Astronomer Reveals The Truth Behind Civilization: Beyond Earth's Exoplanets
- Thread starter Rhykker
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"I think that adds an enormous extra layer of imagination for the players, knowing that these planets are out there."
Not really. If anything, reality LIMITS imagination. I really don't understand why games have to be in any way "realistic", or even remotely based in reality.
I suppose for the really hardcore simulation fans who want every detail to be "believable", this might help. But you're still talking about a hex-based, turn-based game. It's not realistic...at best it's an abstract representation.
Not really. If anything, reality LIMITS imagination. I really don't understand why games have to be in any way "realistic", or even remotely based in reality.
I suppose for the really hardcore simulation fans who want every detail to be "believable", this might help. But you're still talking about a hex-based, turn-based game. It's not realistic...at best it's an abstract representation.
I'd have to disagree. I feel that the real world is often much more spectacular and fascinating than anything human beings can imagine. I guarantee that the way we think about life in other parts of the universe now will seem short-sighted when we actually see what has evolved on other planets.Avaholic03 said:
The thing is, our imagination is limited to a combination of our own experiences of human life and the amalgamations of various forms and functions that we see here on earth. Everything we imagine are directly influenced by these things; they are inescapable. There is no artwork that has detached itself completely from the human experience, because art is necessarily the expression of it.
As an example, you can to look at what many 19th and early 20th century writers thought about the future...and then compare it to where we are now. The microchip, the internet, the jet engine, and many other technological advances would have blown their minds. So much of what we can do now was "beyond their imagination" in degree, if not substance.
As we expand what the human experience includes, we also increase the pool of things to draw on for inspiration.
Great journalism, by the way. I felt that the Escapist had been lacking pieces like these lately.
I loved reading this. I've been a fan of Firaxis for a long time for the amount of dedication and attention to detail the bring their products. I find it really cool that they consulted with scientist to make the science part of their science fiction as accurate as possible. I supposed we could tell stories about the Earth 300 Million years in the future, but grounding it just ahead of our lifetime and with plausible ideas behind it, it makes the story much more engaging.
"Unique direction"; Does nobody remember Alpha Centauri at all? I know that was only one exoplanet but still...
True, but Alpha Centauri wasn't part of the Civilization series even if it was conceived by the same man and made by the same company. This is the first time the Civilization series has done something like this. Alpha Centauri remains an awesome and amazing game in it's own right.Johnson McGee said:
Firaxis does realize that we can tell the actual planets in the game are still randomly generated, right? All they did was slap a RL name on it. Maybe a couple of numeric variables like the star's approximate position and the local gravity. Maybe those details will affect gameplay, maybe they won't, but I guarantee you the entire thing is going to look dated as hell six months after launch when scientists start discovering even more new exoplanets, or details about the existing exoplanets that the game got wrong.
It's a good thing none of that 'realism' nonsense matters in a game about moving giant robots and spaceships around. I mean, I can respect that Civ as a brand has a legacy about being grounded in the real world, and Alpha Centari tried to keep to this tradition? But that's not the reason everybody remembers the games so fondly. We remember the games fondly because they were FUCKING GOOD GAMES. Alpha Centari had me fighting telepathic space-fungus, for crying out loud. I don't care what the name of the planet's local star is after that point. Why would anyone? That's not "realism," it's fan fiction.
Just make the game good, all right, Firaxis? Make. The game. Actually. Good. You used to know how to do that, back before every new video game needed to cost more than the actual space program. Nobody cares how "realistic" the names of the fake planets are. Just make the game good.
It's a good thing none of that 'realism' nonsense matters in a game about moving giant robots and spaceships around. I mean, I can respect that Civ as a brand has a legacy about being grounded in the real world, and Alpha Centari tried to keep to this tradition? But that's not the reason everybody remembers the games so fondly. We remember the games fondly because they were FUCKING GOOD GAMES. Alpha Centari had me fighting telepathic space-fungus, for crying out loud. I don't care what the name of the planet's local star is after that point. Why would anyone? That's not "realism," it's fan fiction.
Just make the game good, all right, Firaxis? Make. The game. Actually. Good. You used to know how to do that, back before every new video game needed to cost more than the actual space program. Nobody cares how "realistic" the names of the fake planets are. Just make the game good.