not an exploring civ.
Maybe you should give a try at the Great Library ?

 

[Capt Buttkick]

I'm doing much the same, master Shake. It will work on emperor too if you get a nice starting position.
However, I don't go for literatur for my free tech, but use it for the next, expensive tech on the monarchy line. I then usually stop expanding, go into save/upgrade mode and do 50-turn research on monarchy.

And atm I'm quite satisfied with taking the to the AI without too much hassle. When I want/need another challenge to keep me in the game, I'll move on

 

[thestonesfan]

I often do the same thing, but it can get boring. It's almost impossible to do it and keep even a small military with the changes to Republic. But, I don't like to control scads of cities, so I usually end up being peaceful after I get my preferred territories, and then I trade until I build the space ship. I need to shake things up.

 

[ike0481]

The AI in conquests seems to advance faster than in PTW, and I've had a lot of trouble keeping up.

I agree. I usually play on Monarch level but have found that the AI is always way ahead of me in the tech race in Conquests. I can have my tech maxed out with libraries and a few universities in nearly every city but nothing I do seems to help. The AI won't trade with me because I don't have any useful techs for them and any resources or luxuries that I have aren't good enough for their techs apparently. I guess it back down to Regent level for me until a patch comes along that might address this issue.

 

[FenrysWulf]

Yeah, Ike, your situation sounds the same as mine. I also play on Monarch, and even when my science rate is good, I find that I am behind, and I just get further behind as time goes on. The AI always demands like five different things for a trade, usually including all of my money, which means that any trade will be a one time in 50 turns deal. And I figure that I could go to war with someone and extort tech from them, but even if I destroy almost their entire civilization, they will refuse to give me a tech for peace. Man, are they stingy in conquests!