If the game really ended around 2500, then there would have to be a good exclamation on why it would around 2500. Maybe, Firaxis wants it to end around that time to allow future technologies and other future end of the games. But this is still all unknown.

It would be great to hear from other peoples ideas or if they know anything about this to post what they know!

quote: Originally posted by MarBaS on 05-05-2001 03:49 PM As of right now Civ3 will be ending at 2500. Im not going to give my opinion because i think Sid will make it work no matter what.

As it stands; I think it is MUCH more likely that the 2020 AD ending is the correct version. Firstly, read this:

Click on this Apolyton-link: Interview with Sid
The original Gamespot.UK link is: Sid Meier on Civilization III

Secondly: heres something that Zanzin mentioned in this thread:

It might be 2050 and not 2500, because the person who wrote it might have made a typo.

If it was 2500, I think that would give you time to discover future techs to build the spaceship, and then build the darn thing! Because I don't think that we would fly thousands of people to Alpha Centari in the next 50 to 100 years.

where they got this info, I don't know. whether Sid was firm about his statement, I don't know. whether it is really still up in the air, I don't know. and none of us will really know for sure until (a) someone from firaxis sets us straight, or (b) we get the game when it (finally) comes out and see for ourselves.

quote: Originally posted by java4me on 05-06-2001 09:43 PM Overall I think that Firaxis will make the game good even if it is 2500. I don't think that Sid would mess up like Activision did in making future techs and units!

Why not? I mean, yes SMAC went into the future and yes it did a realistic job of working future techs, but SMAC went less into the future than Civ III going to 2500 would. In fact, anyone looking 500 years into the future is going to have some weird techs and units. Not only that, can anyone expect to have Earth still here in 500 years with the way humans have treated this planet? It is all speculation that Civ III could do without.

We can do a bit of speculation as to when we feel the tech levels of the primary nations of Earth would be sufficient to launch a colony ship to AC. Everyone is going to piss and moan about the uncertainty of the future, but for gameplay's sake, I'd say either 2100 or 2200. That's well enough into the future that such an endeavor would sound feasible, but not so far as another 500 years from now. So, Civ3 goes until the 22nd or 23rd century, and there's a direct connection to SMAC.

Alternately, instead of advancing so far that colony ship construction is believable, the game could end a bit sooner, and the scientific end game could involve the race to locate a suitable planet for colonization, the step immediately prior to constucting the colony ship. Then the game could end anywhere from an optimistic 2020 to a more realistic 2050 (2100 is still a possibility.) That would advance us far enough into the future to allow for a smooth transition to SMAC, while still not being so far into the future that we would have sci-fi type units (although I would like to see some minor advancements over tanks and AEGIS cruisers to reflect future knowledge - nothing radical, but small tweaks, such as better mobility, firepower, etc.)

The failure-rate in their predictions was often really striking. Especially then it came to how they believed ordinary people was going to live their lifes, and how society was going to look like in general, year 2000.
It was much about SciFi-inspired clothes, hairstyles and apartments and it was about modular-condos transportable by helicopters, and much more. Some (not all) technical predictions was reasonably fulfilled, but most predictions about people/society was not. The truth is; we dont have a clue about "the future" beyond 2020 AD.

quote: Originally posted by ajbera on 05-08-2001 11:43 AM The way I see it, they have a couple of options if they really wish Civ3 to be the precursor to SMAC. We can do a bit of speculation as to when we feel the tech levels of the primary nations of Earth would be sufficient to launch a colony ship to AC. Everyone is going to piss and moan about the uncertainty of the future, but for gameplay's sake, I'd say either 2100 or 2200. That's well enough into the future that such an endeavor would sound feasible, but not so far as another 500 years from now. So, Civ3 goes until the 22nd or 23rd century, and there's a direct connection to SMAC. Alternately, instead of advancing so far that colony ship construction is believable, the game could end a bit sooner, and the scientific end game could involve the race to locate a suitable planet for colonization, the step immediately prior to constucting the colony ship. Then the game could end anywhere from an optimistic 2020 to a more realistic 2050 (2100 is still a possibility.) That would advance us far enough into the future to allow for a smooth transition to SMAC, while still not being so far into the future that we would have sci-fi type units (although I would like to see some minor advancements over tanks and AEGIS cruisers to reflect future knowledge - nothing radical, but small tweaks, such as better mobility, firepower, etc.) Just my two cents.

SMAC's story is that man is at war. That the Earth is going to be destroyed so we send out our last hope. As soon as they are airborne they cannot send signals back to Earth because we have destroyed communication during our last great war.

So for a link from Civ III to SMAC should more be you are the great leader that united the world in any of the possible ways of winning. Then 25 years after your accomplishment you have died due to old age (hey how many 6000 year-old do you know?) War breaks out without your leadership. A ship must be sent to A.C.

Now your clone (is it Morgan, Miriam, Yang, etc.) must reestabilish a human civilization in space.