Scientists vs. buying science

[Señor BooBoo]

A quick question about science and money…
Is there any advantage to creating scientists, as opposed to creating taxmen and increasing the science percentage?
Which combination gives you the most money and science?
And what about converting production to money and money to science?

Just wondering…

[Arrian]

A taxman produces 1 gold per turn. A scientist produces 1 "beaker" per turn. You would need a lot of scientists to have any impact on your science rate (unless you are using the 1 scientist, science at 0% money-making scheme early on).

Neither specialist is worthwhile, in my opinion. Unless you have a city that has grown past size 20, put your citizens to work on the land. If they have grown... it's six one way, 1/2 dozen the other.

-Arrian

[Harovan]

Depends on difficulty level. In any level up to Monarch it's worth to research as soon as you have a solid commerce and libs/unis in your core cities. Without own research, you can't get a tech lead. This is possible only with the tech broker technique in the ancient age, where the AI's have no access to each other yet. As soon as the AI's have contact, you have no chance to sell a tech you bought from another AI (at least not for a good price), because the AI deals with techs itself actively.

In Emperor and Deity games the AI's advantage is so big, that you have no chance to outresearch the AI, unless you are close to the domination treshold, or it's quite late in the game and you succeeded to severely weaken the AI's. In these levels, you have to beat the techs out of the AI in peace treaties, if you want to keep track.

As Arrian said, scientists aren't worth the effort. Send that guy farming, or mining.

[Ethelred]

I usually have any extra workers as entertainers. That helps your score and if it puts you into WLTKD it helps with corruption. Much more usefull than taxmen. Ocasionaly a scientist is good. If you set your research to the minimum one scientist may be the way to go. And last I saw a scientist produces science even if you are in anarchy.

[I-iZ-1337]

Scientiztz r j00zlezz, j00 shud onl33 j00ze them in republic/demo in j00r totall33 corrupt citiez (coz sciez and taxmenz d00 not suffer corruptionz).

[Señor BooBoo]

Originally posted by Arrian
Neither specialist is worthwhile, in my opinion. Unless you have a city that has grown past size 20, put your citizens to work on the land. If they have grown... it's six one way, 1/2 dozen the other.

-Arrian

Thanks…
Yeah, I had figured as much. Spent too much time makeing scientists in 40+ cities with little effect… Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something!

Señor BooBoo

[planetfall]

The only way scientists are worthwhile are if you edit the rules and change beaker output from 1 to 3. Even then it is marginal. This rate was suggest by others who compared normal production of citizen [food/shield/gold] working a tile vs the benefit of scientist. Still can't create a science city, but variant does make a scientist a potential contributor.