Tech Tree

[ThERat]

I don't know whether this has been brought up before. I just had a look at the excel file of the tech tree. And I was surprised to see that few modern age techs.

There are currently very few of them, does this mean the Modern age will be deemphasized?

Any ideas?

 

[warpstorm]

My guess is that it'll be de-emphasized. In Civ3, I rarely got there and when I did it was the most disappointing. Having said that, I'd like to see an interesting modern era.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Well, though I can't be sure, I wouldn't be suprised if the Modern Age actually has either more techs, or that the techs which are in have far greater relevance and importance to the game. I am not suprised that we have seen few modern age techs so far, because Soren really just glossed over that part of the tech tree in his presentation.
Like Warpstorm, I truly hope that they have made a serious attempt to make the modern age fun, and make it much harder to win before reaching the modern age (note harder , but not impossible).
So, my gut feeling is that Modern Age has not been de-emphasised, but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[Kurioku]

My guess is that it'll be de-emphasized. In Civ3, I rarely got there and when I did it was the most disappointing. Having said that, I'd like to see an interesting modern era.

............Well how bout' an interesting future age while we're at it?

 

[alexchunha]

This is slightly unrelated, but still pertains to the Tech Tree.

In Civ3, the style of city buildings changed when you reached a new era. For example, upon reaching the Industrial Age, all of your city icons on the map would show factories and smokestacks (and the city view showed more advanced roads and buildings within the city). Since the Tech Tree in Civ4 no longer has set eras, will the style of city buildings change like they did in Civ3? And if they do, when do they change? Have I missed some information regarding this, or do we not know yet? To my knowledge, all of the screenshots we've seen so far have been of the early game (early Medieval age and before), so we really don't know what cities look like in the later game (Industrial and Modern Age).

Anyone able to shed some light on this for me?

 

[warpstorm]

............Well how bout' an interesting future age while we're at it?

NO!!!!!! I think Civ should stick to the historical.

 

[Carver]

This is slightly unrelated, but still pertains to the Tech Tree.

In Civ3, the style of city buildings changed when you reached a new era. For example, upon reaching the Industrial Age, all of your city icons on the map would show factories and smokestacks (and the city view showed more advanced roads and buildings within the city). Since the Tech Tree in Civ4 no longer has set eras, will the style of city buildings change like they did in Civ3? And if they do, when do they change? Have I missed some information regarding this, or do we not know yet? To my knowledge, all of the screenshots we've seen so far have been of the early game (early Medieval age and before), so we really don't know what cities look like in the later game (Industrial and Modern Age).

Anyone able to shed some light on this for me?

Given the emphasis on graphics I am rather sure that the city graphics will change. Even without eras they can still use key techs to instigate the change; such as when you reach electricity things change. They could either use a single tech or muliple trigger techs like feudalism OR invention.

 

[I am the Future]

I agree with carver but i would guess that difrent techs do different thing and maybe eventime. Like after Stonehenge has existed for 100 turns it will start to fall apart or as a better example the hangeing gardens. Has any one else noticed that they are no longer around.

I also think that city changes will be more gradual. like one invention makes the houses a little more modern and another more till they look like what they look like now. Other thing should depend on when they were built. If you build a cathedral late in the game then it should look like a more modern church as opposed to a 16th century church. With the new graphics engine it would be realy cool to see what they ge t out of it. But the one thing that is known is cities will have to age somehow.

 

[Lucky The Fox]

NO!!!!!! I think Civ should stick to the historical.

I agree. If you want to play in the future, play Alpha Centauri.

Anyway, I'll definitely be extremely disappointed if the graphics won't change through the ages. Especially the leaderheads. One of the biggest sources of addiction in my early days of Civ III, was to see what each leader looks like in each era.

 

[JG99_Korab]

If people want to play future...I am plenty sure that there will be future mods...mods like never before!!

 

[Virote_Considon]

I think that cities will be linked to certain techs, just like civ 2, whereby if you researched invention, your cities woud change! (Invention is the only tech I can remember!)

 

[peanut35]

On the same line as this, since everything should be visible on World Map, should things like Windmills and that sort, that are improvements on terrain, also age?

 

[Urederra]

Maybe they haven't finished the tech tree. I remember that in the first screenies they show us there were many holes in the tech tree. I don't know in the new ones, but maybe they didn't show us most of the modern ones. Same as the units, I haven't seen modern units, that does not mean that they don't exist.

On the same line as this, since everything should be visible on World Map, should things like Windmills and that sort, that are improvements on terrain, also age?

I have a similar question in mind, do the leaderheads change costumes during the game, like in Civ III? Since there is not ages, the question might probably be not. But the windmills and other buildings might change.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I don't know about animations, but music will at least change for leaders

Where possible he's tried to use folk tunes that represent the character and attitude of each civilization and each ruler. The music for Franklin D. Roosevelt for instance is the Marine Hymn. Jeff's even gone so far as to arrange each piece to suit the various time periods of the game. If you meet with Roosevelt in the early part of the game, you'll hear ancient instruments playing the theme. By the end of the game, the tune will have swelled and taken on a more Sousa-like quality.

 

[Lucky The Fox]

I don't know about animations, but music will at least change for leaders

Hey, good point! That'll give us a little more faith.