Compendium of Fake Tech and Wonder Quotes

[CaiusDrewart]

The quotes are all passive aggressive, aren't they?

They should be changed immediately.

Right? Even setting aside the historical accuracy issues, a huge number of these tech quotes (at least, of the ones that aren't throwaway jokes) are basically saying, "this invention actually sucks." Based on the tech quotes you would get the impression that efforts to improve human lives through technology or culture are just a waste of time. Which is a very strange perspective for a Civ game to take.

I also agree with the people suggesting that it would be nice to have a woman do the tech quotes sometime in the future. Hopefully we'll see that for Civ 7.

 

[Stilgar08]

This topic completely changed how I feel about the tech quotes. I knew there was something wrong with most of them but this has pretty much convinced me to turn off narration. Poor Sean bean

No don't let this happen to you! First of all, It's not as bad as the OP tries to paint it here! I agree about the necessity of accuracy but a lot of the quotes are accurate or there's no true evidence they are not. @CaiusDrewart : Yes I read your list of inappropriate quotes and even visited some of your linked info there. Facts are sometimes hard to get...

"Don't reinvent the wheel, just realign it." — That's an absurd quote to use for one of the most important inventions/discoveries in human history. It seems almost like Firaxis is trying to be offensive with some of these choices.

Why? I actually like it.

Right? Even setting aside the historical accuracy issues, a huge number of these tech quotes (at least, of the ones that aren't throwaway jokes) are basically saying, "this invention actually sucks." Based on the tech quotes you would get the impression that efforts to improve human lives through technology or culture are just a waste of time. Which is a very strange perspective for a Civ game to take.

I strongly disagree with this. The whole game tries to be more "lighthearted", lifting the spirit, making civ more "colourful". IMO that's one of the reasons it had to struggle with the cartoony-assaults (wrong) before release or the assumptions of being shallow (wrong - needs improvement, but the already introduced mechanics and interdependencies are really strong).

They try the same with the quotes - They are basically trying to entertain rather than educate. And to me I like a lot of the quotes and they reach their goal. And you have to take into account personal taste of course (the air conditioning -Early Empire is lame and not entertaining to me. Monty Python is absolutely classy (!) - and it's the quote for MONARCHY - I love it! )

Accusing them of "looking down on inventions and progress" is just far over the top. Again: True mistakes should get polished, as I said but we shouldn't go on a rampage because of this...

Next time (CiVII) maybe this would be a sufficient source:
www.definitelyrealquotes.com/

(I've seen it on TV so it HAS to be true!)

Spoiler for further lighthearted thoughts about quotes :

Interestingly enough even on a completely other level of social interaction quotes are misused nowadays, which is far worse than in CiVI IMO...

 

[CaiusDrewart]

I strongly disagree with this. The whole game tries to be more "lighthearted", lifting the spirit, making civ more "colourful". IMO that's one of the reasons it had to struggle with the cartoony-assaults (wrong) before release or the assumptions of being shallow (wrong - needs improvement, but the already introduced mechanics and interdependencies are really strong).

They try the same with the quotes - They are basically trying to entertain rather than educate. And to me I like a lot of the quotes and they reach their goal. And you have to take into account personal taste of course (the air conditioning -Early Empire is lame and not entertaining to me. Monty Python is absolutely classy (!) - and it's the quote for MONARCHY - I love it! )

Accusing them of "looking down on inventions and progress" is just far over the top. Again: True mistakes should get polished, as I said but we shouldn't go on a rampage because of this...[/SPOILER]

I know the irreverent tone really works for some people, and that's great! I much preferred the more serious and high-minded style of earlier Civ games, but this is a matter of taste. I'm glad you (and many other players) get a kick out of some of Firaxis's comedy. It doesn't do it for me, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

I don't think, however, that accusing the quotes of being down on progress is false. Look at the tech quotes from the industrial era on. They're about how synthetic materials are an awful idea, how industrialization was a big mistake, how nuclear fusion shouldn't be attempted, how advanced flight is really just a drag. It's relentless! Don't worry though, I'm not going on a rampage--these are just tech quotes! It's not the end of the world if I don't like them. It's not even the end of the world if they're fake, although it is a bit sad.

 

[blasto]

If any doubt about irreverent tone, how about the quote that says he's would instruct God on a better creation if he was there..

 

[GhostSalsa]

I …

I bent myself into pretzels to address your previous reply that someone who cares about the historical representation in civ would by needs also be unable to accept basic game concept abstractions. But I see now that that was your second to last reply before the one I linked. The "Every other aspect of the game relies onsubverting and straight-up replacing history." bit

Obviously my anecdote doesn't make it true that people care about this, it explains the possibility that people care about this. Obviously my sloppy math doesn't prove the truth that a lot of people care about this, it explains the possibility that so many people would have a negative brand experience over this that getting a good non-celebrity to redo the quotes is free money.

You don't agree it's proven, but you don't have to. It's up to us to make our noise and it's up to Firaxis to do the math on their own end, the same way every customer-demanded change happens.

I don't go in your complaining threads and insist you haven't proven anything. It's none of our jobs.

It's the job of the people who will be out of a job if they can't imagine why customers have a negative brand experience over joke history in a history themed game.

 

[orasis]

It matters that the quotes are awful for the exact same reason they are in the game at all.

So ... Civ is a representation, verbatim, of history? Civ-Rev too?

Ghandi was a nuke fanatic? Should we change that too?

If you want to play historically accurate games they are out there.

I want to play a fun game.

 

[Artifex1]

"Ask not what your cartographer can do for you, but what you can do for your cartographer"

 

[Gorbles]

I bent myself into pretzels to address your previous reply that someone who cares about the historical representation in civ would by needs also be unable to accept basic game concept abstractions. But I see now that that was your second to last reply before the one I linked. The "Every other aspect of the game relies onsubverting and straight-up replacing history." bit

Obviously my anecdote doesn't make it true that people care about this, it explains the possibility that people care about this. Obviously my sloppy math doesn't prove the truth that a lot of people care about this, it explains the possibility that so many people would have a negative brand experience over this that getting a good non-celebrity to redo the quotes is free money.

You don't agree it's proven, but you don't have to. It's up to us to make our noise and it's up to Firaxis to do the math on their own end, the same way every customer-demanded change happens.

I don't go in your complaining threads and insist you haven't proven anything. It's none of our jobs.

It's the job of the people who will be out of a job if they can't imagine why customers have a negative brand experience over joke history in a history themed game.

What a terrific attempt at reducing my statement to something I didn't actually say.

You still didn't answer my questions about the consequences of adding non-Bean quotes to a game dominated by Bean quotes (would the "cheaper" voice actor redo them all? How much would this actually cost? What's the actual benefit here, etc), and you've once again tried to frame an unknowable (the amount of people that care about this enough to base their purchasing decisions on it) as a "truth" (as in you literally called it a truth).

I'm sure if I made a complaint thread I'd get plenty of people trying to pick it apart. Much like when I make positive or posts otherwise defending the developers I get anything ranging from agreement, to constructive debate, to semantic one-upmanship and flat-out bait. What you choose not to do is no concern of mine - my concern is addressing issues in peoples' complaints towards Firaxis; if Firaxis read these threads (which I suspect they do, at least in part. Games developers often read much more than their fans credit them with) I'd much rather they spend the money they have available (which is finite) fixing literally everything else in the game before going near something as arguable as this.

 

[budweiser]

So ... Civ is a representation, verbatim, of history? Civ-Rev too?

Ghandi was a nuke fanatic? Should we change that too?

If you want to play historically accurate games they are out there.

I want to play a fun game.

Nuclear Gandhi is a sick joke, an affront to everything that great man worked for his whole life. Might as well include capitalist Stalin and democratic Mao. I could also mention another guy they could include with a complete 180 outlook on ideology. Come on Civ, let's shape up a little!

 

[CelJaded]

I still can't believe they had the audacity to change the quote for Plastics. That old Graduate line will always be perfect!

 

[blasto]

Nuclear Gandhi is a sick joke, an affront to everything that great man worked for his whole life. Might as well include capitalist Stalin and democratic Mao.

That would be cool!

 

[smartcanuck1988]

For me the quotes issue isn't about the gaming experience (I skip them all after the first listen anyway) so whether they redo them or not, it doesn't really matter.

I do firmly believe that you must have some inspiration/respect for the theme you are working on to make a good, fun product. Even if this product is the furthest away from a "simulation", you still got to be absorbed by its lore. The disregard for some quote credits (or authenticity/accuracy of the quotes), and the clear evidence that some quotes were a quick google job, just nudges me even further towards the idea that there was less inspiration this time around in the development cycle, and more checking off a list of things to do before Oct 21.

So, as with a few other aspects about VI, the word I use for it is: Silly. Not lazy. Not incompetent. But VI in more ways than one has struck me as a silly game.

 

[chriskj]

This topic completely changed how I feel about the tech quotes. I knew there was something wrong with most of them but this has pretty much convinced me to turn off narration. Poor Sean bean

Thanks for letting me know you can do this, didn't notice it in the options. To me Sean Bean is just a guy with a British accent and an annoying one at that.

 

[CoolLizy]

To me Sean Bean is just a guy with a British accent and an annoying one at that.

"Sean Bean is dead to me now."

 

[Stilgar08]

Thanks for letting me know you can do this, didn't notice it in the options. To me Sean Bean is just a guy with a British accent and an annoying one at that.

I prefer him over the german voiceovers... He has more gravitas IMO.

 

[Stilgar08]

I still can't believe they had the audacity to change the quote for Plastics. That old Graduate line will always be perfect!

If so people would whine about how lazy they are reusing the old stuff. They can't win.

 

[DizzKneeLand33]

You guys can keep acting like the quotes don't matter, but they do. Everything else in the game can changes, but the quotes remain the same. How many of the Civ 6 quotes have caused you to pause and think about the quote for a minute or so (or even longer)?

Then I think about Civ IV, and how good those were. "Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies." Just think, that was included in the game in 2004 (give or take) -- how profound by 2008 as the entire banking system was crashing and taking the world with it.

Now they are just trash. The more I think about it the more it just makes me mad....

 

[KrzTeKILL]

For me the quotes issue isn't about the gaming experience (I skip them all after the first listen anyway) so whether they redo them or not, it doesn't really matter.

I do firmly believe that you must have some inspiration/respect for the theme you are working on to make a good, fun product. Even if this product is the furthest away from a "simulation", you still got to be absorbed by its lore. The disregard for some quote credits (or authenticity/accuracy of the quotes), and the clear evidence that some quotes were a quick google job, just nudges me even further towards the idea that there was less inspiration this time around in the development cycle, and more checking off a list of things to do before Oct 21.

So, as with a few other aspects about VI, the word I use for it is: Silly. Not lazy. Not incompetent. But VI in more ways than one has struck me as a silly game.

Yeah, 'silly' is apt. And good point about the evidence of absorbed in the lore, I think this is the feeling I really had. Just kinda like, 'oh... that's how the developers think about civilization?'

 

[chriskj]

"Sean Bean is dead to me now."

So is this is .....sarcasm? If not I apologize.

 

[Gort]

I had already turned off the ingame speech since it was annoying hearing the same stuff over and over, but if the quotes are wrong as well I guess I'm doubly glad I did it.

Anyone working on a quote mod?