tech sliders and strategy

[unmerged(36339)]

I'm starting in 1419. I read that you should focus on infrastructure and trade with the tech sliders.

What is your winning strategy with these sliders in the early years? Even at 100 percent, some things will take another 20 years. Is this correct?

How do you know which one to slide 100 percent or when to balance all of them evenly?

I see references to being careful not to get ahead of the historical advances, but I don't understand where you would know this info.

Lots of unexplained items for the newbie. Thank goodness for the forum.

 

[unmerged(16181)]

I'm starting in 1419. I read that you should focus on infrastructure and trade with the tech sliders.

And you should.

What is your winning strategy with these sliders in the early years? Even at 100 percent, some things will take another 20 years. Is this correct?

Yes. Especially if you are not in the Latin techgroup.

How do you know which one to slide 100 percent or when to balance all of them evenly?

Balancing them all evenly is a bad idea, because then you can't use the benefits from one advance to get another. For instance, if you research infra tech level 2, you can use the increased production income to fund research into land tech. If you set all the sliders evenly, you won't be able to do that.

I generally set infra tech to maximum at the beginning, then switch to trade tech once I finish my first infra tech level. Once I finish researching a trade tech level, I switch back to infra tech, and so on. I tend to play pretty peaceful games in isolated countries, so I don't worry too much about land and naval tech---I let the neighbor bonuses take care of it. As a general rule, though, when my infra and trade tech research starts taking an ungodly amount of time, I start researching naval tech.

People say trade tech is the most useful because you can make the most money in trade. This is correct, but trade also requires a lot more micromanagement than production and taxes. If you're new to the game (or if, like me, you've been playing for years but you're still awful ), I would concentrate on infra tech first.

I see references to being careful not to get ahead of the historical advances, but I don't understand where you would know this info.

You just have to look and see when researching infra and trade tech becomes too time-consuming. Generally, if researching a trade or infra tech level is projected to take more than fifty years with full funding in a Latin tech country, I would research land or naval tech for a while.

 

[unmerged(36339)]

And you should.


Yes. Especially if you are not in the Latin techgroup.


Balancing them all evenly is a bad idea, because then you can't use the benefits from one advance to get another. For instance, if you research infra tech level 2, you can use the increased production income to fund research into land tech. If you set all the sliders evenly, you won't be able to do that.

I generally set infra tech to maximum at the beginning, then switch to trade tech once I finish my first infra tech level. Once I finish researching a trade tech level, I switch back to infra tech, and so on. I tend to play pretty peaceful games in isolated countries, so I don't worry too much about land and naval tech---I let the neighbor bonuses take care of it. As a general rule, though, when my infra and trade tech research starts taking an ungodly amount of time, I start researching naval tech.

People say trade tech is the most useful because you can make the most money in trade. This is correct, but trade also requires a lot more micromanagement than production and taxes. If you're new to the game (or if, like me, you've been playing for years but you're still awful ), I would concentrate on infra tech first.


You just have to look and see when researching infra and trade tech becomes too time-consuming. Generally, if researching a trade or infra tech level is projected to take more than fifty years with full funding in a Latin tech country, I would research land or naval tech for a while.

Thanks for your detailed answer. Looks like I was getting the hang of it and didn't realize it. I just wanted to make sure that 20-year gaps were possible in the tech, even with 100 percent sliders. I'm playing Castile and also following a peaceful, isolationalist policy. I know this isn't going to work because Portugal and Aragon are trying to pull me into divergent alliances that will hack off England. I like that kind of complexity.

 

[unmerged(16181)]

I'm playing Castile and also following a peaceful, isolationalist policy. I know this isn't going to work because Portugal and Aragon are trying to pull me into divergent alliances that will hack off England. I like that kind of complexity.

It should work fine---Castile is one of the best countries for isolationism. You'll eventually diploannex Aragon. Once you've done that, just ignore Portugal and maintain good relations and a royal marriage with France, and probably no one else will bother you.