I'll have to look those up. Like with most old games, EVN doesn't really need sequels, it just needs to be updated to use more recent hardware, such as bigger screens.
Are these ideas realistic anytime soon? Not really. Are they possible with today's technology? Iffy, although some probably are. Would I like to see most of them actually in existence now, if it were possible? Most definitely!
Especially the space ones, and the pyramid city. I like those ideas!
Deffinitely one of the top shareware games ever. I played it when first released, played it for many years after. Even made a few mods. Still have a copy of it kicking around, too.
Probably the amusing part is that this all assumes that increased internet speeds actually *help* people. Being able to load funny cat videos 100x faster isn't really a significant benefit, really. And lets be honest: Most people getting these gigabit connections are not going to be spending their time exclusively doing research and watching online courses. If they did, maybe it will help the rich more than the poor, but chances are they won't.
And I fail to see how any online service could start to default to 4k video anytime in the near future. 4k screens aren't exactly common. There isn't even enough market saturation of high bandwidth connection (and big screens) for 1080p to the the default size on youtube. (I think it's generally defaulting to 480p or maybe 720p).
Having widespread gigabit internet should, in theory, continue to benefit the entire society, not just those capable of affording it. Even if the lower segment of society can not afford it, they should still benefit from it. After all, libraries and other public access points should be able to afford it, especially given that encouraging education is part of their mandate.
That being said, I disagree with the logic that one needs to have access to top-tier internet in order to advance one's education. Most of that bandwidth, in private use instances, is going to be taken up in streaming netflix, videogames, and torrents. (and related services) Very little is going to be used for educational purposes. If one is actually intent on learning, a tiny fraction of a gigabit connection is all that is needed, so long as one focuses on that and not trying to multitask.
The point, I think, is to get the government institutions (who are the ones who don't have to make money at things) OUT of the business of doing repetitious, potentially profitable things. Like putting satellites into orbit, doing ISS supply runs, and other generic things that are pretty much routine these days.
If they are barred from doing easy stuff, maybe they will take their budget where it is supposed to go: into exploration and the development of new things, things that the the private industry won't do because there is no profit there yet.
Two can Live as Cheaply as One for Half as Long. -- Howard Kandel