Research Strategies

[unmerged(462318)]

I tend to play landlocked nations or don't care much about my navy until the late game where I can conquer lands in the New World, rather than colonize myself. I've found that beelining certain techs in the early game helps a lot when playing smaller nations in Europe. My research path is most of the time this:

1. Stability until 3.
2. Govt 4 for Military Drill.
3. Land 5 for Longbows.
4. By this time the neighbouring bonus should have gotten my prod tech to 5. Prod tech until 7.
5. Govt tech 7. (If I have a university of a very good govt tech advosor, I'll go all the way until 9 but if not, the negative bonus from beeing ahead makes me wait.
6. Prod 9 for Workshops.
7. Land tech to 7. Level 6 should easily come due to neighbour bonus.
8. Govt tech 9 for second NI. I tend to take National Conscripts, if not Grand Army.

Some stability is of course needed from time to time, inside theese 8 steps.

After this, I feel I'm pretty much set up to do whatever I want. During this time you should have fought some succesful wars, and reached a size easier to work from. Next steps would be govt 11, Land 12 then 16 for Regimental Camps, and keep the production tech at least at pair with the nations you rival.

This is just how I tend to start. I'd like to know how you start, if you have a general strategy or try something new every game! Do you touch the sliders at all? Do you play with balanced sliders through the game?

Cheers!

 

[unmerged(62860)]

Balanced sliders is generally a bad idea since you wont use neighbour bonus to its maximum.
Slider strategy depends on nations, for ex: as muscowy i want my land tech as high as possible rest is secondary since i wanna fall behind to westernize.

As sweden (the nation i play the most) its rather more complicated.
here 8is what i go for:
1) gov tech 9, trade tech 7 (for conquest of the new world, yes i know you can get it earlier)
2) gov 10 (for the awesome Formalized scale decision)
3) keep up with gov and land tech.
4) naval tech 20 (for East india trade company)

 

[unmerged(625280)]

When playing European nation the 8 steps are very similar to what I do. I personally don't use the land tech buildings. It sounds stupid coming from someone who plays 5.2b, but they are just so bad and as I only play WC by the time I'm at lv19 for regimental camp ( only +20% local mp ) manpower isn't a problem anymore, but rather money and magistrates.

Sliders:
Centralized
Aristocrazy
Free Subjects
Catholic/Narrowminded - non-Catholic/Innovative
Merchantilism
Offensive
Land
Quality

Everything to +/-5

 

[unmerged(462318)]

I should have mentioned I've mostly played HTTT, som I'm not that familiar with the new buildings system in DW. klanh89, your slider settings are also very like mine. Wryce: I've found that for Sweden with this start can be a powerhouse fairly quickly. Throw in a Grain Depot and CoT in Stockholm and you're golden. You can always take overseas possesions late in the game after you've concuered Europe! Naval for blockade and better big ships are needed though. I must admit I almost never, ever research trade in my games...

 

[Boon63]

I have quite the same steps than you, but have you ever considered playing a german trading nation max speed ?
In this case, you have to be very carefull with your merchants and send them one by one, the time you reach full Free Trade. You can easily have 5 merchants in all the CoTs you can send merchants in and your income will be insane compared to the size of your country.

For a Trading Frankfurt I usually go for
1- Gov 4 (Sshrewd Commerce Practice)
2- Trade 4 then the 3 other 4
3- Trade 5 then Land 5
With such tiny wealthy country, you never have neighbouring bonus. So the best way to minimize the malus for being ahead in tech is to equally invest in all 5 tech. You are ahead everyone in tech and can just forget the economic tab you 'll regain stab in one month. Your only concern is the minting slider.

Gov 9 => National Trade Policy
Gov 11 => National Bank (or a Master of Mint advisor) if not Centralized. If centralized go for Military Drill, to help you win your first war !

Sliders :
Centralized
Plutocracy
Free Subject
Innovative (and adopt reformed faith)
Free Trade
Defensive
Land (fora landlock country game) or Naval (if you plan to colonize)
Quality

 

[chals]

only invest in stability untill 1 or 2. and let 3 come by it self.. Its more importent to have high pristige as it cuts down bad event and get good events.. Prestige is a game turner..

 

[unmerged(62860)]

only invest in stability untill 1 or 2. and let 3 come by it self.. Its more importent to have high pristige as it cuts down bad event and get good events.. Prestige is a game turner..

Strongly disagree with this, stab 3 asap it helps in so many ways.

 

[riknap]

Strongly disagree with this, stab 3 asap it helps in so many ways.

being at stability 3 is indeed nice, but it wastes the opportunity from the random good events that give stability, which is opportunity cost for funding for research or minting (at risk of inflation).

 

[unmerged(62860)]

I understand your reasoning, I just dont agree with it.

 

[cywang86]

Depends on your monthly income and ruler income, and what route you wish to take.

As a trade nation, you need that added advantage, so there's no need to be below 3 stab.

If that 1 stab severely reduce your tax income due to +1 RR, -10% tax, so much that it outweighs the ruler income, you should get it to 3.

Otherwise, it's better to stay at stab 2. Specially when a comet shows up, it'll takes less time to get back that one stab.
(unless you really want that 0.2 magistrate per year bonus)