Tech level 3 problems for beginners?

[Shoddyfrog]

Watching a beginners guide series, from May 2021, by DasTactic before starting to play this game. In the first episode: (6:48 is when he talks about the issue, I don't know how to link the video to start at that point I'm afraid)
https://youtu.be/6kFiMyaAJqg?t=408
He is very critical of tech level 3, highly recommending that beginners avoid it, and start at level 4. Thoughts?
is this still an issue? Was this ever an issue?
Do people recommend beginners avoid starting with tech level 3?

[LCcmdr]

Given my extensive experience at getting mauled by continuously starting at Tech 3, I understood DAS as suggesting that Tech 4 is just easier to get good forward progress from. When I start on 3 (stubborn, hard-headed-ness), there's just so much that has to happen to get ready for the cultures beyond....

[Spaceman_Spiff]

One of the major problems is a potential lack of energy production due to nothing being researched in that area. However, there's not really that much that requires power early on besides light industry which will take a bit (usually) before you even have the metal required for construction. Bureaucrat Offices are my first build anyway, which leads to much faster research.

The one thing you want to absolutely NOT do is finish researching 3 techs in the first field without first unlocking a power generation technology. Doing that would unlock the next fields below it which the RNG will then include in all future discoveries. This could potentially block you from power techs for quite some time.

[Lumpy283]

I have only ever played at tech level 3. It makes you work very hard to pay attention to you surroundings and try to secure busted power sources. It doesn't mean it is easy but it is survivable. Usually I am close to an energy crunch when I break out, and frankly to hard a start and you are screwed. I love it.

[maerchen]

From an older thread:

Originally posted by maerchen:

I respectfully disagree with recommending a Tech IV start and actively encourage new players to play Tech III.

Tech III is an additional layer of difficulty in comparison to Tech IV start for sure, but it teaches you things you cannot learn on tech IV starts.

Tech III teaches you to focus on discovering and researching the right things, like how to fight energy shortage, prospecting for resources, or modelling a tank unit that has a high early game survivability.

Tech IV gives you energy tech from the start, and you are not bottlenecked into getting some sort of energy production discovered, making you miss out on the tech research mechanics that will help you in later games discovering and researching those tech you want vs those techs you want later.

Tech IV gives you a rare metal and metal deposit right from the start, and you are not forced to prospect or build recyclers early game to get those resources, missing out that struggle experience that helps you in later games or games with different resource shortages.

Tech IV gives you a free light tank model, which is really poorly designed at least.
Without the model design discovery-chain experience, you will miss out quite an interesting game mechanic. With that I mean you do not want to model artillery, bikes or APC until you discovered light tanks because this will widen the range of discoverable models, making it more difficult to discover light tanks at all.

Tech IV gives you an additional council - air force - with a viable ultralight aircraft model tostart with. Which is nice, but also diverts your BP production to a possibly unnecessary coucil at that time.

And if you start on a very mountaneous world - cannot recommend for new players -, the existing tank model may be kinda worthless and hinder you getting advanced ranged models.

New players starting at Tech III and beginner difficulty are confronted with a wonky UI, but at that level the game is quite forgiving to the inexperienced player at making mistakes.
We learn from mistakes, and starting at Tech IV is a bit like learning how to ride a bicycle with training wheels attached. Training wheels are a terrible invention, as they actively hinder you learning how to balance on two wheels, lean into curves, etc.

In my opinion, the equivalent of this is a Tech IV start for new players.

[Rekoom]

I second starting at Tech 3. At Tech 3 you have much less options for construction. This lets you get a feel for what buildings are actually doing as well as stopping you from jumping up civilization levels; putting your workforce into an unhappiness death spiral.

It is difficult enough trying to grasp some of the basic elements of the UI, Logistics, and the lag time for buildings to get online... I feel as if being constrained to a Tech 3 start limits the ways a new player can get themselves into trouble.

[Shoddyfrog]

OK thanks everyone. That has given me more perspective.

[Bleek]

I've always started at tech 3. It just feels right 👍

[vr·aa·nuh·kuh]

id say beginner means first 1-5 games, but if you are watching guides from people like Das you got the skills by proxy.