Civ III Release Date Pool

[Lee Johnson]

Do not adjust your crystal ball. We control the horizontal. We control the vertical...

So... Strategy Gaming Online is suggesting a 3Q 2000 release for Civ III, eh?

No. Way.

I just don't see it. Yeah, Brian and his Merry Men have been chugging away on the game for awhile already, but a July-to-September release? It just isn't going to happen. This game is going to be big, and the expectations surrounding it are going to be high--the highest of any of Firaxis' projects to date, including SMAC or Sid's Dino game. Firaxis is not going to shove it out the door until it's darn good and ready.

I'm going to go out on a limb with a little gentleman's wager: 2Q 2001. We might get lucky and see it in March 2001, but no earlier than that. I'm looking forward to Civ III, but I do not expect to see it in 2000. Period.

I now await the outraged cries of those who would tell me I'm full of it. Go ahead, I can take it.

[Sophanthro]

I completely agree with Lee, but if it does come out in 2000, it will be more ridden with bugs than CTP was. I don't think that Firaxis will do this, they are too small a company to do this.
However they are involved with EA, to what degree I am unsure, and EA has alot of marketing types, who are more than willing to put out premature buggy games.
[This message has been edited by Sophanthro (edited December 21, 1999).]

[Koyaanisqatsi]

November 2K will be the release date, but it will slip to April or May of 2001.

[Old Bear]

Marketing stragety suggest late November of 2000, or May of 2001 to hit the big selling times for xmas or summer. If they have been at this more than 6 months, I go for Xmas. Bugs be damned- CTP ignored the advice of it's play testers(of which I was one) and you see what a mess it is, but they had good initial sales. After all it's the bottom line, not the lines we write that they truly care about.

[Biddles]

Bell has hit it on the nose. It will be postponed, just like SMAC was.


------------------
- Biddles

"Now that our life-support systems are utilising the new Windows 2027 OS, we don't have to worry about anythi......."
Mars Colonizer Mission

[Pecisk]

There's no official release date, so I can only guess...
Release won't be in 2000, for sure. They will show us some scrach info (what will CivIII look like) and videos in E3'2000.
Most of you are wrong about publisher - CivIII will be published by Hasbro. Don't be afraid, Firaxis still is developer, but with no Sid in team - Sid is working on Dinos game (still in Firaxis). Of coarse, he will have some influence.
I think release dates: CivIII - 2001 March-May
Dinos game - 2001 November - 2002 March

Happy Xmas
Peter.

[This message has been edited by Pecisk (edited December 22, 1999).]

[Ari Rahikkala]

I don't even care of the release date. The best way to ensure a that a game is good is to make it good. And that needs time.

------------------
Seeking enlightenment.
Lightening fast.

[Biddles]

Yes, but I still want to play this game .. (I was going to say this century)... before I die. You could put off releasing the game indefinately and make it great, but it is useless if you don't give anyone the chance to play it.


------------------
- Biddles

"Now that our life-support systems are utilising the new Windows 2027 OS, we don't have to worry about anythi......."
Mars Colonizer Mission

[Darkstar]

Guys, when Jeff and other Firaxians were asked about this, they said that 2001 is way too long. There is no way any company would wait that long...

And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's about to go BETA. That means 4 months until it's on the market.

I guessed at an initial release date as being set Q1 2000 (March) with a couple month delay, ending with a Late May release. And that's what OGR has it listed as, last they got any info about it.

Just a few short seasons away, and our dreams, hopes, and expectations will meet reality. And the talk about Civ4 will begin.

And I would think Q3 to Q4 of 2000 will be the targetted release of DinoCraft. A Sid Game, borrowing elements from Age of Empires 2 (Epochs/Levels)... RTS game using a modified Gett/Ant engine.

-Darkstarr

[The Joker]

Wow. This is a really interesting discussion. Why don't we all sit around and argue on things we have absolutely no ideas about. None of us have any ideas about when Civ3 will be released. I am not even sure how long they've been making it. But knowing the gaming industry we will propably see a publishing date, then it will be postponed, then a new publishing date, then it will be postponed, then a new publishing date, then it will be postponed, then a new publishing date and then we will see the game.

Also, if I was to give Firaxis any good advices (not that they are likely to listen to them) I would say Take your time. There's nothing worse than having a halffinished game that we've all waited for, only to find out it brings no real news, and is full of bugs. Far better if they take their time, check out suggestions (reading our Wish List should take a few years...), make public beta tests and above all: make something new and revolutionary. And make it work.

[Biddles]

Where did you find that out from Darkstarr?


------------------
- Biddles

"Now that our life-support systems are utilising the new Windows 2027 OS, we don't have to worry about anythi......."
Mars Colonizer Mission

[Rasputin00]

Jusdt cant wait for thr games release... hopefully the beat a testing will remove a lot of bugs not found in civ 2

------------------
Rasputin The Mad Monk,
Ra Ra Rasputin, Lover of the Russian Queen

[Akbar]

Spring 2000? Your dreaming.

------------------
Up there it's their time, but down here it's our time.
It's our time down here!-Mikey, esteemed Goonie.

[L o k i]

He's right Akbar, CivIII has been in production for a fair amount of time now.

There are sites that say 2Q 2000. So we do know some fair ideas about the release date, however, I do think that because it's such a big game, it will be a bit longer, but not well into the year 2001, that's ridiculous. It's not a fricken movie!

Anyway, so many complain about the bugs, I complain about the gameplay. The better they can make the game, the longer I will wait. The bugs? c'mon, do you really care more about the bugs than the gameplay itself?

[L o k i]

Actualy the bugs remind me of the thread about one of the team members on CivIII talking about a alpha version. Doesn't that make you WONDER?