Your primary reasearch

[robehans]

When you start, what do YOU research first? do you aim at getting better goverments or do you aim at CURRENCY just to get those marketplaces increase your money income? Or do you try to get literature so you get those Librarys ready?
Tell me, i need to get good hints...
Tell me what and why your researching it...

 

[kb2tvl]

I play emporer and below... On these games, I will make a beeline for horseback riding. I want to get horses asap. Then I go for some miscellaneous and after I have my cites laid down, I look to get iron working(if i dont have it already) and then currency.

 

[ukrneal]

I generally head for either horseback riding or iron working depneding on the civ and my position. I find that the beginning of the game is expansion or fighting, so I favor the military techs in the beginning.

 

[Japher]

same as ukrneal, yet I like those two techs because I like to research the techs that open up new resources. This way I know which way I should expand. Also, I can ussually get a lot from Iron when I trade it. Alphabet, also tends to have a high barter value. It really depends on who the other civs I am in contact with are.

 

[Bamspeedy]

I think most players go straight for the Wheel and Iron working, to ensure they secure those resources. If you want a game with fast tech speed, you should go for writing as that enables you to trade communications. This speeds up tech, as the techs get cheaper when you know more civs that know a particular tech.

 

[Hawkster]

Persoanlly I go for Iron Woking first - find the iron resource and secure it (also to build swordsmen).

Often I then go for literature - because this gives me writing on the way (embasies and trade) and I find literature either lets me build Great Library (free techs) or I can trade literature to other civs who will pay quite highly for it - often in other techs - so I can often get 3-6 techs plus gold and maybe luxury resources just from selling literature to the other civs.

Also getting literature means alphabet and writing are already mine and map making is easy to the get as well (if I haven't got it from trading).

I don't claim this is the best way to go...but it often works well for me.

 

[Shabbaman]

The first thing I research is writing. That's a tech I can then trade for iron working. I also like writing because it's in the same tech tree with literature and the republic.

 

[Pembroke]

Mostly it is a question of mood. Do I want to be the Conqueror, the Builder, or something else. But that is probably not what you were asking.

Here's one initial research strategy: Choose a civ that has initially alphabet and is to your liking. Beeline to Literature. While getting there contact as many civs as you can find trading for all those missing important techs. The AI seems not to hurry to Literature so you are almost guaranteed to be there first. Build Great Library, and of course don't trade Literature until you are sure you are the first to get the Great Library built. Then set science to zero and enjoy the fruits of others.

Zero science means more gold which means a large army which means expansion, conquest, extortion, blackmailing and general asskicking. The goal is to have a good position at the time the Great Library expires.

And remember: "Great Nations are forged of blood and iron and steel and guts and glory and hate and excited stabbings and Viking warships ramming one another and babies impaled on pikes and women running around hysterically with their bodices torn so as to reveal their pendulous breasts."

At least that's my motto.

 

[Pillager]

I tend to make a beeline for Swordmen, as I find an early war is a must. This is only at Monarch, mind you.

 

[bobgote]

Iron Working. Then to literature. Then to Monarchy. Then to construction. (I have to have pottery to start with, or early trade)

 

[Finvola]

I like to go for Horseback Riding first, then Iron Working, then I try for Monarchy..A lot of times I change up my plan just to see how I do, but I guess I've been using that strategy for so long I can't break the cycle, ha.

 

[Tassadar]

i usaly play with german, so i have already bronze working and warrior code ( spearman and archer+ colossus).

We need to expend and built city as fast as we can, so i search a cheap cheap tech, pottery which give granery and double our capital growth. no to bad so far.

While i search pottery at 90 %, i built 3 warrior and a settler. my second city will produce spearman and my capital only settler after a granery is built. Then i search another cheap one, ceromonial burial, while my warrior scout around to pop goodies hut( sometime i get alpahabet, wheel or massonery for free).

A few turn later we have a fine core city 5-10. so we can built temple in each ( as this point each city have 2 defender and a worker) to to able to increase city size to 6 with some luxuries.

Then beeline for litterature and built library, with about 5-10 city with temple and library, you will go through old age as fast as a rocket. Switch to republic after a marketplace is build and then you rock in medieval era.

 

[SunZsu]

early on, get iron working asap while building military and settlers - keep city pop. down so not need Temples early on ..... must then balance research between Currency and Literature, but must get Great Library so can let everyone else do research for you while you build your military and bank coffers ......... buy techs where possible until have GL ......... so after having researched literature and currency, build Great Library, Marketplaces, and military ...... then, when the time is ripe, strike!!!!!! ........ in the meantime, you are everybody's friend

THE GREAT KHAN SEES THE WORLD AS HIS PERSONAL DOMAIN - FEAR HIS WRATH, LEST HE UNLEASH HIS GLORIOUS HORDE!

 

[Japher]

SunTsu; that is a good strat. and is generally what I try to do, but I attack as soon as possible, usually the closest civ, while being nice to the others. This way I can work at getting leaders to rush the library, I would never build it from scratch... While it does help get techs early on it expires way too early and would rather build wonders that don't expire, at least till later. The hanging gardens and pyramids help a lot more through the hole of the game then just a few (or a lot) of free techs early on, ones that I could just buy, or even better, steal...

 

[Cartouche Bee]

I almost never worry about research early in the game unless the map is an arcapeligo, then map making is definitely a requirement to discover other civs. I rely on trade and communications to keep on par with the other civs early in the game. The first part of the game has many combinations of tech paths, so unless you have a specific goal in the game, it's probably quickest to just buy techs when they are cheap. I'm sure I have won games by letting other civs research and build wonders while I used my production to expand and cash to position myself on a climb to the top of the civ ladder. If you get the tech lead then you can consider researching at a pace to keep that lead but it can be hard to give up the cash flow. Once your score is about twice that of any other civ then you have to take on the research responsibility.

 

[DaDoo]

I do the same as Pembroke(minus the motto ). Beeline to Literature with science at around 20%-ish. Doesn't matter what % I set for science it'll take 40 turns for writing and 40 turns for literature anyways. Because the science is only set at 20%, I'll have a ton of cash at the very beginning. I can do one of 2 things:

1) build up a massive army very early (ton of warrior to be upgraded or ton of charriot to be upgraded also... I'll have the money to upgrade too)

2) use the money to buy techs (don't do this very often as I'll usually be the very first person to get Literature and build Great Library those tech will be mine sooner or later anyways.)

Just have to make sure I send my scouts out and about to make contact with as many civs as possible before the Great Library is built and everything will come together soon enough.

 

[Hades]

I aggree with DaDoo, thats my strategy too, the GL is too important in high levels to miss out. With money to upgrade your warriors to swordman, you should be able to attack anything that moves and gain access to all strategic resources.

 

[Mephisto]

i am w/ Cartouche Bee, that is, i set my science to 0% on the first turn, and trade for my techs. this would work perfectly for deity level, but i am not sure it would work for regent or below as there is not much to trade for.
still, i like to trade for pottery, masory, wheel, and iron working asap (if i don't already have them). obviously, the purpose is for expansion, and an extensive ancient era war.

 

[Sullla]

What's all the fuss over the Great Library? It's not really a very good wonder at all! You'd be much better off putting your early shields into building more settlers or other city improvements than plopping your most productive city on a wonder that costs 400 shields. And if you're having trouble staying caught up on tech, you have more serious things to learn about the game (like how to conduct diplomacy to your advantage) than building the Great Library. The Library is a crutch that will only prevent you from improving at Civ3. You can't get it at the highest difficulties, and you will never be able to play there if you become too dependent on it. The Great Library is really not all that good!

What are the most important early techs to research? Well, that depends very heavily on the situation. Dry food start? Better research Pottery so you can put a granary in your capital. Start next door to Shaka? Maybe you'll want to research Bronze Working for spearmen. Archiplelao map means beelining for MapMaking and ships. You can never go wrong with researching Iron Working, the Wheel, or Writing - all of them open up a lot of options for your civ. But once you meet all of the other civs, it normally becomes more profitable to turn your research off and buy techs from the others, so aside from the early tech choices, it's not really a big deal. Everything is dependent on the situation though; if there is a pressing need to become a Monarchy, perhaps it is worth it to go down that branch of the tech tree. There is no "right" path to follow with research; look at your situation and find out what's best for circumstances. That is really the best advice I can give you.

 

[Tassadar]

I agree with sulla, great library is a waste of shield, i never built it in any of my game ( from warlord to emperor), much better to built city and city improvement. Which tech give building improvement? pottery,ceremonial burial, litterature, currency, code of law. If you built 6-10 city whith those improvement and reach max. size, then you rock while in republic.