Designing ToT scenarios ?

[Pano]

I'm wondering if it's worth making ToT scenarios. I haven't bought ToT yet (and I don't know if I will). There
seems to be extended Events files and you can use up to four maps. But in the other hand many persons won't
be able to play because they haven't got ToT. So I would like what you think about it.

------------------
Pano
http://testi.cti.ecp.fr/~pano

[William Keenan]

ToT is the future. Do you want to be part of the future?

[techumseh]

Test of Time: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good: You can make a much better scenario with ToT. It has far superior events, multiple maps and more ability to control things like bribablity of units, making terrain impassible, etc.

The Bad: Everyting has to be done manually, there are no editors as in FW. There is nothing in the manual about how to edit the new features in the rules text (some notes in the sci-fi rules text, though) and info about new events capability is sparse, especially about use of flags. It's still a bit buggy, and the patch feature for turning off the animated sprites doesn't work. (you have to move them manually to a seperate folder to get rid of them)

The Ugly:

This game was done quickly so that Microprose could have something on the market to compete with CtP and SMAC while they worked on Civ3. A number of bugs remain, but they're not going to fix them if it takes reprogramming. John Possidente has been great about answering questions and helping out, but he has little backup. Microproses' resources are clearly focused elsewhere. My guess is that within a year Civ 3 will leave ToT a ghost town of a game.

So, it's up to you! I bought it, I enjoy it, but I don't think I'll be playing it in a year from now.

[John Possidente]

Well, that's not really how or why ToT was developed. We actually went out of our way to release some months distant from both AC and CtP.

...and I really hope that Civ III does leave ToT in the dust. We all want new games to be better than existing ones, me included. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that Hasbro Interactive/MicroProse is publishing Civ III, even though it's being developed elsewhere.)

[Mog'Dug]

hmmm... being developed elsewhere.. ugh! can you say ugly. Actually my fears given Hasbro's past, Jeeze I dont even want to mention it.

but remember Conan the barbarian? boy he was cool, then Hasbro bought Conan, and turned "a thief, a reaver, a slayer who trodded the earth under his sandled feet" into a *****-whipped babysitter.

Hasbro sucks, look at the crap that's gone out of Microprose since Hasbro bought them.

Hasbro is a fine maker of board games, (can anyone say "Diplomacy sure was a disapointing game"?) I think we can expect to see more wonderful things that hasbro owns like Diplomacy comming out from Microprose. Risk and Chutes and Ladders, with buggy code, rushed out the door a few weeks before Christmas.

It's sad, but look what's already happened? didn't Microprose have a great line of flight sims? they whole flight sim line has been canned. Falcon? no more, and never again.

given Hasbros ideology and history, I really dont see them doing any more Avalon Hill inspired games. Maybe Civ3 will play like Risk.

[Mog'Dug]

really? I didn't know that.

wow, that makes me feel alot better about Civ3. yeah, only because Guardians of Justice and Diplomacy were real disapointments for me, I kinda had given up hope on Microprose.

And I am still pissed off about Hasbro, stupid right wing, moral majority, why can't all christians love Conan?, (if it aint broke dont fixit!) Hasbro has a history of buying the rights to really good stuff then mucking it up until it can't be offensive to anyone.

Well, I think I'll have to take a look at that and see.

[John Possidente]

Well, when I said "developed elsewhere" I sort of assumed that everyone knew we had licensed Sid Meier's new company to do it. (The same folks who made Alpha Centauri.) A lot of the folks who worked to produce the first edition of Civilization II are there, and I think it'll turn out to be an excellent game.

[Civmaniac]

The bad can be fixed:
Updates
Old Map editor is supposed to make compatable maps, but I never got CivII
Future downloads