how can i............?

[kiurkugord]

be always tecnologically advanced without losing money?
i'v noticed that if i don't stay at 90 or 100% of the money spent on research after a while the tecnological advisor says me that we are a underdeveloped people instead that tecnologically advanced and if that happens i lose all the advantage i eventually had over my opponents,but if i stay always at 90 or 100% i can't help but losing money!!!!!!!!!
is there some strategy to stay at the top of research (the bar of the tecnological research at 90 or 100% )and to have a lot of money at the same time?
i can't manage to do both!!!!!!!!!

[Pythagoras]

* Develop your economy with banks, marketplaces, trading for extra gold/turn. Build roads to increase trade input.

* Expand, mindful of your corruption/waste.

* Reduce corruption with police/courthouses

* Conquer weaker civs, especially those near to your capitol, develop their cities or destroy their cities and resettle the land.

* Build wonders that help commerce or science.

* Remember the max rate you can develop tech is every 4 turns. Don't waste money by putting it into science when you can get the same rate for a lower percentage. Extra cash and luxuries are useful for developing your civ.

* While other civs to go to war with each other, sit on the sidelines and pump money into your infrastructure while they slaughter each other, you might be able to get an edge on them in the tech race.

Probably other things too, but these are some basics to get you started.

[joncnunn]

Well, the first step is micomanage the slider bar the last few turns to minimize wasted beakers.

And the second step is trading techs, particulary early on when the AI is missing contacts,

I'm not sure if the advisor considers civs you haven't met or not, I don't spend much time listening to the Science Advisor myself.

[Pythagoras]

Yes Tech trading is CRUCIAL!!!! Maybe the most important thing!!

Whenever you get a new tech, go diplomaticize with the other guys, at the very least to see what they have. Maybe you can trade what you just developed for something they have.

[Sabre2th]

One thing that a lot of people don't pay much attention to is the value of a tech. AI civilizations will put a huge value on a technology if only one civ (you) has it. The best way to exploit this is to research a tech off the branch that the AI typically follows, and then to trade it for a whole mess of other techs.

The Gunpowder->Military Tradition bit is quite good for this if you don't mind the other civs having those. It will work just about anywhere in the tech tree, but is especially good if you can get a couple of techs ahead of them in that branch, as the techs are worth even more then.

[Hot_Enamel]

Trade techs to AI for other tech or gold.
Get a monopoly of resources/luxuries & sell them to the AI for GPT.
Early in the game before all the civs have contact, you can buy tech from one, and resell it to the others for a net profit or missing techs. (tech whore). You have to check the diplo screens every turn for any bargains or whoring opportunities.

ie
Maximise your gold & science potential.
Drain as much gold as you can from the AI economy.


Remember though... you dont have to be the tech leader all the time.
Techs are cheap if you get them late. (either by self study or purchasing from the AI)
Stay behind the AI, and build/conquor. Then pull ahead only when your economy can afford it.

[Solomwi]

Originally posted by Hot_Enamel

Remember though... you dont have to be the tech leader all the time.
Techs are cheap if you get them late. (either by self study or purchasing from the AI)
Stay behind the AI, and build/conquor. Then pull ahead only when your economy can afford it.

Good advice right here. Ask yourself if you really need the tech the AI has yet, rather than falling prey to the thought that if they have, you have to, as well.

For instance, if an AI civ shows up with Fascism while you're happily building away and enjoying a time of peace and prosperity, you really don't gain anything by trading for it, except to strengthen your opponent. Even if you went to war that turn, it would be a while, if ever, before you'd need a wartime government (obviously sooner on higher levels, though). By waiting, you increase the chances that it will get traded amongst the AIs, thus making it much cheaper for you.

Another example is Nationalism, especially if you have some Scientific neighbors about to enter the Industrial Era. Wait and see if they pop it as a free tech. Even if you do need it ASAP, you can, as I'm sure most of us have at some point, gift/trade a smaller scientific civ into the next era and cross your fingers.

[trev]

Generally while the AI's are peaceful, they are willing to pay good money for techs from the middle age onwards. Sales of techs to one well developed AI should pay for the costs of your empire, sales to the others should give you profit to be banked. Sell techs for both gold and lux/strategic resources. Build Libraries and universities first as well as marketplaces, do not build banks and stock exchanges with this strategy, they cost money for no return with zero science.
Trading techniques are most crucial, sell up to date techs only for a good return to the largest civs, this may not be when you first learn it, but several - 20 turns later, check them each turn until they pay a reasonable price, then sell it to all advanced AI's in the same turn so they cannot onsell it. Sell older techs to the lesser civs whenever they have at least 10 gold/turn spare. This prevents them from purchasing from the other AI's. Never research what an AI has already researched, just wait until it is partially obsolete and trade for it cheaply. This particularly applies to Nationalism, Communism, Fascism, Espionage. Let the AI's divert their resources to this learn and purchase them later when partially obsolete cheaply. Remember they will give you these techs AND substantial gold per turn for Atomic Theory and Electronics, so be patient and get these then.
For long periods of the game on emperor through to deity, I can use these techniques and bank 500+ gold per turn, some of which is saved, some goes to rushbulding universities, courthouses, marketplaces and police stations. I will often keep in the bank 10000 gold plus, so that if the AI's go to war, and cannot keep paying out the large gpt deals, you can still run 100% science for 50 - 100 turns. Go to Democratic gov't if possible also, the lower corruption of this gov't is really useful in speeding up science in this strategy.
Generally if you have a tech lead and are not at war at the time this tech is learnt, you can afford the period of anarchy, even with a non religious civ. The money banked (this is huge as you do not pay the costs of your civ during anarchy) during the period of anarchy will pay for a lot of rushbuilding afterwards.
At levels below emperor, sometimes the civs do not have so much spare money, so the gpt deals tend to be smaller.

[Qilue]

Sabre2th's suggestion is good particularly if you get the Great Library as well as contact with most or all other civs.

Most often, the AI will go after Education (and trade techs along the way) thus you can usually get 3-4 techs up to Edu. as well as a lead with Mil Trad.

[Golden Bear]

Tech trading is definitely the way to go - if you can make it work. On Emperor I regularly find myself unable to trade early on - and see my neighbors go 4 or 5 techs ahead. However, no need to panic. Research Math and then Currency. Trade these back for other techs.

I believe that the AI civs get this early Ancient Period lead because some number of them are usually expansionist and they pop goody huts. My observation is that you can reel in their tech lead and they will not continue to shoot ahead of you once the goody-hutting accelerant is used up.

Somewhere in that Medieval period the advanced civs usually wane a little bit because of warfare or whatnot and you can begin to trade even with them. Although if you are luxury starved it can make this difficult.

If you are playing on lower difficulty levels you should be able to shoot for 4 turn advances at about 70% investment. Like others have said, play the sliders to keep your income and advancement where you want. If you can afford to go into deficit to speed up your advance, then do it - you'll frequently recoup some of the investment when research is down to one turn. Also, pay attention to break points. Sometimes one click up on the tech slider can knock multiple turns off research time. It is good to take advantage of this if possible.

Golden Bear