Technology and the Environment is used in every aspect of the game. To start, Technology is the running drive for the video game. By upgrading technologies in the tree, you can advance your civilization further. The further your civilization, the more advantages the player will have. I have seen games where I've achieved two eras before the person advanced one era. This is all based around technology.
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Technologies are the scientific advancements of your Empire. Each technology unlocks certain Buildings, Units or other advancements. It costs science points in order to advance in the technology. It is another resource that the user must build in order to advance (in addition with culture, money, food, faith). Here is the icon for science points.
As we discussed in class, societies collapse based on five factors.
- Human impacts on the environment.
- Climate change.
- Relations with friendly neighboring societies
- Relations with hostile neighboring societies
- Political/economic/social/cultural factors
These factors are mostly environmental factors. Environment in the game depends on the resources you can find and collect within your city or society. I will sometimes create a settler to travel to an obscure location on the map just to collect a difficult resource (I'm looking at you iron).
This is in direct correlation with item #1.
There is no climate change within the game (I think they miss out in several other themes such as patterns of population with weather). There are no weather effects, severe storms, disasters, or any type of impact on the environment. I don't think it is fair to judge the creators of this game to not include weather. Weather effects in games takes a toll on the resources used by the video card and memory. Unless a game's code is polished (doubtful within the short time frame developers are granted), weather effects are cut from the list.
Relations with friendly or hostile neighboring societies is a fundamental element to the gameplay. How your civilization interacts with other civilizations and city-states determines your game and victory. Inaction or action, both determine the outcome of your social relationships. For example, I allied with the Mongolians. They were war-mongering civilizations and it put me in hot water as well. Other civilizations warned me if I allied with Mongolians, they would not hesitate to attack me. In one swoop, allying with certain civilizations can lead to instant hostile civilizations.
Political, cultural, economic, and social factors are another driving force within the game. It is defined with an accumulation of certain points such as cultural, science, happiness, and gold points. Political and social and intertwined in this game because the lack of social interaction within your capitals and cities. Political/social factors are related to friendly/hostile neighboring societies. Cultural and economic are approaches to the game (cultural being cultural victory) that determine if you win or lose. Economic is influenced by the amount of gold and production a civilization has. Enough gold can purchase buildings for multiple cities, units for military, and gifts for city-states. The gifts raise the reputation with the city-states.
In my opinion, Technology and Environment is THE most important theme in Civilization V. The environment shapes your civilization and technology. If you start building cities next to an ocean, it would be in the player's best interest to pick maritime type technologies. If you are next to cattle and horses, it is a good idea to build units that use horses and technologies that grant extra happiness from those resources. As Jared Diamond has stated in his book Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies:
There is no climate change within the game (I think they miss out in several other themes such as patterns of population with weather). There are no weather effects, severe storms, disasters, or any type of impact on the environment. I don't think it is fair to judge the creators of this game to not include weather. Weather effects in games takes a toll on the resources used by the video card and memory. Unless a game's code is polished (doubtful within the short time frame developers are granted), weather effects are cut from the list.
Relations with friendly or hostile neighboring societies is a fundamental element to the gameplay. How your civilization interacts with other civilizations and city-states determines your game and victory. Inaction or action, both determine the outcome of your social relationships. For example, I allied with the Mongolians. They were war-mongering civilizations and it put me in hot water as well. Other civilizations warned me if I allied with Mongolians, they would not hesitate to attack me. In one swoop, allying with certain civilizations can lead to instant hostile civilizations.
Political, cultural, economic, and social factors are another driving force within the game. It is defined with an accumulation of certain points such as cultural, science, happiness, and gold points. Political and social and intertwined in this game because the lack of social interaction within your capitals and cities. Political/social factors are related to friendly/hostile neighboring societies. Cultural and economic are approaches to the game (cultural being cultural victory) that determine if you win or lose. Economic is influenced by the amount of gold and production a civilization has. Enough gold can purchase buildings for multiple cities, units for military, and gifts for city-states. The gifts raise the reputation with the city-states.
In my opinion, Technology and Environment is THE most important theme in Civilization V. The environment shapes your civilization and technology. If you start building cities next to an ocean, it would be in the player's best interest to pick maritime type technologies. If you are next to cattle and horses, it is a good idea to build units that use horses and technologies that grant extra happiness from those resources. As Jared Diamond has stated in his book Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies:
“History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples' environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves”
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