Why is there always ancient technology?

[HardRockSamurai]

I just watched this new gameplay footage of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-ice-uncharted-2/52605

The game looks fantastic, but it brings one question to my mind. Why is it that, in several video games, the technology always ANCIENT?

It makes no fucking sense. If I was the leader of an ancient civilization, I might spend my time building temples, maybe some statues, but I definitely wouldn't be thinking "Oh, lets build some random platforms and booby traps, that ought to make it a ***** for anyone who tries to come here 2000 years later!" I don't think civilizations worked that way.

Just to give a few examples, let me cite some games:

Jak and Daxter (that whole precursor bullshit)
Gears of War 2 (if I were a locust temple builder, I would not litter the place with chest high walls)
Tomb Raider (because the Mayans loved wall climbing soo much)

Can you guys shed some light on this? What's the best example of this that you've seen? Why do you think developers keep doing this?

 

[oliveira8]

Because those civilizations actually built traps to protect their temples?

The Pyramids had traps for thiefs, its not new its history. The real question is why all of the traps still work perfectly after so many years.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

Because those civilizations actually built traps to protect their temples?

The Pyramids had traps for thiefs, its not new its history. The real question is why all of the traps still work perfectly after so many years.

Well that was the first reply so I believe I'm correct in saying:

/thread.

 

[Fire Daemon]

Because those civilizations actually built traps to protect their temples?

The Pyramids had traps for thiefs, its not new its history. The real question is why all of the traps still work perfectly after so many years.

No they don't, actually. The Pyramid traps are a myth used to spice up stories. And that's why these games have traps and what not. It wouldn't be an interesting game if all you do is walk through dusty corridors, looking at the pictures on the walls.

 

[Kollega]

Agreed,overly big amount of (still working!) traps in temples and other ancient buildings is kinda stupid. In reality,they could be all used up by ancient thieves,and no traps is left to stop modern explorers.

Best example i can think of is Mass Effect. It actually RUNS on technology thousands of years old. The Citadel,Mass Relays,and the Reapers is yet another flavor of

precursor bullshit

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And now,Grammar Nazism intermission! It's Jak,not Jack.

 

[Mirroga]

You know. It would actually be better if the temples would be more immersive, scary, and fearful due to the tribal "taboo" rituals they did. That would be better than just traps and completely working levers.

 

[Kiefer13]

Because those civilizations actually built traps to protect their temples?

The Pyramids had traps for thiefs, its not new its history. The real question is why all of the traps still work perfectly after so many years.

This. Who reloads all of those dart shooting corridor traps, anyway?

Though, I suspect the primary reason that they exist in games is because spending half an hour walking through an empty ancient temple would be quite boring.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

Why is it that, in several video games, the technology always ANCIENT?

Why, because all video game creators copy Games Workshop and Warhammer, of course.

Ah damn, you stole my answer.

To be fair, I think its supposed to show how ignorant we all are, and how society's declined because we lost all knowledge of this ancient technology.

No? Ok, maybe that's just me.

It is quite puzzling though, to see traps that still work after thousands of years just sitting there.

 

[oliveira8]

Because those civilizations actually built traps to protect their temples?

The Pyramids had traps for thiefs, its not new its history. The real question is why all of the traps still work perfectly after so many years.

No they don't, actually. The Pyramid traps are a myth used to spice up stories. And that's why these games have traps and what not. It wouldn't be an interesting game if all you do is walk through dusty corridors, looking at the pictures on the walls.

Denied! I saw a documentary on those documentary channels!!

There were traps in pyramids mainly cause they were places of burial to the pharoes, and they brought all their welth with them to the grave, so having tomb raiders was expected. The inside of the pyramids were designed to ilude thiefs, usually tunnels that led to nowhere and concealed chambers. The idea was to hide the burial chamber inside the pyramid. Not huge boulders or spikes coming from the wall. Thats holywood and pulp fiction.

Due to time and erosion most fake passanges are destroyed, but even so its easy to get lost inside one.

The real trap is a labyrinth.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

Jack and Daxter

Not to be smug, but it's actually called Jak & Daxter. And I loved that game. And they didn't exactly build traps, they invented technology, and then they didn't want people to come and disturb them in their catacombs. Okay, so maybe it was traps, technically, but that's how it was done in pyramids also, to not intrude on holy ground!

 

[kiltmanfortywo]

Isn't it obvious? The ancients had such a mastery of stone and counterweights that they realized if this technology were to fall into the wrong hands, it could mean all sorts of evil moving stone things. So, they hid the secret.

Its so simple...

 

[dukethepcdr]

That reminds me, I am making a game where technology works in backwards and gets less advanced. Has any game done this before?

Sounds like a good idea. Reminds me a bit of the book The Time Machine where he goes way forward in time and finds that people have gotten so lazy and unimaginative that they have gone back to living like animals and all the tech has crumbled around them.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Well, if none of the traps and platforms worked, then it would make a for a pretty boring game.

 

[John Smyth]

It gives the writers a plot mechanic that doesn't need explaining
when questions are asked they can just say "oh that, that's done by the ancient technology"

 

[Kiefer13]

I'm pretty sure they do it to make the game fun. I'll gladly dismiss a little unauthenticity as long as it makes the game fun. Because, you know, that's kinda why we play games, to have fun.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfFun

Quite so. Realism is all very well and good, but when it starts interfering with the fun, it needs to be cut back on.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

And now,Grammar Nazism intermission! It's Jak,not Jack.

Not to be smug, but it's actually called Jak & Daxter.

My bad, it's been fixed.

 

[Fightgarr]

Well, if none of the traps and platforms worked, then it would make a for a pretty boring game.

The reasonable answer to this question.
Making "ancient technology" is an easy standby for the designers to use to make a game's platforming actually interesting. Its very hard to come up with an excuse for why there are magically traps somewhere, so ancient technology provides an easy excuse and solution to the problem. You may as well ask why all the damage to ruins always miraculously results in one linear way to get from point A to point B. Because its an easy way to make an interesting platforming game.

 

[Knight Templar]

It makes no fucking sense. If I was the leader of an ancient civilization, I might spend my time building temples, maybe some statues, but I definitely wouldn't be thinking "Oh, lets build some random platforms and booby traps, that ought to make it a ***** for anyone who tries to come here 2000 years later!" I don't think civilizations worked that way.

It makes sense because there is a way to solve the traps and get through unharmed, but if you don't know the way through you die.

Can you guys shed some light on this? What's the best example of this that you've seen? Why do you think developers keep doing this?

Having an ancient powerful (dead) civilization?

Because writing is hard is most writers are lazy, sometimes it fits such as Mass Effect, but normaly its just a cliché.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Precursors

 

[quack35]

Because it's way more fun than a boring old tomb. Sure, it doesn't make much sense, but who cares.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfFun

 

[Hazy]

Because those civilizations actually built traps to protect their temples?

The Pyramids had traps for thiefs, its not new its history. The real question is why all of the traps still work perfectly after so many years.

Either A: The Traps were incredibly well built.
Or B: Lara Croft missed her flight to Egypt.