Future Era(s) in CiV?

[MethanalCHO]

I was just wondering:

Do you want a future era in CiV? In prior versions of Civilization, the game stopped at the Modern Era, having a single technology "Future Tech" beyond it, and its limited benefits (+1 happy, +1 health). I was thinking, after the Modern Era there should be a few (at least one or two) more eras. Technologies from Alpha Centauri might be used. Here are some of my ideas, based off of CIV's tech tree:

Nanotechnology
Requires: Fiber Optics, Genetics, Composites
Leads To: Artificial Intelligence, Sea Colonization
Buildings: Nanodesigning Plant (no Waste within the city)
First to discover recieves Great Engineer

Desalination
Requires: Ecology
Leads To: Aquaculture

Virtual Reality
Requires: Nanotechnology, Robotics
Wonders: Alternate Reality (+1 Happy for all Cities)
+1 Happy for all Cities

Artificial Intelligence
Requires: Nanotechnology, Robotics
Wonders: Citizen Factory (food needs automatically accomodated, no pop growth)
No more problems regarding Unhealthiness after discovery
Obseletes Recycling Center

Sea Colonization
Requires: Aquaculture, Nanotechnology
Units: Colony Boat (sea settler)
Improvements: Aquatic Mine (+1 Production), Sea Cottage (+1 Commerce)

Retroviral Engineering
Requires: Genetics
Wonders: Longevity
+1 Health in All Cities

Aquaculture
Requires: Desalination
Leads To: Sea Colonization
Improvement: Kelp Farm (built by Work Boat, +1 food)
First to Discover recieves Great Merchant

Copyleft
Requires: Mass Media
+1 Research in All Cities
+1 Culture in All Cities

Post your own ideas for future technologies here, also!

But do you want any Future Eras in CiV?

(Oh, and by the way, in CiV, the Modern Era would be renamed Information Era.)

 

[cybrxkhan]

I'm okay with it as long as it doesn't stretch too far - as in, it still keeps within reason. For example, having some a few robot units and advanced computer technology is fine, because we know that we can do that. Having immortality as a tech and meeting with aliens and space combat... That I think may be a bit of a stretch. Civilization after all has been a game to recreate history, not a sci-fi game - if you want a sci-fi game, play something like Galatic Civilizations or Alpha Centauri.

So my point - fine, I'll accept a 'future' era, but just don't make it too futuruistic that I can't figure out what the heck is what.

 

[Kissamies]

I'm not at all against a few near-future speculative techs, as long as it's just a few and they don't have huge impact on the game. Ideally, they should be placed so that most games will be over before those techs are reached. CTP was kind of amusing with its future techs, but it got old pretty fast.

Mind you, a space strategy game where you can eventually colonise every rock in the solar system would be interesting, but that wouldn't be Civ.

 

[SGRaaize]

Meh... Leave that to mods
I find it far more fun if we end at the Modern Era, and the game stops leaving the entire history rewritten
When it starts making stuff like Cyber Mechas up, it takes away from the "Rewrite history" aspect, IMO

 

[Abremms]

i think future tech is great on the social-economic-infrastructure type stuff. gotta be carefull with the military stuff though, a lot of civ4 future war type mods take things a bit too far for my tastes and end up with way too many different units, or things that are just outrageous. keep it simple, realistic and don't let the "OMG you know what would be AWESOME?" factor get too carried away.

it doesn't take much more than a quick skim of sci/tech websites to see where we're headed in the next 10-20 years, then you can extrapolate from there.

also, i would absolutely LOVE an option to make a game of civ4 stop tech advance at a given era. same goes for civ5. like you cannot advance past medieval era, or for people who dont like future tech, you cannot advance past the modern era. for me, medieval era is my favorite era to fight a landwar in. but if i linger too long, someone breaks out the muskets and shoots my samurai in the face. guess its not very realistic, but i think it would be fun.

 

[apenpaap]

IMO the tech tree should end where it does now, but the Future Tech should be split in a couple of repeatable future techs like:
Future entertainment: +1 happiness each time you research it
Future medicine: +1 health each time you research it
Future missliles: nukes have a +10% chance to evade enemy SDI for each time you research it and you SDI gets +10% chance to intercept enemy nukes each time you reseacrh it
Future tanks: Your modern armours get +10% strength each time you research it
Future infantry: Your mech infantry get +10% strength each time you research it
Future artillery: Your SAM get +10% strength and do +5% bombardment each time you research it
etc.

 

[MethanalCHO]

I'm okay with it as long as it doesn't stretch too far - as in, it still keeps within reason. For example, having some a few robot units and advanced computer technology is fine, because we know that we can do that. Having immortality as a tech and meeting with aliens and space combat... That I think may be a bit of a stretch. Civilization after all has been a game to recreate history, not a sci-fi game - if you want a sci-fi game, play something like Galatic Civilizations or Alpha Centauri.

So my point - fine, I'll accept a 'future' era, but just don't make it too futuruistic that I can't figure out what the heck is what.

I was thinking like, Ancient-Classical-Medieval-Rennisiance-Industrial-Information-Future-Future2. One or two more eras beyond where Civilization leaves us.

Also, I see Clinical Immortality (I have thought of a way to get that) as a wonder, not a tech. It can be accessed by, I don't know, Retroviral Engineering.

But don't worry, it'll just introduce more units, buildings, and wonders, like all the other techs in the game.

But your suggestion of space units would be nice. Maybe I'll add the future in as a mod.

I'm not at all against a few near-future speculative techs, as long as it's just a few and they don't have huge impact on the game. Ideally, they should be placed so that most games will be over before those techs are reached. CTP was kind of amusing with its future techs, but it got old pretty fast.

Mind you, a space strategy game where you can eventually colonise every rock in the solar system would be interesting, but that wouldn't be Civ.

Yeah, that would be kind of fun, colonizing everything in the solar system. I never played CTP, though, where can I get it?

Meh... Leave that to mods
I find it far more fun if we end at the Modern Era, and the game stops leaving the entire history rewritten
When it starts making stuff like Cyber Mechas up, it takes away from the "Rewrite history" aspect, IMO

If vanilla CiV doesn't have future eras, I'll make a mod and send letters to Sid personally to PUT IT IN CIV VI OR SOMETHING. Just kidding about that with Sid, I'll send one nice letter to Firaxis asking for it to be put in an expansion pack or Civ VI and then stop bothering them. But still, I'll make a mod for the future.

Spoiler :

Speaking of Civ VI, that just made me think of something funny: if Civilization continues far into the future, will there be one day Civ CIV (CIV is Roman numerals for 104). Yeah, Civ CIV would be hilarious: Sid Meier's Civilization CIV. That would help with advertising a little. Catchy, the 104th game in the Civilization series! I would buy it for sure.

 

[MethanalCHO]

Sorry for double-posting, but I must reply to the new posts while I was writing mine:

i think future tech is great on the social-economic-infrastructure type stuff. gotta be carefull with the military stuff though, a lot of civ4 future war type mods take things a bit too far for my tastes and end up with way too many different units, or things that are just outrageous. keep it simple, realistic and don't let the "OMG you know what would be AWESOME?" factor get too carried away.

it doesn't take much more than a quick skim of sci/tech websites to see where we're headed in the next 10-20 years, then you can extrapolate from there.

also, i would absolutely LOVE an option to make a game of civ4 stop tech advance at a given era. same goes for civ5. like you cannot advance past medieval era, or for people who dont like future tech, you cannot advance past the modern era. for me, medieval era is my favorite era to fight a landwar in. but if i linger too long, someone breaks out the muskets and shoots my samurai in the face. guess its not very realistic, but i think it would be fun.

Don't worry, I'll keep to a simple system with military units. I am very interested in science, so coming up with more technologies (AI, cold fusion, retroviral engineering) should not be a problem for me. And yes, I have and enjoy Alpha Centauri.

Yeah, and the idea of cutting tech trees short would be interesting, for those who don't want the future or such. I believe in Civ3, one person made a mod called "Anno Donomi", which only contains Ancient and Medieval.

IMO the tech tree should end where it does now, but the Future Tech should be split in a couple of repeatable future techs like:
Future entertainment: +1 happiness each time you research it
Future medicine: +1 health each time you research it
Future missliles: nukes have a +10% chance to evade enemy SDI for each time you research it and you SDI gets +10% chance to intercept enemy nukes each time you reseacrh it
Future tanks: Your modern armours get +10% strength each time you research it
Future infantry: Your mech infantry get +10% strength each time you research it
Future artillery: Your SAM get +10% strength and do +5% bombardment each time you research it
etc.

I suppose your method would work, but so would being able to "cut short" the tech tree where wanted. But one flaw: for future weaponry, the bonuses get ten times smaller each time (for modern armor, first 4, then 0.4, then 0.04). Within three researches, the bonuses are too small to be recognized by the game. But future entertainment and medicine would work (they ARE the original Future Tech).

 

[apenpaap]

I suppose your method would work, but so would being able to "cut short" the tech tree where wanted. But one flaw: for future weaponry, the bonuses get ten times smaller each time (for modern armor, first 4, then 0.4, then 0.04). Within three researches, the bonuses are too small to be recognized by the game. But future entertainment and medicine would work (they ARE the original Future Tech).

No they wouldn't. When civ adds percentages, it adds them before applying them, so after 3 improvements to modern armour, it has 52 strength and keeps gaining 4 strength per research.

 

[MethanalCHO]

No they wouldn't. When civ adds percentages, it adds them before applying them, so after 3 improvements to modern armour, it has 52 strength and keeps gaining 4 strength per research.

Sorry, my calculations were flawed, not to mention I assumed a method like compound interest, not simple.

 

[Razorwing]

Not only would I like a future era, I would also like techs, units, buildings and improvements from paths that diverge from our reality. The techs would only need to diverge one step from the normal tech tree. For instance - what if Hindenburg never happened, and the German civilization chose to develop that technology further instead of developing airplane-related technology? What if a civilization chose not to pursue gunpowder, but rather developed crossbows that packed an equal or greater punch?

Naturally, one wouldn't develop that kind of alternate technologies very far, because trial-and-error has shown the historical progress of war techs is the one that is best suited. But for players like me, who enjoys the medieval atmosphere, it would be wicked to have that kind of souped-up crossbow units in the tech span between normal crossbows and riflemen.

Also, of course, colonizing Alpha Centauri should be replaced by colonizing Mars. No, strike that, I mean colonize the Moon. Going by the way the space 'race' has progressed since the days of the Apollo mission, one would have to count it as a success if there's a moon base is established by the year 2070.

 

[Razorwing]

Not only would I like a future era, I would also like techs, units, buildings and improvements from paths that diverge from our reality. The techs would only need to diverge one step from the normal tech tree. For instance - what if Hindenburg never happened, and the German civilization chose to develop that technology further instead of developing airplane-related technology? What if a civilization chose not to pursue gunpowder, but rather developed crossbows that packed an equal or greater punch?

Naturally, one wouldn't develop that kind of alternate technologies very far, because trial-and-error has shown the historical progress of war techs is the one that is best suited. But for players like me, who enjoys the medieval atmosphere, it would be wicked to have that kind of souped-up crossbow units in the tech span between normal crossbows and riflemen.

Also, of course, colonizing Alpha Centauri should be replaced by colonizing Mars. No, strike that, I mean colonize the Moon. Going by the way the space 'race' has progressed since the days of the Apollo mission, one would have to count it as a success if there's a moon base is established by the year 2070.

 

[bob bobato]

Going by the way the space 'race' has progressed since the days of the Apollo mission, one would have to count it as a success if there's a moon base is established by the year 2070.

Why? 2070 is 60 years away, and there've only been man-made objects in space for less than 55. Theres quite a bit of time left till then.

 

[MethanalCHO]

Not only would I like a future era, I would also like techs, units, buildings and improvements from paths that diverge from our reality. The techs would only need to diverge one step from the normal tech tree. For instance - what if Hindenburg never happened, and the German civilization chose to develop that technology further instead of developing airplane-related technology? What if a civilization chose not to pursue gunpowder, but rather developed crossbows that packed an equal or greater punch?

Naturally, one wouldn't develop that kind of alternate technologies very far, because trial-and-error has shown the historical progress of war techs is the one that is best suited. But for players like me, who enjoys the medieval atmosphere, it would be wicked to have that kind of souped-up crossbow units in the tech span between normal crossbows and riflemen.

Also, of course, colonizing Alpha Centauri should be replaced by colonizing Mars. No, strike that, I mean colonize the Moon. Going by the way the space 'race' has progressed since the days of the Apollo mission, one would have to count it as a success if there's a moon base is established by the year 2070.

Yeah, that is a good idea: "alternate branches" of the tech tree. I'll try to see into that, maybe in a mod of CiV.

 

[Camikaze]

I don't want the developers wasting their time on making an extensive future era. The game is meant to be based upon history, and the future isn't within that scope. I don't mind if they have sufficient features to last through until 2050, but beyond that, I think any large features they put in are a waste of their time.

 

[zappara]

I think they should at least expand the Modern era if they aren't adding new future era stuff. Civ IV's last modern era techs are Fiber optics, Stealth, Robotics and Genetics and all those were originally invented 1960's-80's so we're missing new technologies from half century ie. from 1960's to present day.

Of course if they don't add future techs or expand modern era we modders can do it, just like I did it for Civ 4 in my modpack - see the mod's modern and transhuman era techs. I doubt they would add this many techs but perhaps there's some ideas that could be used...

 

[Ramesses]

Speaking of Civ VI, that just made me think of something funny: if Civilization continues far into the future, will there be one day Civ CIV (CIV is Roman numerals for 104). Yeah, Civ CIV would be hilarious: Sid Meier's Civilization CIV. That would help with advertising a little. Catchy, the 104th game in the Civilization series! I would buy it for sure.

Given how a new installment comes out approximately every 5 years, Civ CIV wouldn't come out until around 2505. The series would have to become a major franchise zombie, becoming a shell of its former self due to centuries of the rights being passed from developer to developer. Well, either that, or Sid's head would have to be preserved a la Futurama.

 

[apenpaap]

You could play Civ CIV on a holodeck. I bet Picard loves to play it.

 

[Shrinking_12]

I think they should put some futuristic Tech's because some coutries have already "discovered" new thing's and more applications. Or if not, maybe don't generalize it (like Robotics, it can be divided in diferent tech's such as Artificial Intelligence and nanotechnology)

 

[Akkon888]

A basic mech, a laser defense system, and biological weapons would be enough for me. Anything more and it might get ridiculous.