Civ is dead (or reminiscing on the past)

[yin26]

Well, my review of Civ 4 was pretty uninspired. It took me a while, long past my review, to really appreciate some of the changes made to the game. Things like religion, for example, can be an either dormant or intriguing factor in the game depending on your skill in using it. The same with great people and promotions. So if you don't really "get" those elements, Civ 4 can seem pretty standard fare. I certainly gave it credit for --heck, ate a box for-- killing ICS.

As for the video (which I'm glad you found funny!), I simply had *no* idea the cardboard would be that chewy. Also, by the time we shot that footage ...and made the decision on a whim to do the eating in the middle of a frozen public space... the muffin, jelly and cardboard had pretty much become a nearly frozen mass. God, it was awful. Of course, if I made it too easy on myself (like putting all the cardboard in a blender and making a smoothie), I wouldn't have done proper penance.

[Louis XXIV]

OK, fair enough.

[alms66]

Yin has merely proved one thing over the past year and that is he is the weak negative cosmic force, while I remain the strong. I've always said civ4 will suck and it does in a huge way, but luckily it contains enough modability within to make a game worth playing, even if not the perfect game. Unfortunately, I don't really have the time for that, but I'll happily play that perfect mod when it does see the light of day.

And for a future prediction, Civ5 will suck as well.

[CarnalCanaan]

I don't think it "sucks" at all. There are certain improvements to be made, but the game is a LONG way from abject failure--which I assume the verb "to suck" is a stand in for.

Many, MANY games I just don't enjoy. "Rise of Nations" and "Battlefield Earth II" are two I could name. But they don't suck. They're both good games. Just not my games.

[fed1943]

I did not know about that thread, but I understand it.

I became vry pessimistic and sad when I read (Firaxis forum I think)

that the new game shall be in the tradition of civ III.

Fortunetely, at least to me, is a great game in the traditon of civ II

and SMAC (and even of MoM).

Best regards,

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by yin26


As for the video (which I'm glad you found funny!), I simply had *no* idea the cardboard would be that chewy.

Did you expect it to melt in your mouth like a chocolate wafer or something?

[yin26]

I was hoping for exactly that. Instead, I spend a decent part of that evening trying to dislodge cardboard from between my molars.

[DrSpike]

It's probably just as well you didn't use the blender. That would have made it seem easier, and you could have eaten more, which is probably not good for your general well-being! Cardboard being very chewy and making you throw up is nature's way of telling you............DON'T EAT CARDBOARD.

[Jeje2]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Cardboard being very chewy and making you throw up is nature's way of telling you............DON'T EAT CARDBOARD.

Nah - get better digestion

[padillah]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Cardboard being very chewy and making you throw up is nature's way of telling you............DON'T EAT CARDBOARD.

This goes along with one of my favorite quotes (it's a sig on here somewhere):

Pain is natures way of telling you "That was stupid".

Gotta get that on a T-Shirt.

Tom P.

[Solver]

It's interesting how in the end, both Yin and I turned out to be right in a way. Yin was saying that we've beaten the Civ formula hundreds of times, that it needs something new. Yin was also proposing some partial RTS additions, for example. I was very much opposed to making radical changes such as those.

In the end, Civ4 was a success because it didn't change the basic Civ formula and concept, but it completely overhauled the strategy. You can't learn a single strategy in Civ4 and win with it every time. You can't always "beat the formula", as Yin put it, while only requiring two days two learn how to do that .

[yin26]

Agreed. I'm still learning better strategy after tons of play time. This reflects the fact that a) I'm a slow learner, apparently and b) that the relatively simple mechanisms in the new formula interact in some potentially very dynamic ways. That's the hallmark of great game design, clearly.

[hexagonian]

My thoughts exactly, though I do catch grief from other gaming camps when civ4 is presented that way to them.

There is no single 'right way' or a particular template that you have to follow without fail in order to win...It's a game that allows for a great deal of diversity in playing style - and thus allows for a great deal of replayability.

(Unfortunately, I haven't had the time or the motivation to play games lately. Working 2 jobs everyday at 65-70 hrs per week tends to kill playing time. )

[yin26]

Hey Hex: Long time no see/read! So work has been the reason, eh? Well, my best to you, and I hope this is beginning of more posts from you.

[Prussia]

Some people are simply pessimistic, and while it is fun to sucker bet them, we have to accept them as a contribution to society.