PC Gamer civ3 preview

[MarkG]

harlan, the exact quote is

quote: Briggs also confirmed that Firaxis is seriously investigating ways to convert the myriad Civ2 scenarios for civ3. This crossover will supply an incredibly vast source of material until users have become acustomed to the news editing suite

sounds good, no?

[MarkG]

and guys, the time span is noted twice: it's
4000BC - 2500AD = 6500 years

civ3 will have future techs. live with

[The diplomat]

I am confused about the timeline. Didn't Firaxis confirm that the game ends in 2020 AD?

If the game lasts 6500 years, instead of stretching into the future maybe the game starts earlier? Perhaps, the game goes from 4500 BC to 2020 AD?

If the game must last 6500 years, I would much prefer more ancient techs than future techs.

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No permanent enemies, no permanent friends.

[Roman]

quote: Briggs also confirmed that Firaxis is seriously investigating ways to convert the myriad Civ2 scenarios for civ3. This crossover will supply an incredibly vast source of material until users have become acustomed to the news editing suite

This would be excellent news!

[Old Beardy]

Here's the actual quote from SID :

GSUK: How many years of human history will the game span and will there be an ultimate objective like conquering the stars or the subduing the other races?

Sid: Civ III will cover from 4000BC to somewhere around the year 2020. The game will offer several ways to win, so the ultimate objective will depend on which pathway to victory you choose (we'll talk more about new ways to win in an upcoming website update).

So unless he's talking out of his anal rectory, that should be an end to it!

[Roman]

quote: Originally posted by MarkG on 05-01-2001 12:09 PM and guys, the time span is noted twice: it's 4000BC - 2500AD = 6500 years civ3 will have future techs. live with

Nooooooooooooooooo! Nooooooooooooooo! Noooooooooooo!

If it's true, this is major dissapointment no. 2.

[Roman]

quote: Originally posted by Old Beardy on 05-01-2001 12:34 PM Here's the actual quote from SID : GSUK: How many years of human history will the game span and will there be an ultimate objective like conquering the stars or the subduing the other races? Sid: Civ III will cover from 4000BC to somewhere around the year 2020. The game will offer several ways to win, so the ultimate objective will depend on which pathway to victory you choose (we'll talk more about new ways to win in an upcoming website update). So unless he's talking out of his anal rectory, that should be an end to it!

*On seeing this, Roman breathes a sigh of relief*

No future techs.

[JamesJKirk]

quote: Originally posted by joseph1944 on 05-01-2001 11:40 PM Imran I was thinking the same as you. If we are aloud to pick 7 Civs, will the other 8 civs be the minor civs. If that is true than we will be playing with 16 Civs in every game. Just think in one game the German, English could major civs and in another game they could be minor. Of course the US also could be a minor or major Civs in someone else game.

Who knows what that could be, but I would like to think that they would choose the more looked over civs for minor civs, rather than the same old ones...Spain could be a minor civ now, as could the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, and any number or other countries from around the world...but hopefully NOT Jamaica

[Lord_Davinator]

Ya picking minor civs from the ones overlooked would be a heck of a lot better... and I wonder if we the players can play with these minor civs..

Now I wonder what they'll do for special units for the minor civs...
the special units of a neigbouring civ might be what the minor civ gets for that.. but maybe I'm wrong after all I am just speculating...

[Admiral PJ]

I think it would be fascinating if civ3 went into the 'far' future.. why not?
It would be cool to recreate how , say the africans(zulus etc) would become an industrial power and How robotic warfare would affect wars.

It would allow a lot of futuristic scenarios too- giving more of that eras artwork for scenario designers to implement.

If done realistically futuristic techs could work well, with things like Nano technologies, laser/beam guns.. antigravity vehicles etc. could be very interesting and make the game much more interesting.
Maybe there could be some scifi scenarios with the game at least.

AdmiralPete

[Zanzin]

Firaxis have announced in one of the magazines that there will be 4 Ages . This doesn't really take into account a future age, does it? This is why me thinks Civ3 will only play up to 2020. It's probably best this way - I'd hate to see Firaxis screw up civ with future techs like Activision did.

[MazaNaza]

You know, I'm not entirely certain why everyone is so oppossed to futuristic technologies being present in Civ 3. The reason most people seem to give is the fact that Activision screwed them up in CTP. Not to be insulting or anything, but that's an extremely narrow point of view. What you're basically saying is that any element of any game that didn't function correctly in that particualar method of implementation should never again be attempted.

If that were true, we'd have missed out on a lot of great games and there would be no innovation whatsoever. Think of CTP as a beta test for future techs, one that failed but a test all the same. If Sid can take Activision's mistakes and learn from them, perhaps he can turn them into an important aspect of the game. I can remember a few naysayers back in the day who said that the hit point system would ruin combat in Civ 2, but I think that we can all agree that it was an important addition.

All I'm saying is that we need to be careful not to pounce on new ideas so quickly. It's important to say what we hated about the future techs but we also need to say what we liked (if anything) about them. The last thing I want to do is stand in the way of the next game-changing addition to Civilization. As I always say, "Trust in Sid."

--> Norm

[Ralf]

quote: Originally posted by Zanzin on 05-03-2001 03:46 AM Firaxis have announced in one of the magazines that there will be 4 Ages . This doesn't really take into account a future age, does it? This is why me thinks Civ3 will only play up to 2020.

Good point! Lets hope so. Remember though that Civ-3 most probably WILL come with SciFi/Fantasy scenarios included in the deal.

Some say perhaps: Yes, but I dont like "jump-in scenarios", there half the game-action have already implicitly been executed, leaving player only with pre-shaped take-it-or-leave-it playing-challenges.
Well, fair enough! But all scenarios doesnt necessarily HAVE to be designed like that. Theres nothing that hinders designers at Firaxis (or elsewere) to make scenarios much more open-ended, with perhaps only 4-5 start-out cities for each civ/faction; thus leaving most of the fun evolution-, cultivating- and empire-expansion work in the hands of the players instead.

[Father Beast]

quote: Originally posted by Zanzin on 05-03-2001 03:46 AM Firaxis have announced in one of the magazines that there will be 4 Ages . This doesn't really take into account a future age, does it? This is why me thinks Civ3 will only play up to 2020. It's probably best this way - I'd hate to see Firaxis screw up civ with future techs like Activision did.

And I would hate for people to say that "because it didn't work in CTP, then Firaxis will also fail if they try".

I've heard that a lot on this forum - "that was tried in CTP, and it didn't work. Forget about it." I don't believe that.
I trust team firaxis to get the gameplay right.

[St Leo]

SMAC had realistic future techs, but I am not sure if I want them in Civ3. Helheim, the only future tech I want is a defense against nukes.

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Leons Petrazickis (St. Leo)
http://aventine.cf-developer.net/minizigg/
petrazi@sprint.ca