Originally posted by Pariah
Hey, it's only a simulated world, and a crude one at that! But you've got a point: ecological concerns, and the rights of wildlife, are a massive concern in today's governmental decision-making.
I'm hoping that in Civilization IV, and other future games of the type, environmental issues will be a bigger factor - more than just pollution reducing productivity or the threat of global warming. Maybe destroying a forest or jungle will produce extra unhappiness, and there could be Environmental Advisor (even if only in the Modern Age). Unmodified, highly biodiverse terrain close to Modern cities might even gain trade value through ecotourism, just as one can profit from building Nature Preserves in Call to Power II.
I think the ideal virtual-world game would have dynamic populations of animals as well as cities and armies. Check out my SimEarth thread on the "All Other Games" forum: there's a game where maintaining biodiversity on a civilized, hi-tech planet was one of the real challenges.
