Golden Age - Strategies?

[ssvensson]

I've reading alot about early or late GA being a bad thing!

I understand why a late GA is bad but an early GA could be OK for quick boost or??

Please share ur strategies for GA - when it is best to go into GA and how to get the most out of ur GA?

PS I haven't seen much info about GA in here and the d***** search is off - so please help.

 

[Masquerouge]

I personnaly think Golden Age is best when you come into late Ancient -Early medieval times, because there is a lot of great wonders to build, and the knight is in sight, meaning you can produce tons of it.

 

[NobleLeader]

I think that early in the game you're not pretty sure about what to build, what strategy to follow to win the game. So, after you get the almost entire World Map, know all other Civs you can use the GA to implement your strategy to win the game.

 

[Bloodied66]

If you're still in despotism when you get a Golden Age, much of it is wasted. You don't have very many cities, you aren't working many tiles, and any tiles that give more than 3 food, 3 shield, or 3 commerce get reduced by one.

Probably the best time for a GA is early in the Middle Ages. The civs that have replacements for knights have a well timed golden age. There are quite a few wonders to build, knights to build for an offensive, and you probably have all your expansion finished and many size 12 cities.

 

[mbrown]

The best time for a golden age is in the early industrial ages.

There are several reasons for this:
- it is best to have most of your cities established to take advantage of the golden age
- it is best to have at least monarchy form of governemnt to take advantage of the increased production and commerce
- many of my favourite wonders are available: art of war, leonardo's, js bach, sistel chapel, etc.

 

[phizuol]

Seems like most of the civs I like have early game UU's so very often my GA comes early as well. Yes a lot of the benefit is "wasted" but it can still be a big help if you get into an early war that you didn't necessarily want. Being able to wipe the enemy off the map early on instead of getting wiped yourself is a pretty good use for a GA in my opinion. In the end you usually end up with a good chunk of land, troops, and cash which sets you up to dominate post-GA as well. I think a GA helps no matter when you get it. Its certainly never a bad thing. Personally if I had my choice I would probably want a UU that comes out very early Middle Ages.

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

I like one in the modern ages. Most cities = most benfits. Can mass produce weapons or space parts to win the game.

 

[ssvensson]

Does fighting babarians with UU trigger ur GA?

 

[Turner]

Originally posted by ssvensson
Does fighting babarians with UU trigger ur GA?

No, it does not. It has to be against a civ.

Personally, I don't care when mine are. Sometimes, it's convenient to have them early, sometimes late. The only thing I don't like about early ones is having one during despotism. now, if I'm a turn or two from monarcy, and playing religious, then it's not so much of a waste. But better to start it out of despotism/anarchy and not waste any of it.

 

[Cornflake]

Originally posted by ssvensson
I've reading alot about early or late GA being a bad thing!

I understand why a late GA is bad but an early GA could be OK for quick boost or??

Please share ur strategies for GA - when it is best to go into GA and how to get the most out of ur GA?

PS I haven't seen much info about GA in here and the d***** search is off - so please help.

I had a GA in the early industrial age. Really turned the tables. I managed to build lots and lots of cavalry and finally got an "average" military. I was producing 370 GPT.
I got about 5 techs ahead of anyone else.
In the ned I had like 15 000 GP and the others were still below 3000.

 

[Masquerouge]

Originally posted by mbrown
The best time for a golden age is in the early industrial ages.
- many of my favourite wonders are available: art of war, leonardo's, js bach, sistel chapel, etc.

Err, so in fact it's an early MEDIEVAL age you're talking about ? All these wonders come indeed with the first medieval techs

 

[Turner]

Unless mbrown means that they've already been completed, and are getting the bonus' off of them.

 

[JazzToucan]

The harder the level, the earlier you have to make your move in terms of taking land.

That said, using the GA to build up a large army for civs with early UU's make sense to me.

 

[DS_Legionary]

A middle golden age is probably best. Especially in the early portion of the Middle Age. It helps greatly when you first discover Chivalry, since Knights are so expensive, you can create them a few turns faster. Greatly improving the speed at which you will knock out an AI. Many a time I have knocked out two or three of my neighbors with a well placed GA in the Middle Ages.

I find that if you get one to early, it does provide some help, but you could have gotten alot more out of it if it was delayed a bit longer.

If you get one in the Industrial Ages or later it is nice for stockpiling gold, but that's about it. If you're smart you can easily out research the AI without the golden age. So, it's not needed much for that. The production bonus doesn't add up to much either due to the fact that you've probably already got Factories, and are producing most units a few turns at most anyways.

But by far the worst Golden Age is no Golden Age IMO.

 

[Bluemofia]

I think a golden age in the midevil age is good because at that time all of the good wonders appear, like Art of War, Workshop, smiths trading company, majellans voyage etc.

 

[cmota]

Hey man, GA is always good... but if this GA comes too early, or too late, you can´t enjoy it so well as if this GA comes in early Middle Age (2 really important wonders - Sun Tzu and Leonardo - Chivalry and tons of knights/samurai/elephants). I guess the best time for a GA is when you´re preparing yourself to take an offensive war against your enemies.

 

[kb2tvl]

As I have played higher and higher levels of civ, I have delayed my GL longer and longer. The biggest issue is what UU you have and how pinned in were you. If you have an early UU and you have a ton of land to settle on then there is no point in fighting. I like to be number one in population and If I can not get that then I will start a war and capture a few cities.

 

[PRIMEMOVER]

Perfect timing in finding this post...hoping somebody has some insight for me...

I'm playing with France for the first time. I'm usually a devout China player, but thought I'd try the commercial route instead.

I'm currently in a game which finds me nearing the end of the industrial age and I have yet to trigger a GA. I'm planning on shooting for the spaceship victory (never tried before) and it would be great if I could trigger it soon. I'm in a good position tech-wise and have good relations with all nine opponent civs (mostly polite, one cautious and one annoyed, but all easily bought off).

Having played with China, I've always hit my GA early with a few timely military victories, however I'm unsure of how to trigger one with France. My opponents have all beat me to some key Industrial or Commercial wonders so far. Is that what it's going to take to get my GA or is it within the realm of possibility that I hit the GA some other way?

Any French experts out there?

 

[Justus II]

PRIMEMOVER, if you are playing PTW the Internet will trigger a GA for any civ.

 

[PRIMEMOVER]

I'm playing vanilla civ if that makes any difference.

My question is whether I need to get an industrial or commercial based wonder to trigger it and is it possible that I may never hit a GA?