The Motherland Calls: Why was it cancelled?

[Dux1]

Has there been any official word as to why this wonder wasn't included in the final game? The assets for it seem to be in the game files already, so clearly, the content was made. It seems strange not to include something for which all the work has been done. Was there a controversy of some kind with its inclusion?

 

[AriochIV]

There has been no official word on this that I'm aware of.

 

[AlpsStranger]

Probably some political flack. *sigh*

No Hitler. Probably never a Stalin or Mao again. No Pueblo.* They have increasingly tiptoed around the direct references to Fascism in the earlier games.

There are tons of really interesting mechanics that could arise from depicting slavery. Imagine capturing city pop that didn't require growth, didn't produce unhappiness, and used half food. Picture the city title bar saying like ( 8 + 3 ) or something like that. You could gain slaves from capturing or raiding other civilizations. But nope, we gotta go with slave whips and then a removal of all references to slavery in Civ5.

As if slavery is any worse than inquisitors, nukes, or the many world wars and mass exterminations already in Civ.

* I admit the Pueblo thing was complicated because the complaining party was actually the offended party and not a busybody. I guess I can let that one slide since the Pueblo themselves were the ones asking for the change.

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

There's no artwork files, though it exists in XML. Let's hope it - along with the three gorges dam, Panama canal et al - are being saved for a future DLC .

 

[HardRocker]

@AlpsStranger, is it bad that I started reading that in bobby's voice? You make a good point though.

How do we know that The Motherland Calls isn't included? They could be saving the art files for the release of the game.

 

[Dux1]

There's no artwork files, though it exists in XML.

There is also a sound file, complete with music and a quote, for it. It sounds like it would have been nice.

 

[Tsar NicholasII]

I don't think it was anything political since the statue was unveiled in 1967 which was after De-Stalinization. Its a war memorial, really nothing political, maybe someone liked the Red Fort better or they're saving it for a DLC later on.

 

[TomDeFun]

I would think that it was originally the Order Wonder, and then the Kremlin was thrown into the mix and it became a toss up between the two of them. Since Kremlin was already in, Mommy just had to go. But that's just an educated guess.

 

[Vasire]

Yes, that's a big bummer. It would be an even bigger bummer to find out that it was dropped for political reasons. I tell you, there can be lots of debates whether the Kremlin represents a lot more of the good or the bad parts of the Russian history.
But I don't think I know anybody who would argue that the Motherland calls represents more than just an inspiration and a monument to the patriotism of the fallen.

 

[gunnergoz]

Probably some political flack. *sigh*

No Hitler. Probably never a Stalin or Mao again. No Pueblo.* They have increasingly tiptoed around the direct references to Fascism in the earlier games.

(snip)

The statue came long after Stalin, being unveiled in 1967 during Brezhnev's tenure. It was hardly an era of Stalinism, though for sure communism still held sway.

Personally, I don't think politics played into it at all...it is hardly a symbol of conquest, but definitely a war and victory memorial that is revered still in all the former Soviet countries.

I suspect there were other reasons. Some have ventured it might be a problem with the 3D model, though that seems a stretch since we already have the Colossus and Statue of Liberty in the game. Another possibility is that the need for it was negated by balance changes that were taking place in the game's development. That is what I am leaning towards.

 

[anandus]

There's no artwork files, though it exists in XML. Let's hope it - along with the three gorges dam, Panama canal et al - are being saved for a future DLC .

I'd really love a WOTMW DLC. Would definitely buy it.

 

[Tinker]

It probably was redundant, gameplay-wise, or there just wasn't a good spot for it? It's doubtful that's it's anything political, as you know, Prora still got in.

 

[Talcove]

It probably was redundant, gameplay-wise, or there just wasn't a good spot for it? It's doubtful that's it's anything political, as you know, Prora still got in.

That's another thing that gets me mad. A huge and epic statue full of symbolism that still attracts tourists to this day gets axed, but a big broken down Nazi hotel that was never used gets in? It makes me want to cry.

 

[Bakspatel]

It probably was redundant, gameplay-wise, or there just wasn't a good spot for it? It's doubtful that's it's anything political, as you know, Prora still got in.

Agree, they probably didn't had any space left to add it. Don't forget that, despite there are still so many beautiful wonders in the world that there already is a whole load of them in the game.

 

[Pouakai]

I was looking at A picture of it on Wikipedia, and noticed this as the legal copyright etc info:

This is a two-dimensional representation of a copyrighted sculpture, statue or any other three-dimensional work of art. As such it is a derivative work of art, and per US Copyright Act of 1976, § 106(2) whoever holds copyright of the original has the exclusive right to authorize derivative works.

Per § 107 it is believed that reproduction for criticism, comment, teaching and scholarship constitutes fair use and does not infringe copyright.

It is believed that the use of a picture

to illustrate the three-dimensional work of art in question,
to discuss the artistic genre or technique of the work of art
or to discuss the artist or the school to which the artist belongs

on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the United States by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation,

qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. Any other uses of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, might be copyright infringement.

So it would appear, almost ironically, that the statue itself is subject to copyright and 2K / Firaxis would likely have faced legal issues / high licensing fees if they were to use it in BNW. Cancelling it in favour of the Kremlin was almost certainly the cheaper option

 

[Bakspatel]

Putting copyrights on monuments? Capitalism at its finest.

 

[otaman1]

The Motherland Calls gives 5 tourism and 3 culture and it's a National Wonder.

 

[Merciorum]

The Motherland Calls gives 5 tourism and 3 culture and it's a National Wonder.

Source?

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

It's not in the game, well it is, but it's hidden away, not to mention that unless it's a recent change, it did not appear on the tech tree either.

 

[SamBC]

I doubt an authoritative answer from the devs/publisher will be forthcoming, though Pouakai's logic seems sound.