Keeping up with AI tech investment...

[Lord Dakier]

So I'm currently replaying my Byzantium game, getting a fairly good feel for the game now. Just connected Greece to the rest of my Empire after taking the 3 provinces south of Serbia. Apart from the Ottomans all is good for now.

Except one thing, I find myself lacking behind the other nations greatly in tech. I understand that the smaller your nation, the easier it is. Although realistically I don't agree with that, how am I to improve my tech and keep up with the AI when I'm already 3 land techs behind the Ottoman Empire who are looking to go to war with me.

 

[ktk1212]

A) Westernize. You can see your tech group at the top, and if you mouse over it you see the penalty your tech group is giving you. Westernizing can get you up to 100%.
B) Ottomons start out way ahead of you, so don't feel too bad if you don't catch up right away.
C) Trade a lot, and increase your efficiency. Both of these directly increase the amount of money you can invest into techs without increasing your tech costs. A good way to do this is to heavily build up your provinces. This makes the provinces richer, and thus increases your research speed.
D) Advisors can help you research faster, as do manufacturies. More ideal for smaller countries but it helps nonetheless.
E) Sliders. Move them towards free people and innovative, both decrease technology costs by a lot. I think it's 35% if both are maxed.

 

[Lord Dakier]

That's a good guide to start with then. My provinces are already built up, I only need churches and military buildings yet there of no use in most provinces anyhow. I'd love to westernise, but it's going to take at least 50 years to get the sliders into place. I tried to focus more on free trade I guess that's my bad! Problem is I'm not being the most efficient with my army. If not for the +1 morale I get from the national idea I'd probably be swatted everywhere.

So in the meantime while waiting for sliders to sort themselves out, shall I go off to conquer more lands?

 

[Plasma Doctor]

Generally, I've seen most of games go with the player getting behind during the first 100 years, then even out during the 1500s before getting head in e 1600s. I had Poland get about 25 techs ahead without westernizing because my Empire was so powerfully rich.

 

[ktk1212]

If you have high free trade, then just trade in foreign markets like crazy. You can quickly triple your monthly investment income if you are involved in all the large markets and can keep your merchants there. Try and get 5 merchants in every European market. That will do wonders for your income.

 

[Lord Dakier]

The problem is I do have trouble getting merchants to compete in foreign markets.

 

[camppa]

Do you always keep your research sliders about even like that?

 

[Lord Dakier]

Yeah at the minute. In a previous campaign I tried to focus more so on land techs and was doing ok as I was never too far behind. Does it matter much?

 

[camppa]

Yep. Focus on Land and then Government when land is equal to your rivals. That way you'll be able to fall behind far enough to westernize without getting your armies smashed.

 

[Lord Dakier]

Will do, thanks!

Shall I continue to make territorial gains too?

 

[camppa]

I've heard it's possible to play the game peacefully, but I've never bothered to try it.

 

[Comradebot]

Will do, thanks!

Shall I continue to make territorial gains too?

I'd say yes, but a soft yes. Rich provinces, cores... those are worth the extra heft in the long run. If you plan to Westernize, trying to re-establish the old border of Rome probably should wait until after.

 

[Icendoan]

I would hold off taking more provinces than you have cored (taking the Ottoman lands you have cores on is a very good idea - they are rich provinces) until you've westernised, and focus on converting as many as you can right now to orthodox. The more provinces you have, the longer it will take to regain the 5 stability you'll lose from westernising. Also, as you're focussed on Innovative, you need to convert as much as you possibly can right now to make sure you don't have your lands riddled with Sunni provinces.

 

[Pewt]

Something which is neglected when most people talk about tech groups is the massive disadvantage of not being in the Western tech group regardless of any actual penalties. For instance, an Eastern tech group player may be surprised to find out their tech is progressing at about half the speed of an equal-power Western tech nation, and be confused since Eastern tech is supposed to be far, far better than that. In reality, there are a bunch of OPMs/TPMs with excellent trade sliders, all of which are in the western tech group, which drag along the entire tech group via neighbour bonuses, which means the Western techgroup will quickly be at a massive tech advantage.

The only real way to fix this is to invest in only Land and Government tech and just accept that your other techs will suck. That's pretty much what you want to do in the Western tech group anyways, although in that case your remaining techs are dragged along by said traders.

 

[DanubianCossak]

Another thing you can do, is what i do as Russia. Grow, grow, grow. Ignore the tech, you will fall behind, almost inevitably, unless you go 100% trade focus. But it doesnt matter, youll have enough income to keep land tech alone maxed out, and when you max the land tech out, instead of going for the government (obviously you want govt 9 or 11 though) after that, stop at either 9 or 11, and then focus on production only. Basically, if you grow large enough, by 1600s from production income alone, youll get so much money invested into techs, that youll keep up with basically everyone with little problem. This is only further improved by all the manufactories youll be able to build - go big, and youll get more money, more money more manufactories, more of those bigger tech investment, and youll catch everyone else more easily.

 

[Lord Dakier]

Ok so if I move merchants into all western markets, invest only in land tech for awhile and go looking to regain only my cores, that should do what I need, I hope!

Only problem is I've only got cores left on Serbia and Ottomans. Ottomans are relishing a reason to attack me and while they're allied with Mamluk's I don't really want to challenge them.

 

[DanubianCossak]

Technology wise there is no reason to avoid non core provinces, unless D&T changed something. The only thing where core comes into play is the direct tax income (gold for your treasury), the tech invested thing is unmodified by core i believe. So if the province is valuable (good tax income or good trade good) no reason why not to take it, if you can.

 

[unmerged(80402)]

Technology wise there is no reason to avoid non core provinces, unless D&T changed something. The only thing where core comes into play is the direct tax income (gold for your treasury), the tech invested thing is unmodified by core i believe. So if the province is valuable (good tax income or good trade good) no reason why not to take it, if you can.

Revolt risk decrease income.

 

[Lord Dakier]

Well my conquest into Ottoman held lands has begun, we're at land 11 while their at 15! Lucky for me I have good allies on tap.

 

[DanubianCossak]

Revolt risk decrease income.

Yep. Youre right, you get 30 years of nationalism RR without core, that does reduce income. Forgot that. So basically taking non core province gives you reduced tax income, but you do get production income in full?