Do you use advanced starts? i.e. starting after ancient era

[Minor Annoyance]

Last I heard not a lot of people use the option to start in an era other than ancient. So I'm wondering if anyone does and if so what era's they start in.

I've used it once so far. I've found some eras to go by too fast, like a lot of people, so playing on epic speed is good for that but I also don't want to spend weeks on a single game playing a single civ/strategy/map/etc. So I played a game as Japan starting in the medieval era right before they get their first unique unit.

I made up charts and graphs for each civ to see what era they're best in and which start era they lose the least or in rare cases, gain the most.

Since I have 68 of these graphs I thought I might most them, but that's a lot of pics to post for something that might not be of general interest. So this poll is to see if anyone actually uses this feature.

Also I could see using this in a mod where when the game picks random civs for a later era start it gives preference to civs that aren't past their prime. The best example is Byzantium. If they start in the industrial era both their units are long past, and since religion is turned of if you start after the Renaissance their ability is worthless giving them no special attributes at all.

 

[comatosedragon]

I have never started a game in any era other than the ancient. In Civ V or Civ IV for that matter.

 

[Uberfrog]

I enjoy all the ages, and to me it doesn't quite feel like Civ if you don't start in 4000BC. I'm also not a huge fan of games that finish before the Modern Era.

 

[krc]

I have tried all different ages. But 99% of the time, I start in the Ancient Era.


If you decide that you want to post your findings, you might want to ressurrect an old (pre-G&K) thread where I posted some summary charts about Advanced Era Start Facts.

 

[Pook]

I have never started a game in any era other than the ancient. In Civ V or Civ IV for that matter.

Same here. or Civ III or Civ II or Civ I either, if they even had those options.

For me, the ancient era is by far the most fun to play. The thrill of exploring a world and finding who/what is out there is not something I would want to skip.

 

[Mesix]

...and when starting in an advanced era you will never have the opportunity to punish you AI opponent for attacking with his spearmen/archers when you can build riflemen to defend.

 

[Princeofnigeria]

I started in the renniasance once to see what late starts where like... It did not please me. From then on it's always ancient for me.

 

[OmniPotent42]

Ancient start can compound more, that's why I like it. I like defeating swordsmen with Mechanized Infantry.

 

[Socratatus]

I like starting from ancient and working up. One of the reasons is simply that I like the whole ancient-Medieval thing. I actually get a little sad when we move into the Industrial to modern age. In fact, I wish there was more emphasis on the earlier ages.

 

[KokeenoPokameso]

I have always started in the anchent era. I have thought about later starts, but got side tracked with experimenting with epic and marathon game speeds. I get all the experience I want from each era. I might try It some day but I dout it.

Hhmmm.... Is there an achievement for a late start? Then I would probably try it eventually.

 

[Minor Annoyance]

I enjoy all the ages, and to me it doesn't quite feel like Civ if you don't start in 4000BC. I'm also not a huge fan of games that finish before the Modern Era.

That's one of the reasons I tried advanced starts. 100% of my games had spears and swords but not many had gunships, etc. so this evens it out.

Same here. or Civ III or Civ II or Civ I either, if they even had those options.

For me, the ancient era is by far the most fun to play. The thrill of exploring a world and finding who/what is out there is not something I would want to skip.

You still do plenty of exploring. I don't know why you assumed you wouldn't.

 

[Gamewizard]

Industrial era starts are fun, especially with civs that have late era units. America, Germany, Japan, France are the ones I can think of. As America you will start with a handful of minutemen (also assuming France would start with musketeers). Industrial era starts are great for starting games at the beginning of a world war, since you are able to pick a handful of policies in either Order, Autocracy, or Freedom, creating strong alliances from the get go.

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

My favourite era is the ancient age; I always start in it. Like some of the others above, whichever iteration of Civ it's been, I've never used the late start option.

 

[warlordtheft]

Same here. or Civ III or Civ II or Civ I either, if they even had those options.

For me, the ancient era is by far the most fun to play. The thrill of exploring a world and finding who/what is out there is not something I would want to skip.

+1 this. Exploring is one of the best parts of the game. Allows me to explore my first land mass. Once Caravels are discovered though I typically explore the rest of the world in short order to see where the other Civs are (I have a no neighbor is a good neighbor policy-so the civs on my continent are dead by the medieval era usually).

 

[Pook]

+1 this. Exploring is one of the best parts of the game. Allows me to explore my first land mass. Once Caravels are discovered though I typically explore the rest of the world in short order to see where the other Civs are (I have a no neighbor is a good neighbor policy-so the civs on my continent are dead by the medieval era usually).

Totally agree. I often find that my riches are located inside other civ's territories.

 

[sizesixteens]

I enjoy all the ages, and to me it doesn't quite feel like Civ if you don't start in 4000BC. I'm also not a huge fan of games that finish before the Modern Era.

I feel the same way about the first part. It's more than a little awkward to "build" an empire that's already there.

However, I usually have no objections to an end before the late-late game. The Modern/Atomic/Information eras aren't really my favorites because they involve so much micromanagement. After all, the Romans conquered the known world and Greece was the cultural center of all of civilization at the time.

 

[Minor Annoyance]

I feel the same way about the first part. It's more than a little awkward to "build" an empire that's already there.

What empire?
I can see why people would have such an aversion to advanced starts considering the misinformation about it.

If you were to start in the Renaissance, your cities would get a Grainery, lighthouse, monument, shrine, and 2 population when built. You start with 3 pikemen, and 2 settlers, and one worker, and can unlock 4 policies. You have no roads or improvements and no more of the map revealed than what you're units can see.

That's "an empire that's already there"? Do you really consider your empire finished with two cities, four population, and half of one policy tree?

I took a picture of a game starting in the Renaissance. Look at it and tell me that empire is built, that you have nothing to explore, and that you've skipped so much of the game as to make it not worth playing:

Spoiler :

Is this really destroying the purity of the Civilization experience? Is this what people find so abhorrent?
Ridiculous.

 

[smallfish]

The best kind of Industrial start is the one where you play civs with really ancient UUs, like Persian Immortals or Carthaginian Elephants, while setting every other AI to the ones with Industrial-Modern UUs: Suleiman, Washington, Nobunaga, Bismarck, Napoleon, Gustavus, Selassie and Catherine

 

[smallfish]

I feel the same way about the first part. It's more than a little awkward to "build" an empire that's already there.

What empire is here?

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Where is that empire when you are getting rushed by Deity AI with rocket artillery and bombers?

 

[smallfish]

I have tried all different ages. But 99% of the time, I start in the Ancient Era.


If you decide that you want to post your findings, you might want to ressurrect an old (pre-G&K) thread where I posted some summary charts about Advanced Era Start Facts.

I want to see someone update that thread - like, Information Era starts you off with 4 Marines instead of 4 Mech Inf, and definitely no Satellite tech until you research it.