If you needed to lose features...

[johnmcd]

If (oh happy chance) Firaxis were to bring Civ 4 to the Nintendo DS (those of you who haven't shared your bed with Advance Wars may think this sounds unworkable but I assure you...) which bits would you be happy to see dropped to make it work?

Clearly much of the graphics would just have to go, so they don't count, but other than that, which bits of complexity add the least in your eyes?

For me, I'd happily lose some of the tile improvements and rationalise others. Maybe keep cottages but dump workshops, windmills and combine the hunting camps and plantations and quarries and mines.

[Qwertqwert]

I don't believe that'd save anything really...

Really, it's not a terribly complex game as far as I can tell. If graphics were scaled to nothing... I'm not an expert but I'd guess that it could probabally work on DS.

But we'd have to loose Modability.

[Will9]

I got the DS version of Age of Empires. In this there are only 4 leaders to chose, you chose a map instead of a style of map, most of th maps are very small, and you have a limit of 30 units. Judging by this I don't think that a DS version of civ wil ever come out, maybe PSP but not DS.

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by Qwertqwert
I don't believe that'd save anything really...

Really, it's not a terribly complex game as far as I can tell. If graphics were scaled to nothing... I'm not an expert but I'd guess that it could probabally work on DS.

But we'd have to loose Modability.

I think the RAM and save game sizes would crucify it as it stands.

[Smellycowsquid]

I believe you can only have 50 units on Advance Wars.

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by Smellycowsquid
I believe you can only have 50 units on Advance Wars.

Yes, 200 in total between four players but no more than 50 for any one player.

It's an excuse for thinking about which features add least, I'm not about to fire a letter off to Nintendo or Firaxis demanding they port it. I was really just wondering which bits of the game don't punch their weight.

We all know the game is intimidatingly complex for newcomers, we also sit around demanding new complexities much of the time, raising the barrier to entry ever higher.

So to counter that, which bits can be lost to make way for the new?

[Jonny]

I'd think Civ4 would just be too big and complex to port to the DS, even if it were simplified and cut down a bit.

Now, porting Civ1 or Civ2, that might be quite doable...

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by Jonny
I'd think Civ4 would just be too big and complex to port to the DS, even if it were simplified and cut down a bit.

Now, porting Civ1 or Civ2, that might be quite doable...

Yeah, it's not really about porting, it's about simplifying the bits that don't work to put in bits that would.

[Qwertqwert]

Okay, well maps would have to be smaller...

[Urban Ranger]

Hm...

Minimal graphics
No movies
Small(er) maps
Fewer units
Fewer techs