What's yer Oracle slingshot?

[jbp26]

Originally posted by Modo44

Not true. If you beeline strictly for literacy, you can not build the Oracle, as you don't research the tech. And if you beeline strictly to aesthetics, you don't research any of the religious techs at first - the ones needed for literacy are made after aesthetics. That's a lot of time, and a big diversion just for the one-tech wonder.

agreed. once i came to appreciate the power of the great library, i beeline for it to the exclusion of all the other wonders. i haven't even tried to build the oracle for a long time.

[Ari Rahikkala]

Back when I played cIV, I probably took oracle slingshots a bit too seriously. I once had civil service before agriculture .

[Ming]

LOL... But I will admit, if I don't have any resources that require agriculture, and I have a bunch of other resources that require other techs, I sometimes "forget" to research agriculture

[Kataphraktoi]

I lean towards getting fishing, myself. Love those clams...

[Supr49er]

Metal Casting most of the time. I love .

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
Code of Laws, if it still comes with a religion and I don't have one yet. Otherwise probably Metal Casting. That said, I don't go after the Oracle that often anymore. I not so much into beelines as they're always a gambit. It just don't feel right. I prefer a "broad" development.

also ... I prefer a more military/scientific development path to Oracle. There are more long-term useful wonders (Pyramids, Temple of Artemis, Great Library, Great Lighthouse, Parthenon, even Great Wall) that give much more than 500-600 beakers, and are less likely to be researched by the AI. Unless I research an early religion - relatively rarely - there's no reason to bother building it. CoL is nice, but generally I can just research it directly these days... the only real reason to do it is if I have a hammer-heavy civ (or Industrial) with relatively little commerce, then it's more helpful.

[DirtyMartini]

Since breaking/being broken of my addiction to the CS slingshot, I rarely build the Oracle. I just never work up the religious pathway until too late -- too busy preparing for war. The rare occasions that I have built it recently, I've taken Metal Casting or Monarchy for Hereditary Rule when happiness limited. My early game has been pretty formulaic lately -- appropriate worker techs, iron next priority, then to construction ASAP. The religious line doesn't usually enter into the equation until I've taken out a civ. Maybe mysticism for border pops.

[Common Sensei]

I used to be addicted to the CS Slingshot as well back in vanilla, but once Mathematics became a requirement for Civil Service, I pretty much quit cold turkey. If I have access to Marble and/or am using an Industrious leader, I will go for the Oracle, but otherwise, I usually don't go out of my way for it anymore.

The only time I will go for a true Oracle gambit anymore is if I have a spectacular start, like two gem or gold resources in the capital's fat cross.

[martin mcmartin]

my "problem" is that I usually get the option to go for machinery. theology is not available, so I go for machinery....but there is not much to do with it at that stage.

[Robert]

I used to go for CoL, but now I don't build the Oracle anymore. I figured out to get to CoL without the Oracle sooner. Building the Oracle is actually a waste of time.

[Jvstin]

Originally posted by CyberShy
I used to go for CoL, but now I don't build the Oracle anymore. I figured out to get to CoL without the Oracle sooner. Building the Oracle is actually a waste of time.

Why do you say that, Cybershy?

[marvinkosh]

I usually go for Theology, if I can take advantage of the Theocracy civic.

[Jaybe]

I built the Oracle once, a few games ago. But I don't take the religious techs (other than CoL) until I have need of them. Also, I rarely go for marble wonders while having no marble.

[Yosho]

Eh...I don't really build the oracle for the "slingshot" exactally. If I'm already taking the religious path to grab an early religion, I might also get the oracle; partly in order to grab the most expensive tech I can (at that stage in the game, it's just a very efficent way at that stage of the game of turning hammers into commece, even without marble) and partly for the great prophet points to get me my shrine. But again, that's only if I've already headed down the religious path, gotten a early religion, and therefore know I'm ahead of the AI's on that path; and even then, I have to be in a situation where I think I can devote that many early game resources to something like that without being swamped by barbs or crushed by Monty or someone. So I tend to view grabbing the oracle as more of an oppertunistic thing then a stratagic goal, for me.

[joncnunn]

I prefer a deeper slingshot than anything listed there when I build the Oracle at all.

Normally it's Theology, but once I have gotten Philosphacy with it. Granted the Philo was with Warlords and not BTS.