Experiencing each time period(and making it last longer)

[S. Kroeze]

quote: I wouldn't mind having the option to have up to 32 civs, provided that it doesn't overwhelm the AI and make the game crash. This is something to consider; CTP, with its animations and multilayered maps, and extra civs was crash-o-matic city! The creators should research the stability of the build with all those extra civs to run. I have a suggestion with regards to minor civs. By the time civilization appeared, humans had already spread all over the earth. Civilizations geberally expanded into areas already inhabited by other people, so increase the density of goody huts, and make them all inhabited. Upon advancing onto a populated hut, there would be several possible outcomes: (1)The natives surrender, and (a)found a city on the spot, (b)you ask them to move, and they do so peacefully, or (c)you ask them to move and they revolt. (2)The natives fight back, and (a)they lose and acquiesce to your commands, or (b) they win and become barbarians. (3)The natives ask for a bribe to join your tribe, if you don't pay they fight. (4)If slavery is incorporated into the game, you may attempt to enslave the natives, whereupon they may or may not fight. (5)The natives escape, and settle elsewhere or come back as barbarians. Some goody huts would include money, advances, and etc. in addition to population. The tech level of the goody huts would increase according to the tech levels of any nearby civ. If there aren't any nearby civs, then the tech level is either basic, or about the level of the lowest civ on the map. Goody huts could have city improvements appropriate for their tech level, thereby acting like minor civs. You could even let them have names, and give them a chance to revolt until they have been assimilated after x number of turns.

quote: I do warmly support the idea of Strangelove to have 'natives' all over the world, not necessarily enthusiastic to become 'civilized'. It would result in the creation of a rural population, as advocated by Doberman, and his CIVilians. In my opinion an even better idea would be to make most of those 'natives' nomadic pastoralists/hunter-gatherers. Roaming about they could easily come into conflict with sedentary civilizations. It would make expansion in the beginning of the game less obvious, resulting in a more exciting start of Civilization. It would also help to counteract ICS and be more realistic too.

Dear Joker,

Did you consider this idea of Stangelove? Combined with my 'Domestic Politics' it could result in a game interesting from the start, even in 3500BC.
Expansion would become quite difficult, when the dangers of agressive nomads or disintegration of empire would be a reality. Nor should we ever forget peasant revolts or religious conflicts!

As names for the first and second period I would suggest Ancient(~4000-~800BC) and Classical(~800BC-~200AD). In China some sort of medieval period started with the end of Han in 220AD.

[The Joker]

Hi S.

That sounds great! I am opposed to having the minor nations in the beginning of the game be confined to goody huts. They should move around by themselves, sometimes even attack the original civs. I really dont like having minor and major nations as two distinct types, as I would much rather have civs in all "shapes and sizes". But if having minor nations is the only thing that Firaxis will include then its fine with me.

My comment on the game being boring in the beginning was not made because I didn't think the game should have lots of more turns. It was more a statement, that if far more turns are included there must be something to do in these turns. And I think your suggestions is just what we need.

[The diplomat]

I think that all the civs should start on an equal footing. As the game progresses, some civs would emerge as major civilizations whereas others would become "minor civs". Later in the game, a minor civ might rise to become a major civ whereas a major civ might fall and become a "minor" civ. This would implement the "rise and fall of empires" concept nicely.
I would hope that "minor" and "major" civs would not be fixed.


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No permanent enemies, no permanent friends.
[This message has been edited by The diplomat (edited April 27, 2000).]

[MidKnight Lament]

I may be wrong, so correct me if I am, but I was under the impression that the words "minor civs" were just being used to describe peoples inhabiting the earth before your first settler arrives (so that we don't start with an unrealistic uninhabited map. I'm not sure that we've been told much beyond that.

We can assume that most of these will be tribal or nomadic of nature. Also I think we were told that we'd have some early interaction with them. I don't know that they're there for the same reason that the normal civs are though. Probably much like the Native Americans were in Colonization; a force, but not there to take over the world.

Like I said though, I could be wrong, so feel free to shoot me down in flames

- MKL

[Stuff2]

I like the 'each period of history' idea.
But we still have to remember that these periods have not been exactly the same in all cultures. Some people lived in the stone age only a few years ago. I have a question.
Should these periods of time be fixed or should they depend on your own technological progress or should they simple depend on 'first to discover xxx tech' ? I still like the idea. Maybe if u manage to get to the next period of time before it's time u get a bonus for every turn that is left (of the old period of time).

[DanM]

For the sake of realism,I think it would be best that each player would experience each age seperate from other players.
The thing about having time periods in history last much longer is that for the most part,all players in the game will experience the same time period at the same time,give or take a few advances during that time period.I think that certain rules should apply that would govern all or some empires during that period,such as the influence of the church on some cultures during the Dark Ages.Or,if you are playing the Mongols,you can't build knights during the Middle Ages,but may have faster moving horseback units etc.

[Biddles]

The 'Ages' that we are talking about were not exactly linked to tech but more to human thought. Maybe these Ages could be linked to the psych stream of the 'tech' tree.


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- Biddles

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