Comments on: Gamer’s Bookshelf: Guns, Germs and Steel http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/ The Best Strategy Game Blog in My House Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:15:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Krupo http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/comment-page-1/#comment-27636 Krupo Sat, 20 Jan 2007 04:13:18 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/#comment-27636 Wonder how much Spore will draw upon GGS, then? None at all I assume. ;) Wonder how much Spore will draw upon GGS, then? None at all I assume. ;)

]]> By: Troy http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/comment-page-1/#comment-27579 Troy Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:01:10 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/#comment-27579 Disease as a cultural leveller would seriously break a lot of "Plato to Nato" games. The whole GGS model could work on a SimEarth type of scale, but SimEarth wasn't much fun. Disease as a cultural leveller would seriously break a lot of “Plato to Nato” games. The whole GGS model could work on a SimEarth type of scale, but SimEarth wasn’t much fun.

]]> By: Soren Johnson http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/comment-page-1/#comment-27507 Soren Johnson Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:53:00 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/#comment-27507 Interesting post to read since I had the exact same reaction when I first read GGS. I had just started at Firaxis and was working on Civ3 - thus, I was very excited to find a book that matched up so well with the game's subject matter. The more I read, however, the more I realized it would make a terrible game. By definition, Diamond is saying that your fate is determined at the very beginning of the game. And let's not even get into his germ theory, which is a solid theory, but a terrible game mechanic for punishing players who are already behind. Interesting post to read since I had the exact same reaction when I first read GGS. I had just started at Firaxis and was working on Civ3 – thus, I was very excited to find a book that matched up so well with the game’s subject matter. The more I read, however, the more I realized it would make a terrible game. By definition, Diamond is saying that your fate is determined at the very beginning of the game. And let’s not even get into his germ theory, which is a solid theory, but a terrible game mechanic for punishing players who are already behind.

]]> By: JonathanStrange http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/comment-page-1/#comment-27314 JonathanStrange Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:48:56 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/#comment-27314 Diamond's book even comes with a tech tree as I recall! Though it's branches are not as numerous as Civilization's or even Age of Empires'. A fascinating book even if one feels that the idea that "geography is destiny" undervalues culture as affected by individual "great men." Nevertheless, a great read and thought-provoking. I think we've all experienced a "Guns, Germs, and Steel" moment in our first Civilization games: here you're controlling your small isolated continent, and then one day musketeer are landing on your beaches and shooting down your swordsmen and scattering your chariots. Or you're greatly outnumbered in some Age of Empires scenario 'cause you've not enough workers to generate the revenue needed to advance your techs. Ouch. Diamond’s book even comes with a tech tree as I recall! Though it’s branches are not as numerous as Civilization’s or even Age of Empires’.
A fascinating book even if one feels that the idea that “geography is destiny” undervalues culture as affected by individual “great men.” Nevertheless, a great read and thought-provoking.

I think we’ve all experienced a “Guns, Germs, and Steel” moment in our first Civilization games: here you’re controlling your small isolated continent, and then one day musketeer are landing on your beaches and shooting down your swordsmen and scattering your chariots. Or you’re greatly outnumbered in some Age of Empires scenario ’cause you’ve not enough workers to generate the revenue needed to advance your techs. Ouch.

]]> By: Nelson http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/comment-page-1/#comment-27305 Nelson Mon, 15 Jan 2007 21:39:42 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2007/01/15/gamers-bookshelf-guns-germs-and-steel/#comment-27305 I just had a situation like that today. I had a larger land area than anyone else, yet I didn't have a single coal square and couldn't build railroads, so my industry was incredibly anemic. Meanwhile, I had *five* aluminum resource squares, but of course the ruthless AI would not trade. I just had a situation like that today. I had a larger land area than anyone else, yet I didn’t have a single coal square and couldn’t build railroads, so my industry was incredibly anemic. Meanwhile, I had *five* aluminum resource squares, but of course the ruthless AI would not trade.

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