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THE PLAYER'S CIVILOPEDIA
This file provides an alphabetical reference to the
technological advancements in Sid Meier's Civilization. It
allows one to check the blueprints (prerequisites, future
advancements, and residual benefits) for each advance
against the needs of the players specific situation. THIS
FILE IS VERY LONG AND THUS NOT PRACTICAL FOR ON-LINE USE. We
recommend readers print this file out for "monitor-side"
reference.
These chunks of wisdom were excerpted from Alan Emrich
and Johnny Wilson's Sid Meier's Civilization, Or Rome On
640K A Day, an excellent supplement and strategy guide done
in close collaboration with Sid Meier.
Advanced Flight
Requires: Flight, Electricity
Leads to: Rocketry.
Makes available: Bomber and Aircraft Carrier Units.
Advanced Flight is an important milestone on the road to
Space Flight and the colonization of Alpha Centauri, and the
immediate military advantages are impressive. Aircraft
Carrier units possess the best defense in the game and, when
parked in a coastal city with City Walls, can be nearly
impossible to destroy. Bomber units, on the other hand, are
a fine offensive tool. They can block enemy units, pillage
enemy resources, attack cities while negating the effects of
City Walls, and can be based on Carriers for an extra
extension to their range. While not an urgent discovery,
Advanced Flight is certainly an important and highly useful
advance for both war mongers and space colonizers.
Alphabet
Requires: None.
Leads to: Code of Laws, Map Making, Math, Writing
All good things spring forth from the Alphabet. With the
possible exception of Pottery, it should be the first thing
a player discovers. Short of an urgent military necessity
requiring Bronze Working, don't waste a moment.
Astronomy
Requires: Mysticism, Mathematics
Leads to: Navigation, Theory of Gravity
Makes available: Copernicus' Observatory
Astronomy is primarily a stepping stone on the way to
Navigation, which leads to the crucial, world-exploring Sail
units and the never-expiring Magellan's Expedition wonder.
It is THE door to modern science.
Atomic Theory
Requires: Theory of Gravity, Physics
Leads to: Nuclear Fission
As far as advances go, Atomic Theory does not offer much.
It leads toward the Manhattan Project wonder and Nuclear
Power, and thus can be put off until one has a pressing need
for a cleaner fuel supply or nuclear superiority.
Automobile
Requires: Combustion, Steel
Leads to: Mass Production
Makes available: Armor Units
Makes Obsolete: Copernicus' Observatory and Knight Units.
The Automobile advance is a can of worms. While allowing
players to build the best overall military unit in the game,
it also makes Knights obsolete and increases your pollution
problems considerably. Fortunately, it brings the player 1
step from the Mass Production advance which negates the
population pollution effect, and 2 steps from the Recycling
advance which reduces industrial pollution to its lowest
possible level.
Banking
Requires: Trade, The Republic
Leads to: Industrialization, Corporation
Makes available: Banks
Banks become available with the advent of banking, which
increase luxury item and coin production by 50%. It also
comprises half of the ingredients necessary for the
Industrialization advance.
Bridge Building
Requires: Iron Working, Construction
Leads to: Railroad
Makes available: Roads on river squares.
In itself, Bridge Building is not an important advance
(unless your empire is divided by numerous rivers), but its
necessity in acquiring the essential Railroad advance make
it a priority.
Bronze Working
Leads to: Currency, Iron Working
Makes available: Phalanx Units, Colossus wonder
The closer you discover a neighboring civilization, the
more important this advance becomes. The Phalanx units it
provides will be your primary defensive unit until the
invention of Gunpowder. The Colossus wonder is also very
useful, being the cheapest to construct and adding to your
trade production during the crucial early years when they
are needed the most.
Ceremonial Burial
Requires: None
Leads to: Monarchy, Mysticism
Makes available: Temples
This advance does not sound as important as it really is.
The immediate affect is the ability to construct temples
(absolutely necessary early on at higher difficulty levels)
which in turn prevent volcano disasters. It is also the
building block to Monarchy and Mysticism, two other crucial
advances. Ceremonial Burial -- dig it!
Chemistry
Requires: University, Medicine
Leads to: Refining, Nuclear Power
Chemistry has no immediate benefits, though it is a major
gateway to many modern era advances.
Chivalry
Requires: Feudalism, Horseback Riding
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Knight Units
Makes obsolete: Chariots
If you are a warring type of leader, Chivalry is
certainly not the dead end that it seems. The Knight Units
it makes available are the best all around units on the
board until Gunpowder and Metallurgy bring in heavier fire
power. Peacefully situated civilizations may opt to leave
Feudalism and Chivalry alone.
Code of Laws
Requires: Alphabet
Leads to: Monarchy, Trade, Literacy, The Republic
Makes available: Courthouses
Code of Laws is a major gateway in the early portion of
the game. Unless in a war situation requiring the urgent
research of Bronze or Iron working, one should get their
Code of Laws established as soon as possible.
Combustion
Requires: Refining, Explosives
Leads to: Flight, Automobile
Makes available: Cruisers
Makes obsolete: Ironclads, Barracks
Two very important advances depend on Combustion: Flight
and the Automobile. While the immediate effect of being able
to build Cruisers is useful (especially for examining
unexplored oceans), the fact that Barracks become obsolete
for the 2d time might cause some consternation. Not only
must Barracks be rebuilt, but their maintenance costs
increase as well.
Note: New icons appear for Granaries, Marketplaces, and
Barracks in the View City display.
Communism
Requires: Philosophy, Industrialization
Leads to: Labor Unions
Makes available: United Nations
Makes obsolete: Pyramids and Michelangelo's Chapel
Communism should be pursued under 3 conditions 1) you
need to improve your war effort by adding Mechanized
Infantry to your bag of tricks, 2) you're losing a war with
another civilization and need the United Nations to
establish peace, 3) you don't have the Pyramids or
Michelangelo's Chapel which become obsolete. Otherwise,
except as a tool for starting wars, Communism is a pretty
useless form of government
Computers
Requires: Mathematics, Electronics
Leads to: Space Flight, Robotics
Makes available: SETI program
Computers are an important way-point to a player's entire
space program and, ultimately, Robotics (where Artillery
units and Manufacturing Plants are a MAJOR reward). The SETI
Program wonder, with its +50% gross light bulb production,
while useful, arrives at a fairly late stage in the game
after most of the discoveries have already been made. Still,
every wonder is worth 20 Civ Points and having the SETI
program makes the value of the additional 5 points scored
for each "Future Advance" far more attainable.
Conscription
Requires: The Republic, Explosives
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Riflemen Units
Makes obsolete: Legions, Musketeers
There is only one reason to develop Conscription --
Riflemen units, the best military value in the game and a
great boon for defense. If readying the defenses is not a
priority, research elsewhere. Remember, though, you can
never be too prepared for a sneak attack.
Construction
Requires: Masonry, Currency
Leads to: Engineering, Bridge Building
Makes available: Fortresses, Aqueducts, Colosseums
Construction doesn't seem to get a lot of respect until
after "something happens". After a city is denied growth
from 10 to 11, or when the unrest in a city becomes too
acute to ignore any longer, only then do players seem to
appreciate the value of Construction. A little foresight in
the development of construction can save many headaches.
Currency
Requires: Bronze Working
Leads to: Trade, Construction
Makes available: Marketplaces
The Currency advance is where building a civilizations'
fiscal picture really begins. With a Marketplace
improvement, a city will generate 50% more coins. Currency
also gets one on the roads toward trade and the precious
Caravan units, and is a must when moving toward the more
advanced government types.
Democracy
Requires: Philosophy, Literacy
Leads to: Recycling
Winston Churchill aptly described democracy as "the worst
form of government, except for all others." It is the
highest level that a civilization can achieve and eliminates
all corruption. Unfortunately, city unrest must be watched
diligently, for the state of Anarchy following overthrow of
a democratic government is twice as long (2-8 turns), and
the double "sad faces" created when troops leave home make
Democracy a terrible war government. One should only rush
the discovery of Democracy when the borders are secure, the
prospects for world peace are promising and there are no
large expeditions off abroad.
Electricity
Requires: Magnetism, Metallurgy
Leads to: Electronics, Advanced Flight
Makes obsolete: Colossus wonder
As a civilization advance, Electricity just doesn't have
a lot of spark. While it can quickly take a player to
Electronics (nice for its Hoover Dam wonder) and from there
to Computers, it is best left for the big push toward the
end game. If you have the Colossus wonder, be sure your civ
can take the revenue loss due to its obsolescence before
developing this advance.
Electronics
Requires: Electricity
Leads to: Computers, Rocketry, Nuclear Power
Makes available: Hoover Dam, Hydro Plants
Makes obsolete: Shakespeare's Theatre
After the discovery of Electricity, one should quickly
follow up the discovery of Electronics since both the Hoover
Dam wonder and the Hydro Plant improvement are excellent
purchases. Not only do Hydro plants and the Hoover Dam
provide 50% more shields to an industrialized city, but they
also reduce the industrial side of the pollution formula by
50%. The Hoover Dam provides power to all cities on a
continent, so one should choose the sight for this wonder
with care.
Engineering
Requires: The Wheel, Construction
Leads to: Electronics, Invention
While Engineering should be selected in the early portion
of the game and has to be acquired before Industrialization,
it should not be among the 1st handful of advances made,
since it offers no immediate advantages.
Explosives
Requires: Gunpowder, Chemistry
Leads to: Combustion, Conscription
Though it sounds powerful, Explosives is another of the
many intermediate discoveries which reap the player no
immediate benefit. While Combustion is usually a ways off
due to the need for Refining, Conscription is often right at
hand. If you are under attack (or you are busy preparing to
be attacked like a good paranoid!), the defensive advantage
of Conscription's inexpensive riflemen might be worth a
quick dash through Explosives. Otherwise, players should
pursue other advances with more immediate rewards.
Feudalism
Requires: Masonry, Monarchy
Leads to: Chivalry
There's only one reason to pursue Feudalism -- to pursue
Chivalry and make Knights available. Knights will dominate
the battlefield for a long time. If caught up in the
ancient-to-medieval arms race, one might be pressed into
pursuing Feudalism. Otherwise, it can easily wait.
Flight
Requires: Combustion, Physics
Leads to: Advanced Flight
Makes available: Fighter Units
The first step down the road to colonizing Alpha Centauri
is Flight (which proceeds through Advanced Flight, Rocketry,
and Space Flight). The immediate benefit of Flight is the
Fighter Unit. Note that fighters were 'upgunned' during the
final playtesting stage of the game, and now posses a 4
attack and a 2 defense, and not the 3 - 3 values indicated
in the rule book. While Fighters might take a while to get
to the front, they are quite handy once they get there.
Fusion Power
Requires: Nuclear Power, Superconductor
Leads to: Futuristic Advances
Makes obsolete: Hydro Plants
Fusion Power is usually the last advance one achieves
before researching Futuristic Advances. Aside from something
to do with scientific research production, Fusion Power
actually does contribute one thing. With Fusion Power, the
risk of nuclear melt-down is completely eliminated, making
Nuclear Plants the energy source of choice for their lower
building and maintenance costs and, now, absolute safety.
After discovering Fusion Power, one must decide whether to
keep the light bulbs burning to achieve Futuristic Advances,
or to go completely hedonistic with ones luxury rate.
Futuristic Advance
Requires: Fusion Power
Leads to: More Futuristic Advances
During playtesting, this advance was known as "The
Meaning of Life" and, as the rules state, was worth 10
Civilization Points each. In the final code, they became a
generic Futuristic Advance and are worth only 5 Civilization
Points. The question the player must ask is whether they are
a good value at only 5 points each, whereas the resources
used to produce them might yield more in the final outcome.
Genetic Engineering
Requires: Medicine, The Corporation
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Cure for Cancer
The single reason to pursue Genetic Engineering is the
Cure For Cancer wonder. While the 20 Civilization Points for
the wonder and the extra happy face amongst each city's
populous are nothing to sneeze at, Genetic Engineering can
wait for more pressing discoveries to be made. This Advance
is usually only to be pursued by "idle minds", as it were.
Gunpowder
Requires: Invention, Iron Working
Leads to: Metallurgy, Explosives
Makes available: Musketeers
Makes obsolete: Barracks, Militia, Phalanx, The Great
Wall
Gunpowder is one of the 3 big Advances that really
changes the complexity of the game. Gunpowder makes all
Barracks obsolete and, when rebuilt, have a higher
maintenance cost. While Gunpowder makes the Great Wall,
Militia, and Phalanx units obsolete, it does allow
Musketeers to be built (with their excellent defense
strengths). Gunpowder is usually a priority Advance, just
don't forget to sell off all your old Barracks immediately
prior to its discovery.
Horseback Riding
Requires: Nothing.
Leads to: Chivalry
Makes available: Cavalry Units
Horseback Riding offers very little. While it is required
to obtain Chivalry and the Knight unit, it is ultimately a
dead end path. This Advance can be stabled for a while
unless there are long term prospects for war ahead. If it's
looking hostile out there, one had better saddle up and move
'em out.
Industrialization
Requires: Railroad, Banking
Leads to: Steel, The Corporation, Communism
Makes available: Women's Suffrage, Transports, Factories
Makes obsolete: Frigates
Industrialization kicks off the modern era, and one is
advised to acquire it with all haste. Nearly every thing
about it is positive. Factories will increase production in
cities by 50%; Transports greatly enhance sealift capacity;
and Women's Suffrage is, arguably, the single most important
wonder in the game. The downside is that population
pollution begins to be factored into the pollution equation
(see the Pollution Formula in the other Civilization hint
file).
Invention
Requires: Engineering, Literacy
Leads to: Steam Engine, Gunpowder
Makes obsolete: Hanging Gardens
With necessity as its mother, Invention is a linchpin
Advance on the road to both the Steam Engine (which leads to
the critical Railroad advance) and Gunpowder (which takes
one into a grand new epoch of warfare). Of course, if you
don't have the Hanging Gardens wonder, there's the extra
satisfaction of negating that wonder's benefits for an
opponent. The discovery of Invention can wait for
emergencies, but should remain a fairly high priority.
Note: Advisors take on their modern look once a civilization
achieves Invention.
Iron Working
Requires: Bronze Working
Leads to: Bridge Building, Gunpowder
Makes available: Legions
Beside providing the short term advantage of cheap
offensive units, Iron Working is one of the key basic
building blocks of any budding Civilization.
Labor Union
Requires: Mass Production, Communism
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Mech Infantry
One can count on one finger the reasons to discover Labor
Unions -- Mechanized Infantry. The best defense in the game,
combined with enough speed to keep up with Armor and
Artillery Units, makes Mech Infantry a critical piece on the
battlefield. These units are not absolutely necessary,
however, as the cheaper Riflemen units can do the job of
city defense while other, more pressing, advances are
pursued.
Literacy
Requires: Writing, Code of Laws
Leads to: Democracy, Invention, Philosophy, & The
Republic
Makes available: The Great Library
Where would civilization be without Literacy? (Not
reading this file, certainly.) Like Philosophy, it is a tree
with many branches, opening up many important Advances to
discovery. Paramount among them is the Republic. If times
are peaceful, upgrading to this form of government will
increase trade dramatically. The Great Library, too, can be
a great help, especially when one starts the game in an
isolated position.
Magnetism
Requires: Navigation, Physics
Leads to: Electricity
Makes available: Frigates
Makes obsolete: Sail units and the Lighthouse wonder.
While the Frigate unit is nice (having the same cost as
the Sail unit, doubling its combat strength and adding an
extra unit of carrying capacity), the real point of
discovering Magnetism is to get to Electricity. However,
while Electricity is the path to high-tech advances, it will
take time to make that path bear fruit. Consequently,
Magnetism can wait for more pressing Advances which offer
more immediate returns.
Map Making
Requires: Alphabet
Leads to: Navigation
Makes available: Triremes, Lighthouse
The need for Map Making is usually directly proportional
to the isolation of one's starting position. If one starts
on a small island, it is absolutely vital that one gets
Triremes poking around in the inky black in search of new
lands to settle.
Masonry
Requires: Nothing
Leads to: Mathematics, Feudalism, Construction
Makes available: The Great Wall, Pyramids, Palace, City
Walls
Unless one is in a hurry to get Triremes or Monarchy,
Masonry is the perfect 2nd or 3rd research choice (after
Pottery and, perhaps, the Alphabet). City Walls are mini-
wonders of their own (protecting against floods and greatly
improving city defense), and the Pyramids and the Great Wall
are both highly useful.
Mass Production
Requires: Automobile, The Corporation
Leads to: Nuclear Fission, Superconductor, Recycling,
Labor Union
Makes available: Submarines, Mass Transit
Mass Production is both a kiss and a curse. The curse is
that the pollution formula takes a jump and now includes 75%
of a city's population (up from 50% with the Automobile).
The kiss, however, is that the Mass Transit improvement will
completely eliminate a city's population pollution factor.
Mathematics
Requires: Alphabet, Masonry
Leads to: Astronomy, Physics, University, Computers
Makes available: Catapults
Mathematics is a key building block for many essential
advances and makes the ancient offensive juggernauts, the
Catapults, available (helpful in both attacking and
defending young cities).
Medicine
Requires: Philosophy, Trade
Leads to: Chemistry, Genetic Engineering
Makes available: Shakespeare's Theatre
Medicine begets Chemistry. Chemistry begets the modern
era. Medicine also inoculates one's civ against plague. The
Shakespeare's Theatre wonder is made available by this
advance, though the wonder actually does very little for a
very limited time. (See the Wonders section).
Metallurgy
Requires: Gunpowder, University
Leads to: Steel, Electricity
Makes available: Cannons
As if being able to replace Catapults with Cannons isn't
enough, Metallurgy is also required for discovering both
Steel and Electricity. The urgency with which one pursues
Metallurgy usually depends on one's pressing need for
Cannons, as a rule. When in doubt what to research next,
Metallurgy is a safe bet.
Monarchy
Requires: Ceremonial Burial, Code of Laws
Leads to: Feudalism
Not only is Monarchy necessary on the road to Chivalry,
it is also the government of progress during the early
stages of the game. With Monarchy, both irrigation and
mining become useful for city growth, and corruption is
reduced a bit. No less important is the fact that Monarchies
can declare war on other players at will, ignore their peace
overtures and never have to cope with a meddlesome Senate
overruling their "divinely inspired" will. Monarchy always
makes for a good "war government".
Mysticism
Requires: Ceremonial Burial
Leads to: Astronomy, Philosophy
Makes available: Oracle of Delphi
Part religion, part science, it's a wonder that Mysticism
helps along both developmental paths. For religion, it
doubles the effect of Temples which will then make 2 unhappy
people mollified. Additionally, with the Oracle wonder,
Temples double their effect again making 4 unhappy citizens
content. As for science, Mysticism leads to Astronomy and
then to Navigation. Likewise, the Philosophy advance
requires this mystical world view.
Navigation
Requires: Map Making, Astronomy
Leads to: Physics, Magnetism
Makes available: Magellan's Expedition, Sail Units
Navigation, like Gunpowder and Industrialization, changes
the nature of the game. With Navigation, one can build Sail
units and explore the world. In so doing, one can establish
far-flung embassies, trade routes and empires. Navigation
also leads to the important advance of Physics and the
Magellan's Expedition wonder is one of the best since it
gives every ship an extra movement point and never expires.
Nuclear Fission
Requires: Mass Production, Atomic Theory
Leads to: Nuclear Power
Makes available: Manhattan Project
Makes obsolete: Isaac Newton's College
When heading down the backstretch of technology, there
appears Nuclear Fission. While this Advance turns the lights
out at Isaac Newton's College, it also affords one the
opportunity to pursue the Manhattan Project. Global
thermonuclear warfare aside, the peaceful uses for Nuclear
Power will become available with that advance (as will a
reduction by 50% of industrial pollution where a Nuclear
Plant exists). Ultimately, this will lead to Fusion Power,
at which point nuclear power is rendered completely
harmless.
Nuclear Power
Requires: Nuclear Fission, Electronics
Leads to: Fusion Power
Makes available: Nuclear Plants
Nuclear Power in Civilization is clean and cheap. Like
Hydro Plants, Nuclear Plants cut industrial pollution by 50%
and costs half as much to maintain. There is the small
threat of nuclear melt-down if a city housing a plant goes
into civil disorder, but this threat is removed once one
moves on to Fusion Power.
Philosophy
Requires: Mysticism, Literacy
Leads to: Medicine, Democracy, University, Religion,
Communism
Philosophy is THE portal to the world of ideas. While not
every one of its branches is a prize, certainly Democracy
(the highest form of government in the game) and Religion
with its cheep, mass mollifying Cathedrals, are winners.
Players are certainly urged to pursue Philosophy with all
possible speed. Philosophy -- one Kant win without it.
Physics
Requires: Mathematics, Navigation
Leads to: Atomic Theory, Magnetism, Steam Engine, Flight
Physics is THE advance of the modern age. Atomic theory,
Magnetism, Electricity, Steam Engines, Railroads, and Flight
are its progeny. It gives one a lot of flexibility -- so get
'physic'al as soon as possible.
Plastics
Requires: Refining, Space Flight
Leads to: Superconductor, Robotics
Makes available: Space ark Components (with Apollo
Program)
If one is able to develop Plastics, one is on the home
stretch of Civilization. It is key to two important
advances, the Superconductor and its fruit -- SDI defense,
and, Robotics with its -- Manufacturing Plants and Artillery
Units. Plastics does have a negative side; it raises the
population pollution factor in the pollution equation to
100%. (See the Formula in the other Civ hinte file).
Pottery
Requires: Nothing
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Granaries, Hanging Gardens
With the possible exception of the Alphabet, Pottery
should be one of the 1st advances a budding civilization
pursues. While it leads nowhere, Granaries are vital to city
growth and prosperity, and protect against famine.
The Hanging Gardens wonder is marginally useful on the
lower levels, becoming increasingly helpful at higher
difficulty levels where unrest hits every city with its 3rd
or 4th civie.
Railroad
Requires: Steam Engine, Bridge Building
Leads to: Industrialization
Makes available: Darwin's Voyage, Railroads (duh)
The bullet train to the big time beings with the
Railroad. With an extensive rail network throughout a
civilization, one can get their troops anywhere in their
empire in one move (avoid moving through cities!). One
shouldn't limit their rails to a single transportation
network line. Rails increase the productivity of any square
(even ocean squares!!) by 50%, spurring a huge leap in
income and productivity levels. All aboard!
Recycling
Requires: Mass Production, Democracy
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Recycling Centers
This is a dead end Advance with but a single purpose;
Recycling Centers. While a Hydro or Nuclear Power Plant will
reduce industrial pollution by 50%, a Recycling Center will
knock it down by 67%. For large industrial centers with
large pollution problems, Recycling is the answer. But if
pollution is no a major problem, one is best advised to put
their shield resources somewhere else.
Refining
Requires: Chemistry, The Corporation
Leads to: Combustion, Plastics
Makes available: Power Plant
Refining bridges the gap between 19th and 20th century
technology, leading to the all important Combustion Advance.
It also provides the game's 1st power source, the Power
Plant. The Power Plant description in the documentation (pg.
80) is erroneous. It states that Plants "increase...
pollution significantly", when in fact Power Plants have no
direct impact on the Pollution formula except to increase
productivity by 50% (as do all energy sources).
Religion
Requires: Philosophy, Writing
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Cathedrals, J.S. Bach's Cathedral,
Michelangelo's Cathedral
Makes obsolete: Oracle wonder
Though a dead-end technology, Religion is absolutely key
to building large cities. The Cathedral improvements it
makes available are an improvement on Colosseums, making 4
people content as opposed to 3, and costing 3 coins to
maintain a turn as opposed to 4. It also opens up the way
for J.S. Bach's Cathedral, one of the most useful and long
lived wonders in the game.
Robotics
Requires: Plastics, Computers
Leads to: Nothing
Makes available: Artillery, Manufacturing Plants,
Space ark Modules
Makes obsolete: Cannons
Robotics is a boon to nearly every aspect of the game. In
war matters, it provides the most potent offensive weapon in
the game. Economically, it makes available the Manufacturing
Plants which nearly doubles a city's productivity. It also
allows one to create the Civilization score enhancing
population modules for the Space ark.
Rocketry
Requires: Advanced Flight, Electronics
Leads to: Space Flight
Makes available: Nuclear Unit (with Manhattan Project)
The last milestone before Space Flight, Rocketry also
unleashes the devastating Nuclear units. Players are wise to
continue to aggressively pursue their space program after
the discovery of Rocketry, since the only thing that can
prevent nuclear devastation is the SDI improvement, which
lay down that road. Nuke other players conservatively. Every
polluted square one can see is another negative 10 civ
points and other fine mess to clean up before global warming
sets in.
Space Flight
Requires: Computers, Rocketry
Leads to: Plastics
Makes available: Apollo Program, Space Ark Structure
Space Flight officially opens up the space age. Once the
Apollo program is developed by any player, any other player
may begin their Space Ark. Once one has developed Space
Flight, he should race toward Plastics and the wonders
beyond.
Steam Engine
Requires: Physics, Invention
Leads to: Railroad
Makes available: Ironclads
Usually lost in the shuffle of other Advances, a good
case can be made for developing the Steam Engine
expeditiously. Like Britannia, the Ironclad will rule the
waves for many years -- essential for island kingdoms.
Moreover, the Steam Engine is required for the Railroad
advance, one of the most important in the game.
Steel
Requires: Metallurgy, Industrialization
Leads to: Automobile
Makes available: Battleships
Battleships, Battleships, Battleships. Need more be said?
These units hit hard and take a beating, can shore bombard
enemy units and cities, and are essential to 'sea'-
periority. Battleships, live them, learn them, love them.
Superconductor
Requires: Plastics, Mass Production
Leads to: Fusion Power
Makes available: SDI Defense
Superconductors are only necessary when the threat of
nuclear annihilation is loose throughout the world. If
there's no threat, put your shields to better use.
The Corporation
Requires: Banking, Industrialization
Leads to: Mass Production, Genetic Engineering, Refining
The Corporation is a modern conduit to many other
advances. It is the business equivalent of the Philosophy
advance which will thrust one toward the highly desired Mass
Production and Refining technologies.
Theory of Gravity
Requires: Astronomy, University
Leads to: Atomic Theory
Makes available: Isaac Newton's College
The Theory of Gravity just isn't big news. While Isaac
Newton's College wonder is a great light bulb generator for
a long time (until Nuclear Fission), the Theory of Gravity
doesn't do much else. Until one is ready to start splitting
atoms, one can let this advance float.
The Republic
Requires: Code of Laws, Literacy
Leads to: Banking, Conscription
This is the 1st of the 2 representative governments that
become available in Civilization. One can switch to this
form of government in order to promote economic growth while
still maintaining some ability to wage an offensive was. One
can actually play an entire game without leaving The
Republic. If one is looking to upgrade the empire, one need
only vote for The Republic (and move faster than the
Senate).
The Wheel
Requires: Nothing
Leads to: Engineering
Makes available: Chariots
This is another of the early advances which can either be
essential or useless depending on the world situation. If
one is isolated from others from the go, the Wheel can wait.
If war is in the air, one need put these wheels to the road
and bring the war home to the enemy.
Trade
Requires: Currency, Code of Laws
Leads to: Medicine, Banking
Makes available: Caravan
It seems Caravan units are often overlooked by many
Civilization players. They are invaluable for their
abilities to increase trade in one's empire and expedite the
development of wonders. Note that the documentation is
misleading regarding trade in that it suggests that the
distance between 2 trading cities affects the volume of
trade. Distance only comes into play when computing the
initial trade route bonus but not in the overall volume of
trade generated each turn.
University
Requires: Mathematics, Philosophy
Leads to: Chemistry, Metallurgy, Theory of Gravity
Makes available: Universities
Makes obsolete: The Great Library
If one has fallen behind in the tech race and has built
the Great Library to remedy that, then one might hesitate
before developing the University. However, if in the lead,
one had just as well develop the University and maintain
that position.
Writing
Requires: Alphabet
Leads to: Religion, Literacy
Makes available: Libraries, Diplomats
One might think of Writing as the narrow end of the
scholarly telescope. While peering through it, one will pass
through the ever wider channels of Literacy and Philosophy.
This fact, combined with the usefulness of Diplomats, make
Writing an advance to put at the top of your list.
- Elliott
elliott@oliafd.afd.olivetti.com
...!{ philabs | yale | oliveb | decvax | iscuva}!oliafd!elliott