The game should last longer than to 2050

[Herrs]

Honestly, who think we will send people to Alpha Centauri in 45 years? I'd like to see a game who streches a bit further into the future with more future techs and buildings etc. Maybe borrow some ideas from the game Alpha Centauri (not too many though...).

 

[warpstorm]

I disagree. I think that Civ would do well not to extrapolate into the future, but rather concentrate on the past.

 

[Spatula]

I'd say keep it 4000BC-2050AD, but make more turns in between these (the Eras get progressivley longer and I don't like it - I can be out of the Ancient Era very quickly and so it loses its importance), and change Alpha Centauri to Moon Landing.

 

[Colonel]

I'd say keep it 4000BC-2050AD, but make more turns in between these (the Eras get progressivley longer and I don't like it - I can be out of the Ancient Era very quickly and so it loses its importance), and change Alpha Centauri to Moon Landing.

I think this would be the best soultion to this problem, for me the Ancient Era is like a brief bit of the game. The Industrial Age is like the most important in Civ3 so I think that should be changed.

 

[Mongoloid Cow]

I also reckon it should be left at 2050. Future eras suck :thumbsdown

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

My feeling is that the game should end on a random year between around 2050 and 2500, with the actual end date changing from game to game. This way, people would be kept on their toes, as they wouldn't know EXACTLY when the game was going to end!!! They couldn't, for example, throw their reputation to the wind so as to win the domination victory in the next 8 turns!
Also, rather than 'extraplolate' I think it would be easier to retain future techs but, as I have said previously, give them in-game benefits to such things as unit strengths, production, commerce, population growth and the like!
Lastly, rather than a 'mission to AC', I would rather see the Space Race mission be about a more gradual accumulation of points-garnered from a variety of successful missions-be they sattelite launches, exploration missions, space stations or off-world colonies.

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I disagree. I think that Civ would do well not to extrapolate into the future, but rather concentrate on the past.

Agreed.

The traditional spaceship to Alpha Centauri could, in the interest of realism, be replaced by a Mars colony.

 

[Unspeakable Horror]

I like that a bit more, the landing in the moon is too early IMHO.

 

[warpstorm]

My feeling is that the game should end on a random year between around 2050 and 2500, with the actual end date changing from game to game. This way, people would be kept on their toes, as they wouldn't know EXACTLY when the game was going to end!!!

While I wouldn't want the game to extend much longer than it currently does, I love the idea of the random unknown ending date. Like you point out it might make some cheesey late game exploits backfire a bit.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Yeah, a random end date in in the 2020-2050 period or so might be nice.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Yeah, I admit that I WAS just picking a date at random. Possibly 2100 or-at the VERY latest-2200 would be acceptable, just so long as its RANDOM!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[Trade-peror]

Is it not already possible to change the number of turns in a game at the setup screen?

Otherwise, I do like Aussie_Lurker's idea of having a random ending date within a limited range near the end. Keeping Civ more focused on the past rather than the future is also important, for maintaining a "historically authentic" feel would be more consistent with the rest of the game, but difficult to achieve with predictions on the future.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

I agree T-P, overly focussing on the future is what ultimately wrecked the CtP series for me-if they had simply stuck to the very near future, and not wasted so much energy on undersea cities and space cities, I would have REALLY loved it (I like CtP I and II in many ways, just not as much as I do civ3 !)
That kind of thing would be FANTASTIC for a scenario, though, just not the main game!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[sir_schwick]

I think that years per turn should be based on current mean technology. That means the ancient era is always slow, the middle ages faster, industrial even faster, and modern very fast. Also, the end year would be X number of turns after a certain percentage of Modern Era techs are researched. THis means the game always ends around the end of our current era.

 

[Spatula]

I do like that idea better than the 'random end' idea. What if you want a Histographic win, but someone overtakes you in 2060 by invading and destroying cities, only for the game to then end before you can recover?

But the overall problem I can see is this: how is it going to work out the bonus multiplier for finishing the game befor 2050?

 

[Black_Hole]

it should be left at 2050, but we need many more turns, as some games i start getting into some good modern age wars but then the game just ends

 

[sir_schwick]

what if tech rate is really ihg and you have finished modern age at 1800? I just like the idea the game always ends near the end of the modern era.

Eliminate the finish early modifier, or make it based on number of turns. YOu get a bonus for number of turns before Turn 600(arbitrary number, should be adjusted).

 

[Spatula]

Or simply the less turns you take the bigger the multiplier?

 

[brianshapiro]

Aussie_Lurker,

part of the problem i found with the future eras in CtP is that all the units and technology were goofy and designed to be 'super-cool'. but this is part of a larger problem i had with CtP which I found goofy for having lawyers and televangelists as units; allowed you to control national wages (i also had problems with the public works system); only had non-western ethnic music. i just found CtP a joke.

but if you look at Alpha Centauri, i thought the future technology was very nicely and smartly done.

i agree though that its probably better to have Civlization focus on the past and not include future eras

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

The problem, Spatula, is that WAY too many players exploit the known end date of the game to get a rush victory-and the random end date will help to prevent that from happening!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.