Triggering the Golden Age

[Loaf Warden]

A Golden Age is a time of unparalleled happiness and prosperity in a nation's history. Obviously every nation is going to define its own Golden Age based on the things that it, as a society, values most. For example, while the Greek victory at Salamis was one of the most important battles in the history of western civilization, it's not what Greeks think of when they speak of their own Golden Age. To the Greeks, the "Golden Age" means Plato and Pericles, not Salamis or even Alexander.

That's why I think that in Civ IV, the GA should be triggered based on what your civ's traits are. Each trait would have its own GA triggers. The UU victory GA would only be available to Militaristic civs. It just doesn't make sense to me that victory in combat by the UU would make a Commercial and Scientific civ think of itself as having entered a time of unparalleled happiness and prosperity.

I don't know what each trait's GA triggers would be, but I have a couple of ideas. Militaristic civs might get a GA if they conquer a sufficiently powerful rival. Scientific civs might get a GA if they get a large enough tech lead over the other civs. Similarly, a Commercial civ might get a GA if they get a large enough monetary lead over the other civs. Just a few possibilities. And of course the Wonder-based GAs would still be available.

 

[Mgoering]

It's already the case ! Golden Age apears depending on your civ's UU. For example, US. When you build he Colusus, you're in Golden Age, as the Americans are commercial.

 

[Loaf Warden]

It's already the case ! Golden Age apears depending on your civ's UU.

Yes, and I was objecting to that being the case for non-Militaristic civs. My argument was that the UU should only be a possible trigger if the civ is Militaristic.

For example, US. When you build he Colusus, you're in Golden Age, as the Americans are commercial.

I think you'll find that I've already acknowledged that. But building a Wonder is not the only way to start a GA, and I was suggesting that all the GA triggers should be based on the civ's traits. So the UU-triggered GA would be removed for all civs except the Militaristic ones, and new triggers would be found to correspond with the other traits.

 

[Commander Bello]

I second your suggestion, Loaf Warden.

 

[Loaf Warden]

Bumpity bumpity bumpity . . .

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I've been thinking about this idea again lately. Does no one else have any comments? Objections? Additions? Suggestions for reasonable triggers for various traits?

 

[Mewtarthio]

Expansionist: Uncover a certain percentage of the map
Commercial: Gain a certain amount of Commercial production (commerce added by running Wealth also counts towards this)
Scientific: Research a certain number of techs within a limited amount of time.
Industrial: Build a certain number of Wonders
Religious: Get a certain public approval rating (obviously, you'd need to reach a minimum number of cities and average population first)
Militaristic: UU victory
Agricultural: Reach a certain population with some food still left over
Seafaring: I'm not too certain about this one. I would say "Discover a new continent," but that's a bit too easy to do in the world of Civilization.

These are just some ideas.

 

[dylanhatesyou]

Seafaring: I'm not too certain about this one. I would say "Discover a new continent," but that's a bit too easy to do in the world of Civilization.

These are just some ideas.

How about circumnavigation?

 

[Loaf Warden]

How about circumnavigation?

You just beat me to it. I was about to say that a good one for Seafaring civs would be that if they're the first to have gone all the way around the world (or maybe if they just do it without necessarily being the first), then they can get the GA. I don't think it would need to be the same ship, either. I think it would suffice to just have it so that the farthest point you've travelled to the east and the farthest point you've travelled to the west overlap. That way you have the maps to 'prove' the world is round. I think that would be a great one for Seafaring civs.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Discovering a continent also might be a LOT more difficult in the civ world if early naval units become even MORE restricted to coastal and sea waters (i.e., by making oceans impassable to ALL units prior to Caravel and/or imposing strict Operational Ranges on early naval vessels!) All the same, though, I agree that Circumnavigation should be one way of generating a golden age for a Seafaring civ. Another one might be winning a combat, at sea, with a naval UU!
EDIT:BTW, perhaps religious civs could achieve a Golden Age if their Total Culture Value exceeds a certain threshold!
The great thing about these ideas IMHO, is that it would allow for a civ to achieve multiple Golden Ages, at different periods of History, according to their civ traits.
For instance, a Commercial and Militaristic civ might enter a golden age when their UU unit wins a battle in the Ancient Age. Later, during the late middle ages, they become commercially successful, thus triggering a second golden age. Of course, they might also achieve a THIRD golden age if they are able to build wonders appropriate to their characteristics!


Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[rcoutme]

I think that the idea, in principle, is good. I think that the proposals here are not good. There are too many proposals that require that the GA civ be in the lead at something! If only the first civ to circumnavigate gets a golden age then what happens to the rest? Oh well, you were one turn too long, tough luck never getting a golden age!!

Militaristic civs get a golden age if their UU wins a combat??!!! How much easier is that than being the first to circumnavigate the globe? Not only that, but commercial must get xyz cash, agricultural have a certain excess of food???!!!! Again, these are too dependant on the lay of the map.

If militaristic civs get a golden age by defeating a player unit in battle, then the other golden ages need to have a similarly easy, yet controlable method to achieve golden ages.

Thus, a seafaring nation could achieve a golden age by winning a sea battle against a rival. A commercial civ would be able to achieve a golden age by getting a certain number of trades with other nations (not necessarily all at once). An expansionist civ would probably need to build a great wonder or achieve a certain quantity of land/cities. An agricultural civ would need to have irrigated a certain number of tiles. An industrious civ would need to mine a certain number of tiles.

These are obtainable, yet controllable, means of getting golden ages. Most civilizations can claim to have had golden ages. Not all of them were the leaders at the times that these occured.

 

[Loaf Warden]

Thus, a seafaring nation could achieve a golden age by winning a sea battle against a rival.

I still see that as a Militaristic thing. I think of Seafaring as being the civs that are the great mariners and navigators. The civs that go out on the high seas and sail to new lands. Not just, "We like war too, but we do it on the water!"

But you do have a point about making it too difficult to get the GA. It's not all that hard to circumnavigate the globe, really. Especially if you're already Seafaring, so your ships move faster anyway. I still like the circumnavigation as the Seafaring method of getting the GA, but you're right that there's no reason it should be restricted to the first civ to do it.

 

[sealman]

Bumpity bumpity bumpity . . .

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I've been thinking about this idea again lately. Does no one else have any comments? Objections? Additions? Suggestions for reasonable triggers for various traits?

I agree with you and have modded my games so that UU's do not start golden ages. I also always thought I was the only one who thought this so never commented on it.