Why is AD & BC the standard and not Turn X?

[Bibor]

So many times when I read a strategy post in this forum, units of time (turns) are expressed in AD and BC. This is so confusing, especially if different game speeds are in play.

I don't know what turn is 2000 BC, I don't know what turn is 500 AD.
And it's a different turn on normal, epic and marathon.
1 turn also doesn't correspond to 1 year, and it's not even linear.
I have a hard time grasping how much time passed between two periods.

I mean, I understand posts like "BC space launch", because what it says is "an unbelieveably early space launch" in a descriptive way, but wouldn't it be better if we had Tx as the standard, tradition be damned?

 

[sampsa]

Yes, the scaling on normal speed in AD years still confuses me after playing the game for +10 years. I know 1AD is T115. 500AD seems to be T135 and 1000AD T160, but I didn't know those by heart. Not to mention that different game speed are incomparable... 1AD in marathon is way different to 1AD normal speed (not sure if 1AD even exists on marathon though ). So I fully agree with your suggestion.

 

[krikav]

I like the years for historical flavour, it helps with the RP.

However, when I write on the forums, I try to stick to T115, T70 etc.

 

[elmurcis]

I do like years for some basic keypoints of feeling strong/weak game stuff although can use turns same time too (like 2000 BC/T150 for GLH, 1000 BC/T250 for Currency, 1 AD/T351 for CS or something like that).

 

[plasmacannon]

I do like years for some basic keypoints of feeling strong/weak game stuff although can use turns same time too (like 2000 BC/T150 for GLH, 1000 BC/T250 for Currency, 1 AD/T351 for CS or something like that).

Exactly! Use both Year & Turn and add the game speed.

 

[Imploding]

I wondered the same never really seemed to understand what year I was in or if my timing was good or late. Especially in the lat BC early AD era.
I made this comparison with the help from the forum a couple of years back! The game time is Standard.

Keep in mind depending on what era you are in.. the year timer progresses differently

 

[krikav]

@Imploding Thank you soo much.
Will print that one and put it on the wall!

 

[ArchGhost]

I don't know what turn is 2000 BC, I don't know what turn is 500 AD.
And it's a different turn on normal, epic and marathon.
1 turn also doesn't correspond to 1 year, and it's not even linear.
I have a hard time grasping how much time passed between two periods.

I used BUG mod to change the in-game clock so it alternates showing Turn/Date to help me learn this slowly through exposure. Also with a % completion metric (i.e. T250 = 50%) Might try it and see if it helps.

I find using dates as benchmarks is harder to make meaningful association, both in general and because of the idosyncratic way the date increments. I always refer to the turn in my head when judging progress in games.

That only holds up as long as you always play the same speed though. Using dates for reference is at least the same across the board whether you play Marathon or Quick, and lets you really see the differences the speed itself has on the mechanics of the game. A cuir war might wrap up nearly 1000 years earlier on Marathon compared to Normal, for instance.

 

[Bibor]

Fun fact: There's 1 BC, followed by year zero, followed by 1 AD. Thank the astronomers for fixing it for us

 

[Fippy]

Early game i never think in BC, much easier setting my goals in turns there.
Later AD became standard for us, i.e. for the deity Iso workshop where ~200AD was a good Optics date and so on