Tech Beelining

[omglazers]

For anyone who doesn't know, Tech beelining is the process of selectively eliminating technologies or relegating them to trade or steal [BtS] priority.

I've seen a lot of top notch players beelining techs in their game discussion threads and i'd like to start hearing people talk about their favorite tech paths, over rated / under rated techs [or wonders], and how the prioritize or eliminate research.

I'll post more in a moment about my own opinions, but i'd love to hear others first

 

[madscientist]

Beelining is game specific.

Most popular

Ilberalism: Bulb Phil, tech civil service, tech paper, bulb most of education, tech liberalism, take PP free (or mationalism) and backfill by trading education or head towards economic for the free GM

MM for UN: Astronomy/SM/Physics/electricity/radio/MM. The key is to use airships to keep AI's off your back.

Sea Life: banking/replaceable part/Steam power/Steel (drydocks)/RR (Machine guns for coastal cities)/Combustion (destroyers). Great for keeping AIs down who need off-shore oil reserves.

Machinery: IW/Priesthood/build oracle/take MC/tech Machinery for crossbows
Fuedalism: Priesthood/Monarchy/Oracle for Fuedalism slingshot.

There ar emany others that we all make up as we go along.......

 

[oyzar]

I tend to beeline monarchy after i get the worker techs done unless i am going for war in which case it is construction first. After that it is often CS that is a priority so my capital can carry research through the renaissance until i get other commerce cities online. Liberalism is then a popular choice to get an even greater tech edge.

A thing that is great to beeline if you are going for fast wins is astronomy as you can lightbulb machinery/optics/astronomy(twice) all with scientists if you research/don't research the proper techs. From there it is possible to carry it all the way to a Mass media beeline as madscientist pointed out.

 

[r_rolo1]

Biology is a nice tech to beeline as well ( enourmous boost in food output ), as well as Physics ( free scientist + Airships + opens a lot of good techs ). Crazy or not, some players can Lib that in Emperor+ ....

Other in times popular beeline was the CS slingshot ( for Beaurocracy, a big thing if you have few cities ). It was far easier in Vanilla and warlords pre 2.08, but BtS somehow brought it back, even with the Maths requirement ( i've seen people doing it in Emperor with a fin civ )

One of the most spectacular beelines IMHO is the Internet one ,especially if you're doing a come from behind space race ... It can really save a hopeless game.

 

[DeaExMachina]

My typical games are beelining Machinery. This is especially powerful if I'm China for their UU but since I MP Crossbows are very deadly to the Axemen centered armies.

Machinery is also the gateway tech. It is required for Macemen (though believe it or not I very often skip Beurocracy until after I've got Gunpowder simply because the long term effects of Gunpowder are better then the long term effects of Beurocracy), required for Engineering and also required to finish up the sea tech path.

So I find Machinery to be a very powerful beeline and tend to ignore economic aids like Currency, CoL, Fuedalism until I either really, really need it or just need to back track for tech requirements. The only deviations from beelining I take are to get essential techs such as Pottery and Animal Husbandry as well snag Monotheism for the build time increase. I tend to run Wonder Economies and since I'm usually not Industrial Monotheism allows me to produce wonders before other players can.

 

[Mattimeo]

This may or not be helpful, but the Pyramids are amazing. They can really be a make or break wonder. If you don't have enough hammers to build them quickly, they break you because your entire economy goes down the drain. If you can build them quick enough, then Representation helps a TON and eliminates pretty much all early unhappiness, thereby getting you ahead.

Like I said, make or break.

 

[Bleys]

I think the Pyramids are one of the most overrated wonders. Sure its awesome, but at what cost?

Now, the Oracle-MC-forge, run an engineer specialist to try to pop a GE and have HIM build the Mids, now thats a "slingshot"!

 

[Gliese 581]

If I'm industruous or have marble my first beeline is literature, CS is always a high priority regardless of civ, and of course liberalism.

 

[TM Moot]

I like to beeline Optics (ideally Oracle>MC).

Its great to send out Caravels first on a Hemispheres/Continents/any watery map.

 

[futurehermit]

Democracy also (Sol, emanc, US)