The FATAL flaw in Civ III's design is revealed in this screen shot:
Check out the "Your Civ" selection window in the "Player Set Up" screen.
What you will see is:
1) ONLY 16 built-in Civs, cut back from the 21 built-in Civs in Civ II. GONE are the CELTS, the SPANISH, the JAPANESE, the CARTHAGENIANS, and the MONGOLS. This would be barely tolerable ONLY IF we were also given the means to ADD CUSTOM CIVS to the playable mix in a standard, random map game. But, as you can see...
2) The "Your Civ" selector is the same rigid, inflexable, locked-in BUTTON TOGGLE that we had in Civ II. This means that WE CANNOT ADD OUR OWN CUSTOM CIVS to the playable mix in a standard, random map game. At best, it will be like Civ II, where CUSTOM CIVS were consigned to the SCENARIO GHETTO and could only be played with a fixed, non-random map OR CUSTOM CIVS replaced and eliminated already built-in Civs, making problematic multiplayer play and forcing an ugly zero sum game. Since in Civ III, we have even fewer built-in Civs to begin with, this is simply UNACCEPTABLE!
So, unless FIRAXIS changes this, millions of Civ Players will not be able to play a standard, random map game with and against the Civs of their choice and the fun of Civ III will be greatly and unnecessarily diminished.
I have read many complaints posted on this board. Hispanic Civers are incensed at the fact that the SPANISH are gone. Scottish, Irish, and Welsh Civers lament the loss of the CELTS. But, also, there are Civers the world over who would greatly enjoy and appreciate being able to ADD CUSTOM CIVS OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING to play with and against. All the belly-aching and disappointment about which built-in Civs are included and how many are included would be alieviated by ALLOWING US ALL TO ADD CUSTOM CIVS TO THE PLAYABLE MIX IN THE STANDARD, RANDOM MAP GAME!
Firaxis, what say you? Why haven't you done this? Can you still do it? Or will we have to wait for Civ IV for THIS BASIC ADVANCE IN CIV II's POOR GAME DESIGN?
I do hope you will address this IMPORTANT issue. Frankly, the appeal of your new version will be greatly diminished for millions of Civers if this FATAL FLAW in Civ III's design is not fixed. It's been 10 years since Civ II. This flaw in Civ II was forgivable. To have it continue into the next iteration 10 years later is UNACCEPTABLE!
I don't want a Civ III that I cannot fully customize. And I'm not talking only about SCENARIOS. I want the ability to ADD CUSTOM CIVS TO THE PLAYABLE MIX IN A STANDARD, RANDOM MAP GAME! This is even more critical now that the number of built-in Civs has been CUT BACK to ONLY 16.
Can you do it? Is there still time? Or will be have to wait for Civ IV?
Check out the "Your Civ" selection window in the "Player Set Up" screen.
What you will see is:
1) ONLY 16 built-in Civs, cut back from the 21 built-in Civs in Civ II. GONE are the CELTS, the SPANISH, the JAPANESE, the CARTHAGENIANS, and the MONGOLS. This would be barely tolerable ONLY IF we were also given the means to ADD CUSTOM CIVS to the playable mix in a standard, random map game. But, as you can see...
2) The "Your Civ" selector is the same rigid, inflexable, locked-in BUTTON TOGGLE that we had in Civ II. This means that WE CANNOT ADD OUR OWN CUSTOM CIVS to the playable mix in a standard, random map game. At best, it will be like Civ II, where CUSTOM CIVS were consigned to the SCENARIO GHETTO and could only be played with a fixed, non-random map OR CUSTOM CIVS replaced and eliminated already built-in Civs, making problematic multiplayer play and forcing an ugly zero sum game. Since in Civ III, we have even fewer built-in Civs to begin with, this is simply UNACCEPTABLE!
So, unless FIRAXIS changes this, millions of Civ Players will not be able to play a standard, random map game with and against the Civs of their choice and the fun of Civ III will be greatly and unnecessarily diminished.
I have read many complaints posted on this board. Hispanic Civers are incensed at the fact that the SPANISH are gone. Scottish, Irish, and Welsh Civers lament the loss of the CELTS. But, also, there are Civers the world over who would greatly enjoy and appreciate being able to ADD CUSTOM CIVS OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING to play with and against. All the belly-aching and disappointment about which built-in Civs are included and how many are included would be alieviated by ALLOWING US ALL TO ADD CUSTOM CIVS TO THE PLAYABLE MIX IN THE STANDARD, RANDOM MAP GAME!
Firaxis, what say you? Why haven't you done this? Can you still do it? Or will we have to wait for Civ IV for THIS BASIC ADVANCE IN CIV II's POOR GAME DESIGN?
I do hope you will address this IMPORTANT issue. Frankly, the appeal of your new version will be greatly diminished for millions of Civers if this FATAL FLAW in Civ III's design is not fixed. It's been 10 years since Civ II. This flaw in Civ II was forgivable. To have it continue into the next iteration 10 years later is UNACCEPTABLE!
I don't want a Civ III that I cannot fully customize. And I'm not talking only about SCENARIOS. I want the ability to ADD CUSTOM CIVS TO THE PLAYABLE MIX IN A STANDARD, RANDOM MAP GAME! This is even more critical now that the number of built-in Civs has been CUT BACK to ONLY 16.
Can you do it? Is there still time? Or will be have to wait for Civ IV?
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