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Would we have a better Civ III if Brian Reynolds is still around?
My thinking is since Brian's SMAC has taken the world by storm because of its innovative features, I believe if Brian's still with Firaxis Civ III would be in a better shape. If Brian hadn't left, we might see:
1) a Post-Modern Age in Civilization III that will extend the game to 3000 AD. It better be not as cheezy as in CTP2, but the inclusion of a PM Age is a testament that the designers will always strive for innovations over the last game and not readily be content with past game achievements.
2) Better, varied Diplomatic transactions such as:
a) the option to shoo away a Civ from attacking your friend (like in SMAC)
b) trade units.
c) middle-fingered your opponents so he'll get mad at you (good in Democratic gov't).
d) planning an coalition/allied attacks.
e) More specific Bilateral and Multilateral agreements: Free Trade, Border sovereignty pact (changing the borderline of a sovereign nation caused by an establishment of a new city will not be allowed anymore), Joint Science Venture Pact, UN specific resolutions, etc.
3) A reasonable Firepower concept compromise by making advanced units very expensive to build relative to older units, but still maintain consistent superiority (but not 100% invincibility) toward obsoletes.
4) More real-world government types such as adding Fascism and Fundamentalism to the fray. For the Post-Modern Age, Few Neo Government types (Ecologist, Pro-Business, Pro-Welfare) which prototypes the ones in SMAC will be certainly be welcomed. Hey, SMAC is a Firaxis game. Firaxians should not be afraid to draw connections between the games.
Finally.......
5) More complex and "manageable" Civilization game. It should not scare away first time gamers but it'll hide the expanse inside, waiting for players to familiarize with the game until the needs come, like the way Windows XP presents itself to its users.
Not the Fisher-Price Civilization III where everything feel sterile, warmy and most important of all, impotent to tweaks and expert users' micromanagement.
Ok the fact of the matter is Brian R. is really not needed for Civ III to live to its fullest potential. But I want to see innovations not just more of the same except of the culture concept & better AI. C'mon your local public library as culture messenger? Cathedral and Temple as means to spread cultures?
In the real world Globalizing a culture is all about TV programmes, movies, arts, tech gadgets, consumer products and McDonalds. It's like the designer had thought about the culture idea as a new feature, but had to reuse the same stuff (Library, Temple, Cathedral) from past Civ games & can't think of new approaches in delivering the new idea.
I hope to see not just another Good Civilization game in CIV 4, but a Civilization game par excellence.
1) a Post-Modern Age in Civilization III that will extend the game to 3000 AD. It better be not as cheezy as in CTP2, but the inclusion of a PM Age is a testament that the designers will always strive for innovations over the last game and not readily be content with past game achievements.
2) Better, varied Diplomatic transactions such as:
a) the option to shoo away a Civ from attacking your friend (like in SMAC)
b) trade units.
c) middle-fingered your opponents so he'll get mad at you (good in Democratic gov't).
d) planning an coalition/allied attacks.
e) More specific Bilateral and Multilateral agreements: Free Trade, Border sovereignty pact (changing the borderline of a sovereign nation caused by an establishment of a new city will not be allowed anymore), Joint Science Venture Pact, UN specific resolutions, etc.
3) A reasonable Firepower concept compromise by making advanced units very expensive to build relative to older units, but still maintain consistent superiority (but not 100% invincibility) toward obsoletes.
4) More real-world government types such as adding Fascism and Fundamentalism to the fray. For the Post-Modern Age, Few Neo Government types (Ecologist, Pro-Business, Pro-Welfare) which prototypes the ones in SMAC will be certainly be welcomed. Hey, SMAC is a Firaxis game. Firaxians should not be afraid to draw connections between the games.
Finally.......
5) More complex and "manageable" Civilization game. It should not scare away first time gamers but it'll hide the expanse inside, waiting for players to familiarize with the game until the needs come, like the way Windows XP presents itself to its users.
Not the Fisher-Price Civilization III where everything feel sterile, warmy and most important of all, impotent to tweaks and expert users' micromanagement.
Ok the fact of the matter is Brian R. is really not needed for Civ III to live to its fullest potential. But I want to see innovations not just more of the same except of the culture concept & better AI. C'mon your local public library as culture messenger? Cathedral and Temple as means to spread cultures?
In the real world Globalizing a culture is all about TV programmes, movies, arts, tech gadgets, consumer products and McDonalds. It's like the designer had thought about the culture idea as a new feature, but had to reuse the same stuff (Library, Temple, Cathedral) from past Civ games & can't think of new approaches in delivering the new idea.
I hope to see not just another Good Civilization game in CIV 4, but a Civilization game par excellence.
But it's a fact that years ago that Frenchs unleashed their anger toward American globalization power by smashing a Parisian McDonald restaurant, ain't it?
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