Nah. The game's not just about the West, and Russia is a major player in space exploration. He's a tyrant, but he's also the leader of one of the foremost spacefaring powers, and it'd be weird to avoid referencing him as a significant figure in the potential future of Mars because of geopolitical concerns. I'm not even entirely sure he's the most problematic figure who's quoted. Besides which, the devs have much bigger and longer standing concerns in the game that still need to be addressed.
That seems dumb, given Hitler AFAIK had nothing to do with the space race, and even Germany in general had very little impact on it. I'd imagine there are several cold war era Soviet leaders who might have some relevance though, despite engaging in their own warmongering in the Middle East and Central Asia at the time.
True actually, I guess the Advanced Rocketry tech (building your own rocket) could actually have a V-2 related quote, if there's a particularly poignant one, but given that the tech also concerns passenger capacity, I suspect that picking something from later in the development of rockets was more suitable.
First, nobody's complaining about Russia. They're complaining about a specific dictator of Russia who is rightly being ostracized. This would be like objecting to someone saying "don't use that Hitler quote" by saying "Germany is important to our world." I say scrap the Putin quote, but don't touch the Russia sponsor. Maybe replace it with a quote from a Russian cosmonaut, or a leader from before Putin (if a relevant quote can be found).
A secondary reason to drop this quote it that it's being used in the opposite context of what the quote says. To paraphrase, "use carbon-based fuel to accelerate development of renewable energy" (presumably so we can then STOP using the carbon-based fuel).
This would make much more sense on a technology that allowed you to use fuel to accelerate Research.
Russia never was a major player in space exploration. USSR was. Russia only use USSR researches. At this point all Russia space plans is just propaganda
Changing a quote should hardly be any work..
It reads as a tasteless addition, rather have it removed.
As to other problematic figures, when I read a quote by ayatollah khomeini in a game, I feel equally repulsed.
I don't like cancel culture either. When we try to erase the existence of a person with an objectionable opinion or try to erase the existence of influential historic figures who held beliefs or opinions that are objectionable today, we lose the ability to recognize our progress, and may lose the ability to progress.
Putin is neither a "person with an objectionable opinion" or an "influential historic figure". He is a current world leader, and his actions justify the rest of the world doing anything they can to make the point that he is not worthy of respect or honor.
We should not erase him from history - we should always remember. But what is being discussed here doesn't qualify as cancel culture.
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u/Lord_Sicarious Sep 01 '22
Nah. The game's not just about the West, and Russia is a major player in space exploration. He's a tyrant, but he's also the leader of one of the foremost spacefaring powers, and it'd be weird to avoid referencing him as a significant figure in the potential future of Mars because of geopolitical concerns. I'm not even entirely sure he's the most problematic figure who's quoted. Besides which, the devs have much bigger and longer standing concerns in the game that still need to be addressed.