Ugh, why is CiV such a resource hog?

[onodera]

My PC can run stuff like Just Cause 2 with no problems, but CiV runs on it like it was coded in Javascript and molasses. I run it with all graphics settings on medium, and after a single hour it starts to craaaawwwwl, loading and reloading the terrain textures every time I shift my viewpoint. Even the bloody EoT button takes several seconds to update its message.

[Proteus_MST]

Some things, like for example the delay after clicking the end turn button seem to me like the result of extensive multithreading (i.e. the GUI has to wait till other threads are finished and it gets the focus, before it can process to the "End Turn Button"-Click event)

What calculations are being processed in the background during your turn remains a mystery however.

(either this, or the delay after clicking the end turn button is the result of large amounts of data getting collected [for use by the AI])

[Zoetstofzoetje]

This is not unique to Civ5. It's been a general trend in the software industry.

As computers have become more powerful, programmers were less incentivized to streamline their code. In fact, this was stimulated by the Wintel consortium. Windows would build heavy software, which required the latest hardware. The next generation of hardware would be even more effective, so that Microsoft could insert more irrelevant features into their code. Once you upgraded to that software, you'd only be able to run it at full speed with the next hardware generation. This cycle continued ad infinitum.

It's a conspiracy. We're paying the bill because we're so easy to fool. This is why Intel made record profits last month yet again, despite the recession. That's why we *did* need more than 640kb of RAM And it's also the reason why we almost need a Cray Supercomputer to run Civ5, a mere strategy game.