The Biggest, Baddest Unit

[Bad Brett]

Exactly. I have no problems with futuristic weapons, but they need to fit in. Kung Fu-kicking robots are just stupid. I know some people like it because it was first suggested here, but for less frequent posters it's just dumb.

If I would design futuristic weapons for Civ IV, I would probably make some of these:

Invisible Tank
A stealth tank that only can be seen by certain units. Can be used for espionage or to launch sneak attacks.

Spoiler :

Chances are, DARPA will be successful in its quest -- eventually. The physics are already in place to make it possible, and when the technology to create the necessary parts becomes available in the next decade, these cloaking devices will leave the realm of science fiction and enter reality.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/invisible-tank.htm

Sonic Wave Artillery
Ignores defensive bonuses.

Spoiler :

Demonstrated infrasonic weapon
The U.S. DOD has demonstrated phased arrays of infrasonic emitters. The weapon usually consists of a device that generates sound at about 7 Hz. The output from the device is routed (by pipes) to an array of open emitters. At this frequency, armor and concrete walls and other common building materials allow sound waves to pass through, providing little defense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_weapon[5]

ADS Humvee
Can immobilise infantry.

Spoiler :

Active Denial System is a millimeter wave source that heats the water in the target's skin and thus causes incapacitating pain. It is being developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Raytheon for riot-control duty. Though intended to cause severe pain while leaving no lasting damage, some concern has been voiced as to whether the system could cause irreversible damage to the eyes. There has yet to be testing for long-term side effects of exposure to the microwave beam. It can also destroy unshielded electronics.[6] The device comes in various sizes including attached to a humvee.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Active_Denial_System_Humvee.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Denial_System

And yes, if they included the Big Dog in some way I would be okay with it as well. The thing with the GDR is that there would be no reason to have kung-fu kicking mechs in the modern warfare. I don't care if it would be possible to do it. It's still ridiculous, since it would serve no purpose in the real life. Even though it's not possible to travel to Alpha Centuari, it would indeed serve a purpose.

 

[moscaverde]

Fun > realism.

But GDR are not fun (at least not in the regular civ game).

 

[Thyrwyn]

Then don't build one. They cost 1000 hammers, which is 200 more than the Utopia Project (which wins the game) or any other project. Even after you build it, it is only useful if you can get it to the front. It is there, but I am willing to bet the majority of games will never see one.

 

[Schuesseled]

The GDR doesn't actually go around using kung-fu moves it just blasts everything, and maybe stomps on a couple of things, its bloody huge!

 

[Munch]

Then don't build one.

Assuming that you're not playing on too low a difficulty, it's not just you who will have the chance to build them. "Don't build one" isn't a solution.

 

[Schuesseled]

yes it is, uranium can also be used for nukes, and a nuke is certainly more destructive than a gdr.

 

[Calouste]

Assuming that you're not playing on too low a difficulty, it's not just you who will have the chance to build them. "Don't build one" isn't a solution.

Even at the higher levels, you could conceivably win by Culture, UN or Conquest before anyone is able to build GDRs. Space might be more tricky, but the thing isn't exactly fast. And considering that you can now disrupt the transportation of SS parts to the capital, it is likely that you will win on launch.

 

[PieceOfMind]

The GDR is a joke. I don't mean a joke in the sense that it won't be included in the game or even that it shouldn't be included in the game, but it's clear Firaxis are taking a bit of a gamble here. It's almost as if they're making fun of the people who take the game seriously (e.g. its realism).

I don't quite view it as a "sloppy kiss" to the online community which I think one or two people have suggested. The sloppy kiss I think is referring more to the depth of the game and its moddability. It might be a show of recognition of civfanatics. Perfection's thread on the GDR was a bit before my time on civfanatics however, so I can't say much to that.

IMO it does look a bit too silly but I understand that not everything in the game must or will fit to everyone's exact taste. I hoped they'd make a bit more effort into making it at least more believable rather than making it an obvious joke (e.g. the name of it), but eventually I'll be thinking of it like any other unit in the game.

It looks to me to be more a 'ballsy' move, to bring more attention to the game possibly including the sort of gamer who likes all things mech or scifi related but at the cost of pissing off some of the fans who like how serious the game treats them.

I have some sympathy for those who are likely to view this as spoiling the rest of the game, being a stupid end to an otherwise acceptable progression of weaponry through the eras, but on the other hand I've no problem with those who drool over the awesomeness of our new giant mechanical overlords. It's just a matter of 'different'.

 

[brianshapiro]

The GDR is a joke. I don't mean a joke in the sense that it won't be included in the game or even that it shouldn't be included in the game, but it's clear Firaxis are taking a bit of a gamble here. It's almost as if they're making fun of the people who take the game seriously (e.g. its realism).

I don't quite view it as a "sloppy kiss" to the online community which I think one or two people have suggested. The sloppy kiss I think is referring more to the depth of the game and its moddability. It might be a show of recognition of civfanatics. Perfection's thread on the GDR was a bit before my time on civfanatics however, so I can't say much to that.

IMO it does look a bit too silly but I understand that not everything in the game must or will fit to everyone's exact taste. I hoped they'd make a bit more effort into making it at least more believable rather than making it an obvious joke (e.g. the name of it), but eventually I'll be thinking of it like any other unit in the game.

It looks to me to be more a 'ballsy' move, to bring more attention to the game possibly including the sort of gamer who likes all things mech or scifi related but at the cost of pissing off some of the fans who like how serious the game treats them.

I have some sympathy for those who are likely to view this as spoiling the rest of the game, being a stupid end to an otherwise acceptable progression of weaponry through the eras, but on the other hand I've no problem with those who drool over the awesomeness of our new giant mechanical overlords. It's just a matter of 'different'.

Its like what we're used to in old Maxis games.

 

[PieceOfMind]

I failed to mention this in prev post, but thinking about it more I think Firaxis/2K have made a good decision on this.

Game features like this evoke an emotional response from fans. Whether that is closer to adoration or anger depends on individual tastes but in both cases it helps to generate publicity - something which can only be a good thing for marketing a game in a product-saturated market such as video games. People need to be aware of your game before they'll even consider buying it. The worst thing that can happen is for gamers to be indifferent to the changes in the game, as no one wants to play the same old game as what we had before.

Think about it. It's clear Firaxis/2K want to draw a lot of attention with this unit.
1. It's ridiculous name, along with its controversial/questionable realism.
2. Doing a "community feature" on 2K's website and here on civfanatics, specifically on the GDR.
3. The mech being one of the figurines in the Special Edition.

Honestly it surprises me a bit the GDR is nowhere to be seen on the game's cover art.

 

[allypower]

It's easy to mod it out or change the name.

 

[pi-r8]

It's easy to mod it out or change the name.

people always say this about anything that gets criticized, but i don't like this answer.

1) I CAN do that, but it's a bit of a PitA for what's supposed to be a fun game, to go around fixing all the bugs.

2) modding tends to miss up the AI, since the AI was programmed for the vanilla version of the game. And I'm definitely not up to the task of modding the AI to teach it to play with different units.

3)The big one- it's a lot more fun to play as part of a community, so I can see what others are doing and compare strategy. If my game is completely different, I'm just isolated by myself and it's a lot less fun.

 

[Venereus]

We should start using the writing style from Perfection's orignial GDR post and talk about how we want our GDR to be modded.

"I want a Big Boobs Witch of the West, should look like Dragon Age's Morrigan but fat, hit enemies with a gothic broomstick, shoot purple lasers from her eyes, and of course, have a huge pair of... And there should be different types of big boobs witches, of different cup sizes and hair colour", etc.

"I want my GDR to look like a Sid Meier's floating head!"

"Mine should be Darth Vader, and kill with a Force choking grapple!"

Oh, the possibilities...

 

[stealth_nsk]

Oh, the possibilities...

Check the tread about super-secret unit. Everything is already here

 

[mmdmmd]

Is UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) gonna be in the game?

Maybe new USA UU?

 

[12agnar0k]

A UAV would be nice for late modern era scouting before attacking, but I don't think its In.

 

[caketastydelish]

I'd say we're a lot closer to building giant death robots than getting to Alpha Centauri. Your realism conplaints fall on death ears, naysayers.

The best post I've seen in this thread so far IMO.

 

[City Raider]

Civ has always had "funny" or not so serious elements. Elvis going back to the initial civ games, Beep Beep Beep for Satellites (hilarious btw), Cathy's dialog, infact the overall "hotness/outfits" of some of the female leaders, the tips that "snacks are good in moderation" and the wink to The Princess Bride about land wars in Asia, etc.

 

[Schuesseled]

A UAV would be nice for late modern era scouting before attacking, but I don't think its In.

not necessary, the jet fighter gives you a look at the surrounding terrain (within 8 hexes or something)at the beginning of each turn, or something like that.

 

[brianshapiro]

Civ has always had "funny" or not so serious elements. Elvis going back to the initial civ games, Beep Beep Beep for Satellites (hilarious btw), Cathy's dialog, infact the overall "hotness/outfits" of some of the female leaders, the tips that "snacks are good in moderation" and the wink to The Princess Bride about land wars in Asia, etc.

In civ1 all of the people in the cabinet members of a communist government look exactly the same...