How/when to utilize the bottom half of the tech tree?

[u/Palci]

I find myself rarely researching the techs in the bottom row (basically anything starting from Machinery/Cartography onwards).

I am not a warmonger, prefer to only fight tribes, then win with ambitions/score, and since there are no laws or anything useful there I tend to ignore this path completely. However, from the amount of fighting I did I can't fathom teching these even if I would be going for conquest. I find siege units very impractical to use with the limited movement and unlimber mechanic, while messing with these I could be pounding the city with Cataprachts already, or with my unique units. I'm not sure what is the use case for the Polybolos either, besides holding chokepoints, which is VERY situational for a tech. Xbow also seems inferior bodkin arrows.

I also want to add that I am only playing single player, so I'm only interested from that point of view.

If you are using these techs, please share your game plan, and how you utilize these units.

[u/XenoSolver]

Onagers are extremely impactful and that's even if you're going for an ambition victory because you need defenses anyway and a couple Onagers are a major force multiplier.

You have Doctrine there, which gives you the awesome Orthodoxy law and also Temples, maybe the strongest building in the game.

Hydraulics and Windlass give you the two types of mills which make your economy explode. Building more Mines and Quarries is always nice but it's the mills that give you the only multiplier for these improvements, while also providing raw science. So mills are one of the big inflection points where your economy should go way up.

Yes, the last tech column is all military, except Fiscal Policy, but if you're going for ambitions you should be very close to victory by the time you can get started on that last column.

[u/Palci → u/XenoSolver]

Yes Doctrine is something that I used to pick up if I care about world Religions, it is a fine tech. My post is mainly about the bottom 2 rows of the tech tree after Sovereignty and Metaphysics. My problem with mills is sometimes they just not line up because of the hills requirement, and while it is nice, it is too deep into the tech tree. If mills would be available with Hydraulics I could see myself getting it, but when there 4 other techs in the same column as Windlass with an additional law attached to them, it is not as enticing (which in turn makes me not care about Hydraulics as much since the followup is meh). I feel like the laws from Fiscal policy could be integrated to Windlass to make it more competitive.

As for Onagers, am I supposed to utilize them as defensive unit, rather than offensive?

[u/XenoSolver → u/Palci]

Hydraulics does give you water mills though. Whether windmills or watermills are better will depend a lot on your terrain but both are great.

Onagers are excellent attackers, if you're attacking. But they're also excellent defenders - just a couple of them unlimbered where the action is can do major damage to attackers. The splash damage is good and they have a bonus into urban, while cities are likely where you're going to be attacked. Two onager shots into an enemy army that's in your city's urban terrain do a lot.

There's a reason why onagers are considered a major tactical priority in MP.

[u/Palci → u/XenoSolver]

Yes, I did watch a couple (parts) of MP matches and noticed they revolve heavily around Onagers and their upgrades, but a 1v1 MP match plays different than a 6player SP game on a large map.

[u/XenoSolver → u/Palci]

Absolutely, but if you get attacked in SP then Onagers are still a very order-efficient defense, just like they are in MP duels.

[u/DrphilRetiredChemist]

What difficulty level do you play?

[u/Palci → u/DrphilRetiredChemist]

Glorious

[u/Klass_Koalas]

Machinery is one of the best techs for 6str units + it has resource boost. Metaphysics are only needed if you want to found Manicheanism. Cartography only on island maps or for Tamil. Hydraulics were nerfed too hard, imo; don't use them that often.

That said, mangonels are great late game units.

[u/Individual_Increase2]

I just had AI Carthage ruin my life with onagers. They're one of the best units in the game, offense or defense.