Apolyton CIVILIZATION IV PREVIEW (by MarkG)

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Solver


That's a screenshot of the custom game setup screen with all the advanced options. There is also a less advanced / easier to use / more newbie friendly / whatever view that also shows you roughly what you're about to get.

Thanks, now about that shoreline option.

[Solver]

It's all about options . Surely Pangaeas can have different shores.

Map scripts in Civ4 are very good .

[kolpo]

Originally posted by Solver
It's all about options . Surely Pangaeas can have different shores.

Map scripts in Civ4 are very good .

Shall your review cover the world map and wathever it has fixed or random start locations?

[Solver]

Sorry, no.

[kolpo]

edit: didn't knew you haven't played it yet.

[Solver]

Actually, the reason I am not covering the World Map is that I haven't played on it.

[yin26]

That's the first section in my article, ICS, well, it's not a good way to play, for sure. In fact, it's extremely hard, if possible, to pull off. There's much more strategy involved in building new cities now.

What remains to be tested, of course, is a) can the system be abused in order to make this work in the early game and b), if I understand correctly, we're only limited by maintenance costs, which will clearly become less of a problem as the game progresses and the coffers fill up. In other words, ICS might require a lot more risk in the early game perhaps giving way to more of it in the mid to late game.

If that's true, we have something of a conundrum: ICS isn't dead, per se, but isn't exactly brainless, either. Frankly, my biggest complaint against ICS was that is was a) brainless and b) the best strategy ... always (well, if you don't mind the killer micro). While it still seems intuitively obvious that more cities will, in the end, expand your production base, the manner in which those cities are acquired/founded might well require a great deal more thought and less micro. Gotta say, that's pretty impressive if true.

Gotta get my copy!

[sophist]

Originally posted by MarkG
actually, there is exactly that

there is a mods directory with each mod having each own subdirectory with the altered/new files

Do you know how easy it is to mix and match rules from different mods? Do you basically have to create a synthetic mod by hand that picks the pieces of the source mods that you want, even if they don't overlap? Or is there some way that you can itemize the rule changes in a particular mod in an isolated fashion so that you could easily create a game with rules 1-3 of Mod A, rules 1-5, 6, and 9 of Mod b, etc. from a handy clicky clicky screen? I figure that's unlikely, but it's what I would do if I was programming the game...

[Lorizael]

Originally posted by yin26


What remains to be tested, of course, is a) can the system be abused in order to make this work in the early game and b), if I understand correctly, we're only limited by maintenance costs, which will clearly become less of a problem as the game progresses and the coffers fill up. In other words, ICS might require a lot more risk in the early game perhaps giving way to more of it in the mid to late game.

If that's true, we have something of a conundrum: ICS isn't dead, per se, but isn't exactly brainless, either. Frankly, my biggest complaint against ICS was that is was a) brainless and b) the best strategy ... always (well, if you don't mind the killer micro). While it still seems intuitively obvious that more cities will, in the end, expand your production base, the manner in which those cities are acquired/founded might well require a great deal more thought and less micro. Gotta say, that's pretty impressive if true.

Gotta get my copy!

Mark this day on the calendar.

[MarkG]

Originally posted by sophist


Do you know how easy it is to mix and match rules from different mods? Do you basically have to create a synthetic mod by hand that picks the pieces of the source mods that you want, even if they don't overlap? Or is there some way that you can itemize the rule changes in a particular mod in an isolated fashion so that you could easily create a game with rules 1-3 of Mod A, rules 1-5, 6, and 9 of Mod b, etc. from a handy clicky clicky screen? I figure that's unlikely, but it's what I would do if I was programming the game...

all rules, settings, etc are in xml files

so all you'll need is a decent xml editor

[Solver]

Yin:

About the ICS not being brainless and the best strategy, I assure you 100%. Besides, maintenance isn't the only limiting thing. You'll see what I mean when you read my preview.

Of course, I would be very interested to see you try, when you get Civ4, to play a game expanding as much as possible in the early game. However, from my experience, I can say that it will actually most likely put you behind everyone else - again, I elaborate on that in the preview.

[yin26]

Great. Can't wait.

[Solver]

Taking in account that you'd have to eat the box ?

[Fidel]

Originally posted by MarkG
let your eyes be the judge

aaaaargh, they spelled gytheo 'yitheo'
THIS GAME IS BROKEN




guys i love and hate you at the same time. i had a feeling you were beta testing the game. seriously now, will this take me off rome total war?

btw, i was at the peloponessus this summer. gytheo is lovely where's kardamyli on the map? this game is broken.

what are the odds of yin eating the box? any words from william hill?

edit: i was just told that an acquintance of mine will go to the nyc on 22nd and come back on 29th. yeah, baby, yeah, i am beating shipping restrictions of or online f***** stores

[MarkG]

Originally posted by LaRusso


aaaaargh, they spelled gytheo 'yitheo'
THIS GAME IS BROKEN

actually "yithion" (which is used) is correct