End of tech advantage?

[Sporally]

Well, i have often wondered whether you will have an advantage or not when you have discovered all techs. With that i mean if i discover all techs i can lower the science taxes as i will nothing to use them for (except to get some more points), but the thing is that if the AI will do the same or not? If they won't they will use unnecessary taxes for researching in new techs.

If so, it would be an unofficial cheat if you ask me, but i would rather play a fair match against my enemies

[gunkulator]

I have yet to play a game where the AI makes it all the way through the tech tree, but then again I'm more of a warmonger. If it's a cheat, it's one that only happens for a few turns near the end of the game.

[vmxa1]

If the game is not over by the time you have researched all techs, what else happens is not important.

If the AI gets all techs, you need not worry about its conduct as far as the research slider is concerned.

[joncnunn]

I've never seen the AI make it all the way thru the tech tree; AI will try to win via space ship, and even the AI can build all parts before hiting the last tech.

Actually, if you want to win via military and are in no danger of the AI building nukes you might as well turn research off after you have Computers (Mech Inf) and Syntheic Fibers (Modern Armor). Well, if you have a lot of ocean cities, add Miniturazation (Offshore Oil Platforms) to the list.

Actually, I haven't ever run out of techs in the Epic game either because I don't milk the end. I have run out of techs in specific conquests, and turned research competely off. (In most cases the cost of future tech was high enough that I would win prior to getting the first one, so why bother reseraching.)
In the following conquests, I didn't even reach the last era:

1. Mesopatania: No wonder requires last era tech so I had won by then.

2. Shogun : Equivlent of UN is adviable in the second era in the optional techs. I didn't even start the main chain of required techs in that era, just reserached the bottom optional row entirely plus the two lone required ones.

3. Middle Ages : Won via score (mostly thru conquest) in the second era. (Best Turkish unit is in the Arab section in the second era.) I was four turns at my low 30% research rate from entering the High Middle Ages. (I completed the entire Arab section, including Medicine and built Battlefield Medicine via MGL one turn before winning.)

4. Age of Discovery: I played the Aztecs, so was thrilled to enter the 3rd era before the game ended.

(In Fall of Rome, I evenually had lots of surplus cash after finsihing upgrades and so did actually research every "Rome Strikes Back" tech as the Huns before conquering enough cities to trigue the VP victory.)

[vmxa1]

The AI may not have all the resources to build all SS parts.

[Sporally]

Well, i see your arguments, but the thing is that i have actually put all victory possibility on (except from the wonder victory possibility), but i always play a non-campaign game, and even though i have all those victory possibilities on i only count a military victory as a real victory.

And playing at a huge map with max. nations you will have to be better than me to eliminate all nations before the techs run out

And then we have the dilemma - will the other nations stop the tech spendings or will they continue like they're hoping to reach some new techs? I wouldn't like to give myself such an advantage..

[joncnunn]

If you set reserach to 0% and "forget" to hire a scientist, then no matter how long you take conquering the last nation, your still not going to finish reseraching the last tech.

Originally posted by Sporally
Well, i see your arguments, but the thing is that i have actually put all victory possibility on (except from the wonder victory possibility), but i always play a non-campaign game, and even though i have all those victory possibilities on i only count a military victory as a real victory.

And playing at a huge map with max. nations you will have to be better than me to eliminate all nations before the techs run out

And then we have the dilemma - will the other nations stop the tech spendings or will they continue like they're hoping to reach some new techs? I wouldn't like to give myself such an advantage..

[vmxa1]

Originally posted by Sporally
Well, i see your arguments, but the thing is that i have actually put all victory possibility on (except from the wonder victory possibility), but i always play a non-campaign game, and even though i have all those victory possibilities on i only count a military victory as a real victory.

And playing at a huge map with max. nations you will have to be better than me to eliminate all nations before the techs run out

I guess you mean that you only want to win by conquest? If you are wanting to do that, you need to make some armies and start overunning civs.

If the map is huge, but is not an island map you can do it. If it is archipelago then you will have a hard time. What is the level?

As to the AI researching after all techs, I have no clue. I guess you could try to trade and see if future tech shows up for trade. I am not even sure that is allowed.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by joncnunn
Actually, if you want to win via military and are in no danger of the AI building nukes you might as well turn research off after you have Computers (Mech Inf) and Syntheic Fibers (Modern Armor). Well, if you have a lot of ocean cities, add Miniturazation (Offshore Oil Platforms) to the list.

Add Rocketry to that least, as you need it to locate aluminium.

[joncnunn]

Agreed, also add the tech allowing Recyling Plants. (To reduce the +1 turns needed on a military unit that too often result from a polution striking a modern era city that was perfectly balanced.)

Originally posted by Dauphin

Add Rocketry to that least, as you need it to locate aluminium.

[Sporally]

The second easiest level. Well, although i only count fully invasion as a victory, i might still want to build on my space race or something, not sure though.

To be honost my overall goal is to conquer all of the other nations, but my secondary and first goal is to get as many points as possible before the score ends - then it is pure conquering

[joncnunn]

Oh yeah, the old Civ II kill all but 1 civ and leave them 1 city that doesn't have a wonder, then build the space ship to beat then twince!

It's much funner in Civ II to do that than Civ III, perhaps because the AI in Civ II would faily automaticly declare war when your army was big enough in Civ II and so it felt so good to punish them for their folly.

Originally posted by Sporally
The second easiest level. Well, although i only count fully invasion as a victory, i might still want to build on my space race or something, not sure though.

To be honost my overall goal is to conquer all of the other nations, but my secondary and first goal is to get as many points as possible before the score ends - then it is pure conquering

[vmxa1]

Ok so you are playing at Warlord. You should be able to run over them with a conquest in time. Maybe even on an island map, but it is painfully to stamp out those small island cities.

[Sporally]

Well, I am just an ok player, no more. I don't think it will be able to elimate them all before the end of techs.