Advancing the Idustrial Age w/o Many Middle Age Techs?

[CiverDan]

I was in an MP game where my opponent was lacking Printing Press (and of course Democracy and Free Artistry) yet was still able to Advance into the next age. IMHO one should not be able to Advance into the next age w/o researching all techs which are a prerequisites to to another Tech in that Age. How do you get 2 Free techs when all copies of the Theory of Evolution are writtin by Hand

One Other Thing. The Modern Tech Tree Is still rather sparse. Part of the problem is because the era is heavily focused on techs allowing a construction of a "fictictious" spaceship. What Happened to Superhighways? They Belong in this game.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Superhighways WERE cool, but frankly I almost never get to the Modern Era before either a Domination victory or a Tedium Loss (new game started). If I got to the modern era and still had a competition I felt like pursuing, I would have better things to build thatn Superhighways - units or SS parts.

As for the tech necessities, start playing the AU mod - IIRC Printing Press is made more important. Remember too that no contact can be traded until you get this in Conquests.

[vmxa1]

As long as you research all required tech for the age you can progress to the next one. PP is optional so you do not need it to advance. Forget the reality aspects and remeber the conventions.

If every tech was a requirement to advance the game would slow down.

[Fatwreck]

the best thing about the modern ag is the music

that age could really need some work... I´ve never even seen a radar artillary...

[Tall Stranger]

It doesn't make much sense, I'll grant you. But then, neither does the fact that you can MAKE a map with Map Making, but can't trade it until later. (Is it Printing Press? Brain is shutting down and can't remember.)

Trying to imagine the conversation:

Me: Do you have the ability to make maps?
AI: Yes, do you?
Me: Yes. Tell you what, I'll give you MY map if you'll give me yours.
AI: Can't do that. If I gave you my map, I wouldn't have it any more. I'd get lost, start wandering around the continent, and end up accidentally starting a war.
Me: Why not just make another one?
AI: Can't, don't have printing press.
Me: But how did you make the first one? You have Map Making, yes?
AI: Of course. But it is MAP Making, not MAPS Making. I can only make one.
Me: Arrrrrrrgh. (Declare war.)

The point is, certain liberties are taken with reality to improve gameplay. It's easier to roll with the punches than it is to insist on pure realism. I view Civ in much the way I view many of the "Movies of the Week" on television: inspired-by-reality.

[Theseus]

That was, uh, Gathering Storm's problem. We only had the one map. And everybody kept asking Grog, who couldn't really explain that we needed to wait for Printing Presses, as his reply to every question was something about a Tank. And he didn't have the one copy of the map anyway, obviously, which is why he was stuck there up in the north for so long.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

[MrWhereItsAt]

/me sternly reminds Theseus that this was the Play the World game, when you could trade maps as soon as you got MapMaking.

Bad Theseus, trying to confuse everyone like that....

What WOULD Ariadne say?