In Civ4 the developers should push the tech tree beyond where it goes now (yes, I know many of you never get to the modern age, but some of us, namely the builders do, or at least I do ;)). It would be really neat to be able to have them speculate on realistic advances in the military and civil world like the internet 2 linkup building or something like that (or nailing AI spearman with TIE fighters :D).

This has been debated back and forth for quite some time now, and I think the concensus (in Firaxis at least) is that Civilization is more of an 'historical' game than one that tries to have flashy sci-fi units. However, the modders have already made tons of new units for Civ3, and will doubtlessly create far more for Civ4.

I wouldn't mind a slight peak into the near future techs (things that are or may be under development today.

But I don't think I would like them jumping ahead into Scifi town.

I used to be a proponent of the "future age" idea, but I've been convinced that is more appropriate for SMAC 2 than it is for Civilization games.

This wouldn't be needed so much if the "modern age" didn't focus almost entirely on the research and then building of spaceship parts. How many times do you actually find yourself building the SDI small wonder unless you actually try by making it a goal?

I always liked the more advanced techs in CTP. Not so much the space cities, but I loved the underwater cities.

Just leave it as it is. I never liked the idea of someone else imposing his idea of the future on me. Too arbitrary. Since the game is placed in a "real world" setting, make sure that the in-game effects have some "real world" precedence to back them up.

I always believe there should be the fifth age (Robotic Age) for civIII, like the Nano or Space age for EE.

Just leave it as it is. I never liked the idea of someone else imposing his idea of the future on me. Too arbitrary.

If go based on that premise then, your saying we are ready to launch to Alpha Centauri right now. Cause we (USA) have all the required techs. But I think we are a looong way from that. I'm sure there is a whole new era of technology between our reality and traveling to another planet. That should be represented if the spaceship is a victory condition.

I think the game goes far enough, anyway, who here gets to modern era?

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CTP had a nice progression to sea and then space with it's fuzzy layer and capsule dropping and shuttle and swarm attacks. They could take it to space if they just went as far as that fuzzy layer and space shuttles and sattelites -simply the modern age. Also more realistic and historical then "The Space Rocket to the Stars" thing they seem hell bent on keeping - a victory condition i never use because it is to far fetched for me... ( And i bet the U.S has some kind of space fighter ...it would just be logical as a weapon to shoot down enemy communication- unless a missle is more efficient...)

EE's nano age was kind of goofy as I recall. I seem to remember women in skin tight suits with lightsabers and some akward robot things :rolleyes:

That stuff is fun for movies and such, but come on :lol:

well I'd say changing it from a flight to Alpha Centauri to establishing a Mars (or even Moon) colony would make it more realistic, since that is Definitely something we could look at doing with current technology. (and still fullfills the requirement of 'escaping the map')..although some would need quite a bit of refining. I also thought they should focus more on space warfare, and other things that aren't future but are things we Could have done by now (if the US and USSR hadn't signed certain treaties for example)

Who cares about treaties? All we auto-destructive humans will be dead by soon!

My general policy on future tech is that anything that doesn't seem likely to be developed within the next twenty years to quarter century should be excluded. This, of course, rules out the rocket to Alpha Centauri (although not necessarily the one to Mars), as well (probably) as SDI and 'the Cure for Cancer' (which, when you think about it, is kind of a strange wonder since cancer is not a single disease).

What I'm saying is that they should go as far as scientists can reasonably predict. To have something like SMAC's weapon satilites would make scientific sense and would add an interesting part to the game once balenced correctly. 'the Cure for Cancer' (which, when you think about it, is kind of a strange wonder since cancer is not a single disease).Actually Scientists theorize that there may be something like a cure for cancer, and, actually, there is, it just causes massive collateral damage. (sorry, I forget the specfic name right now, but it does work)

I think the game goes far enough, anyway, who here gets to modern era?

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I got to the modern era...before i got wipped out wth nukes but i made it for like 10-15 turns

EE's nano age was kind of goofy as I recall. I seem to remember women in skin tight suits with lightsabers and some akward robot things :rolleyes:

That stuff is fun for movies and such, but come on :lol:

Don't forget about the Russian cyborg with a somewhat disturbing tendancy to caress his tentacle, the time travel, and the guy who names a giant war robot as his heir.

I think the game goes far enough, anyway, who here gets to modern era?

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I typically am researching or preparing to research Smart Weapons by the time I win (Space Race addict here)

In any case I support the concept of future and scifi mods and scenarios, but not in the game itself. Personally, I would get a kick out of being a System Lord (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Lord). And then winning by Diplomacy.

Err... Fusion is NOT a future technology?

The only type of Fusion humans can create is a Fusion Bomb(AKA, Hydrogen Bomb, AKA, Thermonuclear Bomb, AKA, Nuclear Bomb(althought that last one is more general of a term)) Controlled fusion(as in fusion that creates energy in the form of electricity), although somewhat experimental, has not been achieved yet.

Err... Fusion is NOT a future technology?

The only type of Fusion humans can create is a Fusion Bomb(AKA, Hydrogen Bomb, AKA, Thermonuclear Bomb, AKA, Nuclear Bomb(althought that last one is more general of a term)) Controlled fusion(as in fusion that creates energy in the form of electricity), although somewhat experimental, has not been achieved yet.Actually, they can create it, and it does produce electricity, but it takes in more energy than it produces (if I read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fusion_experiments right)

I dislike the idea of a "future" age. I don't mind 30-50 years in the future (like SDI, and Alpha Centauri spaceship) but it seems to me that when you start to go into the future, you get these crazy techs like in CTP.

Forcefiels over all your cities making them nearly invicible?

A device that COMPLETELy wipes a city and all improvements out? (The Gaia Bomb)

A device that removes all nukes from the world?

Removes all pollution?

At the end, CTP just became a wonder race to get all these (and other) uber wonders. If the game isn't long enough, increase the length of one of the other eras, don't create this silly future age.

I dislike the idea of a "future" age. I don't mind 30-50 years in the future (like SDI, and Alpha Centauri spaceship) but it seems to me that when you start to go into the future, you get these crazy techs like in CTP. I'm not saying go wild with it (ie nano age), but I'm saying take the predicted path and use that. This is could give you stuff like a wonder "moon base" that could be a research station, giving you +10 % on total research amount, with the addition of a -10% on hammers for the space ship to alpha centauri due to assembling in space, all of which would happen in real life. I'm also saying that the game designers are not pushing the possibilities of the modern "age" as they are the other ones (since when does the effiel tower do anything other than tourism?), yes I know they want a proper balence, but still...

Flesh out the industrial and modern ages more before any talk of near future stuff, but besides that I agree with you as long as they don't go overboard with it. That is what mods are for. ;)

I always liked the more advanced techs in CTP. Not so much the space cities, but I loved the underwater cities.

I always loved the way the landscape changed in CTP. I would like Civ4 to evolve that way.