Future Age

[Josh_38_80]

I recon they should have a future age. They should let you turn it on and off because a lot of people disagree to the idea.

But they should change it to the way they did it in call to power were you teched up to the future really quickly and you could enjoy the earlier ages.

They also should decrease the power of tanks, once you discover motorized transport the only thing you use are tanks and everything else sucks. Like modern paratroopers and marines etc. If you dont have acess to oil and rubber you are screwed. Modern footsoldiers can take down tanks (with difficulty).

Sorry to get off the topic but i had to get that off my chest.

 

[Algernon Pondlife]

First off there is SMAC(X), Gal Civ, Moo, Stars! and the future module in ToT already available.

At a properly theoretical level there is nothing against Civ extending beyond present knowledge. However, there are very real practical problems. The first and most imprtant of these is the requirement to switch from sets of relatively understood technologies (in other words, at a practical level we know what they contribute) to speculative technologies. This is true in all spheres including organizational considerations. We can only speculate just how analogous or otherwise moon colonies (and martian, asteroidal etc.) would be to any historical model of relationships. Plenty of Sf has been written with just such speculations.

I would suggest that the transition is inherently disruptive to the game experience. Think how many people raise issues about "that's not how it happens in real life" already and you might get an idea of how many would feel "that's not a sensible future speculation/assumption".

Ironically one of the things that Civ would like to model but can't is the lack of foreknowledge ("some day my people will have machines that take them from one end of my realm to the other in the time it takes to eat a bowl of strawberries and I know just how to get there"). This is of course readily achieved in games set in a speculative future. All that is needed is a self-consistent set of principles behind the tech tree and avoiding the silly option of making it accessible to the players.

Perhaps an even more fundamental question is "what can it contribute to the game?" and, except for the toy soldier brigade, the answer is "not a lot". The complexity and time are already in place, as are such characteristics and dealing with transitions through technological and cultural changes on a vast scale. In fact Civ meets most of its design requirements perfectly adequately in TAM.

Transitions through mediaeval and later eras are intrinsically very interesting, but the game play does tend to get bogged down the nearer to the present we reach (I know, that's because of the way I play the game, but I'm entitled) and I often yearn for the wide open spaces and not knowing what is over the hills when I'm struggling to manage forty modern cities with massive lists of build opportunities, and to manoeuvre a hundred units each turn for essentially simple objectives (like keep the enemy at bay).

I guess my vote is "no"

By the way, SMACX is still a wonderful game to play.


cheers,

Algae

 

[thestonesfan]

Nothing radical, like space farms or underwater cities. I'd rather just have the Modern Age extend into the near future, somewhat like it does now, just have it more fleshed out. Some reasonably high tech units, wonders, and improvements would be welcome, I think.

We obviously will discover a heck of a lot more stuff before we make it to Alpha Centauri. The trick is to keep the game entertaining after the globe is explored and settled. But really, I think the current world affairs would make for a pretty interesting game of Civ, so if they enhanced the diplomatic/political aspect of the game, it would probably makes this more fun.

 

[sealman]

No -- not in the "core game." 2050/near future tech is good enough!

Expansions which model future tech would be cool though, and I think the game could provide more points for developing future techs w/out being unbalanced. Future technological development represents a significant edge on the competition that is downplayed in the current version.

I agree. However, it would not even have to be an entire expansion pack, I think an elaborate senario would surfices.

The whole agrument could be settled with a simple compromise. Do not add in a future era but allow modders the chance, with the editor, it add more ages if they so desire.

This way, those who don't want it don't have to worry about it, and those who do, either have to add it in themselves or grab a mod from some civ fan site like this one.

Then we can settle this topic and move on to more importance debates, like who is dumbest advisor.

 

[dh_epic]

Perhaps an even more fundamental question is "what can it contribute to the game?" and, except for the toy soldier brigade, the answer is "not a lot".

Transitions through mediaeval and later eras are intrinsically very interesting, but the game play does tend to get bogged down the nearer to the present we reach (I know, that's because of the way I play the game, but I'm entitled) and I often yearn for the wide open spaces and not knowing what is over the hills when I'm struggling to manage forty modern cities with massive lists of build opportunities, and to manoeuvre a hundred units each turn for essentially simple objectives (like keep the enemy at bay).

WORD. You nailed it, as far as I'm concerned. What does it offer besides the toy soldier brigade?

Half the reason the game gets so boring towards the end is because the only thing you have to look forward to are those six turns where you have a better tank than the enemy before they start building their own. Otherwise, everyone can bring death to your doorstep in a matter of seconds. The real world -- while we don't have world peace -- has definitely mellowed when everyone has nukes, and nobody wants to have a nuclear war.

If there's going to be a future age, it needs to do more than "better, stronger, faster". ... maybe building cities in the water IS a good idea... it re-opens that whole "unexplored frontier" thing that makes the early game more interesting.

(Of course, I'd throw ALL of this future-war out for the intricasies of the modern world... it's actually a pretty interesting place... human rights, cold war, international terrorism, economic wars between nations, culture, and trade... but Civ doesn't do any of those things well enough yet.)

 

[Stid]

please noooooo! call to power was a flop in my eyes because of the future techs.i really hated it so much i played it for one week and its been in my cd rack ever since which is hard to say about any civ game.i dont know what it is about the future but it just doesnt appeal to me

 

[ScytheofDeath]

I personally agree with the thought of a future age. I have worked out a simple tech tree that might actually work.

Base techs.

Human Genome.
Allows City facility Gene Therapy Center, turns two unhappy citizens into content citizens.

Basic Genetic Modification .
Increases food output of land tiles by +1, increases chance of rioting in first ten years.

Superconductor.
Decreases mineral inefficiency in all cities.

Super-High Tensile Solids
??

Next level techs.

Human Genetic Engineering
Prerequisite: Gene Therapy and Basic Gene Modification
Allows creation of Military Eugenics small wonder, which gives all ground units +1 HP modifier

Magnetic Levitation
Prerequisite: Superconductor
Allows building of Maglev railroad, replaces normal railroad, infinite move speed. [Note: Normal railroads should only allow 10x move speed.]

Fusion Power
Prerequisite: Superconductor and Super-High Tensile Solids
Allows creation of Fusion Reactor city facility, which increases shield production 250 percent and eliminates all polution. Ship movement increased by +2.

Nanotechnology
Pre.: Super-High Tensile Solids
Allows creation of unnamed worker replacement, with +100% build speed, and Nanotech Infantry, 20/30/2.

Third Level

Genetic Perfection
Pre.: Human Gentic Engineering
Allows creation of Civilian Eugenics Small Wonder, which eliminates disease and increases worker speed by 25%. Religious civs experience increased rioting and anarchy.

Fusion Cells
Pre.: Fusion Power
Allows creation of Nanotech Armor, 40/25/4, and NanoTech Bomber, 0/8-24/16/3.

Quantum Computers
Pre.: Fusion Power and Nanotechnology
Allows creation of Computer core city facility, which increases tax and luxury output by 50% and Information Collective Great Wonder, which puts a computer core in every city.

Basic Cybernetics
Pre.: Nanotechnology
Units heal fifty percent faster in the field.

Fourth Level

Super Human
Pre.: Genetic Perfection
Increases city growth rate by 50%. Religious effects halved.

Advanced Spaceflight
Pre.: Fusion Cells.
Allows creation of Orbital Solar Collector small wonder, which increases mineral production on the continent.

Mind/Machine Interface
Pre.: Fusion Cells, Quantum Computers, Basic Cybernetics
Increases powered land units (such as tanks and APCs) hp by 1, allows creation of Powered Battle Armor, 60/40/5

Artificial Intelligence
Pre.: Quantum Computers
Allows creation of AI core, which increases Tax revenue by 50% and allows building of AI Network, putting AI cores in every city. Military units gain a + 25% attack/defense bonus in urban warfare.

Advanced Cybernetics
Pre.: Basic Cybernetics
Allows creation of Cybernetic Society Small wonder, which allows 2 free drafts per turn.

Thats all for this installment. Comment and expand upon this. I'm not quite done yet.

 

[wisewood]

Well your idea is a little ...biast...futur age is not for civilization...i agree they could add some new aadvances..but not the new era