31-05-2001 06:16									#1
	I wonder if anyone has done this before..... Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

When the discovery mechanism was discovered by I forget who, I spent several hours developing the shortest route to monotheism with monarchy and writing along the way. I'm not sure if anyone else has tried this, but I have tested and used this countless times in MP and SP games, and each time it works perfectly, as long as I don't stumble into a hut that gives me a tech, which creates severe problems... but anyway...

The shortest ideal route to monotheism....

Alpha - 10 Beakers needed
CB - 18 Beakers needed
Writing - 27 Beakers needed
CoL - 36 Beakers needed
Mon - 45 Beakers needed
Literacy - 66 Beakers needed
Mysticism - 84 Beakers needed
HR - 96 Beakers needed
Poly - 108 Beakers needed
Phil - 130 Beakers needed
Mono - 143 Beakers needed (free tech ideally)
BW - 168 Beakers needed

I gaurentee this works as long as you start with no techs and don't stumble into a hut....

The only reason BW is so late is because you should generally be on the offensive, and the diplomats early on will provide you with explorers and to bribe barbs, while the libraries will provide a nice boost to the sciences.... I nearly always use this tech path unless there happens to be a tech that I desperately need, map making or something... also this skips pottery, which can be risky, but with a quick monotheism you should be able to get miches....

Use it if you want, but I guess it can't be used for every situation.

	31-05-2001 22:54									#2
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Trade would be way too late...

	31-05-2001 23:08									#3
	Remove this text

My own path is not quite as fixed, in part because I tend to build the Great Library and Lighthouse as my early wonders. However, it is very close. This path should usually give you Phil first (extra tech), and enable you to build Mike's in time even though Trade would be developed after this discovery path. As noted elsewhere, the prices of the techs can vary based on your color and your position on the power pole.

	31-05-2001 23:20									#4
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Yeah, trade would come quite late. But then, I don't really go for trade when playing, I hardly use caravans in the early game anyway... so MT is just the way to go for me... hey, when playing on lower levels (in MP, of course), it might even make sense to consider Republic as a goal before Monarchy... but then, lack of producitivity in Republic might make it a bad government before Mike's...