2 things

[Robespierre]

1) If wonders can now trigger a golden age, and you only get one golden age per game, does this mean that in order to have a later golden age you must abstain from building certain wonders, i.e. you are forced to choose, in certain situations, between one good and conserving your golden age for a more propitious moment? or. since an earlier golden age is now sort of a reward for building wonders are earlier golden ages generally better?

2) Will you be able to enable some of the civ-specific abilities while disabling others? on the screenshot of the game options screen, presumably before starting a new game, they had an option either to toggle civ-specific abilities (including civ-specific attributes, civ-specific units, different aggression settings, etc.) either "on" or "off" without discriminating between the different features. For example, if I want to keep the civ-specific attributes but not have civ-specific units (which happens to be what I really want), will I be able to do that or is it all or nothing?

 

[stravaig]

Great questions!
I'm guessing that an early-ish (mid-late first tech era) Golden Age might be the best, and will likely be what folks shoot for. The Wonder-caused GAs might have been done just so that civ's with later specific units wouldn't be hurt in that regard.

I, too, wondered whether or not Civ-specific attributes and Civ-specific units could be turned off separately, but wasn't terribly inclined to ask. Thanks! Maybe we'll get an answer.

- Stravaig

 

[greenie]

GA's can also be triggered by the first victory of your special unit,so its a caseof which one you get first - wondersor victory in combat

 

[Robespierre]

Well yeah, but does the fact that you essentially have to "earn" an earlier golden age if you don't already have one and there's no way to stop from getting a golden age and put it off to later mean that earlier golden ages are generally better?

 

[duke o' york]

All the wonders are organised into different types, and to trigger the Golden Age by constructing wonders then you have to build those that conform to your civ-specific attributes. It is explained on www.civ3.com somewhere, but I'm not sure where. It says that if a civ is religious and scientific then the construction of a religious and a scientific (say Michelangelo's and Copernicus') wonder will trigger their Golden Age. Some wonders are of more than one kind and can trigger it automatically. The example given is of the Hoover Dam, but I'm afraid that my knowledge is patchy at best. I hope someone else can put a link to this information.

 

[Drew62]

here it is....

here it is...

But it seems incomplete. Doesn't say anything about non military means for GA.

 

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Robespierre
1) If wonders can now trigger a golden age, and you only get one golden age per game, does this mean that in order to have a later golden age you must abstain from building certain wonders

2) Will you be able to enable some of the civ-specific abilities while disabling others?

1. My guess is "Yes, you will need to abstain from building certain wonders to avoid triggering your golden age."

2. Sounds like a job for the editors.

 

[WUM]

I say it makes sense that the trigger-Wonder is a different wonder for different civs.
So it depends on the civ you´re playing because some civs will have an early trigger-Wonder and others will have a later trigger-Wander.
Otherwise i hope, that if 'my' trigger-Wonder of ancient times is build by someone else, i have another trigger-Wonder in the next ages...
because everything is better than HAVING to start a war with my special units!

 

[jon26]

I'd like to hear the David Bowie song Golden Years at the start of a golden age. Better have my Winamp ready then.

 

[Robespierre]

Yes, that's all true, but is the inference from all this information that early golden ages are generally better?

I sent an e-mail to ask the civ team, also asking them about the options for civ-specific attributes, but I doubt they'll answer it so I probably just have to wait until the game comes out.

Personally, I think that having an early golden age probably WOULD be better because a small boost in the beginning game has more drastic effects than in the end game, when things are generally more stable (as long as you play well).

 

[marshal zhukov]

Golden age rules

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Robespierre: early or late - a GA is best when you are ready for it. That is when you have corruption under control, when there are worthwhile things to build (i.e. lots of wonders), when you need the extra military output to crush and enemy..... So it really doesn't matter when they come.