Guide to running a Specialist Economy?

[sportsfreaklgg]

I was wondering if there are any guides for running one out there. If not, can anyone care to explain how it works? From what I've gathered so far, it's good to have a philosophical leader, and cities that have lots of food? Also is it possible just to have a specialist city or two in an otherwise non-specialist economy (if you just happen a settle a couple of cities with tons of food.

[Felch]

Yeah, you should definitely have a specialist city or two, that's what National Epic is for.

[Blaupanzer]

Yes to the build select SE cities in an otherwise cottage-intensive economy (CE). You can do that if you have a lot of food resources, especially water-based food (since you can't build cottages on those tiles). However, in a CE, you are after the money and beakers, so other specialists are considered less useful. I sometimes run one city as an SE in a mostly production-intensive economy to build spies once I have the big spy agencies available. Unless harrassed by a lot of war, that may be the only city in which I build a jail.

[Blaupanzer]

See "Specialists usage" thread, where Trimiro has published the link to a CFC thread that satisfies your request. That is the thread I was referring to above.

[TriMiro]

http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/strategy/specialist_economy.php

Here is the link for anyone interested. I did not write the guide, I just read it and I can say it is a good guide.

[Sarco]

I'm just bumping this since I found it helpful learning to use a specialist economy, might be useful for others too.

[wodan11]

Wow, blast from the past. Zounds that was 3 yrs ago.

Looking at the guide with 3 yrs of hindsight, it seems ok. The main concern I see with it is that it does not detail the several different types of SE, and the different tactics that go into each.

[Sarco]

The linked articles are from 2008 , so I'd like some stock market hints from 2011

Can you point me towards some decent articles / threads that discuss these different tactics and strategies? I've played my way up to Monarch being a CE-spamming builder and now I've found a brand new game going SE-warmongering

[wodan11]

The linked articles are from 2008 , so I'd like some stock market hints from 2011

The SE strat guide was later, but check down in the credits / linked article sources (at the bottom of the strat guide). You'll see the thread I started in 2006 about SE.

Can you point me towards some decent articles / threads that discuss these different tactics and strategies? I've played my way up to Monarch being a CE-spamming builder and now I've found a brand new game going SE-warmongering

Same thing... look at the bottom of the linked article. You'll see a ton of them. Problem is you'll be digging through a lot of discussion. That's why I was complaining about the "SE Guide" because IMO it wasn't comprehensive. Still, better than nothing.

For example, you've got your Serfdom SE with a CE switch, you've got your Caste System SE, you've got your Slavery SE. Bureaucracy SE, Vassalage SE. There's your priest SE with Angkor and founding multiple religions, your scientist SE, your merchant SE. There's the lightbub strategy and the settle / farm strategy. The Guide touches on some of this but hardly in a comprehensive analysis IMO. It needs to list all the different options, and say which can be mixed & matched (to some extent, you can customize your SE by picking a strat from each "column").

Anyway I can (and have) talk about this for months. You'll see when you poke around the threads on CFC. Good luck, you'll need it. There's a ton of material buried in the discussions.

[Sarco]

OK, thanks!

Although I'm a bit disappointed about the stock market.

[Chemical Ollie]

Anyone who links to CFC should be banned from Apolyton for life. Don´t you agree, Marko?

[Theben]

Although I'm a bit disappointed about the stock market.

Jan 9th, 2011: The DOW surged ahead today, closing up +329 points to a 2 year high at 3117.

[Blaupanzer]

Ouch!

[wodan11]

Here's another (though still not all that comprehensive) SE reference guide:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=197818

The discussion which follows it also is worthwhile.

[Sarco]

I've been browsing a few old threads on this matter lately and trying to play a game or two but I haven't had the time to play properly. I started a game at prince level but that seemed too easy or shall we say too forgiving.

One question I started thinking about was this:

If you have population to run scientists in your pyramids city, should you run them or should you just keep up shields production maintaining only one engineer specialist (when applicable)?

The reason for this is obviously to keep your chance of getting a GE 100%. The downside is of course that I lose 12 beakers per turn + GPP, though that is probably traded for some decent production.

I suppose the question later in the game is also - run just one type of specialist or all types per city? It mostly applies to the GE city since those are the hardest to come by and very useful.