Science (Civ5)

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Introduction

Science Science is a game concept in Civilization V which represents the research power of your civilization. Unlike other stats like Culture Culture or Faith Faith, it has only 1 use - the acquisition of new Technologies. This, however, is paramount for your progress in the game, because technologies unlock buildings and improvements that allow you to access resources and produce almost everything else, and they also advance your military, allowing you to fight more effectively. And, of course, it is one of the main paths towards winning the game, via the Science Victory.

Scientific mechanics

As with most Civilization games, your scientific progress is organised in Science points (SP), which are generated by sources whithin your empire and added to a total pool, which represents your current research effort. This effort you choose from the Science tech tree, from among the technologies that are available for research,  and may be changed at any point (without losing the progress you've made with the tech you abandoned). Each technology requires a certain amount of SPs to be discovered, besides having earlier technologies as prerequisites (the exact amount of SP required for each technologies depends on the map and Empire size). The research process is automatic, and starts once you set up your capital - this means that you're constantly researching something throughout the entire game. The more SPs you contribute each turn for research, the faster you are going to discover the current technology. After you discover a technology, you gain all its benefits, and the game will prompt you to select the next one to be researched.

- Note: You don't need to completely develop each technology before going to the next one - you can make some progress towards one, then change to another, if the strategic situation calls for it. Later, you'll come back to the first technology, and your scientists will resume from where they stopped.

Tech tree

All technologies in the game are organised in a 'tree', which means that each technology, starting with Agriculture, will unlock one or more higher-level technologies. You can neither research or gain technologies you haven't unlocked by researching all prerequisite technologies.

For a full list of technologies, see here. 

Producing Science

Population and buildings

The main source of Science SP in the game is your population. Each citizen in each city in your empire (even the Puppet cities) automatically contributes 1 SP to the total. On the other hand, each city (even Puppet cities) increases cost of new technologies by 2%! So, it turns out it's better to have a smaller empire with fewer cities, but a large Population in each one, rather than a large empire with many cities, each one having only 3 - 4 Citizens. Of course, the best thing is to have a large empire with large Population. 

The second source of SP are the Science buildings. However, most of them base their contributions on the number of citizens in the city where they're built. Which means that the same Library, for example, is more effective in a city with 20 population (providing +10 SP), than it is in a city with 6 citizens (providing only +3 SP). Certain Wonders also produce or enhance science (see below).

Buildings that provide science

Building	Era	Science	Required technology
Library	Ancient era	+1 Science science for every 2 Population citizens	Writing
University	Medieval era	+33% Science science, +2 Science science on jungle tiles worked by the city	Education, requires a library or paper maker
Observatory	Renaissance era	+50% Science	Astronomy, requires a mountain next to city
Public school	Industrial era	+3 Science, +1 Science for every 2 Population citizens	Scientific theory,requires a university
Factory	Industrial era	+25% Science when Planned Economy on the Order Social Policy tree is selected
Research lab	Modern era	+4 Science, +50% Science	Plastics, requires a public school

Wonders that provide science

Wonder	Science	Requirement
Great Library	+3 Science science, and a free library	Writing
National College	+3 Science science, +50% Science science	Requires a library in every city
Porcelain Tower	50% more Science science from research agreements	Education
Oxford University	+3 Science science, and provides one free technology	Education Requires a university in every city

Terrain

Normally, terrain isn't a source of Science. The only type that has inherent science capabilities is Jungle, but only after you build an University in the city which controls it.

Many Natural Wonders produce Science, and could be extremely beneficial to your empire in the early game, providing additional science when no other sources are yet possible.

Finally, the Academy improvement adds a good amount of Science to a tile - again very useful in the early game (and also later - the initial amount increases with certain technologies).

Terrain features that boost science

Feature	Bonus
Academy	+6 Science, +8 Science with Scientific Theory, +10 Science with Atomic Theory
Trading post	+1 Science with Free Thought from the Rationalism Social Policy Tree.
Jungle	+2 Science when worked by a city with a university

Other sources

Additional ways to boost your research is via stealing technologies from other civilizations, conducting Research agreements with them, or by using up a Great Scientist via his special ability. Also, certain Wonders give you free technologies when finished.

Social policies that provide science

Policy	Branch	Era	Requirements	Effect
Template:SocialPolicy5	Patronage	Medieval era	Philanthropy	City states provide 25% of their Science science to you
Template:SocialPolicy5	Rationalism	Renaissance era	none	+2 Science science for every specialist
Template:SocialPolicy5	Rationalism	Renaissance era	Secularism	+17% Science science to universities, +1 Science for trading posts
Template:SocialPolicy5	Rationalism	Renaissance era	Free Thought	Boosts Science Science gained from Research Agreements by +50%
Template:SocialPolicy5	Order	Industrial era	none	+25% Science science to Factories

Notes:

• Adopting Rationalism gives you a +15% Science while your empire is Happiness Happy (+10% Science in BNW)
• Adopting all Policies in the Rationalism tree will grant 2 free Technologies (1 free Tech in BNW)
• Completing Order gives you +2 Science science in every city
• Completing Freedom doubles production on Great Person tile improvements, including the Academy

Science conversion

After researching Education, your cities gain the ability to convert 25% of that city's current  Production into Science. Just assign this ability in the Production function of a city, and it will start producing Science, adding points each turn according to its Production potential! 

• WARNING! Note that all Science production in Puppet Cities suffers a -25% penalty! 

Strategy for quick technological advancement

As mentioned above, scientific progress is vital for your empire, especially on higher difficulties, even if you don't pursue Science victory. Good technological progress allows your army to gain an edge thanks to superior military tech; it gives you higher chances at completing Wonders because if allows you early access to them (and as we know, Wonders are completed on a 'first build - first serve' basis).

Science depends first on Population, and then on Buildings, most of which base their bonuses also on Population. So, having a large Population is a key to producing lots of Science.

Use every opportunity to extract Science from terrain - if you have lots of Jungle tiles nearby, DON'T CUT THEM DOWN, unless you really have to! Each one will boost Science Science as soon as you build an University in the city controlling it. Also, when you gain a Great Scientist, build its Tile improvement - the Academy. And search for those Natural Wonders producing Science, and try to build a city nearby!

Science is practically required for 2 of the 4 Victory conditions: Science Victory and Diplomatic victory. For the first you'll need to build a Spaceship, and its 4 parts are unlocked via 4 of the last technologies in the Information (Future in Vanilla Civ 5) era. For more info on this type of victory, see Science victory.

In the second case, there is a Wonder needed to trigger voting for a World Leader - the United Nations. This wonder is unlocked by the Globalization technology, which is also one of the last in the last era. Although, its prerequisites allow you to rush to it by skipping a good deal of the Atomic Era and Information era technologies. Without this Wonder, it's impossible to win a Diplomatic victory (the voting will never start), and the others won't probably build it, if they see you have large influence with City-states.

• Note: In the Brave New World expansion pack, the United Nations isn't a Wonder anymore, but develops automatically from the World Congress, so the above isn't valid - you won't need that much Science for a Diplomatic victory. Still, the Globalization technology is again extremely valuable for winning this type of victory - rush straight to it!

Finally, for a Domination victory, you'll need a competitive army, capable of defeating all other civilizations. Again, late-game military technologies will be required for that.