Multiplayer Unrealistic.

[Kaak]

I realize that some of you are perfectly content playing AIs that are, and always will be bad. The reasoning behind this eludes me, and for the life of me, i can't understand.

For the rest of us, who enjoy pitting our skills against the best other human players, refining and adapting game play to assault a more versatile enemy, we may be left utterly disappointed with civ3.

1) Gameplay is too slow. Civ2 in and of itself was a pretty quick game. I had no problems playing it on a p1-233. Civ3 slows down my p4 1.8 GHz computer iwth 512 MB of RD ram. The MP games in civ2 were long enough, and are just unrealistic in civ3.

2) I think it is almost generally accepted that the only playable civ3 is a modded civ3. You can see the problems this could lead to. Different people having different mods, only being able to play with people with your mods, etc. Plus, all the patch versions! I'm sure some of you can remember the difficulty in civ2. It is going to be far worse for civ3 with patches.

In conclusion, i think we should all get seppuku knives and do ritual disembowlment.

[Wittlich]

Your concerns are real Kaak, and for the most part I agree with you. However, I am still hoping beyond hope that Firaxis will actually release a "viable" Multiplayable Civ3 Edition this spring.

*keep fingers crossed*

[Ming]

I still have hope that the will do it right. It is key that they view MP totally different than the current SP game.

While they probably can't do a thing about the speed of the game on older machines, they can deal with multiple version problems.

As long as they can provide a "STABLE RUNNING" game with tons of PRE game options, I think they can have a winner.

Let us customize our civs so everybody can select the traits and special unit they want.

Let us customize things like corruption levels, science rates, rush build happiness penalities, double combat values (to minimize the ole tank vs spearman)

Let us start the game in whatever age we want, with all civs starting with the same techs.

Give us double production and double movement

Give us the option to pick the active wonders.

And these are just a few ideas... I'm sure there are tons more of options that others can think of.

The point is. If they give us tons of options in pregame set up, it will remove the need to have any mods. You can just keep the basic game clean, and then, as long as everybody has the same patch

I hope this is the path they will take. Because if they do, I really do think we will have a MP game that is superior to Civ II.

[ffej]

I agree with you Kaak, there is a lotta junk that needs to be sorted out with a multiplayer Civ3. But still, the ability to use this game as a way of challenging the intelluct of others.......blows my mind.

Right now, I am playing Civ2Gold...and as I play, I keep saying to my friend I am playing "Man, this would be so much better in Civ3", or "If this were Civ3, this wouldn not happen".

Firaxis needs to get the braintrust kicked into overdrive, and figure out multiplayer ASAP!

Ffej

[Kaak]

Ming, you make some good points! *sigh* if only...

[DrFell]

I've posted lots of stuff on this before... a 3 page long post at one point. Unfortunately it got moved to the apolyton/community forum for some reason, which pretty much killed it. Basically for this to work in MP we need a miracle. It's bad enough that the game restricts the human in so many ways (tech tree is all I really need to say for this), that so many items in the game are useless (fortresses, spying, armies, etc), and that the game is now even more decided by luck than civ2 (no river=no irrigation, you can start in the middle of jungles now or even right next to your opponents, etc). But the slowness is a nightmare. I can't see anything more than 4 players on a tiny map being viable the way it is right now, and even that will become really bad by the middle ages. Oh well, time to move on to a different game I guess. I'd love some suggestions, I'm looking for a good MP type game, because IMO SP is nothing. It's going to be a long time before they design AIs for games like this which can challenge a human.

'Different people having different mods, only being able to play with people with your mods, etc.'

When people on this forum used to say 'don't like it, just change the rules!' it used to send a shiver down my spine for just this reason

[Ãœber KruX]

if it's an "AI pathfinding bug" causing computer-lag, then just don't play with AIs.

but i bet thats just an excuse

[faded glory]

Personally I agree with Ming. We just need a stable format ; and a Server to play on. But in order for the game MP to work. You need options like, Removing unit Graphics and no AI in games. Basic stuff that will help the game move along.


Outside of that. PBEM sounds good. I used to scoff at the idea of CTP-PBEM. Only because it lasted about a year and half to finish a game (longer, depending on the players!). but then I realized it was somthing I could take a day at a time, and I enjoy the on thread exchanges and border diplomacy you normally wouldnt get in a faster paced PBEM game .


So I am content with the idea of Civ3 PBEM..... If only they are ideas.

[Ãœber KruX]

i loathe PBEM. it's much more satisifying to have people screaming for mercy in live action. "Please don't take rome mighty mighty mighty mighty Uber KruX" i'll give you all my money!!!

bwahahaha.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Ãœber KruX
it's much more satisifying to have people screaming for mercy in live action.

Hmmm... I guess there is something we can agree on

[Grrr]

I wouldn't be surprised if the MP will be a lot faster than the SP. The thing is that on my Celeron 366, the game runs fine, except when the AI's turns are being calculated. The question really is, do you WANT a 16 player game on 256x256 map, which will last a week. Because, I don't see myself begging Uber Krux at 3am in the morning to keep Rome. PBEM will be good, if they add zip functionality to the save file.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Grrr
I don't see myself begging Uber Krux at 3am in the morning to keep Rome.

Do you see yourself begging UberKruX at 3am for anything?

Salve

[Grrr]

Originally posted by notyoueither

Originally posted by Grrr
I don't see myself begging Uber Krux at 3am in the morning to keep Rome.

Do you see yourself begging UberKruX at 3am for anything?
Salve

What I was getting at is the fact that world time zones are a nuisance.

[notyoueither]

Oh.

Glad you clarified that.

Seeya

[faded glory]

Originally posted by Ãœber KruX
i loathe PBEM. it's much more satisifying to have people screaming for mercy in live action. "Please don't take rome mighty mighty mighty mighty Uber KruX" i'll give you all my money!!!

bwahahaha.

Thats not what happens. 99.9% of the time a person flips the switch when somthing goes wrong with there civ. They will come back a week later in the lobby "Oh I lost my ISP, na I dont want to continue"

PBEM they can't realy do it. Well they can ; but after you formed a friendship over a year or two on the ACS threads. They feel guilty about it. So I think PBEM is a better Idea.