Scientists join science city or form academy?

[Nohbody8]

Usually, I find myself avoiding the techs that grant some of the later religions like Taoism and Islam. I think it's my compulsive need to create a narrative for all my games and why would I taint my perfect Chinese Confucian empire with Taoism or Islam? Anyway, after dealing with a lot of war weariness in my current game, I have realized I need some happy faces which means I'll have more than one religious city next time around. Does it make more sense to use a Great Scientist to form an academy in my new commerce city or have him/her join my already established research city?

[couerdelion]

As ever it depends but you can make a simple comparison of the gains from the two options by comparing the science (6b or 9b) gained in the research city multiplied by its research modifier against 50% of the unmodified science in the city where you are considering placing an academy.

Personally, I think I would do neither. After the first academy, subsequent Great Scientists are either used for lightbulbing (Philo, Paper, Education etc) or contribute to a Golden Age.

[wodan11]

Generally, if I'm running SE, then I draw a line in the sand of approximately Education, which is where I decide what my endgame strat is going to be. If, that is, the game isn't over by then or soon will be. By endgame strat I mean what victory am I going for, and whether I'll switch to CE or not.

That is the point also where any future great people are saved for golden ages, certainly scientists, though there are always some exceptions such as a great engineer used to pop a critical wonder.

Prior to that point, it depends on my early game strat. A great scientist cannot always be used to lightbulb. If not, I build 1 academy and settle all others there. However, if lightbulbing is a good option, then I usually do that instead. (Whether or not lightbulbing is an option goes into the decision of what my early game strat is to be. However, I don't hold myself hostage to always lightbulbing and I constantly am trying other strategies both for fun and to improve those strats and make them as powerful, if not more so.)

IF I'm doing a CE or something else, then it's more of a quandry. Again, there is a line approximately around Education where past that, there's little point settling or building Academies, or lightbulbing. Prior to that, if lightbulbing is an option, then generally I do that. If not, it's a tossup whether to settle, build multiple Academies, or settle in what in the future will be your Oxford city. It really depends on terrain, mostly, plus strategy.

The bottom line question is that settling and Academy BOTH are risks. Is the game going to last long enough to get the return off the investment? Alternately, save the great person for a golden age.

Wodan

[snoopy369]

I play three strats:
1. GA strat. Get as many golden ages as possible. These scientists then are used for golden ages, with the extra one used for an academy, and any other extra ones that won't ever be useful for academy settled.
2. SE strat (specialist economy). I'm running representation, so other than building one academy, the rest are settled in the academy town.
3. Neither of the above. Settle at least one academy - more if I have multiple supercommerce cities - and use the rest to lightbulb if there's something useful to lightbulb, or otherwise settle them in the academy. Probably set off a GA or two anyhow with them in this.

[Theben]

It also depends on whether or not your civ is Philosophical.

[Common Sensei]

Originally posted by snoopy369
I play three strats:
1. GA strat. Get as many golden ages as possible. These scientists then are used for golden ages, with the extra one used for an academy, and any other extra ones that won't ever be useful for academy settled.
2. SE strat (specialist economy). I'm running representation, so other than building one academy, the rest are settled in the academy town.
3. Neither of the above. Settle at least one academy - more if I have multiple supercommerce cities - and use the rest to lightbulb if there's something useful to lightbulb, or otherwise settle them in the academy. Probably set off a GA or two anyhow with them in this.

This is pretty much exactly what I like to do, with the addendum of saving a Great Scientist to lightbulb Education (especially when Philosophical), to get Oxford as quickly as possible.

[Jvstin]

So the consensus here is *not* to build multiple Academies? (which is what I do if I have multiple cities which have a high base production of beakers)

[Supr49er]

Originally posted by Jvstin
So the consensus here is *not* to build multiple Academies? (which is what I do if I have multiple cities which have a high base production of beakers)

Right. Do not build <1.

CORRECTION: Do not build > 1.

[joncnunn]

Multiple Academies are for when you have sufficent high commerce cities (combined with a sufficently high science rate).

This is easier to occur on Archepello type maps. Playing a Fin leader and having Open Borders with overseas civs also help in this regard.

For the more formula minded:
A new academy in a given location is worth : commerce of city * what percent is going towards science a turn.
A settled Scientific leader is worth 3 beakers (6 when running Represention) * science building multiplers a turn.

[Yosho]

Oh, building multiple acadamies is often a good idea.

There is a cutoff point where it's better to add a GS to your best city rather then build another acadamy. If you're not representation and at that moment you have a bonus of, just to pull a number out of thin air, +150% towards science in your best science city, then a GS there will give 15 science per turn, as well as the hammer. There are a few other minor points, like being able to run more scientists in a city with the acadamy and the culture from it, but they're rarely important. So in that situation, you certanly don't want to build an acadamy in any city where you have less then, say, 35-40 raw beakers/turn or so (or unless you expect to get there in the very near future). I usually have a number of cities like that, and generally end up running 3-5 acadamies.

On the other hand, if you're running representation and have a better science city, and say you have a +200% bonus in your best science city, then a GS in that +200% city produces 27 science/turn, so in that case, you would prefer a scientist there over an acadamy in any city that makes less then, say, 60 beakers/turn raw; cities like that are pretty rare, so you're unlikely to want many acadamies then (you always want at least one, of course).

But yeah; the question of "GS or acadamy" is a fairly easy math equation, and depends on your stratagy and your current situation.