As the release date nears overseas, and as a number of people in North America watch these forums a bit more prior to making any decisions, I would like to get my review out while it can still be of use to those of you trying to decide whether to buy or wait. This means that my review comes sooner than I would have liked. I am no expert on Civ3, in other words, but I have paid close attention to this game for the past 2 years.
I've also been the most vocal Pessimist, the Doomsayer, the 4th Horseman of the Apacolypse, the Whiner, the Fool. The Prophet? Whatever people have called me (many of the things I can't type here! ), you could certainly say one thing about my bias: I have high standards and low tolerance for anything that pushes the gamer to the side and the corporate suit to the front. "By this is a business, Yin!" I understand. And it should be a business founded on making the gamer happy. Did Civ3 do that? Well...
Before I get into my review, I'd like to offer Apolyton a quiz. I think in all honesty this will be the fairest way to begin. Please put a checkmark next to the one that BEST applies to you in each category:
1) OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
2) MULTIPLAY and EDITOR
3) BUGS
4) IMPLEMENTATION of GAME CONCEPTS
5) AI
6) WEAPONS / REALITY
7) GRAPHICS and SOUNDS
8) THE MANUAL
9) THE INTERFACE
10) LENGTH of GAME TURNS
Please add up your points and find your score below. Now, some words about this score: It is meant only as a general guide. Please do not start flame wars over the differences between a few points, thank you:
By the way, my score:
[+1] I want Civ3 to do some new stuff and keep some old stuff. [-1] I think Multiplayer/Editor ability out of the box is very important. [-1] I want the game out of the box to be without any major bugs that affect gameplay. [-1] I want all game concepts to be readily understandable and open to strategic manipulation in a clear and intuitive way. [-1] I like an AI that, if it has an advantage, always presses it. [+1] I like big weapons to be an important part of the game but not necessarily as important in game-terms as are their real-world equivalents. [+1] I think good graphics and sounds are important but not a defining part of the game. [-1] I think a manual should be thorough, accurate and stuffed with vital information about all aspects of the game. [+1] I think the interface is good enough if I can learn it rather quickly, even if it's a little quirky. [-1] I think game turns should be swift from beggining to end.
TOTAL: [-2] "The negatives outweigh the positives, and while you find the game pretty fun in the first few weeks, you know only some solid patching will keep you playing in the future. You'll have to be patient but have reasonable hope for something much better thanks to patching. Keep in mind here that it is IMPOSSIBLE for us guess how good future patches will be, so this guide is focussed only on the game *as is*. In other words, if you are putting a lot of hope in patches to address the issues you don't like, be cautious.
I've also been the most vocal Pessimist, the Doomsayer, the 4th Horseman of the Apacolypse, the Whiner, the Fool. The Prophet? Whatever people have called me (many of the things I can't type here! ), you could certainly say one thing about my bias: I have high standards and low tolerance for anything that pushes the gamer to the side and the corporate suit to the front. "By this is a business, Yin!" I understand. And it should be a business founded on making the gamer happy. Did Civ3 do that? Well...
Before I get into my review, I'd like to offer Apolyton a quiz. I think in all honesty this will be the fairest way to begin. Please put a checkmark next to the one that BEST applies to you in each category:
1) OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
- [-2]I want Civ3 to revolutionize the genre.
- [-1]I want Civ3 to be Alpha Centauri +
- [/0]I want Civ3 to be Civ2 +
- [+1]I want Civ3 to do some new stuff and keep some old stuff.
- [+2]I just want Civ3.
2) MULTIPLAY and EDITOR
- [-1]I think Multiplayer/Editor ability out of the box is very important.
- [+1]I don't mind the absence of MP/Editor since I am confident they will come later and I am happy with single player now.
- [+2]I will only play single player, so with MP/Editor or without, I will simply play.
3) BUGS
- [-1]I want the game out of the box to be without any major bugs that affect gameplay.
- [+1]I accept bugs as part of the process and am willing to wait for patches.
- [+2]I am used to bugs and don't really care if a patch is released as long as it's playable.
4) IMPLEMENTATION of GAME CONCEPTS
- [-1]I want all game concepts to be readily understandable and open to strategic manipulation in a clear and intuitive way.
- [+1]I don't mind having a bit of mystery behind some game elements and even enjoy coming up with odd or counter-intutive solutions on my own if need be.
- [+2]I only need some basic idea of what's going on and will simply just ignore things that I don't like or don't readily understand.
5) AI
- [-1]I like an AI that, if it has an advantage, always presses it.
- [+1]I like an AI that presses its advantage only when its chances of success are high.
- [+2]I think there is no such thing as a really great AI and have no great expectations (and I assume there will be no MP and don't care about that, either).
6) WEAPONS / REALITY
- [-1]I like big weapons (like nuclear ones) to have big and atrocious effects on cities and the environment.
- [+1]I like big weapons to be an important part of the game but not necessarily as important in game-terms as are their real-world equivalents.
- [+2]I don't see these kinds of games as anything but an abstraction anyway, so I'll just accept whatever effects these weapons have and move on.
7) GRAPHICS and SOUNDS
- [-1]I think good graphics and sounds are a very important part of the gaming experience.
- [+1]I think good graphics and sounds are important but not a defining part of the game.
- [+2]I think graphics and sounds should just be serviceable.
8) THE MANUAL
- [-1]I think a manual should be thorough, accurate and stuffed with vital information about all aspects of the game.
- [+1]I think a manual should at least cover the main concepts in some detail.
- [+2]I don't ever read manuals.
9) THE INTERFACE
- [-1]I think the interface should make my attempt to do or find something effortless and intuitive.
- [+1]I think the interface is good enough if I can learn it rather quickly, even if it's a little quirky.
- [+2]I think as long as the interface isn't horribly flawed, I'll adapt.
10) LENGTH of GAME TURNS
- [-1]I think game turns should be swift from beggining to end.
- [+1]I accept that the end game will necessarily see longer turns ... even very long turns ... though I hope for patches if needed.
- [+2]I will give the computer all the time it needs without complaining since I can use that time to relax or chat on the Net anyway.
Please add up your points and find your score below. Now, some words about this score: It is meant only as a general guide. Please do not start flame wars over the differences between a few points, thank you:
- [-11]: Shouldn't surprise you that Civ3 will have you horribly disppointed in every way important to you since you have very, very high (unreasonable?) expectations. Nothing will save it. Not ever.
- [-10 to -6]: There's a good chance that even patching Civ3 a few times won't make it the game you hoped it would be. You'll have to be patient but probably will never be completely satisfied despite patching.
- [-5 to -1]: The negatives outweigh the positives, and while you find the game pretty fun in the first few weeks, you know only some solid patching will keep you playing in the future. You'll have to be patient but have reasonable hope for something much better thanks to patching.
- [0]: In general, you'll find some good stuff and nothing really to complain too hard about. At other points, though, you'll find yourself a bit bored or bothered. But patching will likely really turn things around for the better.
- [+1 to +5]: Civ3 has hints of brilliance and overall solid gameplay that will really intrigue you. A few patches will almost certainly make the game much better --even great-- for you.
- [+6 to +10]: Civ3 shows tremendous promise. It's just a patch or two away from greatness beyond your expectations.
- [+11 to +15]: Civ3 either meets or exceeds what you want in the game, and you will have a great experience out of the box.
- [+16 to +19]: Civ3 might well be one of the best games you'll ever play. Firaxis focussed on all the important stuff and produced one hell of a game without any patching really necessary.
- [+20]: Shouldn't surprise you that Civ3 met all your expectations since you seem willing to take anything you can get.
By the way, my score:
[+1] I want Civ3 to do some new stuff and keep some old stuff. [-1] I think Multiplayer/Editor ability out of the box is very important. [-1] I want the game out of the box to be without any major bugs that affect gameplay. [-1] I want all game concepts to be readily understandable and open to strategic manipulation in a clear and intuitive way. [-1] I like an AI that, if it has an advantage, always presses it. [+1] I like big weapons to be an important part of the game but not necessarily as important in game-terms as are their real-world equivalents. [+1] I think good graphics and sounds are important but not a defining part of the game. [-1] I think a manual should be thorough, accurate and stuffed with vital information about all aspects of the game. [+1] I think the interface is good enough if I can learn it rather quickly, even if it's a little quirky. [-1] I think game turns should be swift from beggining to end.
TOTAL: [-2] "The negatives outweigh the positives, and while you find the game pretty fun in the first few weeks, you know only some solid patching will keep you playing in the future. You'll have to be patient but have reasonable hope for something much better thanks to patching. Keep in mind here that it is IMPOSSIBLE for us guess how good future patches will be, so this guide is focussed only on the game *as is*. In other words, if you are putting a lot of hope in patches to address the issues you don't like, be cautious.
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