The Oracle!!!

[shahreevar]

What tech do you usually get with oracle??

i usually get Theology, or Metal casting!! of nether availabe, then the most expensive tech.

 

[BarryMcCackiner]

I kind of like Code of Laws. I usually miss out on the beginning religions because I am discovering things for my workers (Husbandry, Agriculture, Mining, Masonry, etc). So this assures me a Holy City and gives me courthouses in one fell swoop. Also the Code Of Laws beaker requirement is quite high for its position on the tech tree so it saves a lot of research turns.

 

[shahreevar]

i guess i need to change my strategy. indeed in my path my worker techs come later than the other players. i am kinda anal about getting Theology, and i switch almost asap. and i often find the Ai begging,and sometime bullying for Theology more than anything else.

 

[LawLessOne]

I really dont know why you build the Oracle. What is it about getting one tech that makes it worth the time and production expense?

 

[Gemini1706]

Theology benefits you only if you warmonger, right?

 

[Glinka]

Metal Casting. I usually get a Great Prophet very early, and can grab Theology without the Oracle.

 

[obsolete]

I never build the oracle either... early in the game those hammers are worth a lot for your expansion. No other time is as critical.

 

[Corbeau]

Metal Casting or Theology are good targets, IMO.

 

[obsolete]

I have never won on deity by building an oracle. I suppose there are some exploits in order to do it well. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[Amourek]

I usually build it too early and have to settle for Metal Casting.

 

[Entrinzikyl]

I've never not gotten Code of Laws with it, regardless of what particular strategy I'm playing. It's nice to finally have a religion, even if I don't switch to Confucianism right away, and courthouses are rrrreally nice.

 

[SES-Eugene]

Most of the time its Metal Casing but sometimes if the AI allow me to complete it later, it will be the better tech, Civil Service.

 

[Belboz]

Theology. Free religion, free missionary, and automatic jump to the middle ages, when the cool music starts playing. And Theology costs more beakers than Code of Laws, so you can get all of the above and maximize the value of the free technology if you choose Theology.

 

[andrew_yaweb]

Agreed. All advances that give you a religion founding are good.
I go for Indian, start building Stonehenge, delay to build an archer, resume, delay to build a scout, somewhere in here I get Bronze and go to slavery, resume Stonehenge, finish it. Baracks, delay once I get Pottery and build that, barracks resumes. Usually it's time for a worker, use slavery with good timing on granary. Then start on Oracle, after a couple more population I delay it to build a settler, then I finish it. Depending on circumstances I will delay for an archer or two. Usually by the time I finish the ORacle I can get theology.

 

[niffweed17]

Metal casting, metal casting, metal casting.

This is my early game strategy in a nutshell:

• Build a warrior. Continue building warriors until city reaches size 3. If mysticism becomes available before city reaches size 3, build stonehenge (after 1st warrior).
• Build a worker when city hits size 3.
• After the worker, continue or start building stonehenge. Delay stonehenge whenever necessary for building military units, but never build more workers or settlers until stonehenge is completed.
• After stonehenge, build workers/settlers/units/barracks/libraries as necessary until the oracle becomes available.
• build the oracle and obtain metal casting.
• use the great prophets from stonehenge and the oracle to obtain code of laws/theology.

this not only allows for the obtaining of at least one late religion, but it allows the very quick construction of forges, which is a powerful force in the early stages of a game.

note that this strategy is especially effective for industrious civs both due to the quick wonder building and due to the quick exploitation of the speedy production of forges.

 

[Trumbo]

Metal Casting. I usually get a Great Prophet very early, and can grab Theology without the Oracle.

Can you get a prophet without first adopting a religion?

 

[Smirk]

Theology is a waste of the Oracle. I figure this is popular for the simple reason that many of you are xtians in real life. If you are getting this with the Oracle you are learning the wrong techs early, or spending way too much time building Oracle (and thus playing easy levels like Noble and below).

Getting Civil Service is a far superior strategy at least up to Monarch.

 

[Wash Cycle]

Alphabet usually. So I can trade for whatever techs I missed. However if all thats around me is Tokugawa I'm ****ed.

 

[Seven05]

The oracle is usualy a quick build for me, relatively speaking anyway. Normally I'll grab whatever tech is the most expensive when I complete it. In most cases that ends up being code of laws if I finish it early, otherwise it's either civil service or feudalism depending on how I'm playing the game (sorry, civil service is worthless before feudalism if you're stuck in the middle of a huge jungle). Of course if there are more pressing matters on hand I just don't build it.

 

[Trade-peror]

Hmm...I think I usually get Divine Rule and found Islam through the Oracle.