What future technologies do we want to see in civ4?

[lajzar]

As we all know, rogue states don't use ballistic missiles though. They use aircraft.

If I were a rogue nation, and I had a nuclear explosive device, and I wanted to use it against the USA (I'm not to all three before you ask), the last method I would consider for delivering it is at the end of an ICBM. Far too easy to spot. But this is getting too political.

SDI defence is an established part of civ lore, so it wouldn't be right to remove it. It is also futuristic - Star Wars and SW2 programmes aren't SDI as civ would consider it.

[Xorbon]

lajzar is right. SDI has been part of Civ since the beginning. I don't care how improbable it is in real life, it should be in Civ 4. Plus, I think there has to be some sort of defence against nukes.

[bipolarbear]

I there a Star Wars technology in the Civ games? that would be cool, kinda like in the end of Akira! Oooh, or maybe you can get that great monolith from 2001: A space odyssey! Thta would be too cool, but it wouldn't make much sense though.

[lajzar]

There isn't, and if you mean Star Wars as in the movies, I sincerely hope there never will be. The Civ paradigm breaks when you move it into space imho.

When I mentioned Star Wars, I was referring to the official name given to Reagan's original SDI programme.

[okblacke]

Originally posted by lajzar
You know, we've been 30 years away from fusion power for the last 30 years now. I think "future tech" should be renamed "fusion power".

Hey, that'd be pretty funny. It could go like this:

Fusion Power 50% (We're halfway there!)
Fusion Power 75% (3/4s now!)
Fusion Power 87% (Almost made it!)
Fusion Power 94% (Almost!)
Fusion Power 97% (Almost!)
Fusion Power 99% (Closer!)
Fusion Power 99.5% (Next time I'm sure of it!)
Fusion Power 99.75% (Wait for it!)
Fusion Power 99.87% (etc.)

Heh.

[ok]

[Plotinus]

Originally posted by lajzar
As we all know, rogue states don't use ballistic missiles though. They use aircraft.

Except for North Korea, of course, which is in the habit of lobbing missiles at Japan. Fortunately, it keeps missing.

[Trifna]

I believe that some people went dogmatic: SDI always were there, SDI always should stay.

SDI may have been adapted in Civ 1-2-3, but it does't mean that our present knowledge it still is.

[joncha]

Originally posted by Trifna
I believe that some people went dogmatic: SDI always were there, SDI always should stay.

SDI may have been adapted in Civ 1-2-3, but it does't mean that our present knowledge it still is.

[Xorbon]

There's a reason for being dogmatic. It's kind of a comfort to know that certain things in the game will be the same, even if other things have changed. This includes SDI (aka "Star Wars"). I like how SDI was implemented as a small wonder in Civ 3. I was kinda disappointed when Civ 3 had no 'Fusion Power' or Elvis though.

[PresidentMarcos]

How about units with SDI capability...i.e. a Delta Clipper? Also, I'd like to see a Superconducting Supercollider small wonder.

[lajzar]

I think SMAC had an interesting system. SDI defences were satellites. Each one had only a 50% chance of stopping a missile, but you could build as many as you like. Of course, each one could only be used once a turn, making teh defences vulnerable to swamping with multiple attacks.

[Optimizer]

Maybe it's about time for a poll?

[Fosse]

lajzar, thanks for bringing up the SMAC satallites! SDI could be well handled this way I think. Perhaps this sort of "space game" could be well done in Civ 4 as well.

I hate the "space layer" of CtP fame and want no such thing in Civ. But the possibility to build SDI satallites, spy sats, and even research or commercial sats (boosts to research and commerce, of course) would be really fun. The costs need to be high enough and the results balanced so that the late game doesn't become "build nothing but satallites until you can buy the spaceship," but it seems like a fun idea.

Ceratinly better than building "SDI" in all of your cities, anyway.

[lajzar]

Yeah, defintely no space layer. I'm not against layers per se, but each layer should be fully rounded. That means it should have terrain and the possibility for building cities.

So, undersea makes sense. Subterranean makes sense. Heck, in that context even Hollow Earth and Magic Myrror make sense. But unless you are going for a magical race that builds cities in the clouds, a stratosphere layer is silly (they are better ways to do high altitude aircraft), and a space layer is even sillier(not even clouds for terrain).

If we are going to implement sea cities, undersea cities should be undersea. Perhaps we could also have floating cities as a prelude to undersea cities.

But I favour the basic game having as little futuristic tech as possible, or at least an option for players to exclude those from individual epic games (kind of like a "What tech level do you want the game to end" selector, similar to all the other selections made when setting up the game).

[Fosse]

NO SEA CITIES!!!!!