Modern, Atomic, and Information Eras

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

1. What are the years that Modern, Atomic, and Information Era began?
1.1 Did Modern era began in 1890?
1.2 When did Atomic era began? 1920 or 1930?, and when did it actually ends?
1.3 And which decade of the 20th Century did Information Era ushured? 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s ?
2. Are tech and units represented in these eras correctly? In addition to MGs and AT Crew being misplaced. Are the guided missiles units placed in correct eras??

 

[Andrew Johnson [FXS]]

That is a very complicated question! You might also ask "when did X era begin, where, and for whom?" H.D. Harootunian and Masao Miyoshi, for instance, argue that Japan was postmodern before it was modern, and that these categories are Western-derived. Modernity, too, for scholars is usually placed in the 16th century, before the Industrial period.

But in terms of the game, these are general guidelines, not firm dates. The Modern Era evokes the time of the great world wars, etc. The Atomic Era evokes the postwar period, the Cold War, etc. The Information Era evokes the world after the Cold War, with the rise of the Internet, etc.

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

Firaxis viewed that Atomic Era should begin in 1945 (on particular date. the 7th August 1945 when Hiroshima was nuked).
given unit list. I think Atomic Era should be WW2 or begin in 1930.

 

[FinalDoomsday]

Modern seems to encompass the turn of century till about 1940 or so. Visually its weird as your cities and districts take on a contempoary look with glass skyscrapers and other details once you hit modern when the cities should definitly not look like that at least until the Atomic Era.

 

[Infixo]

Firaxis uses some internal “default” dates for eras. You can easily check when they start - just start a new game with different starting era than Ancient. The calendar will show “default” date.
From memory, ‘cos I did a long time ago.
Ancient -4000
Classical -1000
Medieval 500
Renaissance 1350 (?)
Industrial 1750
Modern 1890
Atomic 1945
Information 1980

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

If one tech is to exists at the end of Modern Era. what should it be?
1. Petrochemistry
2. Antibiotics *
3. Electronics *

*Civ 5 techs. Electronic appears in modern era and unlocks BB, while Antibiotics unlocks marines. (And in this game. Plastics appear by the beginning of Atomic Era and no 'One Word' quote)

 

[Josephias]

Why at the end and not in at the start. Names and era transition images are a good hint however, mixing FX vision with what you would expect of these eras:

Modern era is defined by flight, steel and electricity (late)
Atomic era has rocketry and nuclear tech... you could also consider plastics/synthetics to be a different branch of "atomic" (use what you know of material composition at the level of atoms to create others).
Information era starts with satellites, telecom and laser

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

^ So you might say that Info era began in 70s?

 

[Victoria]

So you might say that Info era began in 70s?

Having lived through these decades I can quite happily say that the 70's were just dead, things took off in the 80's but the disinformation era really started in the 90's, there just was not enough out there before then.
I guess if you take the same rule as for the atomic age then you can say the 70's but the atomic age started with a bang, the information era certainly did not.

 

[Archon_Wing]

Remember that Firaxis's view of history is somewhat focused on the history of the US.

Modern Era-- Probably the World Wars, since it's dominated by Ideology and flight.The 19th century is clearly the Industrial Era

Atomic Era-- Well very much the Cold War. (1945-1991)

Information Era-- Immediately after the Cold War and the advent of the Internet (so 1990s on)

 

[Josephias]

^ So you might say that Info era began in 70s?

I'm an electronics graduate, and I've alwais been told the information age starts in the 50's with the transistor. It is of course just the start of the age and you cannot tell the world enters the information age by then. But progressive developments of out this main component, leading to electronics miniaturization and widespread distribution is the origin of the current information age.

As Victoria points out, and civ VI shows, an age is not just tech, but tech + civics (changes in what is possible, and changes in the whay to think/live due to what is possible). So, you need to add these to the mix,

Contributing to modern era you have bigger cities and mass media (newspapers) leading to political ideology -- increased involvement of all people (not just upper burgesy) in a nation's ideas and behaviour. (that would go from late 1800's early 1900's to WW2)
Contributing to atomic era you have cold war (and is more "benevolent" variant, space race) -- competition of (bigger) national powers for supremacy (WW2 up to end of cold war, let's say fall of Berlin's wall in 1985, altough, as always, there is probably no clear cut)
Contributiint to information era you have globalization and the internet -- erosion of national powers due to increased links and interdependencies around the globe. (1985 onwards)

 

[JJOne]

let's say fall of Berlin's wall in 1985

What year you say?

 

[Josephias]

Damn, 1989... i was just a kid by then, easy to get the years mixed.