Using Scientific Civs as Pets for research

[Gastric ReFlux]

Scientific is the civ trait that gives a civ a free research advance upon entering a new age in the tech tree. It is possible to get that benefit of the trait without having to play a Scientific civ for yourself.

The idea is very simple. Your aim when the game starts will be to reduce any civ with the Scientifc trait to one city, make them your little pet civilization. Once they are crippled like that, they won't be able to keep up with the tech race. But that also means that buying techs from the AIs able to research effectively will be more expensive, but you can use the Scientific civs you've reduced to pets to help bring down the costs on a few.

When you get the advance that moves you into the next age of the tech tree, it becomes time to feed the pets. Feed them all the advances they need to move into the next age, and they'll pick up the free tech. With that, the prices and research cost will drop, saving yourself time and money.

Hammurabi, Bismarck, Catherine, Xerxes, and Alexander make wonderful pets.

 

[SirJethro]

My problem with this strategy is that if you are the only CIV that has the techs you are giving to the "pet", you've just made it that much easier for the other (stronger) CIVs to get those techs: they will either be traded by the pet AI to you enemies, or it will just make research by the AI cheaper on all those techs because more CIVs have it.

 

[Bamspeedy]

I've done this tactic before. It's real powerful if that civ doesn't have contact with anyone. What I did in my game is when I entered the middle ages, I gave Babylon only the REQUIRED techs for them to get their free tech, Monotheism. Then traded some dead end techs and cash (no gpt, or gpt if they have contact with NO ONE!, or wait until you get fuedalism to trade) for Monotheism, then defeated them the same turn. Didn't give them an opportunity to trade away all those techs.

Then when I hit the industrial ages i did the same thing with Germany. By planning far in advance I got them down to 1 city and then have the peace treaty end before reaching the industrial age. Give them the required techs, buy nationalism from them, then defeat them the same turn.

Another strategy would be to research all the other techs that don't require that 'free' tech and about the time all the civs get to that point you can get it from your 'pet civ' since all the AI would be getting that tech soon anyways.

 

[Perfection]

I have a variation on this I build special cities on worthless terrian sorround them with culture imprvements. When a scientific civ is about to be defeated givethem the city. and sorround it with troups. than you have a friendly little one tile civ.

 

[Hades]

I use my "pet" as my mobilization turn off switch.

 

[Perfection]

I don't understand what your trying to say hades

please elaborate

 

[Hades]

Originally posted by Perfection
I don't understand what your trying to say hades

please elaborate

No problem. One thing about mobilization is you can't end it at your will. You can only end it either when a peace treaty is signed or one of you enemies is eliminated.

If you have a pet civ then you can declare war on it and destory it in one turn. So, by putting two togather: when you want to stop mobilization, you can declare war on the pet, kill it and switch back to peace time.

 

[Perfection]

Theres a difference between mobilization and non-mobilization?

 

[Hades]

After you get nationalism, you can change from peace-time to mobilization. Mobilization allows you to produce military units twice as fast but you can't build any city improvement (i.e. temple) if they are not military related (barracks, city wall, etc). It would also cut your cultural production by 1/2. Also, as I have mentioned before, you can't stop it until a peace treaty is signed or emeny is eliminated.

 

[bobgote]

After you get nationalism, you can choose normal or war-time mobilization. War time means you get a bonus shield for all worked terrain that gets at least 1 shield ( i think, may get them on non-shield terrain). The downside is that you can only build units, and military improvements (barracks, harbor), and that once enabled, it will not go back to normal until you sign a peace treaty.

I think that sums up the basics.

 

[Perfection]

Wheres da button to do so

 

[Hades]

It is just under the government type button in adminstrative advisor screen.

 

[Perfection]

YAY, thanks all.

 

[HenriIV]

The pet idea sounds like a nice concept, but I really doubt it works on higher levels. On Emperor or Deity you'll have a pretty hard time especially against the Babylonians (at least if you play the Persians and activate culturally linked starting positions), don't think it's possible to isolate *any* nation and fully prevent them from making any contacts.

 

[bobgote]

just destroy them, its more fun take their cities and your research will be increased anyway.

 

[Hades]

The pets don't have to be isolated, I just don't want them to expand.

 

[Perfection]

Thats why I like to put them in my territory so they only are one tile