Strategies for Great Persons?

[Hauptman]

Settled specialists are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO the best option. always.... even 2 turns before the end of the game. well maybe thats not true, but I still do it.


I usually have the confucian holy city. so unless I happen to capture something better (like dehli with 2 shrines) I consider that my $$ city. The capital is usually my city. All +$ great people goto my shrine city and all others settle in the cap (wich does get an academy with the 1st GS). When combined with representation settled great people can double your science output. just lightbulbing them is a 1 time thing. settling them pays off the whole game.

However I do use 1 to pop off a golden age once my cities are 15+ size. If i have the wonder wich extends the length, i often go for another if i have a couple of non engineers. then late game I will get a couple of corps.

If I'm playing a philo civ i build the pyramids and my economy is almost 80% GP run. Playing one now and I'll take a few SS's if you'd like. I often get 1000 out of my cap playing a philo.

[snoopy369]

In BTS with the Mausoleum, Golden Ages are mathematically better. Adding something like 20% to your civ's total hammer AND financial counts is rather better usually

[Pinchak]

Interesting. So how many of you think settled Specialists (SS? I guess) are worth it? I almost never do this.

I'm actually surprised not as many people in this thread use them. Mathamaticly, they are the way to go (after getting certain specialist buildings like academy).

It should be noted however that SS are much more valuable the fewer citys you have. In a sprawling empire a few extra hammers/beakers/coin each turn mean little, compaired to a golden age which amps up all your citys for a bit.

Popping and golden ages are worth it only in specific situations IMO. All things being equal SS give the biggest long term payback.

{EDIT} Snoopy may have a point however. If you get the mossi golden ages probabaly make more sense.

[Pinchak]

Admittedly, I haven't built a corporation yet, so those saying they save them for this might have a point.

Are the corps really worth it? Or are they a gimmic like the expanded espinoge (IMO).

[Hauptman]

Originally posted by Pinchak
Admittedly, I haven't built a corporation yet, so those saying they save them for this might have a point.

Are the corps really worth it? Or are they a gimmic like the expanded espinoge (IMO).

Sid's sushi is the only one really worth it. The others can be nice but not like the sushi. Sushi is so good, it should be nerfed....

Once its spread around, you can then get all the seafood possible through conquest and/or trades. with plenty of seafood (and rice) wich there is A LOT of on most maps, you end up with 10 - 12 food. Run representation and turn your $ slider down to offset the corp cost and bham, 5000 beakers per turn before laboratorys. Not to mention the fact that great people begin popping like weeds, thus upping your science output even more.

[Unimatrix11]

Hmmm... what about discounting ? I mean if you lightbuld a tech, you have it now and can go on researching something else. Say you´d lightbuld education - you get up the unis that much faster and thus get more return out of your GS than just the points that education cost... I do not think it is as easy as:
(saved beakers by lightbulb) < (generated beaker until the end of game by settled GS) -> the later is better

Also, building a shrine with the 1st GP might not be a good idea always either: If your religion hasnt spread that far yet, that can wait, but if you can snatch, say theology instead, and be it only for reasons of denying it to someone else, the option is well worth considering IMO.

[Pinchak]

(saved beakers by lightbulb) < (generated beaker until the end of game) -> the later is better

No, it is that simple.

Only time i find myself popping science is when I need it for a military purpose (enemy is knocking at my gates and I can pop for a key unit), or if i want to get the jump on a tech so i can be first to get a key wonder AND a bonus (say... pop math for the hanging gardens and greater chop return).

[Unimatrix11]

so it´s not that simple, then...

[Hauptman]

just like everything in this game. It is all situational. There is no correct way to do anything. I have my preferance, others have thiers, but I have lightbulbed philosophy or theology before. settled the free music GA on a border city, held an artist in reserve for hundreds of years thinking 'someday I'll conquer something somewhere' hoping to culture bomb a captured city.

The problem is later game... getting 3000 beakers from a lighbulb doesnt even gain half a tech, so I have never done a lightbulb passed philosophy. I could however in a future game have the need... Thats why this game rules!~

[rah]

Correct.
This thread is a perfect example why IV is a good game. But the time we finished playing II it was quite simple. There were only a few different strats and most of them were just slightly different then the main theme. IV offers so many different ways to win.

For me. Shrine and Academy. Sometimes pop PHILOSOPHY. Sometime do a wonder. Sometimes pop a anouther critical tech. Sometimes use the GArtist during combat blitz to claim territory and get that enemy cap out of revolt faster to start taking advantage of it. Usually use for golden ages once the empire is big.
I don't use for many corps because I'm usually running the SP civic. Shushi works better late when you've opened more of the HEALTHY techs and by then the game is already won.

[Lancer]

Just march them up to the border and delete them. That will show the enemy how confident you are.

[Hauptman]

Originally posted by Lancer
Just march them up to the border and delete them. That will show the enemy how confident you are.

[joncnunn]

Phophets:
If lightbulb results in a new religion (other than Islam) -> Lightbulb it.
Next if I have a holy city missing a shrine -> Shrine
Else if already have a prophet -> Join Wall Street (or city most likely to become Wall Street)
Else hold for GA

Enginners: If don't have either GE corp and around that time: found a Corp. Else if any unbuilt wonders -> wonders. Else if already have GE : Join Iron Works. Else hold for FA

Merchants: If around time for food corps and haven't founded either -> Corp unless planning on building Ethnaol. Else If need cash or already have a GM -> Trade Mission. Else GA

Scientists: If I've decided to go with Ethanol or Alumnium: The corporation(s). Else If lightbulb would found a religion or a useful enough tech in it's entirely -> lightblub. Else if high value commerce cities without Academy -> academy. Else if spare Great Scientist -> Join Oxford. Else hold for GA

Artists: If lightblub would found a religion (sometimes the case for Confucism ) or another highly useful tech: Lightbulb. Else if decided to found the GA Corp and about that time: Corp. Else if a city really needs the culture and/or going for cultural victory or have a spare one: Great Works. Else hold for GA

Spies: If already have a spare one and really need the points against one civ: Great Spy Mission, else scotland yard. Otherwise GA

Great General: If no units with level 6: Assign to unit with most XP. Else if Military Academy not present in Heoric Epic (and MA adviable in near future): Military Academy. Else if fewer than 2 instructors at Heroic Epic / Military Academy: Instructor. Else join unit.

[joncnunn]

Re: Re: Strategies for Great Persons?

On being a waste to use for monotheism: true, but I've never gotten a GP prior to Judism being founded. The last time I played Egypt was Vanilla.

Originally posted by albucc

Prophets: yes, generally, they build holy shrines. I don't use them to research monotheism, though, because that would be a waste of research: I would store them, research monotheism and go for theology (or even divine right): one religion more to my civ = 2 shrines = lots of gold... That, of course, depends on timing and opportunity.

[Theben]

Note: I didn't mean use a Prophet to pop monotheism, I meant use it after I research mono to pop Theology.