Civ3 Interview: JEFF MORRIS

[MarkG]

Originally posted by Nemo
Well, I for one will NOT be a guinie pig!!

there is always that thing called "demo".....

[yin26]

I'm not sure. The latest news there really hit me on some sore spots. I can understand the Civ 2.5 crowd, but it just doesn't interest me at all. I'll take a day or two think about if I, as you, wouldn't be better off playing other games.

[Locutus]

Well, my expectations were never very high to begin with, but after reading this interview it looks like I'm gonna have to lower them even more. I think Civ2.5 is being optimistic (no pun intended), it looks more like Civ2.2 to me (and after a few patches it might be Civ2.3) This is good news for CtP (& MedMod) though, the series might not die at Civ3's release after all...

But I want to thank the Apolyton interviewers for organizing this interview anyway and to Jeff Morris for giving such straight answers Your efforts are appreciated, if only to let me know not to buy the game as soon as it comes out.

El hidalgo,
More examples from CtP1: You could officially play with 8 civs in a single game. Unofficially this could be increased to 32. However, the science and diplomacy screens didn't support this, so you could only see the scientific developments of 8 opponents, even when playing with 16 or 32 civs. Same with diplomacy, you could only contact the first 8 players in the game, regardless of the number of players. Expect this sort of stuff in Civ3 as well...

[Nemo]

Hey, I was K-Lined from dalnet again.
Mark, next time, can you p-l-e-a-s-e put the IRC on another server?

[El hidalgo]

Originally posted by MarkG
an example: in ctp2 you could increased the selectable civs to 64. the "choose civ" screen though at the beggining of the map was created that way that it showed only the first 42.

Thanks! So basically this means that you play with a maximum of 8 civs unless you go through the editor? I never played CTP (or SMAC, just Civ & Civ 2), but in Civ 2 there was only one screen where you picked your civs. I guess that's why the idea of multiple screens where you can select civs confused me.

[El hidalgo]

Originally posted by Locutus
El hidalgo,
More examples from CtP1: You could officially play with 8 civs in a single game. Unofficially this could be increased to 32. However, the science and diplomacy screens didn't support this, so you could only see the scientific developments of 8 opponents, even when playing with 16 or 32 civs. Same with diplomacy, you could only contact the first 8 players in the game, regardless of the number of players. Expect this sort of stuff in Civ3 as well...

Ah! This is making more and more sense. I understand now. Never played CTP, so my lack of experience there is showing. Thanks! Actually, this sounds like bad news to me, but at least I understand it!

[Jeje2]

Code RED!! - Abandon ship...

First thanks to Apolyton for this interview and to Jeff Morris for giving answers tosome of the hottest questions.


Just read it and feel like a complete jackass...
It's been a while since Irad something like this. Was there something more I was worried about that wasn't sonfirmed to be just as bad as I had fared...

Beta testing mostly skipped and graphics being the worst ones...
Then an internal deadline (Was it october?)

I'll think I do somewere to melt this down...
Although it was good that FIRAXIS talked finally, I still feel as hit in the head... (So much for my good news.)


Hopefully FIRAXIS will then make 10 patches before moving on.

[ASHBERY76]

MOO3

[Ming]

I was thrilled with his honest answers...
NO game has been perfect when it is first released. Expecting CivIII to be bug free is just plain wishful thinking.
I'm sure they will support the game longer than CtPII got supported, and that's what's really important.

They got the first patch out fast for CIV MPG, and corrected most of the early complaints. I'm sure they will do the same for CivIII.

I still plan on buying the game the first day it comes out.

Keep on Civin'

[MORON]

YES, MOO 3

[MarkG]

Jeje, do ALL games with limited number of bugs went though public testing? i dont think so....


in the very end, why do you care if civ3 will be compatible with all the systems of the world? get the demo and if it works well on your computer go and buy it. if it has problems, feel free to say whatever you want. but condemning the game at this point....

[Urban Ranger]

After what I read about MoO 3 I felt a lot of hot air and an impossible job for the programming team. Expect a Outpost style fiasco.

I am rather annoyed about the Firaxis' inability to thoroughly test the game before shipping it. It's all Yin's fault for suggesting SidGolf.

*Forms a lynching mob to hunt down Yin*

[Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS]

A quick clarification.

I'm not saying the game will be buggy because of not doing a open public beta. We're running a test plan specifically calibrated to catch the bugs that shipped in SMAC. In addition, while I'm sure an open public beta would help product compatibility, we've got two things in our favor. First, JACKAL (our game library) has been used in 4 shipped products so we know most of it's quirks. Second, Infogrames' compatability lab used be a company called PCTest, who specialized in this type of testing. We've done one of the three runs planned on the schedule and I've been very impressed with their lab diversity.

Compatibility testing would be the main benefactor of a public beta, not general bug fixing. Just because you can't blue sky everything, doesn't mean you simply give up. Civ III will be a very clean release.

Jeff

[SerapisIV]

Thanks for all the answers, unlike a lot of people here, I have faith in the game being damn good.

Now that you're here Jeff, is Elvis in Civ3 or do I have to download a mod to get the King?

[Jon Miller]

Thank you Jeff

That is what I thought

I plan on purchasing (and prepurchasing) Civ3 and getting it the day it comes out

what people don't realise is that this is a large stride (sure hte graphics could be a little better, particularly the roads on mountains), particularly if the AI is better (as well as pathfinding and other algorithims)

Jon Miller