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Old November 2, 2001, 10:33   #1
absimiliard
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Golden Ages & turn-advantage
Just wanted to toss a quick comment out and see what people think.

We've already heard the manual or strat-guide (forget which) recommend using your Golden Age to best advantage by trying to maximize the number of cities it effects. There advice was therefor to hold it off for as long as you could.

However there is a flaw in their reasoning.

Though much has changed the concept of turn-advantage that applied to previous versions and was refined by us during the SMAC-years still applies. The reason remains the same as well, Civ III is exponential not linear. Your performance is based on previous performance as much as current situation.

Therefore I hypothesize that Golden Ages are actually best used early in the game. It's true you have less cities, and population, than later but that early-game boost will pay off in a better developed empire later. By getting, and using, those extra resources you are effectively producing turn-advantage, and we all know how valuable that is.

My example comes from the Babylonians. With a decent early-game unit, bowmen, they can produce a quick Golden-Age. By doing so they can easily build more Wonders, or settlers, or workers. Doing that produces your turn-advantage. Heck even if it helps you improve military unit production you might make a war go faster and still gain turns of productive development after you finish it.

So if it's still about turn-advantage, and I say it is, then it just logically follows that an early Golden Age is the best Golden Age!
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Old November 2, 2001, 11:05   #2
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With one exception,
I played the Zulus and had an early golden age. Still in despotism, it really didn't help much. I suggest waiting till you switched to Monarchy or Republic. Mines was over by then so I didn't get to see if it was that much better.

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Old November 2, 2001, 14:32   #3
absimiliard
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Excellent point. A lot of your value in commerce and food will be lost if you GA during despotism. The shield production should still benefit since most tiles yield 1 shield and the GA brings that up to 2.

Guess the answer isn't the earliest GA, it's the earliest GA where you can take advantage of it.
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Old November 2, 2001, 14:45   #4
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I haven't played long enough or far enough to form a good opinion... but my feeling is that what you are saying is true. Some civilizations are actually better off using it early on. I think it all depends on your strategy and how well you are doing. I seem to have more problems when cities are small so I think it will help me earlier (even though total benefit is obviously higher later on when you have larger cities). If you also plan to attack early on (especially if your unique unit is an early unit) you will benefit early on even if you are in despotism--at least that's my impression so far.

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Old November 3, 2001, 07:08   #5
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Quote:
Originally posted by absimiliard
Excellent point. A lot of your value in commerce and food will be lost if you GA during despotism. The shield production should still benefit since most tiles yield 1 shield and the GA brings that up to 2.

Guess the answer isn't the earliest GA, it's the earliest GA where you can take advantage of it.
I don't know if MOST squares are 1 shield. My early game strategy revolves around grassland with shield squares, mined with a road. 2/2/1, +1 trade if I happen to land near a river. 2/2/2 squares are PERFECT under the 3500 years of Despotism. Golden Ages before Monarchy never work for me, and I hate to see them.
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