History Technology: Accuracy and Correlation, according to CIV IV

[KinesongPayaso]

Ok, this thread is gonna be a discussion about how and why certain technologies in CIV IV, are the way they are. Including wonders, structures, civics, religion, etc

Let's try to start from the very first technologies(ancient, classical, etc)





I'll start:

Why does researching "Priesthood" allow the Oracle?
I have no idea what the "oracle" is. only thing I can connect to it is the Oracle of/at Delphi



Why does completing the Oracle, allow you to get 1 free technology?
AFAIK, the oracle was just a building for tribute of sorts for the greek gods and godesses. I dont think scholars had anything to do with it...






Why does building the Pyramid give you all government civics?
I don't know much about egypt, but I dont think they have used or heavily influenced the government civics, or are even documented as to using these goverment civics

I would say that it's the chinese that have been very successful and used 'government' effectively and heavily ... or Even Babylonians, if they existed, due to the Hammurabi Code

I would also say that getting the Pyramid should allow "slavery" for whipping instead of bronze working







What is that pyramid like structure in the picture of "Monotheism"?
and why does getting that technology allow Judaism?

Buddhism for Meditation, and Hinduism for Polytheism, I can understand ... but why Judaism for Monotheism?
AFAIK, Gautama Buddha was the reason for Buddhism, and it emerged due to his long meditations
and, hinduism for polytheism, as there are many hindu gods and goddesses
just one concern here though... Hindus, but they used a greek world wonder

 

[Leifmk]

What is that pyramid like structure in the picture of "Monotheism"?
and why does getting that technology allow Judaism?

Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion which is still around in significant numbers, and has an ancestral relationship to the other major monotheisms, so it makes some sense to treat it as the "prototype" of monotheistic faiths.

The icon you're wondering about is probably the eye in the pyramid -- a fairly traditional representation of the putative all-seeing eye of God, popular in the West since the 17th century and used in all sorts of contexts since then (you'll find it on the US dollar bill, for example).

 

[dutchfire]

Why does researching "Priesthood" allow the Oracle?
I have no idea what the "oracle" is. only thing I can connect to it is the Oracle of/at Delphi

Because the Oracle at Delphi was led by a priestess.

 

[mitsho]

Why does completing the Oracle, allow you to get 1 free technology?
AFAIK, the oracle was just a building for tribute of sorts for the greek gods and godesses. I dont think scholars had anything to do with it...

The Oracle at Delphi was the centre of the Greek World, here many diplomats from all over the Greek world met (to ask the Oracle something). However, before they got the answer, the priests of the Oracle interviewed them on the status of their homeland. Thus, the Oracle was the best informed place in the Greek World and could thus gave the requested answer. The Free-technology might be a reference to that "all-knowingness" or it might just be the most appropriate gameplay bonus that also offers much gameplaywise.

mitsho

 

[Verbose]

The Egyptian pyramids were a technology that produced national cohesion much more than projects of slave labour (no slaves working on them for starters).

They were what the national surplus was spent on in the low season when no farming could take place.

The end result was not just pyramids, but the bringing together people from all of Egypt for a common purpose. They would return home for the harvest with a new sense of the size and diversity of Egypt and a feeling of being part of something bigger than the village.

 

[Tee Kay]

Things I simply don't get about wonders:

- Why does Hagia Sophia makes workers build 50% faster?
- Why does building Chichen Itza aka Temple of Kukulcan get you defence bonus?
- Why does the Great Library expires with scientific method? (or education in Civ3?)

 

[Verbose]

Things I simply don't get about wonders:

- Why does Hagia Sophia makes workers build 50% faster?
- Why does building Chichen Itza aka Temple of Kukulcan get you defence bonus?
- Why does the Great Library expires with scientific method? (or education in Civ3?)

The last one might be interpreted as a shift in how knowledge is produced. The GL means deference to recieved authority assembled in books in libraries, SciMeth would then mean the production of knowledge becoming democratised, more of a cottage industry in your civ, thus more dynamic.

The other two seem just arbitrary bonuses to impressive buildings.

 

[happy_Alex]

I wouldn't get too hung up on civ and historicity, it's not really a historical simulation. Civ was originally designed in the way it was for whatever reasons, and we're stuck with that, games designers won't make too many changes to a formular that is popular with the public. I remember, though, prior to CIV 4 coming out we had a big discusison about this:

Increasing historic and overall realism should be the focus

If you look through it, there's some good stuff there, take note of what WarpStorm has to say, he had (or has???) some input into the design of the series.

However on the OT point, the resources allocation is all wrong. Why does stone only appear in few places, when in reality it's everywhere? The answer is that "fun should trump reality every time".

One thing about resources, though, which wouldn't affect the gameplay. Copper should be green, because that's how it appears as an oxide in the ore it comes from. In fact, tin should be there instead, because that is found in only a few places and is crucial to making bronze.

For example, it Europe, it's only found in Cornwall, and this made Cornwall a strategic trade route in the ancient world.

 

[Tboy]

I agree with happy_Alex. It's principally a game, with the history giving an added extra. If gameplay conflicts with history, the gameplay will come first.

If you want a historical simulation, there a plenty of them out there. But this is principally a game.