The Ancient Golden Age

[Sheik]

I am currently playing a MP game as Egypt and have recently built the Pyramids triggering my Golden Age. My question is should I use the boost to get ahead in research now or should I use the boost to increase my cash flow and then research at a loss later?

[ducki]

There are so many factors that could affect the answer.

Are you in Despotism, Monarchy or Republic?
How many cities do you have?
Is your empire well developed, both wrt roads, mines, irrigation as well as city improvements?
Is there any single city that could probably snag any other available wonder with the extra production?
Is there a war that needs fighting?


I think the two options you listed are both a little weak... I doubt you can truly break away in tech in the Ancient Age and I also doubt you can save enough cash in the Ancient Age to last for very long in the Middle Ages. IMO, you are either working the high-cash tiles or you aren't - rivers mostly at this point - so making a major change to which tiles you work is probably going to adversely affect either Food or Shields.

If you meant to put cities to produce Wealth, that I think is a huge mistake and a massive waste of an early GA.

Myself, I'd choose between War, Building, and Wonder - pick one and go for it, though Wonder could actually fit inside Building.

So, War or Building is the question I would ask myself.

[Robber Baron]

Depending on how many cities you have, I'd strongly consider setting a high shield city to build another wonder.
Otherwise, Ducki's right: you won't be able to either pull away in tech or amass much of a sustainable bank of gold, so early in the game. Either advantage will be very temporary, and over long before the start of the Medieval Era.
Some other options:
1) if you have a settler-factory city (river, with floodplains/wheat/cattle tiles, e.g.), rush a rex phase. And build cheap temples -- you're Egypt, right? -- in those cities.
2) particularly if you have built a barracks or two, go to war against a neighbor -- esp. if you are located near one with a) resources/lux you can use; b) highly aggressive tendencies. Avoid, if possible, a war with an early UU, however: stalemating on warfare with simultaneous golden ages is a wast of the opportunity.
If you do decide to go to war, hit hard and fast, and keep hitting. Remember, this may well be your best chance to carve out a dominant position on your continent.

(Oooh. Just re-read your post. MP? War, if at all possible. )

[Theseus]

Can we say "rampaging hordes of pissed-off vet War Chariots"?

[Arrian]

@ Theseus.

There are several viable options.

Option A (the builder route):

If you have a shot at it, try for the Great Library with your best production city.

Angle for republic asap. Use your GA to boost research toward that end, and to build things like courthouses, libraries, and (if you have or can get currency) marketplaces. The goal here is to enter the Middle Ages with a well-developed republic.


Option B (the psychotic warmonger approach):

Build barracks and War Chariots. When you think you have built enough, build more. Kill things. Kill lots of things. The goal here is to take over your continent, or a goodly chunk of it, and generate at least 1 great leader so you can rush the Forbidden Palace (or move your palace if building the FP during your GA allows you to center it and your new palace to-be better).

This is not to say you can't do a bit of both, but those are the extremes.

EDIT: doh! Just re-read your post and saw the "MP" part of things. In that case, I'd be more inclined to agree with Theseus.

Re: using a GA to REX... bear in mind that the GA pumps up what you get from citizens working tiles, which means you want as many cits working tiles during the GA as you can. Therefore, if you have a lot of expanding still to do, use the GA to build improvements and military, and then pump out settlers once it's over.

-Arrian

[Dominae]

Set aside a high production city and start gathering Shields for a Wonder. Get all your other cities to produce WCs. Ideally you want to produce 10 Shields per turn in your main cities, as this allows a WC every 2 turns. But you'll probably only be able to do 7 Shields per turn, which is a WC every 3 turns with 1 Shield lost. Try to avoid 6, 8 and 9 Shields per turn by rearranging the tiles being worked in every city.

The "builder" approach is to focus on improvements instead (building Wonders fits into both warmonger and builder strategies). IMO, this last approach is weaker because the relative gain of a GA is not as big with improvements during the Ancient age as it is with units.

By the way, what year did you complete the Pyramids in, Sheik?


Dominae

[Sheik]

I think I will build The Great Library. I already have the Pyramids, Great Lighthouse, and Colossus all in the same city so the Great Library would be a good option.

[joncnunn]

Wow, trying to make that city the envy of the world?

[DaveMcW]

If you're building the Great Library you should definitely focus on gold, not research.

[Sheik]

Wow, trying to make that city the envy of the world?

That's the idea. I hope for this city to be admired by all the other players. I better make sure I defend it well though.

[Theseus]

I haven't played much MP... this sound like the most peaceful game ever.

[Sheik]

It is a Hotseat game with some friends so there is a lot of time for war. Hotseat is fast so there is no need to make the game short. We are playing a large continent map and so far I only have contact with one other civ.

[MoonWolf]

Originally posted by DaveMcW
If you're building the Great Library you should definitely focus on gold, not research.

Depends on how many other civs he's been in contact with. So far it's only one, so maybe it's better to aim for a tech that gives better units and attack the one's met?

[Datajack Franit]

I'd say build and explore- you could lose the war after all

[Sheik]

I am doing well. I captured two German cities and then sold them back to the owner for 300g and 10 gpt. Then I sold the Germans three techs for 8 gpt (they were way behind so it was a very fair trade). Then I sold Literature to the Celts for 2 gpt. My golden age has ended and I have finished the Great Library (I am in the lead tech wise but at least I am preventing another civ from getting it). I am currently building the Hanging Gardens. I plan to start another war soon and have already secured Celtic support for the upcoming battle.