I smell a conspiracy

[Sparky]

To cyclotron7:

My expectations are not unreasonable or astronomical. I merely asked for 2 things:

1) that the game be finished.

2) that I get what I paid for.

The game, released in October, still is not finished. Look at the diplomacy screen. I doesn't even encompass more than 8 civs. Firaxis promised multiplayer; we still don't have it. The editor speaks for itself. This game is not done.

I paid for a number of features I didn't get. Granted, they were "promied" to me by news groups on the Internet (sites like Apolyton!) but have do you have the Limited Edition? Have you seen the bonuses? They border on false adversiting -- the "making of" video is sorta a string of commentary and endorsement by Sid and other Firaxis gurus. Little in the way of anything constructive. I won't even bother with the "designer's notes."

But more than all, I wanted scenarios and a scenario maker. Imagine my delight at discovering: 1) there was no bonus scenario, 2) there were no scenarios period, 3) I was prevented from even making my own scenarios, and 4) now they expect me to pay for it all again.

I don't think so.

I'll acquire the expansion by other means. Sid already got more $$$ from me than he deserves.

[Sparky]

BTW Promethius, at one point I had thought that Microprose was the only one out for a quick buck. I remember the pre MGE days, too, when I was searching for multiplayer (I didn't know much about computers back then, and thought the feature might be buried). I bought the first expansion because I just liked scenarios. It was pretty good.

In the mean time, Sid left Microprose to form Firaxis.

I noticed that Microprose immediatly started milking the series. Fantastic worlds, MGE, and TOT were mostly shameless. Especially MGE, which didn't add anything more than multiplayer and a slightly uglier GUI to the original game and expansions, which loyal civers like me already bought. What a sham.

But I thought Sid was beyond those tactics. He's proving me wrong.

[DarthVeda]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Civ3 is inferior to Call to Power 2, it just got better publicity.

Smoking the weed again?

Let's see, Ctp2 shipped with an extensive macro language, scenario and map support, multiplayer, graphics editting ability, granted the AI wasn't quite as smart. The game also had stacked combat (the likes of which were about 100x better than civ3), phalanx were not prone to blowing up tanks, just as a pointer.

Why, in fact, Ctp2 had about 100 times more innovation than Civ3. It is easily superior.

Edit: I totally forgot that the Diplomacy is lightyears ahead, and I think the workday and public works were critical advancements in the genre. Let's face it, civ3 just got better publicity just because of the name. It doesn't even challenge the precident set by CtP2

[DarthVeda]

and the really sad thing is that while a mod community has sprung up around Civ3 (which is strugling in vain, IMHO) , CtP2 which is 100x more flexible, has seen hardly a scratch.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Sparky
I noticed that Microprose immediatly started milking the series. Fantastic worlds, MGE, and TOT were mostly shameless. Especially MGE, which didn't add anything more than multiplayer and a slightly uglier GUI to the original game and expansions, which loyal civers like me already bought. What a sham.

But I thought Sid was beyond those tactics. He's proving me wrong.

Sid would be with the company that designed the game. The publisher, who owns it and the name would be the ones deciding what to do and when to release it. That would be Infogrames.

I understand the confusion. I'll bet Sid wishes he declined to lend his name to the third edition by now. OTOH, does he have a choice?

Norton has been out of the utility business for a while now, but the company that bought him out bought the rights to the 'name' as well.

[notyoueither]

CTP2 was cr*p out of the box. It got zero support from the developer/publisher. Needing a mod community to make the thing work well does not a good game make.

That doesn't take away from the efforts of the modders. In the case of CTP2, any distinction for making a good game belongs almost entirely to you guys.

[Deornwulf]

Face Reality

Face the reality of the situation --- Firaxis and Infrogreed are whores and we're the johns that keep going back to them again and again.....They tell us that they love us and give us their attentions for the amount of time for which we have paid.

I was going to continue with this analogy but I better stop before I get banned

[notyoueither]

Sounds a lot like General Motors or Sony.

[zulu9812]

A few points:

1. Multi-player was supposed to ship with the game. Then as a patch, due in March. Now we have to pay an extra £20 for it. Uh huh.

2. Despite Call To Power II not bearing the Civ moniker, it is a damn sight better than civ3. A fantastic diplomacy model (although not as good as Imperium Galactica 2), lots more units and more eras make this more interesting than civ3, which lacks the imagination to go beyond modern day techs. The only plus points for civ3 are the graphics and a more user-friendly interface.

3. I bet the scenario editor in Play The World doesn't have a mini-map. God dammit.


Don't get me wrong - civ3 is my favourite game (that and Ghost Recon). I just feel as though my strings are being pulled by commercial ****ers, and I don't like it.

[Grrr]

I agree with zulu on all his points.

[zulu9812]

Cheers Grrr. Cool name by the way. My other concern is that the number of civs will stay at 16 - the 8 new ones will simply be replacements in these scenarios. Better not be.

[notyoueither]

Do you mean 16 max per game? Or 16 max in the entire game. Like they eliminate 8 civs to put 8 new ones in?

[zulu9812]

The latter, but only for these scenarios. Again, better not.

[notyoueither]

I think you're jumping way ahead of yourself.

[zulu9812]

Hope so.