Advanced Game Setup - "World Age" ?

What does the "world age" setting do in the advanced setup from game setup screen?

[Lord Igor]

It has to do with the arrangement of tiles. I'm not exactly sure how it was, but it's something like younger worlds being rougher and more random, whilst older worlds having terrain more grouped by type and by region. It's not in the manual, maybe a tooltip explains for certain?

Originally Posted by Lord Igor

It has to do with the arrangement of tiles. I'm not exactly sure how it was, but it's something like younger worlds being rougher and more random, whilst older worlds having terrain more grouped by type and by region. It's not in the manual, maybe a tooltip explains for certain?

I 've just read on gamespot that civ 4 world age indeed meaned that terrain was different :
younger - more rocky/barrens
Older - more forest/jungle

Not any info about this. not in the manual nor in the civilopedia.

[shivars]

Actually this option was in the first Civ and its effects were much easier to see; because it showed a preview of some land in a window next to it.

Assuming the behaviour is the same (I've not fiddled with it, or checked the manual), then yes an older world is flatter with less mountains. Younger is more jagged and rough. I used to like older worlds because there would be less impassable terrain. Now I'm older I'm almost going the other way because of the strategic difference impassable terrain makes.

[lyravega]

Mountains and such. New world has much more mountains and hills, old world has more plains.

I love the 3 billion years old world. It's both easier top defend with forts and all, and harder to attack, with forts and all.