Time = the fourth dimension

[Lev Bronstein]

Einstein believed that time was the fourth dimension.

I know this topic has been dealt with before, but here's my $.02.

In Epic the tech research is too fast. Many uu units have tooooo narrow a window to be advantageously utilized.

I have tried Marathon, and it appears the time frames for production, wonders, movement - could use a little PROFESSIONAL tweaking. Perhaps the expansion could feature a reworked appreciation of the 4th Dimension (at least at the Marathon level). I believe the Marathon level - a polished Marathon time frame level - could offer a more balanced turn based Civ4 than the Epic.

But Civ 4 is good. Do its developers internalize just how good this game is??? It is cutting into my necessary recreation-buzzing time at the local Pub. And that I regret. Altho I can't help it. The bartenders are beautiful (inside & out) & the beer is affordable at Happy Hour 5-7PM. Civ4 is keeping me sober. We (me & Gollem) hates Sid Meiers & company. But I digress.

 

[Willem]

Civ4 is keeping me sober.

Just stock up your refrigerator.

 

[Crighton]

or get a laptop and play at teh pub, you're sure get a few inquiries from the ladies . . . .

 

[Willem]

or get a laptop and play at teh pub, you're sure get a few inquiries from the ladies . . . .

Just what the ladies want, a guy who spends all his time playing computer games.

 

[pholkhero]

Just what the ladies want, a guy who spends all his time playing computer games.

Or rather, a guy who loves gaming and drinking SO much that they have to bring hte laptop to the bar so that they don't miss out on either.

 

[Willem]

Or rather, a guy who loves gaming and drinking SO much that they have to bring hte laptop to the bar so that they don't miss out on either.

Yep, definitely a chick magnet.

 

[Traflagar]

Just stock up your refrigerator.

And keep a few of those beautiful barmaids tied up in the basement....

Just kidding........

 

[pholkhero]

And keep a few of those beautiful barmaids tied up in the basement....

How could she bring the beer over that way?? I guess if it were a long enough chain...

 

[Rex Tyrannus]

I guess if it were a long enough chain...

Screw that. Get a dumbwaiter. Every psychopath/alchoholic/civ addict needs a dumbwaiter.

 

[Rex Tyrannus]

No offense on the Alchoholic remark. I didn't mean to imply that you were one. (especially since you say civ keeps you from drinking).

 

[twansalem]

Einstein believed that time was the fourth dimension.

Time IS the 4th dimension. Multiply time by a suitable constant, such as the speed of light, c=3x10^8 m/s , and it can then be measured in meters, just like distance.

Or we can just set the speed of light and planck's constant both equal to one, but I suppose that's a story of its own.

Well I suppose I should stop procrastinating and go back to reading Jackson's Classical Electrodynamics.

 

[Lev Bronstein]

Time IS the 4th dimension. Multiply time by a suitable constant, such as the speed of light, c=3x10^8 m/s , and it can then be measured in meters, just like distance.

Or we can just set the speed of light and planck's constant both equal to one, but I suppose that's a story of its own.

Well I suppose I should stop procrastinating and go back to reading Jackson's Classical Electrodynamics.

You are correct!!!!

IS IS IS. But History is my field; what do I know about science?

Einstein published a book of essays - including Why Socialism, which is a brilliant and well-written lengthy essay that both critiqued capitalism and the Stalinist version of socialism.

For me, Einstein represents the unity of science with morality.

 

[neriana]

For me, Einstein represents the unity of science with morality.

See my signature . Einstein's attempt to apply his ideas of order and comprehension to nature meant he stalled when it came to quantum physics. Nature is completely amoral. Of course science, being a human endeavor, is not.

 

[daengle]

Einstein believed that time was the fourth dimension.

To completely nitpick...

CIV4 is played in only two spacial dimensions so its Minkowski space-time should have three total. Thus time would only be the third dimension.

 

[Danghis Khan]

Well to completely nitpick, there is a limited 3rd z-axis in the game consisting of subs, sea, land, hills, mountain, and aircraft (heck, throw in the globe view if you want). So it does really work in 4 dimensions.

 

[tombeef]

oh man here we go again, wasn't this dicussion in another thread.

The location of the afterlife or whatever. At least it's interesting.

 

[twansalem]

To completely nitpick...

CIV4 is played in only two spacial dimensions so its Minkowski space-time should have three total. Thus time would only be the third dimension.

Well to completely nitpick, there is a limited 3rd z-axis in the game consisting of subs, sea, land, hills, mountain, and aircraft (heck, throw in the globe view if you want). So it does really work in 4 dimensions.

These points made me realize that what we're really dealing with here is not really the Minkowski metric at all, but something similar to the metric of the surface of a cylinder (at least for default type maps), but more complicated due to the addition of a limited radial spatial dimension. And of course time slows down as the game progresses (fewer years per turn), and now we have to deal with accelerated frames, which makes the metric even more complicated, and that's a job for general relativity, which isn't my specialty. ( I'm a physics grad student, but I'm going into experimental high energy physics, so theory isn't really my thing.)

 

[Englor]

I agree that there is not enough in the game to distinguish between choosing for for an epic, average or shortened experience.

An idea for starters on the "tweaking" you request of, may be that the teh tree representative advances are broken down to their respective lead ups in perhaps a still egalitarian structure of B-lining.

For one ie the jump from primitive metalurgy to modern metal urgy could look like this;
Copper molding - bronze smelting - iron casting - metal forging - modern metalurgy - metalic composites

A military evolution scheme using spearman as the example might look like this;
spearman(just a spear in one hand and more in the other)
Spear infantry(spear and sheild with chestplat and helm)
centurian(lots of body armour, bigger spear and sheild)
Notice that it does not say Praetorian, disregarding the nationalistic euphemism scheme.
Pikeman(very long spear held with twohands and chainmail with plate armour)
Halberdier(axe/javelin like spear with cape leather boots and arquebussier helm.
After that its world war style, bayonet in a pipe scheme lol.
I hope this line of thought helps.