When does the epoch change?

[hong]

Possibly a newb question, but how does the game determine when you enter the Classical era, Renaissance, Industrial etc? Is it a matter of having the right techs?

 

[holy king]

yeah, it changes when you get your first tech of that era

 

[Civ4rulesTH]

So basically sometimes you discover a classical tech and enter classical era and then if you build The Oracle in the same turn and get a medieval tech you are in the medieval area within the same year

 

[wkndwrrr]

So basically sometimes you discover a classical tech and enter classical era and then if you build The Oracle in the same turn and get a medieval tech you are in the medieval area within the same year

Yes. I have done that more than once actually.

For Example, researching any one of these before the others in its same list will move you into the epoc that it is connected with


Starter Classical Techs:
Iron Working
Metal Casting
Monarchy
Literature
Alphabet
Drama
Math

Starter Medieval Techs:
Machinery
Theology
Civil Service
Feudalism
Philosophy
Music

Starter Rennaisance Techs:
Printing Press
Gunpowder
Education
Liberalism
Nationalism
Military Tradition


Assuming you bought a normal copy of the game, all the starter techs are listed as the first row of techs for each epoc on the tech tree poster that came with the game, as well as in the Civilopedia and in-game progress tree.

 

[hong]

Thanks for the list! My copy of Civ came bundled with the video card, so the manual is in pdf form. Not very convenient for browsing away from the computer.

 

[Older than Dirt]

Is there any significance to the changing of eras, except to warn you of the change in music?

 

[Mewtarthio]

The techs in each successive epoch are significantly more costly (note that this only applies to the techs of the latest epoch: The techs in previous epochs do not become more expensive). Also, advancing through the epochs updates the look of your cities. Lastly, playing a custom game and starting in a later era gives you all the techs from any epoch before that (starting in the Future Era gives you every tech in the game and starts you at Future Tech 0).