PolyCast Episode 109: "Starting to Speak Nerd"

**DanQ** · January 15, 2011, 17:25

Better late the assertion than never. The one-hundred-and-ninth episode of PolyCast, "Starting to Speak Nerd", features regular co-hosts Daniel "DanQ" Quick, "Makahlua", Philip "TheMeInTeam" Bellew and Lisa "qnl" Bang; it has a runtime of 01hr58m30s.

PolyCast is a bi-weekly audio production in an ongoing effort to give the Civ community an interactive voice on game strategy; sibling show ModCast focuses on Civ modding and RevCast focuses on Civilization: Revolution.

**DanQ** · January 15, 2011, 17:26

- 01m34s | News
Civilization V Lead Designer Jon Shafer leaves Firaxis Games and joins Stardock Systems; Civilization: Network is renamed Civilization: World, with an alpha testing opportunity; version 1.0.1.135 patch for CivV is now available; and on CivV Downloadable Content (DLC) released to date.
- 72m23s | Forum Talk
What do those still opposed to Civilization V like about the game, and an open invitation by someone who rejects this position.
- 89m30s | Research Lab
A suggestion for Unique National Wonders per civilization in CivV.

- Intro/Outro | Miscellaneous
Dawn of a new season of the show, number of hours logged in CivV so far, and why the show switch from a pre-recorded to live format.

**Zoetstofzoetje** · January 16, 2011, 00:37

Do you compare Civ:World to Zombies:vs:Vampires and FarmVille? I still don't see how social gaming equates to in-depth strategy.

I have a bad feeling about this...

**Boracks** · January 16, 2011, 10:15

What's wrong with strategic social gaming? I used to do that with a group of friends that would get together every Sunday over a board game (often railway game). Sometimes the strategy was which game we actually played...

**Zoetstofzoetje** · January 16, 2011, 12:33

I just don't see how it translates. There's a difference between being in a group of people and have beers while playing Risk, and asking others to water your virtual plants so that your garden grows quicker. "Boracks, can you bring some bricks to my colosseum? My city is rioting again"

I for one would not want to splurge my facebook wall with these posts.

Also, you've gotta wonder what the business model is here. With traditional games, you pay once, and then for expansions and DLC's. With social gaming, you don't pay directly, but pay indirectly through breach of your privacy (sales to marketeers), advertisements (at times in relation to the first category), and most importantly: top-ups! Why wait for 6 hours for that settler to complete, if you can just magically make it appear right-here-right-now with the use of your creditcard? Just $6.99 for 25 CivPoints after all!

**Boracks** · January 16, 2011, 22:26

But of course, the important thing is, -they- see how it translates. I'll admit I don't understand a lot of the social stuff on facebook, especially people who try and keep up to the minute with it. (Sorry, I'm an older guy who grew up writing letters using pen and paper, and sending then through the Post Awful.) But I can see the appeal of getting the game on a common site, and maybe generating a few more regular Civ players (read: sales).

Heh, just noticed I have been here a decade now. Wow. Time flies when you're out conquering the world.

**DanQ** · January 19, 2011, 19:44

Originally Posted by Zoetstofzoetje

Do you compare Civ:World to Zombies:vs:Vampires and FarmVille? I still don't see how social gaming equates to in-depth strategy.

FarmVille is mentioned, yes...

In part, we associate Civilization: World as a game most likely targeting for those that we regard as non-gamers, with an assumed "drop-in, drop-out" nature.