Tobacco? For Shame Firaxis!

[The Templar]

Accoring to the press release here, Firaxis is including tobacco as a luxury resource. While this is historically correct, I find this inclusion appalling. Tobacco consumption amounts to a world-wide health disaster. And while tobacco has been historically important, coca has been historically important to the Andean peoples. But don't expect to see coca featured in an American-made game. The argument against coca would be a moral one - despite its historical correctness. No doubt Bill O'reilly or Bill "high roller" Bennett would complain that Firaxis is promoting drug use and should "think of the children" if coca found its way into the game. (BTW Andeans who use coca for personal consuption do not use it in the form of cocaine or crack. They chew the leaves or make tea. This is the difference between drinking a beer and drinking Everclear.)

If Firaxis is going to include tobacco, I recommend some of the following.

* Reflect the actual health costs of tobacco by cutting productivity or taking a financial hit from each city that gets the happiness benefit.

* Have tobacco expire in the modern age.

* Tobacco selling countries could take a reputation hit or have to pay a tax.

These things would reflect the costs imposed by tobacco and make tobacco trade a real trade-off.

[Stefu]

That's like suggesting that if your civ has even one bonus cattle resource, then all your units become fat and immobilized. All those burgers, donchaknow? And let's scrap oil for all the smog, uranium for all the radiation, and saltpeter for the wars. Yeah!

On the other hand, a new resource called 'political correctness' will be abundant and never depletes - and strangely, it won't really make your citizens any happier.

[brianshapiro]

"Exotic birds" is also another case of animal mistreatment it shouldnt raise happiness. "Cattle" should lower health causing population decrease because of the negative effects of milk.
and exotic birds, cattle, and elephants should each have movies showing the slaughter or imprisonment of these animals

[vmxa1]

Templar you need to loosen up, it is a game.
Most of the stuff you list as penalties does not exist in life. Tobacco is still legal so why any rep issues?
Understand I am an ex smoker and can not stand to be around smoke and my younger brother and mother died from smoking last year, but it was their choice. It should reflect the historical truth. It has been sought after by people and governments for centuries and they still make money off of it. Virgina and other states, still love it. That is the truth.

[vmxa1]

Originally posted by brianshapiro
"Exotic birds" is also another case of animal mistreatment it shouldnt raise happiness. "Cattle" should lower health causing population decrease because of the negative effects of milk.
and exotic birds, cattle, and elephants should each have movies showing the slaughter or imprisonment of these animals

Can you guys leave your Nazism out of games please.

[The Templar]

Originally posted by Stefu
That's like suggesting that if your civ has even one bonus cattle resource, then all your units become fat and immobilized. All those burgers, donchaknow? And let's scrap oil for all the smog, uranium for all the radiation, and saltpeter for the wars. Yeah!

On the other hand, a new resource called 'political correctness' will be abundant and never depletes - and strangely, it won't really make your citizens any happier.

Political correctness does not have everything to do with this. The cost of oil and coal are reflected in global warming. The cost of uranium is reflected in nuclear warfare and nuclear plants occassionally going three-mile island. I primarily saying that the costs of tobacco should be reflected.

As for political correctness, if you think cannibas or coca is missing from the game for any other reason then political correctness you're fooling yourself. But the fact is, in this day and age, there is something shady about engaging in tobacco trade - and a bit hypocrital to include one drug trade and not the other.

[CrONoS]

... yeah and coal must doing some bad things to...(ironic)

If we can, in civilization i'll be fascism and force all my citizen to smoke!!!!
Smoke Or Die... hahahahahhaha
===
hehehe just kidding.
You seem like the man who just stop smoking?
===

Hey In Canada Marijuhana will be decriminalize... and the american government are not very happy with that, how many dollars they throw to fight against the cannabis and us in canada will be decriminalise it!!Oh yeah baby
Maybe in five years we'll be able to buy legally marijuhana in Canada...

Oh yeah I forget.. i rarely smoke cannabis... so I dont really care! hahahahha

[vmxa1]

Well the is one good reason. It is not legal to trade in cannibas and coke.

[The Templar]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Templar you need to loosen up, it is a game.
Most of the stuff you list as penalties does not exist in life. Tobacco is still legal so why any rep issues?
Understand I am an ex smoker and can not stand to be around smoke and my younger brother and mother died from smoking last year, but it was their choice. It should reflect the historical truth. It has been sought after by people and governments for centuries and they still make money off of it. Virgina and other states, still love it. That is the truth.

With respect to the rep stuff, the current treaty to ban tobacco advertising in the world is being opposed by - you guessed it - the United States, a primary producer of tobacco. And yes, it is causing something of a real world rep hit.

As for historical truth, we could include the slave trade (not the somewhat silent treatment of slavery with pop rushing and "guest workers" - actual selling of people in trade routes like other resources), drug trades, the modern sex trade, etc.

Of course the game does have mass murder and genocide (wiping out cities doesn't seem to produce refugees ...), so maybe complaining about tobacco is a bit much. Still, it should have a cost to the player. Even mass murder earns a rep hit in this game.

[The Templar]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Well the is one good reason. It is not legal to trade in cannibas and coke.

Cannibas is legal in the Netherlands, and Canada is about to decriminalize possession. Also, coca leaves (in non-cocaine or crack forms) are legal in Andean countries (Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador). In fact, when you first get to Cuzco, they give you coca tea to help you adapt to the altitude.

But if you want to be historically correct, coca cannibas, opiates etc. did not become illegal in the US until the 1920s. So in the span of history, prohibition occupies a short period. Absynthe, laudnum (contained opiates), and other concoctions were quite popular even in the 1800s. (In fact, if you go to New Orleans, you will see at least two absynthe bars in the French Quarter - I mean "Freedom Quarter". They no longer sell absynthe of course - but there they are in public).

[Willem]

Now this sounds interesting:

"Civ fans will discover intriguing new civilizations, units, wonders, technologies, and abilities to help them triumph in eight professionally designed conquests throughout history."

I wonder if that means we'll be getting some of the unit abilities we had in Alpha Centauri, defence bonuses for aircraft attacks etc. That would be cool!

[The Templar]

Originally posted by cronos_qc
Hey In Canada Marijuhana will be decriminalize... and the american government are not very happy with that, how many dollars they throw to fight against the cannabis and us in canada will be decriminalise it!!Oh yeah baby

And just think of all the tourist dollars that it will bring in from the US.

[Willem]

Originally posted by cronos_qc
how many dollars they throw to fight against the cannabis and us in canada will be decriminalise it!

I just read an article quoting $35 billion.

Maybe in five years we'll be able to buy legally marijuhana in Canada...

Good luck on that one. There's international treaties that will have to be renegotiated first. That always takes a long time. Maybe in 20 years, certainly not 5.

[The Templar]

Originally posted by Willem
Good luck on that one. There's international treaties that will have to be renegotiated first. That always takes a long time. Maybe in 20 years, certainly not 5.

Gee Willem, haven't you heard about the new Dubya method of treaty renegotiation? You just pull out unilaterally.

[Willem]

Originally posted by The Templar

Cannibas is legal in the Netherlands...

Not it's not, international treaties won't allow it. They merely decriminalized simple possession and turned a blind eye to certain forms of distribution, like the cafes. However according to the law, it's still illegal to sell or produce.