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I just bought Conquests and got back into Civ3 after not playing for quite a while, basically since it first came out. I just wanted to say how far this game has come, both since it first came out, and especially since its predecessors (Civ2, SMAC). While the game is not without flaws, and while there are features of the game that people still complain about, I think Civ3 has really established itself as the premier TBS game. Here are some reasons why I think this:
I'll stop gushing now. My overall point is that while the game had serious flaws when it first came out, it really has turned into a well polished product. So while everyone still is entitled to their complaints, just think about what we had before Civ3 came out.
- The tech tree and the eras. In Civ2, the early tech tree was mostly a joke and the game really didn't even start until tanks or at least cavalry. In Civ3, every era really matters, and just about every advance gives you important new abilities. The Ancient Era is critical, and following the right path up the tech tree can make or break your game. Ancient Era wars basically never happened in Civ2, but in Civ3 they are not only common but crucial to most strategies.
- The units. There are very few useless units in Civ3. Just about everything serves a purpose. Compare that to Civ2, with its legions and catapults and horsemen that no one ever built. There are a few relatively useless things in Civ3, such as Explorers, but for the most part every new unit you gain access to really helps in some way or other. And I won't be surprised if someone replies to this post with a really good use for Explorers which I haven't discovered! SMAC does still get an edge here though because of its unit workshop - nothing in Civ3 compares to that.
- The AI. I'm sure I'm going to get some grief on this one because there are still many complaints about the AI. But compare it to Civ2 or SMAC, and it's night and day. Experienced players can always defeat the AI by exploiting its weaknesses, but unfortunately I don't think there are any games in existence where this is not true. However the Civ3 AI regularly gives new players a run for their money, usually for quite some time. The way it aggressively goes after your weaknesses is very impressive. Of course the AI could be improved, especially in the use of bombardment and in organizing amphibious assaults, but it's still miles beyond Civ2 and SMAC.
- Diplomacy. I know I'm going to get grief on this one too, but the Diplomacy screen in Civ3 gives you so much more flexibility than any previous TBS game that it's not even close. Yes the AI doesn't always make the smartest deals, but still, the flexibility to define each trade individually, and to trade such varied components as maps, contacts, techs, resources, workers etc. is a major advance from previous games.
- The combat model. I think Civ3 really got the combat model right for the first time in the TBS genre. This is one area where there seem to be almost no complaints. In Civ2, or even in SMAC, the "phalanx sunk my battleship" complaint was probably the most common. The key features that make the Civ3 model good are the use of experience towards hit points (SMAC had this too), the new bombardment model, the new air mission model, and in general the balancing of the unit strengths.
- The new features: resources, culture, separate workers vs settlers, bombardment, unique units, civ traits, borders etc. SMAC had some of these features too, but no previous Civ game did and they all add quite a bit to the game.
- The improvements since the game first came out. There really are no major bugs anymore, and many of our complaints from the initial release have been addressed. The balancing tweaks I think have really improved the game, especially the UU tweaks (no more useless French Musketeers) and the new units (no more un-upgradeable swordsmen), and also the vastly improved balancing and diversity of naval units. I'll even throw the Espionage screen on this list. While the Espionage model is still clumsy, the new screen is far better than the original implementation, and far far better than the Spy/Diplomat/Probe units of Civ2 and SMAC (and all their accompanying exploits).
I'll stop gushing now. My overall point is that while the game had serious flaws when it first came out, it really has turned into a well polished product. So while everyone still is entitled to their complaints, just think about what we had before Civ3 came out.
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