Civ Rev for DS was disapointing :-(

[OliverFA]

Sorry for the negative post, but I am so disapointed that I had to share my frustration...

I have been eagerly waiting for the DS version of CivRev for long time. I am a long time fan of the franchise since Civ 1 and currently enjoying Civ 4, so the chance to have Civ while travelling was simply awesome!

But after finally getting it, I am so disapointed with the DS version. Or to say more properly, with the graphics and controls of the DS version. Graphics look like Civ1, and many other games have showed that a DS can do much better than this. About controls, they are very complicated. There is no way to control the game fully with the pad, or fully with the stylus. You have to use a mixture of both to properly control everything.

I wonder why they did that. They just had to copy Age of Empires DS, which is in fact a civ-like clone.

:-(

[Maquiladora]

I didn't like the graphics at first, but now I don't mind them at all. They are functional and clear, and that is the most important thing, especially on a small screen.

However if we get another game on the DS I would like to see some improvement. As said over at CFC, if removing some save slots can free up storage space for better graphics then I hope they do it.

The controls aren't bad but are a little confused, sometimes the stylus is better, sometimes d-pad. Again there are a few things I would expect to get ironed out in a sequel.

[dojoboy]

Re: Civ Rev for DS was disapointing :-(

Originally posted by OliverFA
They just had to copy Age of Empires DS, which is in fact a civ-like clone.

I own Age of Kings for DS also, and I've got to say it and CivRev are nothing alike in terms of gameplay. I enjoyed Age of Knights, don't get me wrong. It was one of the games that helped me get to CivRev's release.

The controls were odd for me at first, but now I tend to use the keypad the majority of the time. That kind of bums me out, because I love using the stylus for the DS. Can anyone say The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass? Beautiful game, absolutely beautiful.

If the controls have got you down, just hang on - you won't notice it after a few games.

[Carch]

Re: Civ Rev for DS was disapointing :-(

Originally posted by OliverFA
About controls, they are very complicated. There is no way to control the game fully with the pad, or fully with the stylus. You have to use a mixture of both to properly control everything.

I don't find this to be true at all. I use the stylus exclusively for Civ Rev DS. If you tap twice on a unit, it brings up a "button widget" that lets you perform any action you would use a button for. I haven't tried to use only buttons to control the game, but I know the stylus alone works great.

As far as the graphics go, I guess that's a personal preference. I think they're passable, but not great--the forest looks too much like hills to me.

You don't have to apologize for not liking the game--it'd be a pretty boring world if everyone liked exactly the same things

[joebreeves]

The controls don't bother me, it's the game itself.

- No Civilopedia
- No city defense check - I cannot check my city's defensive status before a battle and this is essential.
- No way to check what effects your current wonders are giving you. This is really bad when you take over a city that has wonders. I got the Great Wall from a city takeover - well what's that do? Had I not played the 360 version I would never have known.
- No good way to change your production focus on gold or science. On the Xbox it's the Y key. On the DS you have to focus gold, then go back to customize city and re-place your workers. Science? Click the beakers, then replace your workers. Really awful execution.
- I want to build a knight. My science adviser tells me that it is really fast. Okay? What are his stats for goodness sake? Other units show their stats before a build. The 360 shows the same information as the DS (Really fast!) but then scrolls to another page of into with the knight's stats. The DS only whows one screen of info.
- Cannot sell units

It's like they were so focused on getting the core engine working (which is true to the 360 game) that they forgot how to interface the user to it. It really feels like some playtesting by someone who actually played the 360 version would have helped this a lot.

[OliverFA]

Re: Re: Civ Rev for DS was disapointing :-(

Originally posted by Carch
I don't find this to be true at all. I use the stylus exclusively for Civ Rev DS. If you tap twice on a unit, it brings up a "button widget" that lets you perform any action you would use a button for. I haven't tried to use only buttons to control the game, but I know the stylus alone works great.

Yes. But for example. How do you get a city screen only with the stylus? Or how do you access the diplomacy menu with the stylus?

Originally posted by Carch As far as the graphics go, I guess that's a personal preference. I think they're passable, but not great--the forest looks too much like hills to me.

Graphics in the world map are passable, even if they could be better. But advisors are very disapointing. And fight scenes are even worse. We see some faceless warriors fighting each other :-(

Originally posted by Carch
You don't have to apologize for not liking the game--it'd be a pretty boring world if everyone liked exactly the same things

Thanks for the comment But I think that if we all are here it is because we love (or at least like) Civ. In my case, Civ 4 is my top favourite game. For that reason I feel a bit guilty when I say that I am disapointed with CivRev. But on the other hand the evidence is so big to deny it :-(

[ColdPhoenix]

OliverFA and Maquiladora, how did you get hold of the game? Order from Amazon US to deliver to the UK (do the DS games from there work on European DSs)? Or has it been slyly released without me noticing?

Even with the number of complaints about the game I still want Civ on the move.... Might try Age of Empires to keep me going until then!

[OliverFA]

Re: Re: Civ Rev for DS was disapointing :-(

Originally posted by dojoboy


I own Age of Kings for DS also, and I've got to say it and CivRev are nothing alike in terms of gameplay. I enjoyed Age of Knights, don't get me wrong. It was one of the games that helped me get to CivRev's release.

They are not the same game, but they have a lot of points in common. Specially in the AoK Empire map. You start with villagers (equivalent to settlers) and you found your first city. You construct buildings in your city and buy military units. Last but not least, you research new technologies that unlock new buildings, units and bonuses. So it is not the same game, but they are pretty close.

Originally posted by dojoboy The controls were odd for me at first, but now I tend to use the keypad the majority of the time. That kind of bums me out, because I love using the stylus for the DS. Can anyone say The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass? Beautiful game, absolutely beautiful.

If the controls have got you down, just hang on - you won't notice it after a few games.

Stylus is nice, but with AoK and Advanced Wars I like to use only the keypad. With CivRev that's very difficult. Unfortunately controls are not the only thing that got me down. As I said, graphics and interface (even more interface than graphics) also are.

[OliverFA]

Originally posted by ColdPhoenix
OliverFA and Maquiladora, how did you get hold of the game? Order from Amazon US to deliver to the UK (do the DS games from there work on European DSs)? Or has it been slyly released without me noticing?

Even with the number of complaints about the game I still want Civ on the move.... Might try Age of Empires to keep me going until then!

Sorry for misleading you with my flag, I am in Madrid right now and got the game here. To be honest I don't know if it has been released in the UK yet.

If you allow me a humbly advice, get Age of Empires and enjoy it. Is completely unsimilar to the PC version. The DS version is turn based. Maybe 2K/Firaxis will release a patched version of CivRev meanwhile you enjoy Age of Empires!

By the way, if Amazon US allows you to buy from the UK, it will probably be a lot cheaper with the current dollar/pound change. Even if you have to pay the delivery costs.

[ColdPhoenix]

Thought you might have been in Madrid but suspected that Europe would have had the same release date across it all. How wrong I was...

You're right about the US one being cheaper. £15 rather than £30 RRP here, but don't think they deliver, probably tax reasons or something. Boo.

[ColdPhoenix]

It appears that I was wrong about them shipping to the UK, they do it. Does anyone know if it's the same game? I've got vague memories from years ago that console games were different for America, Japan and Europe so you needed an adaptor to play games from another area. Times have probably changed though?

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by ColdPhoenix
OliverFA and Maquiladora, how did you get hold of the game? Order from Amazon US to deliver to the UK (do the DS games from there work on European DSs)? Or has it been slyly released without me noticing?

Another misleading flag I live in Mexico and bought my copy from the US - everything involving electronics is much cheaper.

My DS was bought in the UK though so I know DS games are region free.

[dojoboy]

Originally posted by OliverFA
If you allow me a humbly advice, get Age of Empires and enjoy it. Is completely unsimilar to the PC version. The DS version is turn based. Maybe 2K/Firaxis will release a patched version of CivRev meanwhile you enjoy Age of Empires!

I agree. AoK imho is more engrossing on the DS than ever was the Age of Empires series on a desktop.

I don't believe the DS version can be patched, perhaps so. :shrug:

[Felch]

Originally posted by ColdPhoenix
It appears that I was wrong about them shipping to the UK, they do it. Does anyone know if it's the same game? I've got vague memories from years ago that console games were different for America, Japan and Europe so you needed an adaptor to play games from another area. Times have probably changed though?

DS doesn't have that region protection. You can use any cart in any DS.

n.b. The one exception is China, where they have to have special carts to handle the character sets.

[Ijuin]

One thing that particularly bothered me was that the "unique units" that each civilization had were not at all unique. Sure they had names that were flavored for the civilization that owned them, but they had the same stats as the "ordinary" versions of the units. What's the point of having a Samurai if it is indistinguishable from a Knight except for the name?