For completeness sake, I've been considering alternative options for tech path during the GA.
Given that I have a sort of functional GP plan for if I revolted into Slavery, it is fair to say that this plan also works for a revolt into Serfdom. It is possible to get Feudalism (as Monarchy>Feud) and revolt into HR/Vassalage/Serfdom on the last turn of hte GA.
It's not the worst idea in the world: I'm going to be building units in WB, Kalamazoo and BCR, even if I'm not building a unit per turn from either HE city, Vassalage saves gold and is much cheaper than Bureaucracy, it's really not that much of a hit. Serfdom essentially takes the 21 work turns per turn I have up to about 33 (rounding), which if we went into a second golden age on, say, T160, would be the equivalent of 220 extra worker turns, or putting a windmill on every hill AND getting half of the 25 watermills down. Or it would be, if I had Machinery to build them. Because we don't have Machinery, Serfdom actually comes too soon and we lose a good chunk of that effectiveness. And Bureaucracy is worth around 30gpt and 20bpt, (considering wealth) but costs roughly 15gpt to maintain: Even Vassalage might save me 30-35gpt, but the units I'm building after the markets are likely to be back ups so aren't that necessary.
Also, I'd be stuck building HA and longbows, with no ability to build siege units: Machinery will open up maces, xbows and trebs, which are IMO better to "trickle" out (even whilst growing I should be averaging a unit per turn). The final problem being, I would be further away from Carracks, so even if I did get the economy built up a bit faster, and I did get to the point of building land units, I'd have no boats to move them anywhere. So Feudalism doesn't fit into what I need right now.
Construction has a similar problem: I don't need total cat production. Engineering is only really useful in getting units to embarkation points, so that can wait. Guilds? I do need that and I want Banking for Merc for the next GA, built I will want Maces to crack cities from boats as well so I can build them first whilst waiting for Guilds. No, the right path is Machinery because it gives everything I need and is the prerequiriste for every future tech>(Monarchy)>Compass>Optics and then push through to Guilds.
Given that I have a sort of functional GP plan for if I revolted into Slavery, it is fair to say that this plan also works for a revolt into Serfdom. It is possible to get Feudalism (as Monarchy>Feud) and revolt into HR/Vassalage/Serfdom on the last turn of hte GA.
It's not the worst idea in the world: I'm going to be building units in WB, Kalamazoo and BCR, even if I'm not building a unit per turn from either HE city, Vassalage saves gold and is much cheaper than Bureaucracy, it's really not that much of a hit. Serfdom essentially takes the 21 work turns per turn I have up to about 33 (rounding), which if we went into a second golden age on, say, T160, would be the equivalent of 220 extra worker turns, or putting a windmill on every hill AND getting half of the 25 watermills down. Or it would be, if I had Machinery to build them. Because we don't have Machinery, Serfdom actually comes too soon and we lose a good chunk of that effectiveness. And Bureaucracy is worth around 30gpt and 20bpt, (considering wealth) but costs roughly 15gpt to maintain: Even Vassalage might save me 30-35gpt, but the units I'm building after the markets are likely to be back ups so aren't that necessary.
Also, I'd be stuck building HA and longbows, with no ability to build siege units: Machinery will open up maces, xbows and trebs, which are IMO better to "trickle" out (even whilst growing I should be averaging a unit per turn). The final problem being, I would be further away from Carracks, so even if I did get the economy built up a bit faster, and I did get to the point of building land units, I'd have no boats to move them anywhere. So Feudalism doesn't fit into what I need right now.
Construction has a similar problem: I don't need total cat production. Engineering is only really useful in getting units to embarkation points, so that can wait. Guilds? I do need that and I want Banking for Merc for the next GA, built I will want Maces to crack cities from boats as well so I can build them first whilst waiting for Guilds. No, the right path is Machinery because it gives everything I need and is the prerequiriste for every future tech>(Monarchy)>Compass>Optics and then push through to Guilds.