Why Firaxis SHOULDN'T upgrade the editor (Attn: Firaxis)

[TCO]

Firaxis,

In your recent release we noticed 3 interesting things.

1. The editor can not be used to make scenarios.
2. There were no scenarios in the game (not even the historic 2 like in 2.4.2)
3. No mention of the outcome of the "dozen" scenarios you admitted to already working on.

Now it's pretty obvious that we're going to be able to milk Civ for some good expansion packs. And scenarios will be part of or maybe even a complete expansion pack...remember CiC?

So, let's NOT upgrade the editor until we've got our own scenarios on the market. This will do several good things:

-Corners the market on scenarios for a while.

-Prevents those pesky Scenario League hot shots from making better stuff than us and showing us up.

-Leaves room for including good editor later (in a couple years) as part of a "Civ3FW" pack. (That way we make more money.)


I seriously think all of this is the best way to go, providing the base game is selling well. If our sales fall, we'll have to give more stuff away as part of the base game (and the suckers...err...early purchasers) will get a free ride. But hopefully this will not be the case and we can milk this thing effectively for a decent return on investment.

[TheDarkside]

my sarcasm meter is broken, so i have to ask, are you being sarcastic?

[TCO]

Originally posted by TheDarkside
my sarcasm meter is broken, so i have to ask, are you being sarcastic?

Well I started that way. Then as I wrote it down, it started making sense and I shifted into conspiracy mode. As I finished up, I realized it was a worthwhile idea. I mean they MIGHT make more money this way.

[TheDarkside]

yeah thats what i figured... had to make sure though

[CygnusZ]

Well, let's put it this way. If they make an expansion pack something has to sell it. I really don't think the scenario market is really going to tbe the "make or break" factor for the expansion pack so much as multiplayer is.

Infogames would have to be pretty dim-witted to give out the multiplayer code to CivIII for free knowing that a great number of people are going to buy it. That said, there's no real reason keep the breaks upon the Scenario community, as it makes only a small fraction of the civ community.

Come to think of it, why waste capital on a better Scenario Editor when you could just not make one at all?

[CygnusZ]

I, just realized in my last point that I made the insinuation that Firaxis current editor is so terrible that it's like having no editor at all! It really is a terrible piece of work, Firaxis can't be proud of putting such a piece of crap in with their final game.

[TCO]

Cygnuz, they managed to sell both FW and CiC...don't you think they can make at least one expansion sans MP?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by GP
Cygnuz, they managed to sell both FW and CiC...don't you think they can make at least one expansion sans MP?

The market has changed since Civ2 was first released.

[TCO]

Originally posted by DinoDoc


The market has changed since Civ2 was first released.

backup? which direction has it changed?

[d_dudy]

firaxis is in debt, isn't it? would it be so bad for them to make money? now, they still shouldn't have lied to us but if they need the money, and you guys want more civ in the future i guess we gotta put up with it. or wait for ctp3!!!
(yippee)

really, if you pay $45-$55 for this game and you play it hours and hours and hours, didn't you get a good deal? better than $8 bucks for a movie, even a really good one? because that's what civ is, really good entertainment. and arent you getting it pretty cheaply when you think of it.

ok, i haven't played civ3 yet, i want to say that upfront, but the hours i spent on civ1 and 2......it was worth whatever i paid for them (actually, my brother got civ1 for christman like 10 years ago and i started playing then, when i was 7! i was in 1st grade and i still got that game!)


i love civ, and i would pay by the hour if i had to.

[TCO]

Originally posted by d_dudy
firaxis is in debt, isn't it? would it be so bad for them to make money? now, they still shouldn't have lied to us but if they need the money, and you guys want more civ in the future i guess we gotta put up with it. or wait for ctp3!!!
(yippee)

really, if you pay $45-$55 for this game and you play it hours and hours and hours, didn't you get a good deal? better than $8 bucks for a movie, even a really good one? because that's what civ is, really good entertainment. and arent you getting it pretty cheaply when you think of it.

Great points!!

Yin and Dinodoc need to understand that a company like Firaxis can go under from UNDERpricing just as easily as from overpricing. And what we're talking about is a pricing issue. Should we charge for expansions or not?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by GP
backup? which direction has it changed?

Name a successful strategy game that has to wait for an X-Pac that provides features that were to have been included in the original game.

[TCO]

Originally posted by d_dudy

i love civ, and i would pay by the hour if i had to.

looks like there's a market for the pay per play plan that Markos, Jeff Briggs and I are concocting...

[TCO]

Been there, did that.

Originally posted by DinoDoc


Name a successful strategy game that has to wait for an X-Pac that provides features that were to have been included in the original game.

Civ2.

Now I'm still waiting for some evidence (or at the least expanded description) of the changed market between 1997 and 2001...

[TCO]

Originally posted by DinoDoc


Name a successful strategy game that has to wait for an X-Pac that provides features that were to have been included in the original game.

By the way is this the way you normally respond to being called to back up your statements? Made me laugh when I figured out your trick...