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168# WHY CIV-SPECIFIC UNITS ARE A GOOD IDEA Snapcase defends unique units 167# CTP2 - FOUR OPINIONS Solver guides you to the world of the CTP series 166# MEMO TO ISABELLA, QUEEN OF SPAIN Raingoon of the Chinese sends a memo to Isabella, his ally. Or is it Firaxis? COLUMN ARCHIVE

I've been playing civ and civ2 for quite a few years, and I've got really high hopes for civ3. The only problem that I've got is that it might not live up to the previous games. This probably isn't something that I should concern myself with, but there's one idea that I have to make civ3 a great game.

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ARTILLERY AND ITS FUNCTION IN STRATEGY By Nero Caesar ( strangefolk@theglobe.com ) June 2, 2001 Don't get me wrong, I'm no history expert but I do know a few things about it.I do know the importance it played in history up to the present day. What I do know much about, parcially through experience, is the necesary role artillery has in the Civilization series and Call to Power series. All I can Say is... Use it. Use artillery in an offensive role and grouped in large numbers (i.e. 6 and up) outside a city. Ive taken over Large fortified,and highly defended cities of size 20 and over. Just imagine a city with 12 units consisting of three facists, four machine gunners, two calvelry, a cannon and two artillery units, and all being fortified within it. Watch that city over a few turns of heavy bombardment be laid to waste defensively. Come in with separate groups. I can say that if you attack a city from two different advantage points with a high defensive terrain rating, the more power to you. If an ememy city contains bombardment units within it, when they go to bombard you, they may attack one group and not another. When bringing in the artillery, always have offensive units nearby to take over the city. Once a cities defense is minimal, "call in the marines" so to speak. Machine gunners, facists marines and tanks used in a combination work well, though marines, when invading a coastal city work best in a separate group so to take advantage of their special ability (i.e attacking while unloading.) The same with paratroopers which I find easier to use. ( they provide the aircraft.) --------- About the author: I've played Civilization since it first came out and have spent an uncalculable amount of time playing the series and its' "Call to Power" cousins.

This idea isn't about the gameplay itself, and it wouldn't mean anything to the non-players of previous civ games. The developers at firaxis should make something in the new game that allows for scenarios from previous civ games to be paralled into civ3. I'm not saying that it would be possible to make them exactly the same, but it would allow for people who made scenarios in other games, or who have unfinished ones, to experience them in a new game. I've made some scenarios in civ2, and I have an unfinished one, that I was going to make really good. Now, I don't know if it would have ended up being amazing or not, but it would be nice to be able to finish it, and show it off to my friends. Without scenario paralleling, I couldn't do that, because none of my friends still play civ2 like me, and are reluctant to try scenarios from that game.

I'm sure that there are a lot of people who would agree with this idea. There are many great civ2 and other civ game scenarios that aren't being played, because the games are all out of date. Not only would it be great for the people who will get the game, but if this feature is published, then I'm sure firaxis would get many new customers who played the previous games, but wouldn't normally buy civ3.

Now, I realize that this isn't a critical issue for the makers of civ3, but I really think that it would be great to have this feature. Also, the scenarios couldn't be the same, due to new maps and units, but I'm sure that it would be quite possible to add this feature. Besides this, I don't really have any suggestions that I haven't already seen requested. I guess I'm pretty confident that it'll be a great game, and that many people will play it. Would I still buy the game without this feature? Yes I would, but I think Sid should add the feature as a "Thank-You" to all the people who've played his games for so long.

Also, I hope that scenarios would be able to be played online, and that it remained turn-based when played online. That's about it for my requests.

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Sidenote by MarkG: The PC Gamer preview(June 2001 issue) noted that "Firaxis is seriously investigating ways to convert the myriad civ2 scenarios for civ3". We havent heard anything about it since then.


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About the author: A long time player of civ and civ2, proprietator of www.civ2page.com

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