What does the "World Age" option do?

[WhiskeyWerewolf]

I have over 600 hours now, but never even tried changing it.

What does it do?

[Damsteri]

Each and every map script can handle world age parameter differently, so it can differ from map to map. Basic idea is that world age defines how much there are hills and mountains in the map.

Example from Fractal map type:
World age changes amount of tectonic plates. 4 billion years is the default, while old 5 billion years old map has 75% amount of tectonic plates and new 3 billion years old map has 150% amount of tectonic plates. More tectonic plates mean more seams between tectonic plates and those areas has more hills/mountains. This means that the young world has more mountains and hills than the old world.

[WhiskeyWerewolf]

So basically, more hills and mountains. Thank you.

[hopsblues]

Why are there more hils and mountains in the past? Eg. i live in the rockies and they're growing a little each year. same as himalayas. A side note, why isn't everest on the list of natural wonders?

[hopsblues]

Do the hills fade in time as a game progresses? I've never noticed.

[WhiskeyWerewolf]

Originally posted by hopsblues:

Do the hills fade in time as a game progresses? I've never noticed.

They don't in-game. The game is usually like 4000 years, that's not very much compared to the billion it takes to change it in the options.

[hopsblues]

so what exactly does this mean? So if i start with 5 billion start i'll have more mountains? Don't they have more time to erode? I've always been curious about this. So do maps with 5B starts have more hills and less mountains vs 3B starts? 3B starts should have more mountains? since there's less time to wear them down? Think appallachias*

[hopsblues]

Appalachias* vs Rockies. Rockies are newer, therefore bigger and such. Apps are an older range, once were rocky-ish.

[Damsteri]

We might be thinking this too deeply. Developer has just chosen something and it's how it works. Yeah, really world age affects mountain sizes, but there is no such thing in the game. Mountains erode during billions of years, but the game just has one mountain type (one height), and world age is used for amount of hills and mountains instead of their height/size.

I read that the world age affecting tectonic plates is Civ III thing actually, while Civ IV used different mechanism. But I don't have more information about it.

[joshuacolyn]

I also think World Age determines how much of certain resources, mainly strategic, there will be. Younger earth may have less Oil and Uranium and more Horses and coal, while an older world would be vice versa

[Whales]

3bill=most mountains and hills
4bill=normal
5bill=more flat

Nothing else

[The Geologist]

I think the general idea is that when the earth was younger the mantle was hotter and continental drift happened faster, and therefor mountains could rise higher before succumbing to erosion.

[druby]

Originally posted by hopsblues:

Appalachias* vs Rockies. Rockies are newer, therefore bigger and such. Apps are an older range, once were rocky-ish.

No the old earth has more tectonic plates and tectonic plates hitting together is what makes mountains and hills so the older world with more tectonic plates would have more hills and mountains

[El Presidente]

Originally posted by King Of Whales:

3bill=most mountains and hills
4bill=normal
5bill=more flat

Nothing else

Ahh, So flat earthes must be Civ 5 players. That explains a lot.