Using Great People Most Effectively?

[Galumphus]

Let's discuss how to use Great People to their greatest effect. First, the tech discovery seems pretty pointless, with the exceptions noted below. A tech discovery that you don't even choose just doesn't seem that useful given the opportunity cost. I have only used GP's to create a golden age once, but I think that might be the best use of them actually. It is really hard to argue with a golden age, especially if your Civ is more than say 5 cities or so.

Artists
The culture bomb can be effective if you're in a severe culture war. Otherwise, I think these are almost always best used to produce a golden age. The turn based culture+research does not seem worth it - if you need culture use the bomb (+4000 now is better than +4000 over 300 turns)

Engineers
I really like these ones. Hurrying a wonder can really be useful, as can the large production bonus. I tend to use the latter, unless there's a wonder I really need.

Merchants
Never had one of these. The trade mission seems awfully risky, though. Golden age these puppies too?

Prophets
Never had one.

Scientists
The Academy seems pretty good...

 

[Moosebox]

Seems like prophets are only good for creating the holy city wonder. So after your first prophet(which will be used for the wonder), all the rest are only good for golden eras

 

[Pfeffersack]

Artists: In most cases the great work is superior, but if you are going for a cultural victory, settling down early ones might give you an edge, because their culture output gets multiplicated with other factors.

Merchants: Trade Missions are extremly useful.You can expect between 1000 and 2500 Gold, depending on your target city.maxing out the reward may be time consuming and dangerous, but getting a decent sum is possible without ahigh risk.And if you alone think of how expensive, but absolutely necessary it is to upgrade units, you will love this guys.
However, settling down is a strong concurrent...if it is the early game, if you don't need the money immediately or if research has higher priority, settle down and enjoy +1 food as well.Two great merchants settled down in one city support another specialist...

Priests: If you have a holy city, take the shrine and look no further.If not, settle and get extra shields/gold.

I next to never use any GP for GAs and only rarely for techs.

 

[Wlauzon]

One use I have found for the Great Works is to move the Great Person to a brand new city - especially if it is near another civ - and let loose the "culture bomb". You get an almost instant explosion in border size around that city, which seems to help cut down on other civs build too near.

 

[Xeos]

They seem to work best with civics and wonders that add to specialist outputs. Representation, and that one wonder that tacks on 2 culture among other things add some fairly nice bonuses.

I usually build acadmies with my science ones, and shrines for whatever religions I have/plan on getting with the prophets. The others more or less usually end up as super specialists (except maybe artists)

 

[Ephor]

There's also the option of saving them for a golden age. With all the prophets running around, I always have a spare late game if I'm playing a philosophical civ.

Scientists' Academies are exlcellent, but once you have one of those in your designated tech city, they're not all that useful. That's when you spend them on a golden age, or...

Engineers' wonder-rushing is excellent, but later in the game you may have a very formitable treasury and universal suffrage, which makes them a bit less useful. However, adding them with the above two civs will trigger the very lovely second golden age.

Lastly, don't be afraid to use them for techs. A surplus of prophets can be a boon mid-game if used wisely. Usually the techs they provide are eary ones, but if you can switch research and burn through the earlier techs, later ones like drama can be yours for free. I used this to get a huge technological edge which I used to win the game - through diplomatic victory no less! Trading for the few techs you don't have and gifting earlier ones is a great way to make friends.

 

[Vietcong]

i like haveing merchencs join the city as a great merchent, it will produce extra 6 gold per turn, and +3 great ppl, ect..

golden ages are good too

i use prhophets to make the specal relgious building.

 

[Khaim]

Engineers should probably be used to rush wonders, preferably from 0 hammers. Prophets should make shrines if you can. Artists should usually be used to culture bomb, although I could see using one for a GA instead. Merchants and scientists are less useful, but of course still good.

A good target for culture bombing is a city you just captured in a war. Culture bombs there do lots of things, including ending resistence immediately, pushing borders way out, and giving you a sizable defensive bonus. I've set artists along with my armies a few times, and never regretted it. I guess it's called a "bomb" for a reason...

 

[Pfeffersack]

i like haveing merchencs join the city as a great merchent, it will produce extra 6 gold per turn, and +3 great ppl, ect..

"Super specialists" (=settled down great people) do not give GPP.They are affected by +3 science from them Renaissence civic, though.

 

[Rhydrake]

I have tried to use the culture bomb to convert a city to my side, but i cant seem to do it. I get the city down to say, 13% of their culture (e.g. 13% Roman) but i can never get it to convert to my culture. Am I missing something? or am I just not doing enough to get it to convert?

 

[Willburn]

if you have a culture city with 100% culture bonus and add a great artist specialist he will do 12x2 = 24 culture per turn. he will earn the 4000 in about 166 turns. Also you can get more bonus (free speech +100%, lots of wonders +50%). So if you have say 200% bonus he will be 12x3 =36 and will earn more than 4000 culture after 111 turns.

I can see a great artist CAN in some cases be good as a specialist and not only as culture bomb / tech / gold age.

 

[gakkun]

Engineers should probably be used to rush wonders, preferably from 0 hammers. Prophets should make shrines if you can. Artists should usually be used to culture bomb, although I could see using one for a GA instead. Merchants and scientists are less useful, but of course still good.

A good target for culture bombing is a city you just captured in a war. Culture bombs there do lots of things, including ending resistence immediately, pushing borders way out, and giving you a sizable defensive bonus. I've set artists along with my armies a few times, and never regretted it. I guess it's called a "bomb" for a reason...

I don't think there's one dominant way of using GP. Settling them down has potentially huge long-term effect as their bonuses get multiplied after certain buildings are built. But of course it's best to do this early in the game so the long-term effect is longer.

And don't underestimate the scientists and merchants!! Since when has a few thousand gold not been useful (I've seen 3000+ gold). But in the end don't overlook the long term effects as in the end they are worth alot more than the short-term ones.

 

[Pinstar]

I can't seem to get a good balance of prophets. Either they are the ONLY GP I get,ever, or I never get a single one to build that important shrine.

 

[Dun Malg]

One use I have found for the Great Works is to move the Great Person to a brand new city - especially if it is near another civ - and let loose the "culture bomb". You get an almost instant explosion in border size around that city, which seems to help cut down on other civs build too near.

This is my favorite use too. Sneak settlers into whatever nooks and crannies between other civs' territories I can manage, then "culture wedge" my way in. Another funny tactic is to have settlers dash in between two civs at war. When one loses a city, a neutral "vacuum" generally forms. One settler and a great work later, that land is YOURS....

 

[Pfeffersack]

I can't seem to get a good balance of prophets. Either they are the ONLY GP I get,ever, or I never get a single one to build that important shrine.

Could be just bad luck..but you can influence it to a large degree.Do you rely more on wonder or specialists for getting GPPs? Keep in mind that a built shrine generates GPPs i self...Priest GPPs.So you have to "combat" them with different specialists or wonders to have a chance to get different GPs.

 

[Rhydrake]

could anyone please tell me what i'm doing wrong? i use the culture bomb on an unsuspecting city, and it says 13% (their culture). but they never convert to my culture. how do i get them to convert?

Oh, and off-topic here, but how do i rush building with money?