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Keeper of Hell
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Obviously, a lot of how fast techs are researched has to do with how many AIs are present on the map. Ideally, you should make a game with yourself and one AI player, then turn off your tech research and watch what techs the AI researches and in what order. Of course, this would get tiresome quickly, especially since you'd need to play similar games five or six times with different civs to make sure that your results are reasonably accurate, but if there's a pattern to be had, this is the way to have it. If you don't want to do a bunch of boring experimental games, then the only way to get data is to try and watch AIs in a normal game. From my own observation, AI civs seem to neglect the lower tech path (the Medicine through Electronics branch) in the Industrial Age in order to hit most of the middle areas (The Corporation, Industrialization, etc.). The difference is sometimes not as noticeable, and it could be attributed to the AI's tendancy to research early techs in each Era rather than following one linear tech path to the exlusion of others. You can normally exploit this by going for one branch exclusively and then trading your "specialization" for the more general, ground-level techs that the AIs have been working on. This works particularly well in the Industrial Era, when you can speedily make your way to Scientific Method and grab ToE, thus making your specialization even quicker and enabling you to quickly pick up the techs the AI has been working at.
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The Yankee
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New York
Sep 2002
time: 00:22
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Depending on whether you're the only one who has it and if the wonder has not been built, the AI sometimes gives some good scratch for Music Theory and Free Artistry, as well as Communism. You may get a few techs out of each, but at the very least you can get some gold and/or luxuries.
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Arrian
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Kneel before Grog!
Jul 2001
time: 00:22
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Theseus,
I could be wrong about this, but it seems to me that the AI will tend to ignore dead end techs if someone (hmm... ME) has a large tech lead.
In my current game (Aztecs... still haven't gotten the hang of the best use of Jags, but things still went well), France is the top remaining AI civ. They researched their way straight to communism, but still didn't have military tradition (which I then sold to them for 100gpt, almost hoping they would pick a fight). I think the AI would have researched MT if I hadn't been so far ahead.
Speaking of the AI beeline for communism, this means it is slow at getting the really important IA techs. It seems to LOVE medicine, and will gladly offer up its left nut for it. Given time, however, the AI will research medicine on its own.
My own observations confirm that they tend to ignore printing press. That means demo too, unless they are given printing press. Once they have that, they will research demo. France did.
Music Theory will be ignored if Bach's has been built. Otherwise, they will go for it. *good job there, Soren*
They seem to always ignore Free Artistry. *another good job there, but it would have been better to remove it entirely, or change its purpose*
-Arrian
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Arrian
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Kneel before Grog!
Jul 2001
time: 00:22
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quote:
By the time I get to sanitation, I am not likely to be making anymore trades or selling anything. Just dropping the hammer. |
Agreed. I *may* sell the AI medicine. No way in hell I'm giving them sanitation, though. Hospitals really boost their power, since they will bring in a bunch more money and their cities will get the metropolis defense bonus. Screw that. I like keeping the AI poor and backward, to the extent it is possible.
I'm usually behind in tech until the end of the ancient era/beginning of the middle ages, because my focus is on building & upgrading my strike force(s). If I can get Monarchy first, I will, but not to trade. In my newest Aztec attempt, I was laughably far behind for some time, since my neighbors were the Iroquois, Americans and Zulu. 3 expansionists who traded everything they got! The Zulu built the Pyramids and GL! I've NEVER seen a strong Zululand. The game would be a real good one (I have a pretty good Palace/FP setup and am just mopping up the continent with Knights) but for the as-yet-undiscovered Egyptians who have reeled off the Sistine and Sun Tzu in quick succession (the latter 2 turns before I would have completed it. "Sir, are you aware that switching from Sun Tzu to Colosseum will result in the loss of 450 shields?") OUCH! I rushed Leo's w/a leader and now regret that decision.
But I digress. Sorry.  
-Arrian
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Theseus
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The warmonger formerly known as rpodos. Gathering Storm! Apolyton Spirit!!
Apr 2002
time: 00:22
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In picking up Knightblade's game over the weekend, I really had to put this technique to the test.
I started out researching Astronomy, maybe 1-2 turns of research complete, and behind by at least 5 techs. I switched to Printing Press, got there first sold to all, then did the same with Democracy. That got me caught up to only 2 behind. A little Knight music on India, and I extorted my way to parity.
But that wasn't enough!! I really wanted to gain absolute control by the time of the industrial 'corridor.' Beelined for Rep Parts, selling Steam Power and Electricity. Sanitation... sold it. Scientific Theory... sold it (I had a really good pre-build).
In the process, I got every other tech I wanted, got rich, and basically bankrupted the AI civs. By the time I put the game down, I was in the 'corridor,' with a 3 tech lead.
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Catt
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California - SF Bay Area
May 2002
time: 21:22
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I also consider Steam Power a priority - I can't remember the last time I didn't select Steam Power as my first Industrial Age research project.
My anecdotal experience is that the AI will not avoid Steam Power, however. They seem to go after Nationalism first, then Steam Power (the scientific civs seem to go after Steam Power after getting Nationalism upon entering the age). I've come to expect the AI civs to beeline towards Industrialization -- although they don't necessarily rush to build factories, I have always suspected that they covet the first available wonder of the age - Universal Suffrage.
All anecdotal of course, but I have come to expect from the AIs: Nationalism, Steam Power, Industrialization, and then a smattering of Communism / Espionage / Medicine. Assuming rough tech parity upon entering the age (as opposed to a good lead or a serious shortcoming) I've found an opening research path of Steam Power, Industrialization, Electricity, Medicine, and Scientific Method usually allows me to have a good shot at U.S., gets RR's and factories up and running early, allows in some cases a second or third civ price on researching Medicine, offers the ability to trade Electricty for mucho gold and Nationalism, Communism and Espionage, and still doesn't put ToE too much at risk. All of which is capped by ToE providing Atomic Theory and Electronics (while manually researching Replaceable Parts and sometimes buying the Corporation). In times of heavy warfare, I might slip RP in somewhere early in the stream. A poor pre-build timing might also allow me to research Atomic Theory manually, and thereby secure Electronics and Radio with ToE.
As varied as I like my games to play out, the entry into, and then the mid-game portion of, the Industrial Age seems to follow a well-trodden path regardless of civ played, map features, game play to that point etc.
Catt 
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13-09-2002 04:22
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