tech beelines/techs you skip

[dacole]

Ok just noticed this yesterday when studying the tech tree in more detail..you can actually skip farming since none of the later techs you need can't be reached through some other tech !! Besides the fact that history has shown this to be absolutly an impossible way to run an empiere, has anyone actually tried this? I mean you might get to some of the early millitary techs faster but the hit in growth seems like it would be wayyy to large..

Anyway what are some peoples early tech strategies..? Tech seems to go much faster in this game though I've only played on normal so far. Usually I start with hunting to get a scout then move on to agriculture, wheel, then the religous techs and then masonry, pottery then either archry or animal husbandry. After that it becomes dependent on the map (sailing if I've already filled up the available land otherwise bronze working and horseback riding). What are some other peoples strategies?

[Forrester]

As I believe has been recommended elsewhere, going for an early alphabet after you have eveyrthing you ABSOLUTELY need for your workers seems to be a good strat. You can trade alpha to multiple civs, fill up almost everything you missed (like the early religious techs).

[byrath]

Early tech strategies .. it depends on my starting location and techs. For example, if I start with Mysticism, Polytheism is first, unless I have a nice lake in my initial city radius (2f, 2g), then its Buddhism first. If I have cows, pigs etc., then I want animal Husbandry asap.
Ahh I have more but the wife beckons.

[Forrester]

At Prince level, standard sized map, the only way I go for polytheism early is if I won't feel guilty restarting if an AI civ beats me to it, which happens about half the time on Prince level . . .

[Blake]

Heh in one islands game I skipped Agriculture for a looong time since I had the collosus + Great Lighthouse combo, and on land I mostly built cottages. I think I finally got ag when I wanted an irrigation chain to a patch of plains, or prehaps I found a grains resource lurking in some corner of my island.

With early religions, I only go for them if I have good commerce, or am playing a leader that as an AI would go for that religion, for example Indians like researching Buddhism, so when you play an Indian there is less competition.

[Dominae]

Paper through to Liberalism (and Economics) is a beeline I find myself using a lot.

[joncnunn]

Re: tech beelines/techs you skip

Sure, in a grassland start, farming can be bypassed, but the moment you start running into plains, you want farms.

Many of the early techs will either be beelined to or defered to post Alphabet trade depending upon what resources and terraign your start is.

In my current game on Prince level [great plains map] as France [Louis], I was very glad to start with Farming considering the all plains tiles in my immedate area + river + 1 wheat + lots and lots of cows. My first build was AD which revaled two horses in the immedate area.

I then followed up with my found Judism and switch to orgizanied religion beeline, then snaged the Pristhood for the Oracle followed by the Pryamids and Parthegon. Later on I ended up founding Christanity in the same city. (I also founded Islam, this one in the city I captured from barbs.) The only early wonder that I wanted that I missed out on was The Hanging Gardens; [no shields lost, I was just about to start construction when the message arrived that it had been constructed.]

Besides relgious founding techs, the other ones I make a priority to are the Alphabet, the techs that grant a free great person to the first to discover, and Liberalism which grants a free tech to the first to discover.

But don't start a beeline to early, particularly if there are cheap techs that are useful that no one yet has.

On techs to avoid, since I was on the Great Plains map whose only water tiles are on the far side of the map that I started, I haven't researched any of the sea techs at all.
Instead post alphabet I traded for Fishing, then the next turn traded for the tech requiring Fishing, and the following turn traded for the next tech in the line.

There's several other techs besides Farming that are not a prereq for other techs, Horseback Riding for one. Sometimes Drama.

Originally posted by dacole
Ok just noticed this yesterday when studying the tech tree in more detail..you can actually skip farming since none of the later techs you need can't be reached through some other tech !! Besides the fact that history has shown this to be absolutly an impossible way to run an empiere, has anyone actually tried this? I mean you might get to some of the early millitary techs faster but the hit in growth seems like it would be wayyy to large..

Anyway what are some peoples early tech strategies..? Tech seems to go much faster in this game though I've only played on normal so far. Usually I start with hunting to get a scout then move on to agriculture, wheel, then the religous techs and then masonry, pottery then either archry or animal husbandry. After that it becomes dependent on the map (sailing if I've already filled up the available land otherwise bronze working and horseback riding). What are some other peoples strategies?

[joncnunn]

Better yet, trade some tech other than the alphabet to multiple civs.

And discover a new one and sell that to lots of civs as well.

The new patch has not instructed the AI on the usefulness of the Alphabet. I'm on Prince level, and just discovered Divine Right, founding Islam and none of my rivals can trade techs with anyone besides me.

Originally posted by Forrester
As I believe has been recommended elsewhere, going for an early alphabet after you have eveyrthing you ABSOLUTELY need for your workers seems to be a good strat. You can trade alpha to multiple civs, fill up almost everything you missed (like the early religious techs).

[Crossfire]

Yeah, I really like when I am the only one with alphabet for a long time. Gandhi will usually research that path but if he isn't in the game it can be a long time before the AIs can tech trade. Before I trade it away I always look and see if I am the only one with it. If I am, I save it for last and wait for a turn where everyone has something I want and trade it many times the same turn. This can be one of the best slingshots in the game, imo.

[dacole]

Interesting I usually leave music and drama till late since I play for a conquest victory. Love the fact that you can have tanks jails and such and not have drama or music..I don't remember any of the other civs (except AC which by definition is) being this much of an alternate history..I like!