what do you use the Oracle for?

[self biased]

i almost universally find myself going for metal casting for the forge and related bonuses when building the oracle.

when (tech wise) do you usually try to build the oracle and what tech to you aim for?

[Ming]

It really depends on the game situation. I'm a big fan of either COL or metal casting... but if I'm protective, going for Fued isn't bad either.

[wodan11]

CoL is a good choice because, after early expansion and probably a war, courthouses are much more important than more production. What are you going to build with more production? Probably units, and that's the last thing you need at that moment. Meanwhile, courthouses will allow you to increase your slider by 20-30%.

Plus, it's a religion, and that, too, is a religion and another 10-20% on the slider.

Change my research from 30% to 70%? Where do I sign up?!?

[rah]

CoL or MetalC and sometimes Feud (doesn't always work )
It depends on the game,

[Boracks]

CoL or metal casting, very rarely something else depending on circumstances.

[wodan11]

That said, occasionally I do Theocracy. Usually when I'm planning a priest strategy or AP spamming. Even by itself, I think Theo is the most expensive tech you can get, so on the theory that the more free beakers you can get, the better.... more bang for the buck.

[rah]

It's only the most expensive tech if you ever research it. It's a dead end so I can't remember ever researching it normally. (i do play diplo win disabled)

[frunobulax]

I always build The Oracle as part of my CoL/CS strategy to get the Bureaucracy Civic ASAP (+50% hammers and +50% commerce in capital) as I like the hammer/tech boost it usually gives me, enough to get ahead early on (being more a Builder than a Warmonger). I usually play as someone Protective + Financial / Philosophical / whatever (e.g. Sitting Bull).

I like the benefits of founding an Academy in my capital, founding a religion early on (though choosing whether or not to adopt it depends on who my religiously inclined neighbours are, i.e. is Montezuma around?), being able to spread irrigation and building Courthouses earlier (for the +2 espionage bonus, -50% maintenance and turn 1 citizen into Spy).

I go via this tech route, and I try to build at least 2+ Warriors, 1-2 Workers and 1 x Settler in the meantime:

Mining > The Wheel > Agriculture or Fishing (dependent on which I already have as starting techs) then...

> Bronze Working (Reveal Copper, enables Slavery (wait before adopting!), and can chop down forests)
> Pottery (cottages!)
> Writing (chop for a Library, turn 2 citizens into scientists to get a Great Scientist to rush an Academy for +50% science)
> Polytheism
> Priesthood (to switch to Oracle build)
> Mathematics (+50% hammers from chop)
> Code of Laws (adopt religion after Oracle is built but not before adopting Bureaucracy + Slavery and/or Caste System first)
> Civil Service - and chop rush Oracle whilst boosting/cutting science for CS to get them to arrive on the same turn).

A couple of times I've been beaten to The Oracle by the AI, once by 1 turn(!), at which point I usually quit the game and go off and sulk!

[rah]

Why Poly instead of Mediation? It's a few less beakers (that one turn is what cost you the oracle ) And I prefer the monastaries earlier. I'll usually wait on poly till CS and then research poly and mono in 2 or 3 turns and convert to both civics at the same time to save a turn of revolt and pay for the higher maint of organized religion.

[Blaupanzer]

For CoL almost always for both courthouses and religion. If I already have a religion (my random civ has Spiritual with Mysticism), then I will go for Metal Casting. IIRC, some posters on this forum said they have Mathematics by Oracle completion and go for Construction. I have never been able to get Mathematics and the path to Priesthood completed before some other civ completes Oracle. At Prince and Monarch all the early wonders except Pyramids are very time sensitive.

[Theben]

Why Poly instead of Mediation? It's a few less beakers (that one turn is what cost you the oracle ) And I prefer the monastaries earlier. I'll usually wait on poly till CS and then research poly and mono in 2 or 3 turns and convert to both civics at the same time to save a turn of revolt and pay for the higher maint of organized religion.

- AI tends to get Meditation before you but not always Poly
- Can access ToA, which is expensive but not if you're IND or have marble... and if you're PHIL that wonder gets you 10(!) GP points.
- Leads to Monotheism which can get you 1 (more) religion and Org Rel cutting down on building costs
- Cuz we're Poly, dude!

[rah]

If you research writing first, the odds of being first to Poly are almost zilch.
And if I target oracle, ToA will be gone before I get to it.
If you target MONO first for the religion, you're behind on other techs that are more important.
(cuz we're Poly, dude) Can't argue that one.

[Hauptman]

Man gimee the right start, it's take the shortest route to priesthood, use priesthood to get me writing as that oracle builds. Nab a free code of laws as i catch up on whatever worker tecks i may lack before making the push to civil service and you end up in a possition like this....

(take a good hard look at that capital. 2 gold squares and plenty of food to work them led to some quick early research. See what it's been building for the last 3 turns and the year? I planned on making this game an AAR but got lazy and never did it. Plus it seems they changed the screenshot upload service or im doin somethin different.)

[Hauptman]

Ok well, that screenie got a wee bit smooshed so u may not be able to notice the samurai beeing built since roughly 300BC. With the town square in Kyoto beeing that purdy little oracle building.


Here see if we cant zoom in a tad, just cause it's so purdy.


Guess I should mention, Emporer difficulty, aggresive AI. Game went smooth as silk as I made the perfect warmonger civ a tech powerhouse. Conquered the rest of my rather large continent with my infantry tanks and bombers blowin up riflemen and cavalry.

[SpencerH]

I almost always take metal casting. That gives me forges. That gives me the colossus.