How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

I keep seeing this in the forums, but I don't recall reading anything about it in the manual (which I've read a couple of times). Am I missing something?

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

If the forums and the manual disagree, the manual is wrong. Check the FAQ at the top of this forum, it has the numbers right there.

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

to answer your question, growth has no direct effect on old age. what growth does is reduce the chance of your commanders getting afflictions caused by old age. death magic has the same effect(so death mages are more resistant to old age than other mages) and fire magic has the opposite effect(as in higher chance of old age related afflictions).

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

Would you mind copying and pasting them into the thread, because I sure don't see them? I'm looking under "Afflictions" in the FAQ, and it shows how old age causes diseases (I understand this) but doesn't say anything about the Growth scale affecting old age.

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

I didn't see it either. There's a section on the effects of magic paths on max age, but not on scales. Doesn't even give the decreased chance of afflictions (or is it only of disease) from Death magic.

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

Okay, I'm sorry, I misread the question initially and thought you were asking about nature paths for some reason. In that case I can't say as I know the exact mechanic, except that the difference in winter affliction chance is very significant and noticeable.

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

I remembered the answer being in the FAQ sticky too, but that seemed to be misremembered. In fact, a thread with some serious old-age testing is stickied in the strategy index instead: http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=32125 This should answer all questions you might have about the subject.

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

I think you are slightly wrong about fire magic here. Fire magic directly decreases your maxage, it will cause your mages to get more afflictions simply because they grow old faster. But I don't think fire magic in itself affects the chance of afflictions the way death magic does. Nature has the opposite effect of fire, it increases maxage. So for example a F2N2 mage will have no affect on age at all, while a D2F2 mage will have decreased maxage and be relatively older, but also a lower chance of afflictions from the death magic.

Re: How does Growth scale affect old age?
 

Actually, an F2N2 mage will have a longer lifespan than average. This is because nature increase old age level with 25% and fire only decreases it with 5%. This make sense if you think about it. Otherwise a level 4 fire mage would fall over dead the moment its recruited. (max age - 100%) In reality, it will only get -20% age so a single path in nature would be enough to get it to zero. 1*.8*1.25=1