Serious golden age problem

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Chronus
Higher production and such allows the civ to produce settlers faster and spread out its cities . . . an important ICS concept.

Fortunately, this is incorrect. In Civ 3, each settler will set your city back by 2 population points, which then take a long time to grow back. During a golden age, your city would have enough production to produce many settlers, but would need to wait for enough people to build one.

However, this advantage will help an already-established ICSer, although no more than a perfectionist player with as large a base population. They can build buildings faster, units, wonders, but not things that require population.

[Xmudder]

Late Golden Age = Bad

You know, I'm glad they changed the golden ages so they could be obtained peacefully, otherwise the US and Germany would be royally screwed.
Why?
Can you imagine getting the golden age during the industrial age??? Especially after you start building factories!? You'd have so much pollution your country would look like it had been nuked!
Based on my experiences in Civ II, I think a mid game golden age would work the best. You'll have expanded to your natural limit of cities, so you can maximize total output, without the risk of runaway pollution.

Anyone know if minor wonders can be used to trigger golden age, or just major ones? There are only 12 singular wonders, and 7 of them are enabled in ancient times (Pyramids, Hanging Gardens, Colossus, Great Lighthouse, Great Library, Great Wall, the Oracle).
Anyone want to guess which wonders do what?

Pyramids - Industrious (Probably Religious, to give Egyptians Golden Age)
Hanging Gardens: ??? (Scientific, Religious would give Babylon Golden Age)
Colossus - Commercial
Great Lighthouse - Expansionist
Great Library - Scientific
Oracle - Religious
Great Wall - Militaristic, Industrious (Gives China Golden Age)

That would suck... having to choose between a useful wonder and an optimally timed golden age. OTOH, Golden Age would be a great time to make every city in your civ build a wonder.
Courthouses would also be needed to avoid wasting your golden age in the mid game.

[Stromprophet]

Re: Serious golden age problem

Originally posted by DonJoel
I just came to think of something kind of important.

If you get a produktion bonus when you have your golden age the civilizations that get their golden age late (germans, americans etc.) will be able to time it so that when the space race begins they enter the golden age.

They will then be able to complete the spaceship in much shorter, perhaps half, the time! Then it would be very easy to win the game using this tactic.

Thats really unfair and i hope that golden age only gives food and trade bonuses.

Play bloodlust. Besides, spacerace is horrid way to play. It's probably one of the most annoying and least rewarding gameplay patterns.

Besides, if I got my golden age earlier I might have alreayd overrun both the Americans and Germans and their "Sapcerace" is being spent as my slaves.

[Stromprophet]

Re: Late Golden Age = Bad

Originally posted by Xmudder
You know, I'm glad they changed the golden ages so they could be obtained peacefully, otherwise the US and Germany would be royally screwed.
Why?
Can you imagine getting the golden age during the industrial age??? Especially after you start building factories!? You'd have so much pollution your country would look like it had been nuked!
Based on my experiences in Civ II, I think a mid game golden age would work the best. You'll have expanded to your natural limit of cities, so you can maximize total output, without the risk of runaway pollution.

We all know that most of us are going to start golden age by conflict. Remember the Golden age begins the first time your specific unit wins in combat. So. I think that's when most of ours will start.

I could handle the pollution most likely. I used to build King R. All the time in heaping mounds of production in the hundreds. I always had massive amounts of settlers to repair any damage. Besides, I would only be concerned about this in SP, when I play mulitplayer I would only be concerned about getting the win, which Pollution has never barred that before.

[Chronus]

Fortunately, this is incorrect. In Civ 3, each settler will set your city back by 2 population points, which then take a long time to grow back. During a golden age, your city would have enough production to produce many settlers, but would need to wait for enough people to build one.

Hmmm . . . I was of the understanding that one's GA would increase all of your resources (i.e. food) in each tile, not just production. Consequently, your cities will be able to recover more quickly after a settler, or worker, is produced.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by PGM
Actually, "during a 'golden age', all worked tiles in your empire contribute one additional trade and shield per turn".
It's quite a civilizational boost.

Not too sure of the original Firaxis quote, and couldnt be bothered looking it up, but i dont think food production is gievn any bonuses during a GA.

[DonJoel]

The way I understand it golden age doesnt give any population boost which means that taking it early aint very usefull since you wont have the population to ICS.
Then it seems better to use it to double your produktion in those big wars that always happens in the endgame.

[Skanky Burns]

My big wars always happen early in the game. Its easier to conquer 4 cities early than 40 cities later. But to each their own

[DonJoel]

Well on small maps there can be fighting in the beggining for me too.