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How would you date the Civ3 ages? Specifically, where is the border between the ancient and medieval ages, between medieval and industrial, and between industrial and modern.
The following is how I seperated the ages. I chose military technology to devide the ages, but you may want to use other technologies.
Ancient to Medieval 1300
The cannon is the weapon the best sets the medieval age apart for me. The cannon was developed in the first decade of 14th century (according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, War, Technology of, my source for this thread). Before the invention of the cannon, siege warfare was very long and costly. The besiegers often ran out of supplies before the besieged. There were many siege weapons known to the ancients, but none were effective at breaching stone walls.
Shoulder guns did not appear on the battlefield until the matchlock firing mechanism came on the scene in about 1425. It would take until about 1550 before the musket and pike combination became dominant in European warfare.
Other of the Civ3 military units came on the historic scene before 1300, but nothing which made the bang that gunpowder did. Longbowman, knights, and war elephants all predate 1300, but none of their technologies seems epoch making to me. Aside, does anyone else get the feeling that computer strategy game designers are enthralled by war elephants (Civ2, Civ3, AoE2)? Elephants do not like loud noises or sharp points and were almost as likely to trample friend as foe.
Medieval to Industrial 1849
The Minie rifle (1849) changed the face of battle. It was the first rifle which could be effectively used in battle, because it could be loaded as fast as a musket. The Minie rifle had an effective range of five times that of a smothbore.
Another possible date for the begining of the in industrial age is 1830, since the industrial revolution began about 1830 in England.
Industrial to Modern 1945
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki set the modern age apart for me. Aside, I think that the Civ3 designers dropped the ball by not including a guerrilla unit. Guerrilla warfare has been the most important type of warfare since 1945, in my humble opinion. The colonial wars of liberation after WWII, the hot wars of the Cold war period, and most of the wars today (e.g. Israeli-Palestinian) were mostly fought be guerrillas on at least one side.
Write in and tell me what you think seperates the ages.
The following is how I seperated the ages. I chose military technology to devide the ages, but you may want to use other technologies.
Ancient to Medieval 1300
The cannon is the weapon the best sets the medieval age apart for me. The cannon was developed in the first decade of 14th century (according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, War, Technology of, my source for this thread). Before the invention of the cannon, siege warfare was very long and costly. The besiegers often ran out of supplies before the besieged. There were many siege weapons known to the ancients, but none were effective at breaching stone walls.
Shoulder guns did not appear on the battlefield until the matchlock firing mechanism came on the scene in about 1425. It would take until about 1550 before the musket and pike combination became dominant in European warfare.
Other of the Civ3 military units came on the historic scene before 1300, but nothing which made the bang that gunpowder did. Longbowman, knights, and war elephants all predate 1300, but none of their technologies seems epoch making to me. Aside, does anyone else get the feeling that computer strategy game designers are enthralled by war elephants (Civ2, Civ3, AoE2)? Elephants do not like loud noises or sharp points and were almost as likely to trample friend as foe.
Medieval to Industrial 1849
The Minie rifle (1849) changed the face of battle. It was the first rifle which could be effectively used in battle, because it could be loaded as fast as a musket. The Minie rifle had an effective range of five times that of a smothbore.
Another possible date for the begining of the in industrial age is 1830, since the industrial revolution began about 1830 in England.
Industrial to Modern 1945
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki set the modern age apart for me. Aside, I think that the Civ3 designers dropped the ball by not including a guerrilla unit. Guerrilla warfare has been the most important type of warfare since 1945, in my humble opinion. The colonial wars of liberation after WWII, the hot wars of the Cold war period, and most of the wars today (e.g. Israeli-Palestinian) were mostly fought be guerrillas on at least one side.
Write in and tell me what you think seperates the ages.
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