How to avoid dark ages in late game?

[Aldor]

I've found that it is fairly easy to get normal or even golden ages in the early game, since you get enough era points: goody huts, discoveries, building unique units for the first time etc.

However in my experience it is much harder to get even a normal age in later times (medieval+). So, several times now I've spent the industrial+ ages in a perpetual dark age. (which is even graphically annoying since the map turns a darker shade...I suppose there's an option to turn this off but haven't checked yet).

What are your strategies to earn enough points to get normal/golden ages in the later game?

 

[bryjaysay]

I found this Google Doc helpful: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bcghYw_lk2vbBHdQV4T73C-gUWV5bq_McQjMGeoWN38/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Aldor]

Thanks a lot! While this list confirms my impression that later era events give less era score points, it definitely will help to target events I didn't even know of yet. Very helpful!

 

[JosephC]

I mostly have trouble gaining enough points once clearing barbarian camps no longer give you points.

I had compiled a list a while back similar to the one bryjaysay posted, only sorted by similar actions: Here

 

[Horizons]

They need to work something in to allow moving in and out of ages in the late game, maybe every fifth Future Civic you research triggers a new age or something. Or even just abolish ages after the Information Age which is after all 'the end of history'.

 

[Turrdy]

(which is even graphically annoying since the map turns a darker shade...I suppose there's an option to turn this off but haven't checked yet).

I was looking for an option, too. Didn't find any. I noticed that the effects are deactivated in multiplayer games, though. Maybe try starting a local MP game with only AI and no other human players to emulate a singleplayer game. Other stuff is deactivated too, though, like timeline-popups or incoming messages from other players like trade deals and stuff like that. It's managable, but you'll have to pay more attention to the bubbles on the right side of your screen!

I found this Google Doc helpful: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bcghYw_lk2vbBHdQV4T73C-gUWV5bq_McQjMGeoWN38/edit?usp=sharing

Question: Does circumnavigating the world also work on non-cylindrical maps like Europe or Inland Sea?

 

[acluewithout]

They need to work something in to allow moving in and out of ages in the late game, maybe every fifth Future Civic you research triggers a new age or something. Or even just abolish ages after the Information Age which is after all 'the end of history'.

Future tech and future civics should do something to era points. I mean, I don't know whatever they did would have much impact, but c'mon! Future Tech!! Future Civics!! It's THE FUTURE!! WE HAVE THE FLYING CARS AND STUFFZ!!

I guess one approach would just be that once you get to the information era, you can keep accumulating era points without a time limit. Once you get to the threshold for the next higher age you just move up. Future Tech and Future Civics could then just give flat era points.

So, e.g., you enter the information age in a Dark Age. You pick a dedication, and off you go. You then keep accumulating Era points. There's no time limit, but when you get enough points for a normal age, you flip into a normal age (with the same dedication). If the game goes on long enough you go into a golden age (probably not a heroic age at that point). I guess if the game lasts long enough, you could end up with everyone in a golden age, which would be kinda cool...

 

[chazzycat]

I found this Google Doc helpful: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bcghYw_lk2vbBHdQV4T73C-gUWV5bq_McQjMGeoWN38/edit?usp=sharing

thanks, this is great. there were a few I never knew about! like first air unit or having a trading post in every civ

 

[glaivemaster]

Building wonders helps a lot - I'm finding them a bit easier to build nowadays, and the opportunity cost isn't quite so bad thanks to the production recuperation you get even if you don't finish them.

The first of each type of district to have a +3 adjacency bonus gives +3 era score, which is a good way to get a small buff, especially as having more throwaway territory and more districts makes it easier to get those adjacency bonuses.

Not overflowing in a previous era is important, too, if you can help it. If you're close to the end of an era, try to avoid getting too much more era score - especially those big chunks from wonders, districts and uniques if you don't need them right away. Your era score for the next age is based on how many points you entered this age with, so a big +3/+4 bonus is wasted if you didn't use it to push yourself into a Normal/Golden Age by doing so.

 

[Victoria]

You really need to understand the base numbers as well.

You need 12 each era to miss a dark, 24 to get a golden.
To these numbers +1 is added for each city you have so if you have say 30 cities you will need 42 era points to miss a dark age.
Also to these numbers +6 is added for each golden age you have and -6 for each dark age.

To be honest the later era's should be easier.... you should be ahead by then so getting higher numbers for being the first. The killer is number of cities and too many golden ages.

I'l normally finish in the Renaissance era because I prefer to play fast and that way avoid late game darks. Even normal ages look dark once you get used to goldens.

 

[acluewithout]

It seems weird reading advice that you should delay earning some Era points so you don’t create overflow. Just doesn’t seem like fun gameplay - I thought the goal with Eurekas, city state quests, agendas etc was to get players doing more?

 

[Esperr]

I find im binning points and slow rolling things like UU's, but once you get to industrial im also finding the bonus aren't that great anyway. Monumentality goes away and loses most of its usefullness at that point anyway.

 

[Spartacus73]

Seems like most of the time if I'm mid-game or later and blowing past golden age points without trying, I'm also steamrolling the game and it wouldn't matter if I did go into a dark age at some point, if the game even lasts that long.

 

[Aldor]

You really need to understand the base numbers as well.

You need 12 each era to miss a dark, 24 to get a golden.
To these numbers +1 is added for each city you have so if you have say 30 cities you will need 42 era points to miss a dark age.
Also to these numbers +6 is added for each golden age you have and -6 for each dark age.

To be honest the later era's should be easier.... you should be ahead by then so getting higher numbers for being the first. The killer is number of cities and too many golden ages.

I'l normally finish in the Renaissance era because I prefer to play fast and that way avoid late game darks. Even normal ages look dark once you get used to goldens.

Thanks, this is good to know. But I'm not sure why you think this makes things easier in later eras? You have more cities and need more points. You most likely had some golden ages in the past (I find it actually difficult to actively avoid them, to prevent that golden age "penalty" you describe above). At the same time, many things you do give less points (only +1 for pretty much everything in later eras). The big +3, +4 items are likely gone by now.

It is really a bit of an immersion breaker for me. I'm doing well, my empire is safe and way ahead of all others, ready to go to space...yet because of some counter I'm in a "dark age".

Can you accelerate advancing to the next era? Like beelining techs? Often I find myself wishing I could already get to the next era, to avoid accumulating even more current era points in ancient/classic/medieval...

 

[Victoria]

Thanks, this is good to know. But I'm not sure why you think this makes things easier in later eras?

If you understand how the scoring of ages works then you are more in control.
So for example if you are expecting to go to the modern era or beyond and have a lot of cities and goldens then you will risk darkness to some degree but at least have some understanding of how this can be countered. I cannot advise very well as I tend not to play to the modern era but will be doing so soon enough as I'm going back to a more immersive style

 

[Jarhead60]

Thanks, this is good to know. But I'm not sure why you think this makes things easier in later eras? You have more cities and need more points. You most likely had some golden ages in the past (I find it actually difficult to actively avoid them, to prevent that golden age "penalty" you describe above). At the same time, many things you do give less points (only +1 for pretty much everything in later eras). The big +3, +4 items are likely gone by now.

It is really a bit of an immersion breaker for me. I'm doing well, my empire is safe and way ahead of all others, ready to go to space...yet because of some counter I'm in a "dark age".

Can you accelerate advancing to the next era? Like beelining techs? Often I find myself wishing I could already get to the next era, to avoid accumulating even more current era points in ancient/classic/medieval...

Yeah it does seem strange that going to the moon (and similar achievements) only garners a single point.

 

[Victoria]

Yeah it does seem strange that going to the moon (and similar achievements) only garners a single point.

The thing with going to the moon is it is a big achievement and it gets a great bonus for this so does not need the era points

 

[Casualty of war]

Sometimes you just chop out that 400 hammer Wonder that all the AI skipped. Be careful not to waste Era Score because it doesn't overflow.

But, honestly, if you're not concerned about Loyalty pressure and your games are going to last into the next era, Dark Ages are pretty amazing. Those cards are great and follow-up Heroic Ages are sweet!

 

[isau]

The single best repeatable era score method in the later game IMO is converting a city during war. The reward is +3 points per city. Normally converting during war is expensive. But Spain and Poland each have a trick that instantly auto converts a city.

Another fairly repeatable one killing a corps or army with a single unit. I find this kind of cheesy. You just need the lone unit to land the killing blow, they don't have to wittle the unit down.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

I've just finished a game as Ghandi on a huge map and it was not difficult to get era points in the late game. In fact, I was rolling in era points.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...T73C-gUWV5bq_McQjMGeoWN38/edit#gid=1645377719

Defeating a superior formation was an era point cash cow. Bomb a corps or army to death and you gain era points. Just keep a few units out of corps, armies, fleets and armadas to finish off weakened units and you will have many era points if you have to fight. Wipe out a civilization - +6 era points!

Archaeology nets tonnes of points in the late game. There is still plenty of opportunity to get era points for +4 adjacency districts. Establishing new cities, on difficult terrain and different continents is also good.

Buying great people also garnered me many an era point.

The fact is, there are lots of ways to get era points in all stages of the game