Your first 5 advances?

[MyOlde]

Assuming I get the basics in the beginning (roads, irrigation), I seem to follow the same starting pattern every time and I was wondering if everyone goes a similar route or drastically differently. My path follows:
1. Alphabet
2. Code of Laws
3. Ceremonial Burial
4. Writing
5. Pottery

My goal is always a space ship.

[BlackJack]

Hmmm …. Maybe this is where I can really improve my game. I go for Bronze first; phalanx is either my first or second unit and I want to start on a wonder. And, depending on what the neighborhood looks like, I might want to get Horseback pretty soon - to explore and chase goody huts. So I guess that means slipping Pottery and maybe Ceremonial Burial or Writing a little further down your list.

[DaveV]

War4 - I agree with horses first, but how do you research COL before alpha? If you really can reel off 4 techs after horseback that end in Monarchy, I'd love to know the exact order. I usually find myself researching writing or bronze along the way.

[Steve Clark]

Cool, another list.

Like everything else in CivII, there are no absolutes. The researching of advances (assuming none at the start) depends upon your ultimate goal and somewhat on your starting location. Also, you have to factor in what the program gives you to research - detours are very frequent, and what scrolls you get from the huts. That being said, it seems that no matter what your goals are, getting to Monarchy is a must, therefore...
1. Alphabet
2. Code of Laws
3. Ceremonial Burial
4. Monarchy
5. After Monarchy, the paths differ. If I have a city at a great trade spot, then I want to start cranking up the SSC, thus Bronze with its Colossus. Otherwise, I research Masonry with its Great Wall.

Does it always go like this? No. More times than not, I have a few of these at the beginning and I always get scrolls at the huts. I remember one game I had Alphabet, Masonry and Mysticism at the start, so I went for Astronomy to get a head start. Also, if they give me Polytheism, then I just go to Literacy and Philosophy and then Monotheism. But overall, Monarchy is the first priority.

A final thought. In SP, it really doesn't matter a whole lot what your first 5 advances are - you'll get them anyway fairly soon and more times than not, by about the 5th or 6th advance, you are ahead and will stay ahead of the AIs.

[Sten Sture]

first 5...

Alpha, Code, Burial, x, Monarchy

Where x = Writ, Horse, or Bronze depending on the situation.

[Caesar the Great]

My tech path is as follows.

First, Alpha or CB, if either is not available then I go for BW if there will be a lot of barbs, Pottery or HR if its a big continent, Pottery if I'm gonna play ICS and HR with fewer civs.

Then I will get CoL (if I got alpha) otherwise go for one of the two before. If those are not available then I will get either HR or Pottery, BW if barbs. Or Map making on watery maps.

Then I will go for the rest of the presequites for Monarchy, otherwise pottery, HR, or BW. But now if I had gotten HR and CB as my previous two techs... happened to me before... I will go for poly

Then I will get monarchy if I have the rest of the presequites then go for Writing. Otherwise just look above.

Usually I will not get mon as my 4th tech, so this is the more common place. But if I do they I get writing now, if not available the I'll go for some wonder (depends on situation)

[My Wife Hates CIV]

I'm always the last into the monarchy (MP). Damn, I have mobile warfare before it offers me monarchy!

[BlackJack]

But I don't have a ghost of a chance at getting HG if I don't start a wonder soon. With all these non-BW paths, you guys don't seem to have that problem???

[War4ever]

BlackJack... my strategy doenst require HG and i suggest you find one that doesn't as well.... the key to winning at civ is being able to adaptand not to rely on any one strat..... and i goofed earlier when i said COL before ALpha.... but if i research Horse first i can often rattle off the next four advances needed for monarchy...... not always as huts either speed or slow this process but often enough.......

[rah]

1. path to monarchy
2. path to monarchy
3. path to monarchy
4. bronze, pottery, writing, map (depending on the situation)
5. Monarchy, unless the damn game won't let me select it. (else see #4)
6. Monarchy, unless the damn game is still not cooperating and I'm starting to get iritated.
7. Monarchy, and if not, now I'm really pissed.

I guess that summs it up. The only variation is if you get warrior code from a hut. (NNOOOOOOOO) and get to 8 and still not get a crack at monarchy. Then I might go for fued. This happened to me once and I didn't get to choose monarchy till my ninth tech. Needless to say, it took quite a while to recover from that start, but I did. Even got JSB in that game on top of the war academy and gl. (This was a MP game)

RAH
Flexibility is always the key.
[This message has been edited by rah (edited February 16, 2000).]

[Steve Clark]

BJack: Take War4's advice and alter your strategy. Except in my very first game at Chieftain, I have never built the HG. It doesn't matter if it's a clobbering game or AC. If you concentrate on getting the happy wonders (MC, JSB), the military wonders (GW, Sun, Leo) and the science wonders (Colossus, Coper, Isaac), then you will likely win every time (in SP, of course).

[geofelt]

At deity, single player, my first objective is monarchy. I start a bit differently,
1. ceremonial burial. I like to be able to build a temple early if necessary.
2. alphabet
3. code of laws
4. monarchy
at 2 or 3, I pick bronze if a monarchy pre-req is not available. This lets me build a useful defender, as well as a wonder to start on early. I try to switch to hanging gardens instead.

[Graag]

Steve, so your advice is, get all the good wonders and you'll win. Must remember that one

Graag

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You should never smoke in pyjamas, you could start a fire and burn your face

[MyOlde]

Sorry, before everyone jumps on me, I do go for Monarchy the moment it becomes available.

[tobyr]

In the ToT fantasy game, it's not so cut and dried. First, Sorcerors defend cities very well early in the game, so there is no need to build walls until one has developed some production capability. Therefore masonry (=pottery) can often be deferred.

Some tribes have a really important military unit to get into play early in the game, and as soon as they make an advance not needed for monarchy, they must go for that unit.

Some tribes are more research-oriented, and instead head for the research- and democracy- related advances.

There is a race to get trade, because the Wonder it allows yields the only hero unit in the game (a very powerful unit for early game combat). However some tribes cannot trade at all, and the hero is more important to some than others, so the trade advance may be made very early or deferred.

- toby


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toby robison
criticalpaths@mindspring.com