The great Library, wonder or hinder?

[CIVPhilzilla]

The GL is IMHO a very useful wonder. Think about it the ability to clear the middle ages by researching only 3 advances! Not to mention the sky high culture bonus. I try to get to it ASAP. Then I can devote all my commerce to taxes and build a nice treasury up until Education and by then all my cities or most have a library and marketplace getting the full use of my commerce.

 

[Affirmative]

I posted this in another thread that is down a few.

I've done this in all of my higher level games(emp/deity), I feel like if I don't get the GL, I get left way behind in tech, and must be a constant warmonger.






When I use the GL I always am a commercial civ. It's a nice head start on the alphabet>writing>lit>GL thing I like to do.

As soon as I found my capital I either build two warriors or two scouts (for scouting ), and then a spearman for defense and MP.
I set science to 20% writing. This 20% science allows me lots of extra money for the lux slider, and can therefore get the maximum despo production from my citizens. I then start work on a settler and move him to a nice location.

Now, depending on the land around me, I'll either try to make another settler factory, or start a palace pre-build for the GL.

I continue to expand and produce more cities, each starting with first a spearman and then a settler. (On sedentary barbs, otherwise I include a warrior escort)

Sooner or later I'll get literature, and then switch the palace up with the GL. I then take my science to 0%, no scientists, nothing. I depend entirely on my palace pre-build.

I never hoard techs; I freely trade them, might as well make friends and get some extra gold. Besides, AIs can never pre-build, so I almost always beat them to the GL. If I miss, there is always Ctrl-Shift-Q.

I will then ride the GL, go to monarchy, build up massive gold stores, make a bunch of friends, build the inner workings of my empire, and by Chivalry have some 30-so horsemen ready for upgrade. This is where those gold stores come in really handy. For 80 gold you can upgrade a horseman to knight. (40 if you managed to snag Leonardo's workshop.)

Those 30 knights can keep your weakest neighbor (but rich in resources and lux) occupied, while you continue to build up your military to an even higher level.

Hopefully you can get a good amount of luxury items and raw materials from your war, and then have some good bargaining materials for the rest of the world.


Sooner or later Education will come, and the GL will cease to be useful. The coffers come in handy here also. You can up science to 100%, even at a 60-100 GPT loss, without really killing yourself. As soon as you beat the AI to a tech, such as printing press, you can immediately trade it to the rest of the world, and start stripping the AI's monetary income. The AI will then have to slow his own tech pace, leaving you with at least a 3 to 4 turn slack.

The GPT deals will keep large rival civs off your back, because they won't, often , backstab you. ROPs come in handy too.

By cavalry you can start another war with a rich neighbor, and take over some more, if you feel like it.

 

[Bloodied66]

Just try not to rely on the GL in every game, as there will be many cases where you will not get it. The AI's discounts on production, and their early tech lead make it difficult to get on the higher levels where it is most useful.

On the other hand, if you can get it, exploit it for all its worth! As others have said, use it to save tons of money in the ancient and early middle ages. and then catapult yourself with that money to either democracy (so you can get enough gold and reduced corruption to continue research) or military tradition and conquer the world!

 

[THE WIZ]

If you use the 0% research rate then you have to restart around the discovery of feudalism. Look ahead, and develop your tech around the discovery of something past education (that doesnt require education) and get ahead in that stream before the AI does....otherwise they will just share all the tech past education and you will fall way behind, no matter what money you have.

 

[Affirmative]

Originally posted by THE WIZ
you will fall way behind, no matter what money you have.

I have never fallen behind in any high level games. By the time the AIs discover education, you should be developed enough to have 300+ gpt. Which is around a 70% science rate, fast, but not fast enough. Your extra gold in the bank is what holds you, you need to beat the fastest science civ in the game to a good tech, such as printing press. You then trade that with every civ. You then have enough money for 100% science, which should beat everyone, if you have your libraries and universities.

 

[THE WIZ]

In theory that works, but I find by the discovery of education the other civs are way too poor to maintain your gpt store. I find often on Monarch that no civ can afford a gpt very often.

 

[Affirmative]

Hmm. Must be constant wars then. I very rarely don't get a gpt deal. By the time democracy is around most civs have like a 50 gpt excess they have to lose somewhere. Trade it with like 3 civs that have that, extra 150 gpt to power science.

 

[mad-bax]

IMO the best use for the GL is in slowing tech pace for a military win. If you own the GL then one of your rivals will not get the free techs and trade them around, as has already been said. But there are a couple of other things too.

If you have the GL and beeline as quickly as you can for military tradition without trading techs to the AI then you are not acting as a source of techs to the AI. The AI research rate is slowed and when you get to MT your cavalry face weaker opposition.

If you are going for a diplo or space win in the fastest time, then I don't build the GL. This increases tech pace, and also makes techs cheaper to buy, since you can buy at 3rd civ prices quicker and you have more trading permutations at your disposal. The shields you save in not building it can be put into infrastructure or units depending on the situation.

The one thing I never do now is to build the GL and then turn research off. All that this does is guarantee that you are a tech behind everybody, and the increased gold is usually used to upgrade horses to knights to cavalry, but because you are behind in tech, the knights face muskets, and the cavalry face riflemen.

IMHO At deity level keeping up with tech is all about trading.
At monarch and emperor infrastructure can put a bandaid over trading incompetence
Lower than monarch if you're having trouble keeping up in tech then you should road tiles adjacent to rivers, build a few libraries in towns with decent commerce and turn the slider up a bit.

In short, I only build the GL to pursue a military victory, otherwise it is either no use, or a hindrance because of the cost to build it.
It is one of the most overrated wonders IMO.