Food Economy Test (SSE/WE Immortal)

[Ibian]

Would you mind having your discussion about your pets via PM??

Yes!

6, 7, 8, 9, 10 chars.

 

[Ibian]

In my experience many Hispanic people find offense being called Spanish. Being from Europe you probably don't have a lot of interaction with Hispanic peoples in this hemisphere... Remember, most of them had political or military conflicts to get their independence from Spain. Many were even oppressed as the indigenous peoples or slaves. If you move here that's something to keep in mind. Calling them "Spanish" is like calling Irish "English". Many will be very offended and it might even get you in a fistfight.

Thanks for the tip, ill keep it in mind. While i do mean it in a negative manner, its more a difference in opinion that a derogative meaning. At least on my end.

I agree, but "not as bad" is a relative term. What's the difference between winds > 250kph and winds of 220kph? You still get structural damage, windblown FOD, and severe flooding.

Beyond what i have been told from people who live on the west coast, i wouldnt know. Several different people tell me they never have real problems with it.

That domesticated cats are not natural "in the wild" species. They must live hand-in-hand with human civilization, whether they are indoor cats or outdoor cats. The only reasons they can even exist in a feral state are because (1) they can live off human leavings, such as trash cans and food left on the back porch by a kind family, and (2) humans have killed off the real predators.

I must respectfully disagree. I cant begin to count the number of squirrel tails i have found over the years, the rows of mice lined up etc. Cats are perfectly capable of finding their own food as long as they live in an environment with enough prey. Given the population density of the states vs my country, i should think there are at least some places over there where thats possible.

And as i said, any big predators in my country disappeared long before domestication existed as a concept.

 

[Wodan]

Several different people tell me they never have real problems with it.

I daresay several different people who live on the east coast never have real problems with it, either.

Like most things, if you're sensible (e.g., don't build in a flood zone, use storm windows on your home and board them up when there's a hurricane warning, don't leave potential FOD missiles in your yard), then it's not a big issue.

I must respectfully disagree. I cant begin to count the number of squirrel tails i have found over the years, the rows of mice lined up etc.

Each cat has to have between 1-3 meals a day. Let's say 1 squirrel a week per cat, supplemented by mice and bugs and such. That's 52 squirrels a year, * 100 cats = 5,200 squirrels a year. Over 10 years, that's 52,000 squirrels from your cats alone.

And as i said, any big predators in my country disappeared long before domestication existed as a concept.

Exactly.

Wodan

 

[Ibian]

Each cat has to have between 1-3 meals a day. Let's say 1 squirrel a week per cat, supplemented by mice and bugs and such. That's 52 squirrels a year, * 100 cats = 5,200 squirrels a year. Over 10 years, that's 52,000 squirrels from your cats alone.

Your statistic never tells the whole story. Try to account for the birds. The mice that never get lined up. The squirrels that dont happen to wander very close to the house. The ones that do, whose tail i dont happen to notice. And so on. There are far too many variables for the equation to be as neat as yours. Oh, and how exactly do you expect a less than month old kitten to take out ten years worth of squirrels anyway? (this last bit is the important part, be sure to address it properly if you feel like complaining about any of the rest)

Exactly.

Exactly what? What point are you trying to make?

 

[TheMeInTeam]

This thread is on cats now?

Cats prey on what...roughly 1k species of animals? They'll eat bugs, birds, anything really. Cats can easily catch and kill snakes even. I would perhaps agree that the HUGE colonies of feral cats are really only possible via human support (albeit unintentional), however smaller colonies could survive easily in most places.

A snake is too slow for a cat. Non-poisonous ones just die easily. Even the poisonous ones often lose, as most non-persian breeds of cats can claw their eyes out as they strike and not get bitten. This doesn't sound like an animal that would struggle to survive in the wilds to me.

Actually, they can destroy ecosystems potentially, since they kill for leisure and can be very successful as a species in a number of environments.

Edit: Cats themselves are not easy prey, but neither are they impossible. However, they breed quite rapidly. Rabbits do basically nothing but run away and eat, yet seem to do just fine in the wild. Sure, cats would die in the wild, just like any other animal, but they'd survive without much trouble as a species. I think anything that can contribute to increasing feral cat #'s is a dis-service, as they can be quite a nuisance potentially. Having had pet cats, it pains me to think of them being killed, and yet if they're that out of control they're basically pests, and difficult ones at that.

 

[Iranon]

It's less of a question what they can catch, but what they will eat. My cat used to chase frogs with abandon, but if they were too exhausted to jump he'd just have a close look, then leave with an expression of positive disgust. He'd also circle my pond looking intently at my goldfish but I've never seen him try anything... he didn't like fish anyway.

I fed him 'on demand' only, and judging by the trophies he proudly put on my doormat he did quite well on his own. Personally, I wouldn't want a pet more degenerate than myself. I can understand steps against uncontrolled breeding if there are too many feral cats around already, but I don't like it if pets are turned into harmless cuddly toys (and surgery with that express purpose seems downright evil).

Unfortunately the poor bastard tried to pick a fight with a car, but all things considered I think he had more fun in his life than the stay-at-home kind.

 

[siggboy]

I want to talk about accountants now.

 

[darrelljs]

My dog would rip all those cats to shreds in a few seconds.

Well, actually she wouldn't, she is a big baby. But most dogs would. Get a real pet.

Darrell

 

[Roxlimn]

Accountants would rip those cats apart a lot better than dogs. That's why accountants can herd cats in the first place.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

My dog would rip all those cats to shreds in a few seconds.

Well, actually she wouldn't, she is a big baby. But most dogs would. Get a real pet.

Darrell

Cats have clawed out the eyes of dogs numerous times. They specifically target eyes in fights like that. Of course, large dogs would usually win, but then I'd say typically a cat would not engage a very large dog and the latter would have trouble catching the former.

As for accountants, I have my BS in Accounting. I strongly suggest we avoid conversations about them. This isn't a threat so much as a plea. I still have nightmares about the legal BS that goes into financial reporting and tax law (auditing and cost accounting are more sensible). Let's keep discussion of accounting limited to civ 4, such as accounting for a food-based economy .

I find "food economy" misleading though, because it's rare that you see any civ do well without ample food. You can't even work more than a couple cottages in cities if the cities NEVER GROW, let alone work specialists or hammer tiles.

 

[Ibian]

Given the choice, id rather fight most dogs than an angry cat. Those claws are no joke.

 

[Roxlimn]

Take accountancy. That might help.

 

[tycoonist]

my cats ran away when we got a puppy don't really care that much anymore but cats are mostly wusses when it comes to dogs

 

[DaveMcW]

my cats ran away when we got a puppy don't really care that much anymore but cats are mostly wusses when it comes to dogs

Dog Soldiers are nice, but they are no match for Catapults.

 

[Roxlimn]

Wild catapults are much fiercer than domesticated ones. If push comes to shove, I'm pretty sure a wild or trained catapult can beat a Dog no problem. The entire problem is getting the Catapults to stay put and fight the Dogs in the first place.

 

[tycoonist]

Wild catapults are much fiercer than domesticated ones. If push comes to shove, I'm pretty sure a wild or trained catapult can beat a Dog no problem. The entire problem is getting the Catapults to stay put and fight the Dogs in the first place.

wild dog soldiers are much more dangerous than wild catapults (unless you are referring to jaguar warriors)

 

[SenhorDaGuerra]

anyone seen Dog Soldiers?

"Where's Spoony?"
"there is no spoon!"

 

[Magma_Dragoon]

Inspired by this thread, I too tried the WE/SSE and found it kicked ass. I played as De Gaulle on a great plains map. Started with lots of plains around, but I had 6 (SIX!!!) cattle in my capital. I built every wonder but SH and the HS so far, have a big tech lead, and have BRUTALLY vassalized Russia.