When to get astronomy? (and other obsoleting techs)

[Yosho]

Just from an economic point of view, I'd usually rather have org religion over free religion for most of the game; free religion is really only good if it's much better diplomatically. Economically, it's only better if you either have 3+ religions in all of your cities or at least have the ability and intention to spread them, and don't have a better way to get the happiness you need.

[Blaupanzer]

On topic, having certain wonders can lead to a delay in researching the obsoleting technology. However if you have Sankore, GL, Colossus, AND Spiral and are the first to Liberalism, you are not playing on a large enough map at a high enough level. This has nothing to do with the next tech to research. Astronomy opens up the world for trade, and gives you a leg up on the techs that keep you ahead in the race for techs. I wouldn't hold off on it very long if the AI are in the race. If they are not, have fun until the next game (at a higher level) and tech anything you darn please.

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Blaupanzer
On topic, having certain wonders can lead to a delay in researching the obsoleting technology. However if you have Sankore, GL, Colossus, AND Spiral and are the first to Liberalism, you are not playing on a large enough map at a high enough level. This has nothing to do with the next tech to research. Astronomy opens up the world for trade, and gives you a leg up on the techs that keep you ahead in the race for techs. I wouldn't hold off on it very long if the AI are in the race. If they are not, have fun until the next game (at a higher level) and tech anything you darn please.

Since Colossus and GL are from a different era to Sankore and Spiral, the combination of those four wonders is not all that unusual. Also Liberalism is quite easy to bee-line and is approach through Paper, hence Sankore.

I note, however, that Astronomy does not affect Sankore, GL or Spiral Minaret anyway, the first and last being a question of State Religion or not while the second is obsoleted by a later tech, Scientific Method.

The question is one of what the tech brings and if Astonomy does not give a lot (and loses something) then it gets pushed down the list in favour of the other pivotal techs of the pre-industrial era.

If the AI is at around the same tech level as you at this stage in the game then there is the danger of them getting galleons ahead of you. But this goes into the military side of the game and I would tend to think that most people are comfortably ahead by this stage.