New Tech ideas

[orrery]

I was considering technologies for a Civilizations IV that would make sense and might seriously be considered.

So, here is my list, let me know if you have any reason why these techs shouldn't be included in Civ IV

Techs:
Carpentry
Grid Computing

Governments:
Federalist

Small Wonders:
Internet
Hubble Space Telescope

Try to keep your list small, and nothing too fancy or futuristic.

[orrery]

I'd like to develop these a bit more and I'm currently operating on a whim:

1.) Carpentry would be the predecessor for the coastal boats instead of the alphabet.

Carpentry + Mathematics = catapult

2.) Grid Computing would follow from the Computer tech and would be a requirement for the SETI and Cure for Cancer projects. Grid Computing would be a requirement for Genetic Engineering. Genetic Engineering would give Cure for Cancer or Human Genome Project.

3.) After Democracy there will be a small wonder called "The Constitution" that you would have to build. By building The Constitution a new form of Government becomes available, and that is Federalism. Federalism has a lot of advantages, increased worker productivity, less corruption, etc. The disadvatage is that you have to transistion to democracy before you can build the Constitution, and once you build the Constitution you have to go through a transistion to Federalism. If you make this transistion however, it becomes well worth it.

4.) Add Internet as small wonder, this was done in versions of Civ II and should be transported to Civ IV.

5.) Hubble Space Telescope should be a precursor to developing Spaceship and available after Space Flight tech is discovered.

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts and what I could personally do to implement these changes.

[Panag]

hi ,

the hubble should be a great wonder , not a small , ....

as far as the net making it a small wonder , nope , it should be a great wonder also , ...

well the techs are worth loking into , but in all about 20 to 30 new techs should be put in

nice tech ideas btw

have a nice day

[lajzar]

Umm, Federalism has been a government type since teh middle ages. Ask the Swiss. Ask for it being a souped-up Democracy, the jury is still out on that one. I'm not convinced that the factors that go towards making the USA more effective cannot be explained by sheer size alone, and forgive me when I say it seems a bit too blatant what your model for Federalism is.

Ask for Grid Computing, is that anything like Network Computing? Let's call these by their more common name eh?

[Odin]

Federalism could have communal corruption as fits it's decentralized nature. Good for large empires that are at peace.

BTW, The government should be called Federal Republic

[Sandman]

Way too Americanised. Sorry, but the lategame is already too American as it is.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Sandman
Way too Americanised. Sorry, but the lategame is already too American as it is.

Excuse me,

Canada, Russia, Mexico, and Germany are federal republics. just because the US made it popular doesn't mean it is "too american.' That is just like saying democracy is "too American." Peacemongers with large empires need an alternative to communism, which is for warmongers with large empires (like Russia ).

[Sandman]

I was more objecting to the 'Hubble Space Telescope' and 'The Constitution' wonders. And especially the idea that federal democracies are a lot better than centralised ones.

The 'need' for a communal corruption democracy is more a problem with the corruption system than anything else.

[Mad Bomber]

Originally posted by Odin


Excuse me,

Canada, Russia, Mexico, and Germany are federal republics. just because the US made it popular doesn't mean it is "too american.' That is just like saying democracy is "too American." Peacemongers with large empires need an alternative to communism, which is for warmongers with large empires (like Russia ).

1)I am pretty sure that most of these are Parlimentarian Republics as opposed to a Federal Republic (like in the US) and both are different styles of represenative democracy which are included in the Democracy government. We shouldn't reinvent the wheel just to make a cosmetic change to a game.

2) I like the addition of carpentry to the tech tree.

3) The Internet is already in C3C, Hubble isn't really unique enough for a wonder status. I do like having the Constitution as a small Wonder (with a few others; Code of Hammurabi, Codex of Justinian, the Magna Carta, ect.)

4) Grid Computing seems too close to the tech of Computers. How about Mass Media being a tech? Hollywood a small wonder? A symphony, Museum, theater, Cinema, Town Newspaper as city improvements?

[lajzar]

Originally posted by Mad Bomber

Canada, Russia, Mexico, and Germany are federal republics. just because the US made it popular doesn't mean it is "too american.' That is just like saying democracy is "too American."

1)I am pretty sure that most of these are Parlimentarian Republics as opposed to a Federal Republic (like in the US) and both are different styles of represenative democracy which are included in the Democracy government. We shouldn't reinvent the wheel just to make a cosmetic change to a game.

Not forgetting the original Federal Republic, Switzerland. Proof that this government style has nothing to do with large geographical sizes. Given the proposed examples (Russia? Mexico?) it isn't even necessarily any more efficient than a regular vanilla "democracy".

2) I like the addition of carpentry to the tech tree.

3) The Internet is already in C3C, Hubble isn't really unique enough for a wonder status. I do like having the Constitution as a small Wonder (with a few others; Code of Hammurabi, Codex of Justinian, the Magna Carta, ect.)

4) Grid Computing seems too close to the tech of Computers. How about Mass Media being a tech? Hollywood a small wonder? A symphony, Museum, theater, Cinema, Town Newspaper as city improvements?

I'd have computers as being the basic calculating device, and Networking as being the tech that allows computers to connect, increasing their potential power dramatically.

A modern world without Networking tech would be similar to Asimov's world where there are five (yes, FIVE!) computers in the world, each running stuff for an entire continent. Read "The Evitable Conflict" for details.

[Addled Platypus]

future tech
ion drives
rail guns
solar sails
space shuttle !!!

to name but a few

[orrery]

Americans are going to be the majority of people buying the game. As an American, I would like to see Civ IV succeed and I think it can best do that by expanding what it has to offer to its customers. I believe a Federalist government would be a good addition to the game, I do not see any reason why it should be excluded. After reading the Federalist Papers, I definitely feel that the makers of Civ should consider adding Federalism to its list of government types.

Hollywood would be a good addition to the wonders and its likely advantage would be to provide entertainment to your entire civilization and keeping the people happy.

So, after your responses, I'll concede Grid Computing. But, I'll have to protest about Hubble not being unique as suggested by Mad Bomber. That leaves me with:

1. Carpentry (tech)
2. Federalist (govt)

I'd also like to hear your comments on another suggestion that I've recently come up with:

3. The X-Prize Cup (small wonder)

[lajzar]

I can't see any reason why it should be excluded per se, but unlike you, I don't see it as being necessarily superior to a plain vanilla emocracy either. Consider the nations that have this government:

India
USA
Brazil
Russia
Germany
Switzerland
Mexico

That list isn't really demonstrating a profile of countries with superior economic performance. If you can list what those governments have in common that is distinct from other democracies, I am all ears.

If, however, as I suspect, you simply want a unique government to pander to the US game-buying market, I'm not so interested.

I'd agree with you on having Hubble as a wonder though. As the only space based telescope in existance, I'd say it is pretty unique.

Perhaps it could be a wonder, and with a later tech, an almost equivalent small wonder becomes available? That might be a general addition for most wonders too.

[orrery]

So I guess everyone is onboard for carpentry then?

[Mad Bomber]

Originally posted by lajzar

I'd agree with you on having Hubble as a wonder though. As the only space based telescope in existance, I'd say it is pretty unique.

Perhaps it could be a wonder, and with a later tech, an almost equivalent small wonder becomes available? That might be a general addition for most wonders too.

A replacement for Hubble is already in its final stages of development. It could be deployed as soon as 2007, making Hubble obsolete overnight. Hubble is scheduled for destruction in 2012 unless an effort to save Hubble succeeds. Since Hubble would have only been relevant for approx ten years of its life, IMO it would not be unique enough for wonder status.