Lego Reborn?

[ZargonX]

I don't know if any of you have been following, but discussions have begun for an eventual CIV MP Demogame. I have suggested that it not begin for several months, in order to let people get well used to the game, and I think that is the general plan. That said, anyone interested in ressurrecting our little plastic pals? Vox and GS have already started rumblings about their rebirths, and we can't let that go unanswered

[Kloreep]

It's possible, if we were to get more activity. Of the old active members, you and I seem to be the only ones still at least semi-active around the DG community. Perhaps some will come back for CIV, but I know Vondrack for one has stated he does not want to go on another DG rollercoaster, and I think that sounds like a good idea given what he went through with PTWDG1.

So, it'd be fun, but we'd certainly need more active members, either from old ranks or new.

[vondrack]

Here I misclick a shortcut and what would you think... I load up the long time inactive Lego forum - with a NEW thread!

Guys... trust me, CIV will need few months of patching before it will be wise to start a team DG on the scope of PtWDG with it... I can't say more without being shot for treason, but you better play some before even thinking about a DG. It's not only about taming a whole new beast (CIV is very different from Civ3), but also about squashing out all bugs.

Oops... I certainly did not want to imply there could be bugs still left... or did I...?

Anyway... Kloreep is right, though. I have turned down a number of offers, including a formal one from Beta/Vox and another, informal one, from GS. A man must be able to learn his lesson - and mine with Civ3 DGs was that I am simply not up to the task. Not on reasonable terms.

If I ever failed to remember that I shall keep away from DGs, I would join Lego again - the bonds are simply too strong (would you believe I'm naming many of my CIV capitals Legopolis? ). But knowing me, it's not very likely.

You will probably see me lot more around here now that CIV will be released to public. And I will quite likely play a lot of PBEM/Pitboss/MP after some time. Just no DGs.

[ZargonX]

Guys... trust me, CIV will need few months of patching before it will be wise to start a team DG on the scope of PtWDG with it... I can't say more without being shot for treason, but you better play some before even thinking about a DG. It's not only about taming a whole new beast (CIV is very different from Civ3), but also about squashing out all bugs.

Hehe... my thoughts exactly. I think jumping into an MP DG right off the bat is just a bad plan. Especially if there are serious bugs (not that anyone has implied that... )

You will probably see me lot more around here now that CIV will be released to public. And I will quite likely play a lot of PBEM/Pitboss/MP after some time. Just no DGs.

Yay! I'll be ready for you for some PBEMs, V. Of course, I think you're going to have a distinct advantage from the beginning I will learn soon enough, though...

[Kloreep]

Originally posted by ZargonX
Hehe... my thoughts exactly. I think jumping into an MP DG right off the bat is just a bad plan.

Indeed. Is anyone actually planning a MP DG with the release version?

Originally posted by ZargonX
Yay! I'll be ready for you for some PBEMs, V. Of course, I think you're going to have a distinct advantage from the beginning I will learn soon enough, though...

Even if we don't get the team back together, how about some Lego PBEM? I'll have the game in mid-December when I get home.

[vondrack]

Even if we don't get the team back together, how about some Lego PBEM? I'll have the game in mid-December when I get home.

I would be game, that's for sure.

[ZargonX]

Hehe... for those that haven't played the game yet, the graphic for the tech "plastics" is a pile of Legos. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is

[Tiberius]

Hi guys ! Good to see you again

I'm sorry, but this time I won't join a Lego team It's not that I didn't enjoy it, but I want a different team this time: new people to have fun with, to learn from and so on. Also a bigger team would be nice, as it is not sure that we will have another Vondrack this time around to do all the work for us

Of course it would be great if we would all join the same team (I joined Beta's team, Sarantium), then at least we could have a Lego fraction

I am all for some PBEM or any other MP civ4 game that you might consider starting Count me in.

One last question for our (solely, I think) Betatester: what the hell does "Production Assistance" mean ? It's just a fancy title, or were you in a position to make civ better? You see, I trust your capabilities to accomplish something like this!

Cheers,
Tibi

[vondrack]

One last question for our (solely, I think) Betatester: what the hell does "Production Assistance" mean ? It's just a fancy title, or were you in a position to make civ better? You see, I trust your capabilities to accomplish something like this!

Not just a fancy title.

Whoever was willing to spend time playing the pre-alpha, alpha, and beta, analyzing it, and offering ideas backed by solid arguments had some impact on the final product. There was a number of prominent civvers who truly affected the result. I am not going to name anyone in particular (not because of the NDA, but because I'd sure forget someone who'd deserve to be named...), but there are many people you know who spent hundreds of hours struggling to help CIV be as great as possible.

It was a unique experience - if only there was more time available...

I myself ended up with 1200+ posts in the Firaxian forum... and there are little things in CIV you could trace back to discussions I participated heavily in. And... the tech tree and promotion charts on the foldout poster are largely mine (not the actual graphics, but the core design)...

BTW... do you, guys, have CIV? Play it? What do you think of it? I do not have the release version yet, as I am neck deep in business stuff now... and before the last quarter insanity is over, I am likely to get my free copy from Firaxis anyway. Not having the release game (v100, as it's internally called), I have little idea about how many bugs made it into the release...

[vondrack]

BTW - hey, Tibi! Great to see you around. I am looking forward to playing some CIV PBEM/Pitboss with you and others here next year.

[ZargonX]

Of course it would be great if we would all join the same team (I joined Beta's team, Sarantium), then at least we could have a Lego fraction

I've joined Sarantium as well Now if we can just suck Kloreep and Vondrack in, we'll have a voting bloc

[Tiberius]

Originally posted by vondrack

I myself ended up with 1200+ posts in the Firaxian forum... and there are little things in CIV you could trace back to discussions I participated heavily in. And... the tech tree and promotion charts on the foldout poster are largely mine (not the actual graphics, but the core design)...

BTW... do you, guys, have CIV? Play it? What do you think of it?

Yes, I bought it on the first day it appeared here

It is difficult to tell you an overall opinion yet. I am still getting used to it, and there some things that I like a lot, and others that I don't like.
My biggest complain would be that they made the game much shorter. It seems to me just a gallop through the ages. Now, this might work to attract some RTS fans (=more customers=more sales), but I am dissapointed because of it.

Anyway, what would you like to hear? Positives or negatives?

To start it positively : please forward my compliments to whoever made the game menu screen. It is AWESOME. The design, the colours, the transparency and light effects, the music, everything. It is simply amazing I enjoy staying a few minutes in the main menu rather than playing, lol.

So, any particular question about this or that? Mostly what I don't like I post in the civ4 forums about, but I am only doing it not because I am negative about the game, but rather because I'd like it to be closer to what I am looking for.

[vondrack]

Originally posted by Tiberius
It is difficult to tell you an overall opinion yet. I am still getting used to it, and there some things that I like a lot, and others that I don't like.

Then you are probably feeling like I am... tbh, I have never become happy with the new "3D" look. I just do not see what good it is. The old isometric world was perfect for me. The unit promotion system rocks, IMHO. And I really love how Soren cut down on a lot of micromanagement. But there is a ton of stuff I am not exactly excited about... we'll see how much of it will get fixed through patches.

My biggest complain would be that they made the game much shorter. It seems to me just a gallop through the ages. Now, this might work to attract some RTS fans (=more customers=more sales), but I am dissapointed because of it.

Have you tried the "Epic" game speed? I have never played it myself, but rumour has it that Epic is there to allow for longer, slower-paced games.


Anyway... I was just interested in knowing what people I know well think of the game overall. I myself am not yet decided either. And I am unlikely to make my mind up until next year - no time to play games this time of the year...

[ZargonX]

I've been enjoying it so far, though as you both have said, on "normal" it does seem to go by pretty quickly. I'll have to give epic a try.

I do love the variety of maps that can be generated, for sure. The Terra map is exactly what I always wanted Civ to have built in, and now it does!

[Tiberius]

I haven't tried the epic game yet, but I've heard that the only difference is that you click more often on "end turn" while having nothing to do, because everything takes longer to build, but everything else remains the same. I should try it however at least once, before complaining about it

I like promotions but overall I don't like the changes to the combat system. Great military leaders and armies are gone , I don't like how cats and arties work, spies are almost useless if you asked me, and so on. Overall I am pretty unhappy about the combat system (including graphics and animation). I was never a big warmonger, but I will fight probably even less in civ4.

Religion rocks and the early game became even more interesting because of it. Culture and culture flipping have suffered some nice tweaking and I like it a lot. I enjoy the early ages tremedously!

My biggest complain is probably the speed the medieval + renessaince + industrial ages fly by with. I can barely build two or three muskets when I have to start my riflemans and by the time I have two I can upgrade them to infantries.

The new worker improvements are interesting, although there is not such a huge variety of choices as advertised. Eventually you will build the same improvements on the same tiles once it is clear (after several games) what is better. Overall a nice addition.

I don't like the new "great" wonders. They just don't feel like "great "anymore.

There are nice little things I noticed so far which are extremly cool: for example how the production or tech overflow from one build to another (no more micromanagement!). Good work!

The advisors are awful. This is like 3 steps back from civ3. I hope this is an unfinished, and not a badly done job.

I will write maybe more as I remember I have to work in the meantime and is difficult to concentrate in two places in the same time