Tech rate, dates for key techs

[frob2900]

I know this is heavily dependent on map settings and a lot of other factors, but to put it simply, what is generally the dates at which you reach key techs, for example liberalism biology, assembly line etc.?

I generally hit liberalism between 500 AD to 1000 AD on prince (on monarch perhaps 1100-1200 AD and I do often get beat to it) and I figure I'm teching well if I'm at assembly line at 1500 AD on prince...

Tech rates can be accelerated immensely by trading of course, and on monarch I always have to trade, but on prince I tend to avoid it, except when I'm going for space race with well behaved friendly neighbors...

On a related note has anyone tried teching biology early? I'm fascinated by getting it as early as possible (after reading the Super Size Me thread) but I've noticed that I tend to end up weak afterwards in the sense that I can get biology on prince at best ca 800-1100 AD (best so far 780 AD), but afterwards I have few cities (generally 5 for oxford but on my record date I only had 4) and having done most of the heavy research (education, scientific method, printing press, chemistry) by bulbing I dont have the research power to easily nab all the juicy techs that become available..

 

[futurehermit]

I think on Monarch sub 1000 AD is good for liberalism. Depends a lot on how willing the AI is to trade with you and which techs they have at what times...

 

[frob2900]

Ok, come to think of it liberalism isn't really that hard to reach sub 1000 AD, it would probably be possible for me to get it realistically around 700-800 AD on monarch, however theres always the problem that popping liberalism depends on also having a juicy tech to get for free, i.e. if I want to get scientific method or astronomy from liberalism a pure beeline wouldnt work so well...

I've figured that biology is one of the nicest techs to get from liberalism.. I've been trying to get assembly line from liberalism but I generally cant tech fast enough... (Earlier I usually used to get something like nationalism since I generally researched lib immediately when it became available..)

 

[futurehermit]

Biology from liberalism? Is that even possible at monarch? If so, you gotta give me some tips, that would be awesome.

And, yeah, sub 1000AD isn't spectacular or anything, but like you said if you're shooting for a juicy tech, anything under 1000AD is fine and will generally land you liberalism.

 

[frob2900]

Biology from liberalism? Is that even possible at monarch? If so, you gotta give me some tips, that would be awesome.

And, yeah, sub 1000AD isn't spectacular or anything, but like you said if you're shooting for a juicy tech, anything under 1000AD is fine and will generally land you liberalism.

On prince its almost 100% doable, on monarch highly situational (I'd say one in five good attempts) and it depends very heavily on lightbulbing education, printing press, chemistry and scientific method.. One you have them its straight forward..

If Elizabeth, Mansa, Gandhi or someone like that is on the map then I'd say its impossible.. If the map is filled with Tokugawa/Montezuma type AIs then it should be pretty easy..

One way of getting it to work on (at least on pangea maps that are small/standard size) is that if your empire is close to any opponent which is researching paper/education then hit them hard (pillage towns, burn cities) and/or bribe opponents with non-education techs to attack the target... keep them off education and it might just and just be possible..

Another lame way is to play someone like Ramesses or Cyrus and just wreck the AI in the pre-AD years, burning/capturing their cities and pillaging everything.. but then again you can probably win by conquest/domination this way.