Ab Urbe Condita?

[SWVRoma]

it's currently 2770 AUC (I was in Rome to celebrate the city's founding in April. Marching in the parade through the historical city was awesome). I like using AUC. It might not be historically correct per se, but it works for the purposes of the game.

 

[Denkt]

it's currently 2770 AUC (I was in Rome to celebrate the city's founding in April. Marching in the parade through the historical city was awesome). I like using AUC. It might not be historically correct per se, but it works for the purposes of the game.

Just 230 years left to its third millennium.

 

[AKronblad]

it's currently 2770 AUC (I was in Rome to celebrate the city's founding in April. Marching in the parade through the historical city was awesome). I like using AUC. It might not be historically correct per se, but it works for the purposes of the game.

When playing as Rome, it works. For any other country, it's immersion breaking.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

When playing as Rome, it works. For any other country, it's immersion breaking.

And so is BCE, but for *every country*.

 

[AKronblad]

And so is BCE, but for *every country*.

Not as much though. So basing the choice on one country is really unfortunate.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

Not as much though. So basing the choice on one country is really unfortunate.

No really.

It's a *massive* immersion breaker.

BCE is far more out of place than AUC. AUC is at least used in the timeframe (if only just), and based on an event prior to the game, not one that may not happen, depending on what the triggers are, and wouldn't even really be noticed until after the end of the currently stated timeline.

 

[AKronblad]

No really.

It's a *massive* immersion breaker.

BCE is far more out of place than AUC. AUC is at least used in the timeframe (if only just), and based on an event prior to the game, not one that may not happen, depending on what the triggers are, and wouldn't even really be noticed until after the end of the currently stated timeline.

Exactly, AUC is used only for Rome and linked so explicitly to Rome and that is so massively immersion breaking when playing as any other country, let alone an Indian one. Or just imagine the Etruscans using a calendar based on foundation of Rome (created a century after they got wiped out). Truly immersion breaking.

BC/AD or BCE/BC is not genuine, but is at least less immersion breaking and that for all countries, not only focusing on Rome.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

Exactly, AUC is used only for Rome and linked so explicitly to Rome and that is so massively immersion breaking when playing as any other country, let alone an Indian one. Or just imagine the Etruscans using a calendar based on foundation of Rome (created a century after they got wiped out). Truly immersion breaking.

BC/AD or BCE/BC is not genuine, but is at least less immersion breaking and that for all countries, not only focusing on Rome.

I strongly disagree with you that a system not created for 500+ years after the game timeline ends, with BCE not being used for 200 years after that is less immersion breaking than a system that was used in the period of the game.

It's far from perfect, but short of having every country have its own calendar, there isn't any good solution.

What relevance to any country in game is BCE/CE?
The ministry is just about happening in the dying days of the game, if the game even lasts that long.

Even the Christians didn't use the CE calendar during the early empire, and it's explicitly based on their founder.

 

[AKronblad]

I strongly disagree with you that a system not created for 500+ years after the game timeline ends, with BCE not being used for 200 years after that is less immersion breaking than a system that was used in the period of the game.

It's far from perfect, but short of having every country have its own calendar, there isn't any good solution.

What relevance to any country in game is BCE/CE?
The ministry is just about happening in the dying days of the game, if the game even lasts that long.

Even the Christians didn't use the CE calendar during the early empire, and it's explicitly based on their founder.

Then we strongly disagree with each other, still... I like the use of BC/AD, since it's easily recognisable. The AlE games about Rome by AGEOD uses a calendar with negative years (basically - in BC era, and + in AD era) and that works perfectly for all countries and factions, in my view. Good reference.

Now, next fight is on one or two consuls in the Roman republic, but that's for another thread...

 

[fabius]

If bees can be taught to understand zero, I don't see why Clausewitz + Jomini can't

Tongue in cheek

 

[Hyzhenhok]

For the vast majority of the game's audience, BCE would be more immersive.

This is a game. It's an application to be used by modern humans as a window into the past. BCE, by using the calendar system they are actually familiar with, with serve to remind players that they are playing around in game that is supposed to represent actual history.

99% of those modern humans will have no understanding of AUC and will not really care very much about it. It won't feel immersive; it will just feel arbitrary and abstract. For most players, you might as well use "X years since campaign began" if you're using a non-BCE dating system.

And using AUC is really just more misleading than immersive. Making it the main dating system suggests that it was used earlier, regularly and more widely than it really was. You're not improving immersion. You're just misinforming players and making the game seem less grounded in history at the same time.

Nobody (besides apparently DreadLindwyrm) would look at BCE and think it was used for any reason other than it's the calendar system used by the audience.

 

[Vollheld]

For the vast majority of the game's audience, BCE would be more immersive.

This is a game. It's an application to be used by modern humans as a window into the past. BCE, by using the calendar system they are actually familiar with, with serve to remind players that they are playing around in game that is supposed to represent actual history.

99% of those modern humans will have no understanding of AUC and will not really care very much about it. It won't feel immersive; it will just feel arbitrary and abstract. For most players, you might as well use "X years since campaign began" if you're using a non-BCE dating system

It's already confirmed, that you can hover over the date and see the BCE equivalent.
I don't think that AVC would be an actual problem or immersion breaker. You will get used to it pretty quickly, because you won't give a damn after playing a while.

And using AUC is really just more misleading than immersive. Making it the main dating system suggests that it was used earlier, regularly and more widely than it really was. You're not improving immersion. You're just misinforming players and making the game seem less grounded in history at the same time.

Nobody (besides apparently DreadLindwyrm) would look at BCE and think it was used for any reason other than it's the calendar system used by the audience.

It would be misleading, if this was an educational game, which it is not.
Or did you ever think it was misleading that in EU4 everyone uses Ducats as their money? Or that the Muslim nations used the Christian calendar? Of course not.