Are you going to buy Civ3 or the LE?

[Father Beast]

Assuming that the LE contains:

* Making of Civilization III Video
* Tech tree
* 1 unique scenario
* Sid Meier's design notes
* Exclusive Video Chronicling the Making of Civilization III
* Video Celebrating Sid Meier's Induction into the IDSA Hall of Fame
* Designer's Notes from Sid Meier and Jeff Briggs
* Fold-Out Tech Tree
* Strategy Guide

and the regular box will have:

Game
Manual
Maybe tech tree.

What will you get?

As for me, I just preordered the LE at EB

(Thanks to donarumo for the LE contents list)

[Nikolai]

I voted for buying the regular game. I just have to have this game, I'm tired of waiting, and I don't think I will manage to wait! Another thing is that I want the game, not all the other. Could be interesting, though...but I'm impatient!!!!!!!!

[Mannamagnus]

I'm Preordering the Limited Edition

[Colonel Kraken]

I'm buying the regular game only. The LE version has nothing special in it I want (at least that I'd want for an extra $15 or so). I love fold out tech trees, but I'm not going to pay $15 to get it. Oh well, schmowell.

[Pembleton]

A strategy guide won't be included. Why do so many people think that it will? I have bought 3 limited editions of other games and none of them have had strategy guides.

Game companies want to make *money*. Why would they want to lose potential $20 sales on each LE sale?

Why do you think so many manuals for recent games lack information that are now found in strategy guides? I have only played one game recently where the strategy guide hardly contained any important information that should be in the manual. I hope this is the case with Civ3.

Of course you can get most of it online but it's nice to conveniently have it in one place without looking it up.

[Pembleton]

Oh, and I haven't decided yet whether I will get the LE or not. The only attraction is the tech tree foldout but that you get to see at anytime in the game. Most likely I will get the regular edition but I probably won't decide until I actually reserve the game at my local EB (it's the fastest way to get it since I would have to pay extra for shipping to get it at the same time), which I will do upon its announcement of going gold.

[mactbone]

No game company that I know of makes strategy guides. That's not the issue. There won't be one because no company that publishes strategy guides has a working copy I'm betting. I'll buy the regular edition. I acquired Civ2 because it came with a comp. my dad bought. Now I'm actually going to BUY my first Civ game (CTP doesn't count since I sold it back to EB, does it?).

[Pembleton]

NM I just realized something. Ignore this.

[Pembleton]

But I'm pretty sure the game companies get a commission for each strategy guide sold along with the licensing fee. Also, they could make a contract with the strat guide company to include the guide with the game, but of course I already pointed out why they wouldn't.

[Juggler]

I'll just buy the game after it's released. This is because I have some other important things to buy first and I'm short on money. User comments will later help me decide whether to buy it or not.

[DaveV]

Father Beast, you forgot to include a poll option for Yin:

I won't buy the game, but will play it if someone else buys it for me.

(My vote: buy the regular edition the first day it's in the stores. I've heard too many stories of people waiting for their pre-ordered copies to arrive while other people have already bought a copy off the shelf. Like others, I'm not convinced that the extra bells and whistles in the Limited Edition are worth the extra money).

[Cookie Monster]

Buying the LE no questions asked the first day it is out. Might have to call in sick that day!

[tniem]

I'm not buying the game if MP is not included in initial release.

I don't care if they later add it. If the game is not ready for an October release than I don't want them to release it. They should wait until the game is ready. If they do release the thing without MP or before it is done - all they care about is money and then I don't care any more. I will not buy it. I probably will play a pirated version and move on to MOO3 when it comes out (a company that seems to care about the fans).

I WILL NOT BUY IT WITHOUT MP! I don't care if it is just some rumor that is not based on any facts, the thought of it has made me very very angry. I will not buy it without MP!

[Sabre2th]

Originally posted by tniem
I'm not buying the game if MP is not included in initial release.

I don't care if they later add it. If the game is not ready for an October release than I don't want them to release it. They should wait until the game is ready. If they do release the thing without MP or before it is done - all they care about is money and then I don't care any more. I will not buy it. I probably will play a pirated version and move on to MOO3 when it comes out (a company that seems to care about the fans).

I WILL NOT BUY IT WITHOUT MP! I don't care if it is just some rumor that is not based on any facts, the thought of it has made me very very angry. I will not buy it without MP!

But haven't you heard tniem? The new AI is so good, you don't even need MP anymore.

[Pembleton]

I'm not going to criticize your opinions and feelings because they are valid.

But from a game company's point of view, they are not necessarily ignoring the fans if they release a game without MP. It may seem that way because the most vocal people on forums are usually those who play multiplayer.

Statistically however, the vast majority of gamers play only single-player. This is the case for even games that are produced with an important multiplayer component in mind, such as Starcraft, Diablo, Age of Kings, etc. And with Civilization, which is a game that has even a smaller percentage playing multiplayer, I don't think they will be too concerned with a game that is guaranteed to sell through the roof.