[GS] Giant Death Robot is back?

I hated these in civ V but they don't seem as bad this time around. Maybe the cool animations help. Maybe I've just accepted it. Or maybe I know that the game will be over by the time I can build more than one or two of these anyway (and may not be able to ever even build that many depending on how much uranium I have). Idk, I'm okay with this.
 
I'm kind of surprised by the negative reaction. For me it's a cheesy joke along the same vein as Gandhi loving nukes. It's silly, but series specific, so fun! :) oh well....haha

The negative reaction is because some players were hoping the future era would be a serious look at near future ideas. Also, the GDR completely breaks immersion if you are trying to play civ as a real world alt history game. For 6000 years, you are playing with real world units and real world buildings and wonders and then suddenly you get this Pacific Rim style mega robot that can stomp cities. It breaks the historical immersion for some players.

But the truth is that the future era is really just a book end to help players finish a game that has gone on for way too long. The devs went with the GDR because it's a fun nod to civ5.

I do find it interesting that the devs went with a Pacific Rim style robot for the GDR instead of the Battletech mech style robot like in civ5. Personally, I find the battletech mech more "realistic". But again, the devs are just going for something fun that's a callback to a previous civ game. Most games won't reach the GDR but if the game does get that far, players now have something cool and fun to end the game in spectacular style.
 
Also, the GDR completely breaks immersion if you are trying to play civ as a real world alt history game. For 6000 years, you are playing with real world units and real world buildings and wonders and then suddenly you get this Pacific Rim style mega robot that can stomp cities. It breaks the historical immersion for some players.
I will never fail to be surprised that people play Civilization expecting historical immersion. I can have plenty of in-game immersion without being bothered by the fact that Teddy Roosevelt attacked my Persian Immortal (which I forgot to upgrade to a Musketman in 200 AD) with a Catapult that can shoot 400 miles after declaring a Joint War with his ally Barbarossa.

Seriously, historical immersion? :rotfl:
 
I will never fail to be surprised that people play Civilization expecting historical immersion. I can have plenty of in-game immersion without being bothered by the fact that Teddy Roosevelt attacked my Persian Immortal (which I forgot to upgrade to a Musketman in 200 AD) with a Catapult that can shoot 400 miles after declaring a Joint War with his ally Barbarossa.

Seriously, historical immersion? :rotfl:

This. lol Civ is probably the last game I'd want for historical accuracy. Historical elements, absolutely (which is why I love it). In any case, the GDR looks even more fun than in 5, so I'm excited.
 
I will never fail to be surprised that people play Civilization expecting historical immersion. I can have plenty of in-game immersion without being bothered by the fact that Teddy Roosevelt attacked my Persian Immortal (which I forgot to upgrade to a Musketman in 200 AD) with a Catapult that can shoot 400 miles after declaring a Joint War with his ally Barbarossa.

Seriously, historical immersion? :rotfl:

Less so historical immersion than some semblance of reality. If I wanted a Sci Fi game I would play something else is all. Not the end of the world, I am sure there will be mods that will help me play in a GDR free world.
 
I will never fail to be surprised that people play Civilization expecting historical immersion. I can have plenty of in-game immersion without being bothered by the fact that Teddy Roosevelt attacked my Persian Immortal (which I forgot to upgrade to a Musketman in 200 AD) with a Catapult that can shoot 400 miles after declaring a Joint War with his ally Barbarossa.

Seriously, historical immersion? :rotfl:

Well, I was just trying to explain what I think some players might feel.

But I do think that there is a line that some players would feel should not be crossed. Basically, there is a break in immersion that players accept and a break in immersion that players would not accept. For example, we all accept leaders that live 6000 years, units that can shoot arrows 500 miles, Roosevelt declaring war against Cleopatra. But I think a lot of players would have a problem if say the game added orc and wizard units to the ancient era. We accept historical leaders and units put into what-if scenarios because that is what civ is about but a lot of players, I think, would take issue with adding completely non-historical units or leaders into the game. And, I know some players feel that a GDR is a non-historical unit.
 
Well, I was just trying to explain what I think some players might feel.

But I do think that there is a line that some players would feel should not be crossed. Basically, there is a break in immersion that players accept and a break in immersion that players would not accept. For example, we all accept leaders that live 6000 years, units that can shoot arrows 500 miles, Roosevelt declaring war against Cleopatra. But I think a lot of players would have a problem if say the game added orc and wizard units to the ancient era. We accept historical leaders and units put into what-if scenarios because that is what civ is about but a lot of players, I think, would take issue with adding completely non-historical units or leaders into the game. And, I know some players feel that a GDR is a non-historical unit.

The Future Era is non-historical. It's something we haven't yet experienced. So there must be some extrapolations that could be realistic.

A Giant Death Robot is realistic in the meaning that it could exist. In the next 50 years? IMHO I doubt it, but looking to recent advanced technologies discovered very quickly, who knows?

And if I'm in a Future Era, I expect it to be futuristic, ie with giant robots, big black skyscrappers, and others things. I don't want our boring reality. I want realistic fantasy - and GDR is realistic fantasy.
 
I truthfully wish they HAD called it the Gun Deployment Rig though because it sounds more serious. Giant Death Robot could be a fun civilopedia thing/easter egg - it's just such a non-serious name for a unit. Gun Deployment Rig ACTUALLY sounds like military technology.
 
I truthfully wish they HAD called it the Gun Deployment Rig though because it sounds more serious. Giant Death Robot could be a fun civilopedia thing/easter egg - it's just such a non-serious name for a unit. Gun Deployment Rig ACTUALLY sounds like military technology.
Well, I mean, officially your in-game military probably CALLS it the "Gun Deployment Rig" but unofficially they call it the Giant Death Robot. Much like the Massive Ordinance Air Blast, the largest non-nuclear explosive in the US arsenal, conveniently has the acronym MOAB which is known by literally everyone as "Mother Of All Bombs".

I'm willing to bet the original designer has to look up "Massive Ordinance Air Blast" when he writes up a report or just shortens it to MOAB because acronyms are easier.
 
The Future Era is non-historical. It's something we haven't yet experienced. So there must be some extrapolations that could be realistic.

A Giant Death Robot is realistic in the meaning that it could exist. In the next 50 years? IMHO I doubt it, but looking to recent advanced technologies discovered very quickly, who knows?

And if I'm in a Future Era, I expect it to be futuristic, ie with giant robots, big black skyscrappers, and others things. I don't want our boring reality. I want realistic fantasy - and GDR is realistic fantasy.

Personally, I don't have a big problem with a GDR in the future era. Although, personally, I would have picked a different design aesthetic. I find the pacific rim style robot to be less realistic in terms of what a real world GDR might look like if we ever did build one in real life.
 
Well, I mean, officially your in-game military probably CALLS it the "Gun Deployment Rig" but unofficially they call it the Giant Death Robot. Much like the Massive Ordinance Air Blast, the largest non-nuclear explosive in the US arsenal, conveniently has the acronym MOAB which is known by literally everyone as "Mother Of All Bombs".

I'm willing to bet the original designer has to look up "Massive Ordinance Air Blast" when he writes up a report or just shortens it to MOAB because acronyms are easier.
That's true. But I still wish that the actual unit name was Gun Deployment Rig. Maybe I'll just have to use the Rename button!!! :p
 
Personally, I don't have a big problem with a GDR in the future era. Although, personally, I would have picked a different design aesthetic. I find the pacific rim style robot to be less realistic in terms of what a real world GDR might look like if we ever did build one in real life.
Of course you don't have a problem with it, you're a real life GDR, Supremacy King!!! :p

All joking aside, if it's well implemented, I will...deal with it. I like this new version, though yes i wish it didn't look like something straight out of Pacific Rim. But those animations are so well done, I can forgive the appearance. I do hope that they will expand their information era/future unit roster more at some point though.
 
Of course you don't have a problem with it, you're a real life GDR, Supremacy King!!! :p

Thanks. I actually think it would make for a cool scenario where everybody starts in the future era and where the civs don't get any regular units at all except the GDR and you just go around fighting GDR v GDR battles to control the world.
 
Thanks. I actually think it would make for a cool scenario where everybody starts in the future era and where the civs don't get any regular units at all except the GDR and you just go around fighting GDR v GDR battles to control the world.
Actually...now that you mention it...
 
This is pretty bad, not civ 5 bad, but still bad. As mentioned above I would have preferred hypersonic missiles and the like. And as mentioned, the tech is too early which wouldn't be a problem if it had 2 prerequisites instead of one. Now we have a situation where we have a giant death robot being supported in the air by prop planes and battleships at sea. Kind of silly.
The GDR is just a figment of your mind. The actual tech is a mind control device beamed out from the flying saucers that makes you see the GDR's :).

Edit: PS, in all seriousness, I think the odds are much higher of a nanobot swarm overtaking the planet than GDR's.
 
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I do think they're tackling the future era with less realism than I'd hoped, but I'll re-watch the stream to understand more of that. On the other hand as I think UncivilizedGuy said earlier this will give us more time to use the information era units, but of course there'll always be two viewpoints on this issue.

Taking down a GDR will be satisfying I'm sure :D I wonder if it has air defenses?
 
I do think they're tackling the future era with less realism than I'd hoped, but I'll re-watch the stream to understand more of that. On the other hand as I think UncivilizedGuy said earlier this will give us more time to use the information era units, but of course there'll always be two viewpoints on this issue.

Taking down a GDR will be satisfying I'm sure :D I wonder if it has air defenses?

They mentioned that air units are the best way to kill a GDR, and that it gets an AA module upgrade at one of the Future era techs.

I'm amused at the idea of stately 1950s era B52s carpet bombing a GDR to smithereens.
 
No. If you provide counters that would defeat the whole purpose of making the GDR a tie breaker. With counters, players could stop the GDR and prolong the game further. The whole point of the GDR is to give Domination players a means of finally finishing a game. The idea in civ is that you really are supposed to win the game well before the information age. So, if you are playing a game that has dragged on into the information age because you still cannot win the game, then the game needs to give you something OP to help you break the gridlock and finally finish the game. The GDR gives the domination player something cool and spectacular to finally win that domination victory in style.

I think this is bang on.

Most design decisions become clearer when viewed through the lens of the core Civ 6 marketing premise: "win the game your way"
 
Well, I was just trying to explain what I think some players might feel.

But I do think that there is a line that some players would feel should not be crossed. Basically, there is a break in immersion that players accept and a break in immersion that players would not accept. For example, we all accept leaders that live 6000 years, units that can shoot arrows 500 miles, Roosevelt declaring war against Cleopatra. But I think a lot of players would have a problem if say the game added orc and wizard units to the ancient era. We accept historical leaders and units put into what-if scenarios because that is what civ is about but a lot of players, I think, would take issue with adding completely non-historical units or leaders into the game. And, I know some players feel that a GDR is a non-historical unit.
Sorry, I wasn't intending that to be directed at you, but rather those players who feel that way, and you are right that some people feel that way.

FWIW, I think the GDR is non-historical because anything set in the future is by definition non-historical. They certainly could have gone a more conventional route with incremental upgrades for existing unit paths, but why not try to do something different in the future? Plus, it's the end of the game, so I'll wager most games are actually over before you'd ever see it. I think it's kind of a reward for "making it" to the last years of the game time span, and a way to break an endgame deadlock...or to speed up winning when you're already almost there. Almost every victory type becomes tedious in the final lap, so something to actually make that final bit different, fun, and exciting is welcome IMO. And it technically is plausible (maybe not by 2050, but we already have the basic technological framework for it).
 
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