Originally posted by bobgote
Iron Working. Then to literature. Then to Monarchy. Then to construction. (I have to have pottery to start with, or early trade)
My strategy is similar to this. I usually play on Regent level, and my initial tech path is as follows:
1. Bronze Working
2. Ceremonial Burial
3-6. Alphabet, Writing, Literature
7-8. Pottery, Map Making
9-12. Warrior Code, Mysticism, Polytheism, Monarchy
13-16. Masonry, Mathematics, Currency, Construction
17-19. Code of Laws, Philosophy, Republic
20-21. The Wheel, Horseback Riding
I don't agree on the uselessness of the Great Library. It allows me to pursue the technological "road not taken" while my neighbors fill in the tech gaps for me. Note that I place a very low priority on The Wheel and Horseback Riding, but I very seldom actually research them. If I don't get them through the Great Library, I can often trade for them.
Even if I don't get the GL, I find that going for Literature early is worth the effort. I usually play scientific civilizations (Babylonians, Germans, or Greeks), and getting those cheap libraries early in the game gives a boost to both science and culture.
The key to research success, I've found, is to research what your neighbors
aren't researching. The AI usually makes a beeline for Mysticism and then switches over to the Mathematics/Currency/Construction path. So while I'm going for Monarchy, I often find I'm the only one with Polytheism, which I can trade for all manner of goodies. It's even better in the industrial age -- the AI values Medicine and Sanitation highly, but they will almost always go for Steam Power and Industrialization first. So I get Medicine and make a huge profit selling it to everyone.