Golden Ages

[Berzerker]

Playing the Aztecs - a religious and militaristic civilization - I built the Sistine Chapel and Sun Tzu one turn apart. According to the civilopedia, this combination of wonders - one a military wonder and the other, a religious wonder - should have triggered a Golden Age. But it didn't. Is this because I had a Golden Age early in the game when one of special units, the Jaguar Warrior, defeated an ai unit/city? Are we allowed only one Golden Age per game?

If so, is it better to trigger the Golden Age early in the game or later? I sure wish I hadn't had my Golden Age earlier since the production boost when I built the two wonders would have accelerated the building of other wonders I had going as well as more costly improvements. Whereas the boost would be helpful early on for faster expansion and troop production given there just aren't many improvements to build.

Thoughts?

[DaveV]

One golden age per civ per game, whether it's triggered by wonder or special-unit victory.

As for timing of golden age: you lose a lot of the GA effect under despotism, but it still gives a boost in shields and commerce in certain squares (all together now: roads and mines on grassland squares!). If you have a big early advantage (jaguar warriors), it's a waste not to build them and use them. If you trigger a very early golden age, the extra few shields will help you build more jaguars at a time in the game when each unit is significant, and the extra commerce may actually let you research something faster than the AIs.

[Arrian]

I agree with Dave's points, but my personal favorite time for a golden age is the middle ages. There are a TON of really important wonders in the middle ages, and a golden age gives you a huge edge in researching the tech needed to build them, and then actually building them (I'm assuming using republic as your gov't). Obviously, the later in the game your golden age occurs, the stronger it is. However, if you don't have your golden age until modern times, you're probably not doing well (you would have triggered it via wonders if you were).

-Arrian

[Bandit65]

Last three games, My GOlden Age has really meant the difference between winning, and Losing very badly!

Is there a chart somewhere with each civ, and the wonder it can build to prompt a Golden age?

I have only gotten golden age with wonder building, rather than a Siv Specific unit winning a battle.

Now I try to time the completion of the wonder, thus starting the Golden age, at just the right time, in order to maximize the value of it.

Once, I had all my cities with everything built, and running wealth, and got the golden age, and though it was helpful, it was not nearly as helpful as when I had lots to do during those twenty years....

Get the cities structures built, get wonders built, get units built, and really leapfrog over the other civs.

Golden Age is a very important part, and if used strategically, can really alow you to 'strategize' your game.

[Aqualung]

ONE golden age seems lame. But oh well...

That makes post-expansion special units (UU's as you seem to call them here) very important. By post-expansion, I mean "after you've built all the cities you want to build". For me, this is Ancient or Middle Age. Then you build your UU's, and an enemy declares war. Win one battle with them, and you get a Golden Age. Very usefull in developing your cities. Like this last game. Persians attacked, Impi won, Golden Age. Cut in half the time my Forbidden Palace needed. Zimbabwe had 42 shields, whipped off cathedral and colloseum, now I'm halfway finished with Sistine Chapel.

Doesn't matter when it ends. With Zimbabwe all set up with improvements, and Forbidden Palace in Bulawayo, my empire is good-to-go. Even at normal (Monarchy) production, I've got 5 12-pop cities that I can devote to Wonders, and a whole slew of others that can crank out the military as much as I need to attack... and more than I need to defend.

[Skanky Burns]

Golden Ages are useful, and generally are best around the middle ages. However with units like the JWs, the GA doesnt even enter the equation. Using JWs to carve out a larger empire for yourself early in the game far outweighs and effects a later golden age could have on your civ.

[DrSpike]

I think the best window for GA is as soon as you hit republic. As Dave said too much is lost under despotism, so much so that if your UU isn't critical to early game wars it is probably best not to use it. A midgame GA helps with some more expensive infrastructure and some of the better wonders.

[Berzerker]

I'd have to agree with saving the GA for later when wonders and costly improvements are being built. Early on small cities are limited as to how many settlers can be built. Does simply a victory with a special unit trigger the GA or does it have to be taking or destroying a town?
I love them jaguar warriors or their equal counterparts in other civs, scouts die when triggering barbs but the jags can usually withstand their attacks and often get elite status to hunt down an ai town guarded by a reg warrior.

[Skanky Burns]

You get a golden age when your unique unit wins combat against another civ. It doesnt matter if you attack them, they attack you, whatever, as long as your unit wins that fight.

An early GA can be useful to snag a wonder or two from the AI before they build them, but only really below Monarch. Above that, even a GA wont allow you to out-produce the AI.

I agree Jaguar Warriors rock. Just be careful when starting near the Zulus. The worst starting position for the Aztecs. The Zulus manage to knock the momentum out of your attack by having 2-movement defenders which prevent your JWs from retreating. Still winable, but harder to do.

[Ecthy]

Now it would be fun if one could remove that one golden age per civ and game thing.... just imagine!

me playing as germans... after building sun tzu and great library, or leo's and newton's, I'd get a golden age. and then, after beating another civ with panzer units, I'd get another one

oh goody!