When do you switch to Republic?

[R3dKnight]

ASAP?
I was having an okay game with Despotism, having gotten Great Library and was halfway thru Oracle when I finished researching Republic. So I started a Gov. Change. And guess what? Everything went chaotic, my nation couldn't cope. Deficit, unhappiness, etc. What did I do wrong?

 

[Grille]

Have 3+ luxs hooked up, marketplaces in core cities built, use lux tax (and in case of deficit: raise tax slider), there you go!

I'd even prefer republic to despotism if my military is small and I only have one lux connected.

 

[stormbind]

Never! I rarely bother to investigate that tech

You have done nothing wrong. The anarchy that comes between government types will pass within a few turns.

 

[Grille]

Originally posted by stormbind
Never! I rarely bother to investigate that tech

Same here.
I let the ai do that.

 

[Kaiser_Berger]

You have to have a decent base to run a successful republic. If you're a major warmonger in despotism and you have a huge military but not a lot of land to show for it, you're going to be in a world of hurt.

If you don't have a decent base, it may be better to go for Monarchy first and later switch to republic when you're better off.

 

[Crowpocalyptic1]

I never research Republic, nor Communism... HOWEVER, if I had the Great Library and I learned Republic from other civs, I'd gladly take it...

Otherwise, I tend to stick to Monarchy until I can get Democracy...

 

[stormbind]

I used to avoid Communism but have found it's the decent government for civs that are already large and still expanding. Under Democracy, it can take several hundred years for a new city to build itself up without rushing every improvement.

 

[Anti-EUA]

never, i go to democracy, even being a huge difference that could be soften by republic

 

[Catt]

ASAP. Though I have undoubtedly developed a play pattern that allows me to take advantage of the switch -- I usually have a decent infrastructure and empire by the time comes to switch. I used to wait until markets were up and running in most cities, roads were everywhere, multiple luxuries were available, etc. but now I've gotten comfortable with the notion that an early switch, even if accompanied by a massive reliance on the entertainment slider, pays off in the long run. Probably the only exceptions are (1) very unusual circumstances; or (2) a very important wonder (including a small wonder . . . mmm, FP ) due to be completed in only a few turns.

 

[Thrawn]

As soon as I get it, I switch.

 

[Aggie]

I switch ASAP, I try to get it ASAP as well. I is worth a lot of cash And I almost always stay in Republicl. Less war weariness than Democracy.

 

[Brewster]

I switch as soon as I get it. The only time I will try any of the other governments is when I am playing as a religious civ or my early strategy involves an incredible amount of warmongering. If I am not religious, I will make the switch to Republic and stay there for the rest of the game for these reasons:

1) Managable level of corruption
2) Excellent science output
3) Much lower WW than Democracy
4) Only one period of anarchy per game
5) Don't have to waste time and science spending on optional techs needed to get Monarchy and Democracy
6) Sirp recommended this apporach in his Monarch training day succession game

 

[brianshapiro]

I try to get the technology as soon as I can. Because the AI is willing to pay a lot for it, I often trade it for any technologies I missed. I switch immediately, unless I'm in the process of building Great Wonders. Also if I need to slow down the progress of another civilization building a Great Wonder I trade it to them, because the AI will almost always switch themselves. Sometimes I keep off from trading it because the productivity gains are enough to give my civilization a major advantage

 

[Gainy]

Unless you really want to get something built/done you should switch to the Republic as soon as possible. Thats what i do. The way forward...

 

[Tarwoch]

I think Democracy is much more better than Republic. Republic's corruption is bigger than Democracy's, and the meaning of switching to a Republic disappears. If you want to monge a war, go for a Communism!

 

[Darkness]

Originally posted by Tarwoch
I think Democracy is much more better than Republic. Republic's corruption is bigger than Democracy's, and the meaning of switching to a Republic disappears. If you want to monge a war, go for a Communism!

IMHO, the biggest difference between republic and democracy is the faster workers in democracy. The difference in corruption levels isn't really that big.

I also think monarchy is far better for warmongering than communism. The only thing communism is good for is better espionage and I hardly ever use that, since it's so expensive...

 

[Sirp]

You want Republic asap. Even if your golden age has just started when you discover Republic, you still want to switch immediately. The only possible reason for not switching immediately is if you have an important wonder (probably the Great Library) that you are about to complete when you discover the technology.

One little known fact is that when your advisor asks you "we've just discovered republic, do you want to switch?" If you say "yes", then you get half a turn off the anarchy period (as in, for the first turn of anarchy you miss out on the shields, but not on commerce). So if you didn't already think that it's best to switch right away then that's a pretty good motivation to.

If at the beginning of the game I got given the choice between any government type, I would choose Republic, and stick with it for the entire game if I wasn't Religious. If I was Religious, I'd probably do something a little more weird, like choose Democracy for the faster workers, and then switch later.

-Sirp.

 

[JonathanValjean]

In some games, I don't switch to republic at all. I go straight for democracy. For example, if I am in a warmongering state of mind, republic wouldn't be a good option, due to war weariness. A major factor is whether the Civ which I am playing is religious.

 

[Cartouche Bee]

The only time I don't switch to Republic right away is if I'm at war or in golden age (when golden aging, infrastructure completions compensate for the delay in getting to republic). Often never change from it for the rest of the game unless I'm religious, then I might do democracy to speed railnet.

 

[bru]

I switch as soon as I get it. Try to go for it as early as possible also. Tried other avenues but this is by far the best for me!