Best use of golden age?

[Pacioli]

During the golden age in C3C, building city improvements (sometimes a wonder) is my primary focus. Building my military is secondary. Do you agree?

 

[Spoonwood]

What's the desired VC and map type?

 

[vmxa]

Not me, first is building more troops so I can finish them off sooner. Best use of my GA is, when it is most likely to either save me or provide me with the tools to be sure to win. That could come at any time.

I recall a AWDG on a large map long ago, where the only way to win was an Immoral AA win. The GA was needed to survive. I think maybe 4 towns up at that point.

 

[Pacioli]

I play at the warlord level, occasionally regent, on a standard or huge map. I use the same strategy for the golden age no matter what desired VC or map type. You would probably describe me as a builder.

 

[Optional]

A casual player on a relaxed level might indeed find city improvements and a wonder the most satisfying way to use a golden age. First and foremost you need units in the game, just to hold your own. Then when a golden age comes you have a nice opportunity to put some icing on the cake.

However, if you're playing on a very high level, like VMXA, it's all about survival and building enough units to that end. Also if you're aiming for a military victory and want to achieve that as quickly as possible it's probably just about grinding out the units.

I don't like to play a guitar with just one string, so I build improvements as well. I'm way too lazy to conquer a whole map, so a military VC doesn't come into my picture anyway - only succession games go that way. So, roughly speaking, I'm probably in your street.

 

[vmxa]

In the distance past, I would play games like Emperor on any map size. In those games, I would shoot for a GA in the early IA to build some key wonders and have it impact a fairly large empire.

 

[Spoonwood]

However, if you're playing on a very high level, like VMXA, it's all about survival and building enough units to that end.... However, if you're playing on a very high level, like VMXA, it's all about survival and building enough units to that end.

????

I know you've hanged around her for a while Optional. This certainly doesn't hold.

 

[timerover51]

During the golden age in C3C, building city improvements (sometimes a wonder) is my primary focus. Building my military is secondary. Do you agree?

I am definitely a builder, and tend to play the Dutch a lot. Given the way that I play, I normally end up with an Ancient Age Golden Age. As I play on large to huge to huge+ map, and with no a lot of opponents, I can focus on building and research during it.

 

[Optional]

This certainly doesn't hold.

I'm talking about the default game on a high level, so with default opponants and barbarians on a default map. The pressure on your early early expansion is likely to be big, and the chances of a peaceful expansion are less than on lower levels.
Different settings give you a better chance of a different game, though.

 

[Spoonwood]

I'm talking about the default game on a high level, so with default opponants and barbarians on a default map.

I certainly don't know what you mean by a "default game".

The pressure on your early early expansion is likely to be big, and the chances of a peaceful expansion are less than on lower levels.

????

"Expansion" doesn't come always come as required. There do exist Demi-God, Deity, and Sid 1-5CC games.

 

[Arexander]

Default game means the original CivIII Conquests (or Complete) without any modifications except maybe to graphics. So it isn't any mod or scenario.

Or so I understood it.

 

[Aabraxan]

For me, it's about units.

 

[Optional]

I certainly don't know what you mean by a "default game".

Maybe 'standard' would have been a better term. A standard map would be 100 x 100 tiles, 70% water, and preferably continents. There would be 7 opponants, and roaming barbarians. You just need to take some sort of standard to see what effect a variable like a difficulty setting has, and this is the standard Firaxis has given us.
If comparing levels, say comparing Regent to Deity, I would expect more pressure on Deity. If I was playing Regent and got Literature halfway my AA I would feel safe to build libraries. On Deity I would probably feel I would need more units first, as the AI would be much bigger and stronger than me. I like to have a full ring around my capital and the beginnings of a second ring before starting to build lots of improvements, and I don't expect to get that so easily on Deity. I actually expect that I will need to fight for that on that level, so that would affect my build preferences.

I was talking about the 'default' game, because if you're talking about Always War, 1 CC, 5 CC or games in which you want to beat some high score or have a different challenge set for yourself, or very different map settings for that matter, your choices will be different. Please don't think I'm including those games with my remarks. I'm aware they exist, but I can't possibly include all those variants with just one shout about strategy.

 

[Fiddlin Nero]

During the golden age in C3C, building city improvements (sometimes a wonder) is my primary focus. Building my military is secondary. Do you agree?

For it to be about improvements and wonders, it would preferably be peace time, I rarely have control over the timing of triggering a GA with the appropriate GW. I much prefer to trigger it with a UU during war, and so it lends itself to the war. Its a matter of picking the right war to get the most value out of it. Of course you have to be the warring type. Nothing quite like taking down an MI with a War Chariot or 2.

 

[Spoonwood]

Default game means the original CivIII Conquests (or Complete) without any modifications except maybe to graphics. So it isn't any mod or scenario.

Maybe 'standard' would have been a better term. A standard map would be 100 x 100 tiles, 70% water, and preferably continents. There would be 7 opponants, and roaming barbarians.

I know I asked Optional here, but it's interesting that these interpretations differ so much. Arexander's intrepretation includes every succession game and HoF game, while Optional's intended meaning includes some, though I doubt the majority or pluarlity of, succession games and virtually nil HoF games (which either seem to come in archipelago or pangea variety with 80% or 60% water and no, sedentary, or raging barbarians... opponents will also go down to 4 on a standard map sometimes).

I totally agree we need a "standard" to see what effect variables have, but I don't see that as assigned by Firaxis, with all the easily changed options in the startup screen. Aggression level also has something to do with things, as well as opponents, terrain, and AI attitude.

Thanks for the clarification Optional.

 

[Pacioli]

I appreciate everyone's comments and patience. I'm trying to learn some concepts that many of you learned years ago.