A bit disappointed by the geopolitics as a whole

[BladeofSharpness]

Don't get me wrong, I very much like the game. But I would have thought that even if the game is about shadow cabinets and a rebellion movement, uncontrolled Earth nations would be more proactive and more realistic in their behaviors. I still hope it will be improved for release, with some actions done by them while 'neutral', factions-wise. And if controlled, there would be more repercussions for engaging in wars.
My suspension of disbelief is a bit killed when I see that the US of A, under the control of the Initiative, can declare war and invade Argentina, Turkey then Iran, and that's it, nobody says anything or cares. China, while still neutral is a placid giant, etc.

When it happens, I take a back seat and tell myself: Ok, it's just a game after all, there is not much realism into that.

[Twelvefield]

The whole shebang depends deeply on domino theory, which should be a clue as to the level of fantasy involved. Still, I'm pleased with single-handedly solving the Mid-East crisis.

[BladeofSharpness]

Ah yes, I also solved it easily, my counselor did half a dozen reduce unrest missions, and voila, problem solved!

Now to be fair, and before getting some flak. I don't expect TI to be a worldwide political sim, that's not the aim. But perhaps some regional modifiers can be added for example. Say there is a modifier in the Israel-Palestine region that reduces the lower/raise unrest missions by -90% so that things are very difficult to move either way. Just that would give some more realism.

As for the domino theory, then there is no domino on relationships when country A attacks country B. Any DOW against a country in which you have no claim should be costly to do. This would stop the silly wars of conquests, 1800-era style where India decides to gobble Africa.

[Twelvefield]

There is plenty of domino with influence, however. The world swims in it. Conventional war is only a side player in terms of regional control.

There is another thread somewhere where the fellow had some boots-on-the-ground experience through the UN or some global charity, and he points out that the government alignments are wrong in many cases. I can't argue with that, much as I don't disagree that geopolitics stands to be more realistic.

World history for the game starts in 2022, and the game doesn't take much into account anything before that. Think of it as xenofundamentalism: anything from 2021 back to pre-antiquity is propaganda, an oversimplification of history so that the game isn't paralyzed.

I am told that later on there will be a new Campaign mode with an earlier start date that tracks events from Roswell onward. Still, is that enough? Recall that Ezekiel saw the wheel of fire in the sky: Ezekiel 1:1-48:22, if you are interested. Might be fun to start in the Biblical Era. We could put the clamps on that Middle East business way sooner. What's another three hundred thousand turns to a game that can take five hundred hours to play out one run?

[DarthVishis]

Originally posted by Twelvefield:

Recall that Ezekiel saw the wheel of fire in the sky: Ezekiel 1:1-48:22, if you are interested. Might be fun to start in the Biblical Era. We could put the clamps on that Middle East business way sooner. What's another three hundred thousand turns to a game that can take five hundred hours to play out one run?

Pfft. 3000BC? That's too soon. Let's have a Graham Hancock scenario and start at the end of the last ice age!!!!!!

[BladeofSharpness]

I'm not much into religion, I prefer science.

[Twelvefield]

You're going to be amazed when you find out they are the same thing. Whoops, I should have put a spoiler alert on that. Oh well, next time. I envy you your upcoming discovery!

[Twelvefield]

Originally posted by DarthVishis:

Originally posted by Twelvefield:

Recall that Ezekiel saw the wheel of fire in the sky: Ezekiel 1:1-48:22, if you are interested. Might be fun to start in the Biblical Era. We could put the clamps on that Middle East business way sooner. What's another three hundred thousand turns to a game that can take five hundred hours to play out one run?

Pfft. 3000BC? That's too soon. Let's have a Graham Hancock scenario and start at the end of the last ice age!!!!!!

I am 111% up for this! The tech tree would sure be easier to figure out: Fire, Wheel. Of course, I'd delay both until well into the 1980's.

[private1028]

I think the game would have been better off with more focus on International Relations and maybe some historical foreign policy interests. Even if aliens came to earth tomorrow the interests that drive IR will still be there. That makes it more simulation and less fantasy.

[Enoukdep Mav]

My greatest security crisis so far has been the Protectorate locking up China, and systematically using it to map paint, picking the lowest hanging fruit at the moment. I had the EU, decent army, good navy, enough nukes, but there was just no way I was getting in front of that train. I turned my entire council into a Public Campaigner with attached Unrest chorus line, powered through until there was a coup (much later), It was not a disappointing experience.

[BladeofSharpness]

Originally posted by private1028:

I think the game would have been better off with more focus on International Relations and maybe some historical foreign policy interests. Even if aliens came to earth tomorrow the interests that drive IR will still be there. That makes it more simulation and less fantasy.

Yes this. A few scripted behaviors, and more reactions to wars from uncontrolled nations.

[MegaDeth]

Originally posted by Twelvefield:

Originally posted by DarthVishis:

Pfft. 3000BC? That's too soon. Let's have a Graham Hancock scenario and start at the end of the last ice age!!!!!!

I am 111% up for this! The tech tree would sure be easier to figure out: Fire, Wheel. Of course, I'd delay both until well into the 1980's.

You would have no chance of delaying the wheel until the 1980's because the people who have the wheel would wrest your control away, whether you want it or not.

What you might be able to do is conquer the world with wheel level tech, chariots and bioweapons, and then stall technology with no one to oppose you.

[kalonjelen]

I would be fine with the game being less about what nations are doing if it wasn't going to extreme pains to model in some vague way what's going on RIGHT NOW, IE with Ukraine/Russia. Having Russia invading Ukraine from the getgo while the US and the EU do absolutely nothing about it just feels arbitrary and wrong.