The Biggest Thing Civ III is Lacking...

[Meshelic]

Anyone played Galactic Battlegrounds? I know this is off subject, but EACH race had a different level of tech advancement. I mean, the levels were the same, but there were totally different research paths to take that made the game not so much the same each time around....each culture had a long series of different technological breakthroughs/units/etc....

[Jon Shafer]

I don't even think individualized tech trees would be enough. The gameplay is still the same every game, and you still have no choice (unless that's one crazy tech tree).

Needless to say, playing as the Arabs in the 8th century would be a vastly different administrative experience than playing a feudal 1300s European kingdom. However, no matter what country you play, the 'feel' of each country for each game throughout the entire game is the same.

I think the game needs a few 'era-specific' things to make the game feel different. That would be one way to spice up the modern era. In some ways the early game is too beefy in options, and the later game is too thin. I have a few ideas brewing, but I don't have the time to post them.

[Trifna]

The implementation of our OWN culture building. We could make our civ more militaristic, try to influence it, etc. A little like the ethos system that was initially planified for MOO3 (Master of Orion 3), but of course made for Civ and its traits.

Pertinent post about traits here: http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=64692

Some proposed a system where our civilization would evoluate. They could become more/less expansionist/religious..., etc.

[WarriorPoet]

Many of these ideas are great, but how exactly would they make every game different? Essentially, you'd evolve youir play stiyle to influence your civ's evolutionary track...a more complex economic system would simply complicate the game, but in time the games would still end up similar.

You have to learn to play the game from the context of a story. Sure, you're busting your hump to build all the wonders or to conquer the globe, or something in the middle, but maybe you have different motivations, revenge, survival, bloodlust, etc...

As thinking beings, we all strive to optimize what we do to have the best game possible...

In otherwords, humans are the reason why our games eventually all look the same, and no programmer could fix that, unless nothing was ever the same, even the foundations would have to change in every game. Where ever there is a pattern, you will have similarity and something you can develope a habit with.

So, stop griping, it's still a great game, and it's up to your own creativity to make it something beyond code, and moving pieces.

[SMIFFGIG]

Maybe in the addon.... hang on a minuite the addon is already out, so what the heck did that essentially have in it.

P.S i like the way everyone auto ignores posts about CtP2... do any of you know what it is ?

[Harovan]

Perhaps because this is a Civ3 forum, this thread is about Civ3, and these posts are off topic? What about talking about Age of Empires or SimCity in a thread about Cradle or WaW?

On topic: I'd like to see yet more civ diversities. As was already mentioned, a different tech tree for each civ would be good. Maybe another UU, or even more of them. This is one of the strong parts of Civ3, other games are completely missing this. I miss a landmark feature like in SimCity, that would be great. The diplomacy is good (well, not as good as in SMAC), but more features would be nice, like the right of occupation after a war (call it a one-way RoP or so). Unit trading would be great, or even gifting units to allies.

[hexagonian]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
Perhaps because this is a Civ3 forum, this thread is about Civ3, and these posts are off topic? What about talking about Age of Empires or SimCity in a thread about Cradle or WaW?

Because both are TBS games, and for those why may feel that civ3 is lackin something, (as this thread is titled...) there are viable and creative options available.

Knowledge is a good thing...

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by SMIFFGIG
P.S i like the way everyone auto ignores posts about CtP2... do any of you know what it is ?

Sounds like someone has an inferiority complex.

[vmxa1]

Well we do have a whole section for CTP and not everyone has played it (I have).

[hexagonian]

Being able to compare/contrast different games is actually a good thing. The question is where to do it???? Would a civ3 player ever come over to a CTP2 thread to find out what can be accomplished???

All I can say in regards to this players such as Velociryx and Ogie recently gave CTP2 a chance. They were impressed by a lot of things within the game, and were blown away by what the Modders were able to accomplish.

Vel had emailed me his impressions, and one thing in his email stood out. He said that he never gave the CTP series a second thought because of the fact that civ players generally blasted the game (and I can guess that for the majority of civ3 players, they have not played the Modded version of the game, and base their assumption, at worst, on nothing more that heresay or at best, an attempt at playing the default CTP2 (which I readily admit is a weak game). But he gave it an honest shot and found a gem (as he described in in our Forums)...

Personally, I am not going to waste time discussing preferences - if you have played both games (and given Modded CTP2 a fair shake) and you prefer civ3, more power to you. I was somewhat critical of civ3 before even playing it - I gave it a shot, and have modified my feelings about it - it is a good game (excellent diplomacy options, a more focused AI in terms of multi-civ wars, strategic goods), but there are issues within the framework of the game that I do not care for either (Infinite Railroad Sleaze, limited governments/tile improvements choices, workers vs PW, CTP2 stacked combat vs single unit vs single unit combat format, tech purchasing pretty much invalidates the need to develop your science)

I can say the same about CTP2 too - good and bad...

The title of this thread is 'The Biggest Thing civIII is Lacking...' There are a lot of other games coming up in this discussion too - the question is whether the wishes for civ3 can actually be accomplished in civ3 either by Firaxis or the Modding community? Can disasters be put in civ3? Is there a scripting language? Can the tech tree be totally rewritten?

Hopefully, civ3 players are not threatened by hearing about viable options that are available to the gamer, and can judge the info for themselves...

[Grumbold]

Nicely put, Hex

[Harovan]

Originally posted by hexagonian
Being able to compare/contrast different games is actually a good thing. The question is where to do it???? Would a civ3 player ever come over to a CTP2 thread to find out what can be accomplished???

I did that, and everytime got flamed and insulted to death. Everyone in that forum shows, how unwelcome I and opinions different from the mainstream are.

No thanks.

[Maquiladora]

Sir Ralph ive seen the same thing in many of your posts about CtP2, maybe you should wonder why you got flamed, not everyone gets flamed who has bad comments about CtP2, just the ones with little or no tact.

[Harovan]

Thanks for the new insult.

[Jon Shafer]

Errr.. hello anyone?

This thread is about ways to improve Civ 3. If there are things people like about CTP2 that they think would improve Civ 3 and adds to the discussion there's nothing wrong with it.