The World that Time Forgot.. Apparently

[IcyFrozen]

It occured to me while playing today that the modern era seems to be a bit poorly represented. Realizing that the game is a few years along and thus immediate technological advances are not presented, and with GaK adjusting for 'WW1" era, it seems to me that there is a sudden jump from circa 1950 to Future Era.

Some examples that occured to me;

Satelites is the end of the space-themed content, this could lead to Space Program (enabling a Cape Canavarel and International Space Station Wonders) and then an Advanced Space Flight (with the Mars Rover). In the Future Era this could lead to Lunar Colonization, etc. Somewhere in the space line I'd like to see a Satelite Array building (ground based satelite dishes) or the SETI program re-added as a wonder.

Robotics/Flight should lead to Automation giving production bonuses to factories, manufactories and the Predator Drone unit. Probally with a maintainence or happiness penalty to represent displaced workers.

To the medical path, Genetics (Human Genome Project and a Food bonus) leading to Cloning in the Future Era.

Green Energy would seem a logical technology, allowing for Wind Farms as an additional Power Generating building. It would be a suitable follow up to Ecology.

The Internet would be a logical follow up to Globalization, playing off the social line and providing some research bonus as awell. This could lead to Networks and other cyber-themed technology.

I'd like to see the existing Nuclear Missile require a Missile Destroyer or A Mobile Missile Launcher (ground unit, similar to early tank) to fire, and an 'Advanced Rocketry' technology added and the true ICBM re-added to the game along with the required Missile Defense technology in the Future Era. The ICBM I'd like to see launched from a Missile Silo Improvement (thereby limiting the number of ICBMs a player is likely to have since it also requires consuming a tile as well).

I think that would more accurately reflect the 'Modern Era', and the Future Era would make more sense with a little by more development as well. Pretty much just steal some of the Alpha Centauri techs.

 

[Bandersnatching]

The problem with the modern era is that, usually, the game has been decided by then (or you've teched to Stealth Bombers and gone on a conquering spree), so there is little reason for the developers to expand upon it. Because other eras get far more game time, enhancing those makes better economic sense for them, and so modern gets left behind.
I think that there are a number of mods that expand upon the modern era, either as a main focus or as part of a game-wide change. You should look them up in the Creation & Customization forum.

 

[Ajuga]

I guess they could fill it up in an expansion.

 

[joncnunn]

Actually someone already has a SMAC mod to Civ V on this site.
Basically they added a few more eras with key concepts from SMAC.
Building the spaceship instead of winning the game moves you into the first of the future eras.
Instead the science victory within the mod is the Ascent to Transcendence which requires completing the tree.

 

[IcyFrozen]

My essential issue is that the modern era should be expanded to reflect the actual duration of the modern age. The current tech tree seems to jump almost immediately from flight to Death Robots, which is a fairly illogical leap, giving the large amout of current technology that has progressed since flight given we have yet to develop Death Robots.

I have to agree that the game is typically won in the first 200 turns ( i play on Marathon so scale appropriately) when one player has +2 cities over the average and exponential growth will place that player in the dominant spot for the remainder of the game, bearing a massive (truly stupid) mistake.

I wonder if expanding the modern era to a reasonable level, furthered by a full 'Future Era' wouldnt give more time for this city gap to stabilize out. With current technology, particular weapons of mass destruction, the numbers advantage provided by large nations is negated. For example North Korea is arguably a major player on the world stage while being relatively geopgraphically and populously small because of its nuclear potential. That being said I suppose larger nations have a right to win being that their obvious more successful, some competition late game would be fun though.