Printing press = zoo = WTH!

[Mortaris]

This is how dis-jointed it seems to me...

1st person:- "I've invented the type-set."
2nd person:- "Quick, fill those cages with animals."
1st person:- "What?"

Anyone care to try to make the logical connection between inventing the printing press and building zoo's...as I can't!

 

[Altisma]

The tech tree has always been garbage, its the same with almost any persistent line in these games.

 

[digrosz]

Well, with printing press you can print adertisements for your Zoo. The era it unlocks in, is historically accurate. I think printing press is the best tech for Zoos, you wouldn't put Zoos under gunpowder or Astronomy would ya?
Also, this isn't the only tech that has weird abilities; with calendar you unlock stone works, but to use that you need to have masonry to improve your stone...

 

[VainoValkea]

Yeah, not to mention the fact that zoos date back way further than the printing press.

Still, it makes no less sense than Theatres being available upon printing press. Or windmills requiring economics.


However, it's just a game and little weirdness like this is nothing if it works well for gameplay.

 

[Calapine]

The printing press is needed for Zoo tickets. Obviously.

 

[killmeplease]

Still, it makes no less sense than Theatres being available upon printing press.

well, with printing press you can copy play scripts

 

[VainoValkea]

Yet there were theatres and plays before printing press, so obviously it's not needed.

 

[JustinianIV]

Aren't some of the things in the tree simply together because they arose roughly around the same time? Have said that, I have no idea if the advent of print and zoo proliferation coincide.

 

[mattpilot]

first world problems

 

[VainoValkea]

Aren't some of the things in the tree simply together because they arose roughly around the same time? Have said that, I have no idea if the advent of print and zoo proliferation coincide.

Probably yes, and like I said, gameplay trumps realism in Civ. Although they should fix some oddities in the current tech tree, like being able to build great war fighters without combustion engines and gatling guns without gunpowder.

 

[killmeplease]

Yet there were theatres and plays before printing press, so obviously it's not needed.

there were much fewer theatres i think
well there were cities before 4000 bc...

 

[killmeplease]

Probably yes, and like I said, gameplay trumps realism in Civ. Although they should fix some oddities in the current tech tree, like being able to build great war fighters without combustion engines and gatling guns without gunpowder.

and oil wells without mining

combustion tech can represent widespread of internal combustion vehicles not the invention of engine principle. iirc historically automobiles were used for rich people transportation only for quite a long time, then combustion engines were adopted to planes and then for everything

 

[JokerJace]

Some associations between technology and unlockables need you to walk a few edges, but they do exist. So that's not as terrible as OP describes it in my opinion.

 

[VainoValkea]

It's not terrible at all. I don't mind windmills needing economics and zoos needing printing press. The game works fine.

 

[oddtail]

Frankly, the illogical nature of the tech tree is one of the few major faults I see with Civ 5. I think it hasn't been that bad in a while. There were quite a few silly techs and unlockables in Civ 3, but nothing as bad as the more head-scratching examples in Civ 5. And Civ 4's tech tree was actually very logical and coherent, within reason - it's just a game, after all.

But, what can you do, Civ 5's more rigid structure and fewer techs, as well as much more specialised tech branches make it pretty much impossible to keep things logical while keeping the game rules as designed.

I still miss the brilliantly done and extensive Civ 4 tree, even though I consider Civ 5 to be a vastly superior game...

 

[VainoValkea]

Civ IV's tech tree was nice, yeah. Earlier civs had very odd stuff too though. Civs I, II and III had alphabet before writing. What the heck did they use those alphabet for before coming up with the concept of writing? Enumerating possible answers in tavern quizzes?

 

[bjarkieinars]

I would have put it in Astronomy as it would make sense that exotic animals would come from distant regions via exploration ships

 

[oddtail]

Since it's (loosely) related to the topic, I hope it will not be too much to "advertise" a topic I created. It concerns feedback to what I intend to be a (reasonably) logical and consistent tech tree for a mod.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=500329

It is in the modding section (and it's for an intended Total Conversion mod), but so far I am not concerned with the technical aspects, just with the layout of the tree.

I'd be happy if anyone checked this out and commented, of course

 

[aluelkdf]

Zoos should become available with trapping. Once you are able to trap an animal, its not too hard to put it in a cage and charge people to come look at it.

 

[killmeplease]

Zoos should become available with trapping. Once you are able to trap an animal, its not too hard to put it in a cage and charge people to come look at it.

trapping isnt needed, cats catch mice with no traps.
so zoos should be available from the start
cage isnt needed too. the guy watching for the fire can also watch for an animal to not leave the cave.