Have you listened to Iran lately? Since when is nuclear energy a "right"?

Sorry but I have to interject on that one. Regardless of "why" you think they want the technology it is their "right" under the accords of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, whether we like it or not. They signed the papers based on what participation they could take and that is what they state they are doing. I cannot prove or disprove that they are trying to "build a bomb" and I don't think you can either. So we enticed them with the offer, and then rescind when it suits (or doesn't) suit our needs? This is what is wrong with our country and a big reason why we are disliked throughout the world.

materialist orientation.

And this materialism is what has ruined our chances at overcoming any of our problems as a "world wide" civilization. As long as material wealth and greed fuel our drive as a species, our civilization's will always end up as footnotes in history.

Evil S, I agree with your take on the greed problem, but that's only a part of what I'm talking about when I say GCII has a materialist orientation. I'm a metaphysical thinker, but I really like games with a strong physical layer, and GCII certainly has that. I would have said "secular humanist," but I was thinking about how large a share of resources the game gives to modeling and displaying ship combat. Plus, as I said, the game is pretty spare once you step outside the nicely decorated zero-sum resource exploitation race.

@Evil S

You are technically correct in your statement regarding the NPT. The problem is the NPT is joke and always has been. It isn't worth the ink used to pen it. The problem with it, like many treaties of it's type, it requires that all parties are open and honest with each other and that they all operate in a transparent manner. Right there the entire treaty goes out the window since no one wants to be honest with anyone and no one likes to be told they "can't" do something, especially when others have and gotten away with it.

I believe the NPT was nothing more than a feeble attempt by the world's "declared nuclear powers" to maintain their monopoly on nuclear weapons. A course of action that was doomed to fail since the knowledge cannot be destroyed and the perceived power that comes with possion of nuclear weapons seems to be unshakable.

That's why I miss Terror Stars so much...they were that forbidden weapon you shouldn't build but ultimately always did. They could've been a great X factor in GCII...imagine the diplomacy screen..."halt your arms build up or we'll be forced to destroy your most productive planet!". It would have been great...not to mention having the AI threatening you with one. It would've been classic.

Pokerface2012 I just have to say that your icon of Dr. Strangelove is awesome. I assume that you have seen the movie and therefore are a fan of Kubrick's wonderful tale of "reality" especially the air force's motto which is splattered throughout many scenes. It is a movie that I would definitely recommend.  

2nd the mourning for the long-lost Terror Stars

2nd recommending Dr. Strangelove--our precious bodily fluids are even more important today, methinks

Evil S

It's one of my favorites.   

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room." --President Merkin Muffley

especially the air force's motto which is splattered throughout many scenes. It is a movie that I would definitely recommend.

Are you meaning the "Peace is our profession" one?

"You know what's going to happen if you don't get the White House on that phone? You're going to have to answer to the Coca-Cola company."

I am a member of the british communist party and we have problems like this, I think things are never open about what the party realy thinks.

I complane about celebrating starlins birthday they have a go at me, I say lets have a left wing democrasy the room go's silant, the problem is there is a deal of bullying within partys that never shows through

the evolution of politics is a strange thing

Are you meaning the "Peace is our profession" one?

Yes, that is the one. It was escaping me at the moment and honestly driving me nuts. Thanks for the "reminder"!  
Incidentally, my favorite part is where the Russian ambassador begins to divulge the particulars of the "Doomsday Device" at which time Dr. Strangelove goes on a rant... classic Peter Sellers. God I miss that actor, he had so much more in him to give to us, especially as the Inspector.  

"Mr. President, we must not allow a mine-shaft gap!"

I think we've finally found a good use for this thread.

@ Lordpinko: Kudos for sticking such an unusually-colored toe in the thread, and ten thousand more for chastising your party about celebrating that mass-murdering barbarian upon whom Marx and Engels would have doubtless spat vigorously. (P.S. If you want to make a better impression, give a moment to check your spelling & grammar )

@ Evil S re Peter Sellers: I think think Being There makes a better double-feature with Strangelove than any of the Pink Panther flicks. And gods above and below, I surely agree that we lost something when he died so relatively young.

@ Cauldyth: Oi, everything does end up shafted or in a hole, dunnit then?

I have a simple question why discuss this?
Yes, there is some truth to this but come on a united world government, human being cant stand being united. Were arguementative and violent beings, although we treasure society, we treasure only our society while destroying many others. The best thing we can hope for is that gradually regions of the world will unite into lose confederations like the EU then there maybe be some hope as to world peace.

my spealing is bad due to dislexia, the fact i don't cheak it lazieness   

if you want a laff cheak the website there are flags for £6 up for sale.
irony on tap but they just don't listen

and karl marks would have spat on stalin
stalin was not a communist he showd no sines of it anyway !

why discuss this

Precisely because of assertions like yours, Great Emperor--for me, 4X games are about exploring assumptions about the human (sentient and technological) condition (that, and compulsive clicking in an immersive game space). What you state as singular facts, I see as traits on a scale. A good 4X game should be based in no small part on a thought-provoking set of such scales and some assumptions about how they might interact in a long-term social model.

my spealing is bad due to dislexia, the fact i don't cheak it lazieness

Lordpinko, consider using firefox 2.0 as your browser. It comes with a built in spellcheck for text boxes.

What you state is in some what truth, but your looking to far into a game, sure its thought provoking but in the end its a form of entertaiment and nothing more.

Aaron Russo actaully has a considerable bias in this documentary. For those of you who don't know Russo ran for president in the '04 election against the current president bush. He ran as a Libertarian candididate.

Libertarians have their own set of beleifs unique to the political spectrum of America. The are highly against taxes and federal spending that isn't for defence purposes.

Here are some of Russo's political stances

Supports the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, and encourages the Iraqi people to become self-reliant.
Believes "9/11 was a fraud - an inside job"
Supports the immediate repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act.
Supports cutting both spending and taxes.
Opposes the income tax.
Supports medical marijuana.
Supports weakening the influence and control of the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Reserve System over the economy.
Strongly opposes gun control.
Opposes globalization.
Unlike many Libertarians, he does not support allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Demands that the IRS "in a public forum, reveal the law that requires Americans to pay" the federal income tax. See also tax protester arguments.
Supports a gold standard.
Opposes computerized voting.
Demands an audit of the Fort Knox Bullion Depository.
Believes abortion is a state and not a federal issue.

Tons of stuff there to agree and disagree with. Also, the Libertarian stance is one that ultimatly belives in the establishment of a Capito-Anarchist state where everything is run by corperations or a minimal state where taxes are used only for the purpose of the Military and the police. So no public schools, public health services, social security or any form of public support given by the government.

Here's a link to Russo's Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Russo

It would be a dream for all of you guys if we could form into one government, but that not gonna happen becuz there is so many different cultures with so many complex governments, religons, politics, etcs.

The only way to do this is overrun them with either Democracy, Communism or Facism. I mean the whole world would have to agreed with one form of government so only way to do this is power of the people that support it, Having good economy, research & developments for cultures and alliance and of course freedom.

Doesnt matter wheather it is evil or good as long it not chaos.

So if people around the world dont work together someday soon, there may not be tomorrow whatever we face near the furture...

Of games, the Great Emporer says

in the end its a form of entertaiment and nothing more

I guess I'm trapped in my ideological blinders b/c I cannot see how *any* entertainment is "nothing more." Whether you watch a stupid network sitcom, read Aeschylus' plays, or devote time to a hardcore chess club, you are doing more than merely entertaining yourself, even if entertainment was your first motive. And I'm saying that as a devout hedonist!

Anhow, all deference to Mumblefratz & like-minded folks, I found this thread very "entertaining" today

The only way to do this is overrun them with either Democracy, Communism or Facism. I mean the whole world would have to agreed with one form of government so only way to do this is power of the people that support it, Having good economy, research & developments for cultures and alliance and of course freedom.

I'm afraid it's far more complicated then that.

Let's pretend everyone decided to form a global democracy tommorow. Do we for a Federal, Confederal, or Unitary system? Will it there be a Congressional legislature or a Parliment? Will we have a President, Prime MInister, or both? Will representitives be chosen by proportional representation or a "first past the post system"? These may sound like trivial issues, but there are groups who are just as dedicated to a certain type of system as they are to thier country as a whole.

There are dozens of varients of communism and fascism as well. Getting the nationas to agree to a world government type is just the first hurdle in issue. Then you actually have to design it, which is a whole differant ball game.

Libertarians are crackheadish. Their circular logic doesn't belong in government. Our current government has enough already.

One world government? Sure. Right after you take my guns. Try it.

Anhow, all deference to Mumblefratz & like-minded folks, I found this thread very "entertaining" today

Happily, you folks have proven me wrong. I didn't think it possible that this wouldn't turn into a poo throwing contest, but I stand corrected. I might still have a slight chance of being right if Wheeloffire's crackheadish comment can ignite a bit of flame, but so far it *has* been entertaining. A little bit esoteric for my taste but all in fun. BTW "Dr. Strangelove
or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb", is indeed the best movie of all time. Slim Pickens riding the bomb down to oblivion is a classic as well as Dr. Strangelove shouting "Mein Führer, I can walk!" as "We'll Meet Again" begins playing in the background.

@Wheeloffire. So soon after being responsible in the Stardock ripoff thread. But at least it shows you're trying.

Sure. Right after you take my guns. Try it.

They let asylum inmate keep guns?

I jest, I jest.

See, these are the sorts of things I hope that devs might skim when forcing themselves to check out a "stupid political thread." If you replace "human" with "player" and try to think how GCIII might work, well, I can start having more fun than I should when paid work is waiting on me. It is precisely *because* we humans have rudimentary genetic technology that the notion of species itself is not as clear as it was a century ago and that the notion of when we "can become isolated again" must yield to "when a sufficiently well-equipped faction can successfully transform their membership to a viable gene pool that cannot cross-breed with us old folks." (Apologies to any pro biologists for my abuse of current definitions of species--this is rhetoric)

Wow.. that actually might be a good addition to galciv3. Having some kind of diversity in the game.