Strategy Guide - Rip off!

[Destroyer]

With each version of Civ, the manual becomes less and less detailed.

So to get most of the info you need, the Official Strategy Guide normally supplies the lowdown needed to get the most out of the game.


But the Civ4 version has to be the biggest waste of money going. It spends many pages recounting a multiplayer game - like who gives a rats arse?

The it doesnt even touch upon buildings, which is normally 1/4 of the guide.

What happened to David Ellis who wrote several really excellent guide for Prima?

[Hauptman]

Careful the writer of that guide is a forum regular, get yer flame retardent suite on cause he's a comin for joo!

[Bill3000]

Honestly, I rather like the fact that the Strategy Guide is actually a Strategy Guide, and not simply a list of stuff you can get in the civilopedia.

[Destroyer]

Originally posted by Hauptman
Careful the writer of that guide is a forum regular, get yer flame retardent suite on cause he's a comin for joo!

I stand by my comments.

Whats the point of detailing units and research, and not cover buildings in any way? The different strategies you can employ was completely overblown.

The Strategy Guide has always been the real instruction manual.

The Prima guides were better. Sorry if that upsets anyone. Its the way it is.

As for the Civopedia....

First its innaccurate.
Second its got no labels.
Third - the historical descriptions they had in Civ 3 are all missing.
Fourth - I cant read it in bed.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Destroyer
Fourth - I cant read it in bed.

There are other things one would rather do in bed than read the Civilopedia.

[Destroyer]

Originally posted by LordShiva


There are other things one would rather do in bed than read the Civilopedia.

I need something else to do for the other 23 hours 59 minutes and 30 seconds of the day.

[neliz]

Originally posted by Destroyer


I need something else to do for the other 23 hours 59 minutes and 30 seconds of the day.

go play civ4 on a PIII-500!

[Aro]

Originally posted by Destroyer


I need something else to do for the other 23 hours 59 minutes and 30 seconds of the day.

30 sec?????

Take it easy, Speedy Gonzalez...

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Destroyer

The Strategy Guide has always been the real instruction manual.

The Prima guides were better. Sorry if that upsets anyone. Its the way it is.

Thats whats bad about the state of most manuals today.

The Civ4 manual/poster is actually pretty info-heavy compared to some games who rely on Prima to release a real manual, and thats all Prima "strategy" guides really are, trumped-up manuals. Except you have to pay another £10 for the pleasure. Ive ended up with 5 over the years and theyre all next to useless.

I havent got the Civ4 strategy guide (no point, i have forums), but at least from the sound of it its not just another Prima waste of paper.

[Urban Ranger]

Re: Strategy Guide - Rip off!

Originally posted by Destroyer
It spends many pages recounting a multiplayer game - like who gives a rats arse?

That sounds like a real strategy guide to me - pointers to become a better player.

[Destroyer]

Dont let that fool you.

Its "strategy" advice is very generic, and doesnt really extend past overall play. No nitty gritty.

75% of it is instruction manual. What I object to is the fact it missed out all of the buildings, and covered research and units.

Its neither one thing or the other, and does both badly.

[Jerh9e1k5]

If you found all of the previous incarnations of the strategy guides bad, why would you continue buying them?

Personally I agree that written strategy guides are usually pretty vague, which is why I don't waste my money on them. I look for forums such as these that have people who really know how to write guides like Vel.

To be fair to the writer one cannot expect a strategy guide as in depth as the discussions on this forum, especially if it is only one person playing the game and trying to come up with strategies themselves.

All in all I agree with you that strategy guides are hyped up user manuals. They shouldn't be called strategy guides, but they are, so now you know.

Don't buy anymore "strategy guides"!!!
Jerh9e1k5

[Tommar]

Re: Re: Strategy Guide - Rip off!

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


That sounds like a real strategy guide to me - pointers to become a better player.

If this game didn't bog down so bad in the endgame in single player, I wouldn't be here now.

Multiplayer? :rolleyes

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Destroyer
Its "strategy" advice is very generic, and doesnt really extend past overall play.

I am not sure how detailed you want it to be. Vel has some excellent threads on winning individual games over in the Strategy Section, but that requires a) playing each game to the end b) win that game c) record down what you play. That's a very big time investment for a single game (because if you don't win you need to begin again). All that for a single game.

One thing to realise is each Civ 4 game can be very different, requiring tailor-made plans to win. Thus, any strategy guides can only be generic.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Aro
30 sec?????

Take it easy, Speedy Gonzalez...

I take it you prefer Epic mode