How many Golden Ages?

[sabo]

How many Golden Ages has anyone been able to get? With a Philosopfical civ I was able to pull off four. I suppose with Phil. and the Taj Mahal, and the Parthenon someone could score pretty good.

What's your record?

 

[Brian Boru]

I've gotten six regularly when pursuing a Golden Age strategy in a game, usually allied to a Wonder and Religion push. Usually go that route if I target and get the Mausoleum.

The Parthenon, Taj, Music, Economics and Communism [maybe Fusion] become priority targets, Caste and Pacifism get a longer roll and Mercantilism looks nice until State Property. This approach is usually a Production Economy with lots of Workshops, none or few cottages or farms.

Philosophical or Industrial suit this approach, Expansive is good for the extra health for early industrialization, and of course Financial will also do nicely. Problem is to survive the early game, this won't work at higher levels in bad neighborhoods.

I've never pursued a GA record, so I assume seven should be doable if you push for it. Get a nice site for the National Park & preserves and you could still be spitting out specialists in the Modern Age. Then a bit of luck re the mix should see you home.

 

[mica8911]

I usually shoot for 3 GP induced GA's and the Mausoleum which turns that into 4.5 GA's. Go for the Taj of course turning it into 6. Almost 10 % of ur turns are golden. I just love the Mausoleum and I get it almost every time. Most GA's I ever got was 5 though.

 

[binhthuy71]

It's very unusual for me to have more than two GA's. The last time it happened was when I received the Marathon random event for a free GA. Most games I only have one or even none because I either settle my GP's or use them for bulbing. The Taj Mahal is neat but I rarely try to build it unless I'm Ind and I have marble. It's rather expensive and it usually comes at a time when the hammers are needed more for other things.

 

[Navarre]

Six for sure, maybe seven. I have sometimes 5 GP GA, quite often the Taj if I go for it, and the Sport League quest isn't rare. The SoZ is one of the few wonders I try to build almost every time on my way to Literature and the GL, I like to have it no matter what kind of game I play. It's good for a warmonger, and good for not being dragged in too long wars if you're going peacemonger.

In most games it ranges from 2 to 4 GA, if I don't go with a GP heavy strategy.

 

[GravityWave]

In most games it ranges from 2 to 4 GA, if I don't go with a GP heavy strategy.

I can never bring myself to sacrifice so many GPs, I just don't think the benefits of the GA is worth it. The only time I really use a GA is if I need to change civics urgently, or have popped a GS I can find no use for (in which case I'll use it for a change of civics).

 

[Navarre]

I always have GP I didn't expect and have no use for (Great Artists from the wonders usually), or so many Great Scientists that one more or less won't change anything, and you can have free GP from beelining some techs (Music, Economics, Physics, Communism, Fusion...). A short but powerful boost can make a bigger difference than a long-term slight advantage if used at the right time.

 

[TheLazyHase]

I can never bring myself to sacrifice so many GPs, I just don't think the benefits of the GA is worth it. The only time I really use a GA is if I need to change civics urgently, or have popped a GS I can find no use for (in which case I'll use it for a change of civics).

Then, in my humble opinion, you most likely should either bulb less, or pay more attention to your GP generation. Settling also is not exactly the better way ; in all the early game it's pretty good, but once lib is here, usually you should stop bulbing and stop settling, in my opinion (bare some exceptions)

(for bulbing, I am somewhat conservative, and I bulb if and only if I have an immediate plan to make the best of it : either trading it, trying to get a wonder, or gaining an huge economical advantage. Bulbing half of printing press don't qualify for example. Bulbing machinery don't qualify, except maybe for special plans liketrying to get steel with lib. Etc, I suppose you can see the trend)

 

[binhthuy71]

The thread Delayed Caste System outlines an interesting and very effective strategy for maximizing the benefits of a Golden Age. It's well worth a read.
To summarize; use a mid-game Golden Age to switch to Caste System and Pacifism with no anarchy then max out on specialists in your GP farm(s). Run as many specialists as possible while keeping pop only on high food tiles. Because you're only going to run this way for the duration of the GA your GP farm cities won't starve down. Meanwhile, you're pumping out GPP like crazy. Make the anarchy-free switch back to your preferred civics one turn before your GA ends and then re-assign pop as necessary.
The thread goes into more detail about preparing for a GA push. I've tried the strategy and it works. Needless to say, if you have a Phi leader and the Parthenon (You already have the National Epic built, right?) you'll get enough GP to give you a substantial boost.

 

[AlphaShard]

I've only done two once with Taj Mahal and then using the Spy from Facisim.

 

[sabo]

It's very unusual for me to have more than two GA's. The last time it happened was when I received the Marathon random event for a free GA..

I forgot about the marathon GA, that's only happened to me twice in the 4 years I've been playing IV.

 

[Brian Boru]

Btw no one's mentioned that you get extra GPP during a GA.

I either settle my GP's or use them for bulbing. The Taj Mahal is neat but ... the hammers are needed more for other things.

I do the same with my GPs, until settling and bulbing becomes less attractive. Rough guide is the Economics GMerch is the first GP I'll hold for GA [and the Music GArt, if I got him]. Taj is almost always my first GA, with second at an early Assembly Line.

A short but powerful boost can make a bigger difference than a long-term slight advantage if used at the right time.

That's the key when I'm pursuing the GA strat. Ideally I'll have the Mausoleum, have bulbed Christianity and got Nationalism early via Islam. So my Taj GA is going to build my Universities and Banks, which is the reverse of most peoples' approach I imagine. Essentially, that's the game winner, the comparitive boost is huge. [Monarch level--would be tough to pull off at higher imo]

You already have the National Epic built, right?

Usually not--dontcha love all the ways to skin a cat in CIV? I usually want my GP boost for GAs after I've industrialized, that way, the extra GA hammers are being maxed out. So Nat Epic gets deployed around then.