Golden Ages

[Smellycowsquid]

Do you guys sacrifice 2 great people for that first Golden Age? And three for the Second? Or do you wait for the Taj Mahal?

[rjmatsleepers]

It depends on the game situation, but I rarely have an empire big enough to justify starting a golden age. The main exception is the free GE for being first to Fusion. With so little game time remaining, a golden age is beneficial to help construct the spaceship.

RJM

[fani]

I never sacrifice GPs for a golden age...I understand that there are situations where a golden age would be worth the sacrifice but i never had a game that falls into this category yet...

[fed1943]

I never did it, as are better ways to spend the GP.

Best regards,

[couerdelion]

I voted yes although I have not yet used a GP for a Golden Age because I tend to give us on games before I would have got two GP and in a situation when I would have wanted to. By this stage I have already won.

So now I think about it, I should have said no because I could not think of a situation when I would still be playing a game when I would want a GP triggered Golden Age and had not already acquired a domineering lead

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

I used to create Golden Ages, but now I can always find something better to do with the GP.

In theory, I should start them late in the game (when the empire is big), but by the time it's late in the game, GP aren't coming around often enough for me to have 2 or more of them sitting around.

[phlucas]

When I get a Great Prophet in the late game (no tech available for lightbulbing, no great benefit from settling, all shrines built), I might burn him with another Great Person on a Golden Age. Otherwise, no. I always try to build the Taj Mahal, though.

[dregor]

Like, phlucas, the only time I'll use a GP to trigger a Golden Age is with a late-game Prophet, but even then I may be more inclined to just settle him for the bonuses.

[Quillan]

I don't think I've had 2 GPs at the same time in recent memory. I use them. Most only stay around for the time it takes them to get to their destination. The only exception is I'll keep a great engineer around if I don't have a wonder to rush.

[AshenPlanet]

.

It really depends on how much you like to beat heads...

If you just sit back, spawn a few cities to get to optimum size, and then win by spaceship or culture, then golden ages won't help you much.

If you are more like me, and like cracking some skulls, your cities won't be filled with buildings, and you will be behind on research, but you will have lots and lots of cities.

I never settle gpps or lightbulb/trade mission/fast build/etc. with them, because I always save them for golden ages.
Any prophets make shrines if they can, and the first few scientists will make academies, but later scientists get sacrificed at the golden altar.
As soon as I get 2, they get popped; then 3, etc...

Even in the early game I'll have a fair number of cities, because I'm always fighting, and a GA helps them get built up fast, let's me catch up on research, etc.
By the end of the golden age, I've gained about as much research as I would have gotten from a lightbulb, and I've also built a lot of buildings and made a lot of troops as well.

.

[Cort Haus]

In the mid-game with a decent sized empire I might start a 2GP GA if I have a Gt Artist and no need for a culture-bomb. The late game is the best time for GA's, imo, especially as lightbulbing and settling become worthless, and I don't mind spending three to hurry-up the space ship.

[PaganPaulwhisky]

Yeah, Ill burn up to 3 for a golden age (esp if I have artists and prophets). Once I hit cavalry I will switch all cities to cavalry builds and then trigger a GA. Provided you have universal suffrage you can then just rush buy all units that did not complete during the GA. This works especially well if you build the Taj Mahal and then follow it up with another GA. After this you can annihilate everyone if they don't have rifleman. I have gotten some very early domination wins using this tactic.

In the end game I will use most of my GP to trigger GA's if I am building the space ship, as they aren't very useful at this pt.

[Arrian]

I've settled on having 2 GAs - the first from 2 great people (hopefully one is the free GA from music ) and the second from the Taj.

-Arrian

[DrSpike]

I very rarely use GP for GA - it just doesn't seem worth it.

[Common Sensei]

The only way I use Great People for Golden Ages is if I have a Great Engineer handy upon getting Nationalism. I'll consider rushing the Taj Mahal, but four out of five times, I don't and save him for the Statue of Liberty.

Despite the fact that you can have multiple Golden Ages, they generally seem too costly to spark for what they give you.