What to research next?

[Beta]

OK - here is the issue -

RP is doing polytheism (120 beakers)

ND is doing currency(160)

GoW is doing construction (I think - can this be confirmed)(200)

GS is doing republic (280)

That's it for this era. What do we do?

Polytheism is the quickest - 20 turns. But then we would be competing with RP for selling it.

We could do nothing - stockpile the cash - and then buy some of the techs after the trading frenzy occurs and and the price drops. Withe the save tonight I can let you know how much gold that will mean.

We will need to confirm this with GS, so they don't feel we are screwing them in the tech arrangement.

[Wittlich]

Since everyone else is busy researching all the available research areas, placing our research to 0% and filling up on gold sounds like a good idea - but you are right, I think we need to confirm everybody else's research effort first.

[Dis]

I still say currency, unless you can work out a good deal with Neu Demo.

[Dis]

OK I read the bit in the ND FA thread.

If we are going to not research anything we need to do 2 things. Get GS's take on this. And set up a trade for currency right now. We don't want to wait 20 turns and have them charge us an unfair price for it.

[Beta]

We could wait until they have researched all three, and traded so that all three have them. Then we say who wants to sell us say currency, and how much do you want for it. If map making is any indication, the price gets real cheap.

I'm not sure GS would go for this strategy - and we do need to see how much gold will accumulate over the next 20 turns or so.

[Dis]

11 gold per turn I show on the save game.

so for 20 turns that would be 220 gold if my math is correct

+199 gold in our treasurey gives us 419 gold.

[Dis]

that could change with city expansion (possible upkeep costs), and building new cities.

[Beta]

I am changing my vote. I originally voted to not research anything - but think we should finish polytheism.

Why? It is the quickest tech we can do. 19 turns. And we can leverage it now, if we act soon.

Neu D is researching currency - and have said roughly the same time to completion. They also invited us into the tech trading circle with them and GoW - who we think is doing construction.

So - with our new-found goodwill with Neu D, we make a deal now for currency. And we do the same for Construction. It will cost some gold, as we are doing the cheaper tech - maybe 20 for curency and 40 for contsruction. But that gets us all three techs required. And GS will share the cost.

We then go to the next era, with republic. We get the extra free tech, and will be able to stay a few ahead of the rest for a bit.

They key is to lock these deals in now. RP won't be pleased, but I don't mind upsetting them. They are far away. I think friendly relations with Neu D is the key.

[HarryH]

I would like to find out how far away RP is from completing Polythesium. They may have already completed part of it while we were researching Philosophy.

I suspect if we decided to stockpile the cash GS will want half of it.

I say we should go with the quickest tech provided we can beat, or come close, to completing it the same time the other team does. It would be a waste to get half way through a tech only to have another team complete it and trade it to everyone else.

[Beta]

RP was ahead of us by 5 turns. That is why I think it is key that we do these deals now. I don't think Neu D will back out of a deal for 5 turns - and they seem fairly tight with GoW, which could get us the 'in' for construction.

[Wittlich]

I concur Beta - We need to get these tech trade deals finalized now prior to the advances actually being completed.

Back to the subject at hand, I really like the grabbing all the gold we can option. But if we have to research something, then it should be one that we can still gain the max amount of gold during the research timeframe...so I still voted for nothing (stockpile cash)

[Beta]

I have pitched the three-way deal to NeuD, emphasizing the need to lock the deal in now. I have used philosophy as a bit of bait. The letter is in the Neu D FA thread.

[Dis]

this from ghenghis:

Yes we are researching Construction and ND is researching Currency, how about Republic or Monarchy?

[Dis]

I'd rather research nothing than Poly, but that's just my opinion.

[Beta]

Ok - how about this. We research nothing. Stockpile the cash. At the end of the trading frenzy which will occur, and RP, GoW, and NeuD have all three, we send them a request for secret bids. Each submits to us an amount in gold they would want for all three techs. Lowest bid gets the contract. I'm sure we could do it for less that 200 gold, which would still put us ahead.

Or we split it up now, and make cash offers to each civ for the tech they researched. By then, they will have each traded it twice, and the cash will be gravy for them and we can probably get them cheap.

On the other hand, we risk being cut oiut of the action. I'm not sure GS would go along with this risk.

I still say we need to pick sides now - as jon has suggested elsewhere - if we side with NeuD, we do Poly and try for the deal I have pitched to them.

If it is not NeuD, then we switch to currency, sidle up with RP, and make the deals now.

RP makes the most sense as an ally, now that I think about it - as they are the furthest away.