Which tech do you go for first?

[rah]

This sums up why I'm still playing this game.
In civII 90% of the time you were racing towards monarchy for your first 5. The only variations were if you got a tech from a hut or if you met someone. In IV the circumstances make you decide to modify your normal sequence so even though I'm working towards a similar goal, there are many different ways to accomplish it.

[Solver]

Originally posted by rah
This sums up why I'm still playing this game.
In civII 90% of the time you were racing towards monarchy for your first 5. The only variations were if you got a tech from a hut or if you met someone. In IV the circumstances make you decide to modify your normal sequence so even though I'm working towards a similar goal, there are many different ways to accomplish it.

Civ4 is a true strategy game. So was Civ2, it's simply that it's 10 years old. Civ3 never had any strategic depth, within months it was clear which strategies are the ultimate.

[rah]

Of course if you listened to Eyes-of-night (or any of his alias logins) He argued the oposite. That there was only a few ways to win. (of course his II strats didn't work in IV and he was pretty frustrated)

[Vynd]

When in doubt, I start with The Wheel. I think that it's the one tech you are absolutely, positively, going to have to research (or start with, or find in a hut) because it's essential to making so many other things work.

Without The Wheel you can't research Pottery. Nor can you make use of any bronze that BW happens to reveal to build units. Ditto bonuses from other resources although these are less important early.

Furthermore, the ability to build roads means that my workers will never be idle. And a network of roads means that my settlers will get where I want them faster, religions can spread, and (if I want) my military can be smaller since I can react quickly to invasions.

So The Wheel is my default choice. But I will happily switch to researching something else first if my starting environment or strategy going into the game indicates a better choice.

[Solver]

Thanks Rah for reminding me:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=141616

EoN's thread, which was so brilliantly answered by Aeson - that reply has to be one of the most awesome posts I've read on this site.

[Qwertqwert]

If I don't start with it hunting, if I started with hunting, mining. I don't think there's a civ starting with both but if there is I don't play them.

[fani]

BW i want to chop and hopefully feel safe by securing copper...

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Qwertqwert
If I don't start with it hunting, if I started with hunting, mining. I don't think there's a civ starting with both but if there is I don't play them.

I think the Russians do.

[padillah]

Originally posted by couerdelion

Originally posted by Qwertqwert
If I don't start with it hunting, if I started with hunting, mining. I don't think there's a civ starting with both but if there is I don't play them.

I think the Russians do.

Yep. And Germany.

Tom P.

[Arrian]

It totally depends on my start.

I often open with hunting (if I don't start w/it) so as to open up scouts and so archery is 1 tech away. I play raging barbs now, so that is often needed.

I might open with a religion pick, though, if I'm playing India.

More later.

-Arian

[JackRudd]

For every pair of starting techs, there's a civilization that starts with the pair. There is not a leader for every pair of traits, and there is not a leader for every trait-starting tech pair.

(Specifically, Aggressive/Mining, Creative/Fishing, Creative/Mysticism and Organized/Hunting are absent.)

[spammurabi]

Polytheism if I have mysticism, otherwise Bronzeworking.

[Yosho]

Originally posted by fed1943
I voted resources improvments.

Isn't pottery one of them? Pottery is for one granary for each city and probably for several cottages/city.

Because without F/H/C I can do nothing.

Best regards,

To be clear, when I say "resource improvements", I mean going right for whatever techs you need use the resources you have around your city, like rice or cows or gold.

Anyway, I really like the results here. Seems it's pretty evenly divided 3 ways, with about 1/3 of the people going for millitary stuff (bronzeworking or archery), about 1/3 going for economic stuff (pottery or resource improvement), and 1/3 going for religions. Which is great; it pretty much confirms what I thought, which is that there are several good stratigic options in the game with no one clear best stratagy.

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Arrian
It totally depends on my start.

I often open with hunting (if I don't start w/it) so as to open up scouts and so archery is 1 tech away. I play raging barbs now, so that is often needed.

I might open with a religion pick, though, if I'm playing India.

More later.

-Arian

Heh. I really was in a rush. And then I forgot to come back and finish.

Hunting and Religion (typically Meditation for Buddism) I've mentioned.

I've also gone the fishing route when warranted, but that's kind of a no-brainer.

I've opened with Animal Husbandry before, if I'm going worker-first and have cows/pigs/sheep.

I no longer go BW first. It's still a priority, but not right out of the gate.

-Arrian

[Yosho]

Yeah...interestingly enough, BW first is a strong stratagy against standard barbs, but in my experence, against raging barbs, it's hard to get copper online fast enough and hold it long enough to make axemen in time to hold the raging barbs off without archers unless you're very lucky and have it right by your capital.