PC Gamer civ3 preview

[jadlakha]

GEESE PPL CALM DOWN!!!!!!!! You are nitpicking at a Magazine preview. Most previews are general and never get the details right anyways. Just calm down and wait for the game to be released. Patience is a virtue my friends. Now take a deep breathe and exhale slowly. Go ahead, its ok.

[java4me]

I heard that they were extending the game to 6500 years, and that means that the game will end in year 2500. That means that there will most likely be future techs, or they are just extending the time a lot to allow you to build more.

If someone could tell me if they are really going to 2500 please inform us!!!!!

[joseph1944]

What if the game went back to the year 4480BC and the first 10 turns or so you were not able or aloud to build a city. However you would be aloud to move your settler around looking for the perfect starting place for your first city. The game then could still end in 2020. In Civ2 on the upper playing levels you had to start your city turn one or be way behind in tech. Just food for though.

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[Harlan]

I saw the PC Gamer review in a bookstore today, and the review doesn't just say the game lasts 6500 years, it specifically states that it starts in 4000 BC and ends in 2500 AD. It then talks a bit about how only near the very end does one get the capability to send the spaceship to Alpha Centauri. Which makes sense- the original game was completely unrealistic by having an interstellar spaceship holding 10,000+ people being done anywhere near 2020 AD.

So it seems to me there is little doubt the game will end in 2500 AD or close to it, and not 2020, as some keep suggesting. The main reason for that suggestion is a quote from Sid Meier, saying the game would end roughly around 2020. But that interview is from two months ago, and 2500 is the latest info. Furthermore, in the Sid interview the timeline sounded uncertain still, with him only giving a rough estimate.

Personally, I don't mind a little future history, especially keeping in mind the Alpha Centauri ending, but 2500 is a bit much. The further one goes into the future, the more speculative and absurd it gets. I'd rather see the game end in 2100 or 2200. Let's hope they're still tinkering with that.

[Lord_Davinator]

Nice point.
I think 2500 is a bit to far ahead 2200 would be a better date as we probably can predict the advancements we'll have by then.

Anyone seen the PCZone online preview???

in the second page they have an all new screenshot its of the city view showing a collesum and a wonder which I suspect to be the lighthouse.
A nice aquedut also. They seem to be building something in the city but can't say what it is...


looks good to be ppl.

[Harlan]

Another thing I remember from that preview:

It mentions near the end of the article that not all the units from Civ2 are making a comeback, and specifically mentions the Fanatic unit as one that's getting cut. I'm glad to hear that actually- the Fanatic unit is a slight bit offensive (why does it has to be an Islamic looking Fanatic?) and doesn't have much justification militarily. Plus, it looks like there's gonna be tons of new units so losing a few isn't a big deal. I wonder which others will be cut though, since they did say some (not one) were getting the axe.

[java4me]

It would be interesting to know witch units are getting the boot and witch units will stay! Maybe Firaxis will post the units at a later time, but in the meantime i am actually glad to see the fanatic unit go!

But it really makes you think about witch units are going!!!

Thanks for the thought Harlan!!!

[java4me]

Oh...I spelled which wrong!!!!
It is getting late for me!
Sorry

[Lord_Davinator]

you sure got that wrong java
I was kinda confused and all... like where'd the witch unit come from??

the fanatic being cut is well... good I guess never really used it anyway.
but being an islamic one probably makes sense. There are few other types of fundamentalist anyway...or so to my knowledge. but maybe a strong cultural rating in your civ could automatically give you these units?? ones which can't be brided by others....

[Sirotnikov]

quote: Originally posted by Admiral PJ on 05-02-2001 10:18 PM 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.

Again, that's SMAC.

I don't mind civ going a bit into the future, like cures for AIDS, Cancer etc, or SDI and spaceships to other galacies.

I don't mind planes and machines controled from afar. I don't mind robot cheap units used to detonate nukes.

I do mind robots and mech machines used to fight. That's an area for scenario designers and other games.

[Kautilya]

Well in terms of gameplay there isn't anything particularly wrong with future stuff . There are probably lots of cool possibilities. But in terms of the Civ concept I would much prefer it to stop not too far after 2000. They can do the cool future stuff in some other game like SMAC 2.

If they do continue later I think 2100 is a good place to stop. That is the first year of SMAC and serious space colonization could realistically be a possibility by then.

[tniem]

Personally I hope Civ III doesn't go past like say 2050. Anything past that is extreme speculation, unrealistic, and the end of the world. But in the end I'll trust Sid and the boys will know where to stop.

[Theben]

Perhaps the 4 ages are loosely based on ember's ERA-BASED games idea. It would be kind of interesting if at the end of each era- ancient, reinassance, industrial (which would include modern), and futuristic- the player was offered the option to end the game. Non-futurists could opt out before the "future" came in. Or perhaps it could be pre-set at game start which eras you wished to play through, and the total # of years in the game would be divided by the set # of game turns, with research and terrain modification times adjusted accordingly. Or maybe not.