Preview: Day 5

[MarkG]

new screens
http://apolyton.net/ctp2/screenshots/screens3.shtml
http://apolyton.net/ctp2/screenshots/screens4.shtml

[MarkG]

Day Five

Map/Scenario Editing, Why He Hates You, Mayors Do Tiles, Control Panel Totally Gone, Threats Work, Advices In Unit Manager, Flanking Units Read

[This message has been edited by MarkG (edited November 11, 2000).]

[Tical_2000]

Wow, that invisible ship battle looks really stupid! I can't believe they overlooked that. Oh well.

[Slingshot]

I'm still worried about the game:

- Will all the diplomatic options be reduced to just a couple of useful ones? (Like a 28-speed bike that you only use 4 gears on).

- Will the player find the trade system to be a good conquest tool or just a nuisance? (In CTP1 it was just a nuisance).

- Do the units keep shouting "Find the enemy!"? Does the settler always have to stretch so much, and does the monk unit have to wave its arms all the time?

- Are the Wonders balanced?

* So far, the best thing about the game are the music files released by Activision. (They're downright inspirational!) But are the rest of the tracks annoying?

- Can I play Zimmer's "Roll Tide" .MP3, or something by Gustav Holst in lieu of other bad tracks? Does the music change with the age, or are we going to listen to tribal drums while building underwater cities?

- Is there a unique feeling with each age, or does a player's strategy never have to change?

- Can a player be behind in wealth but use her science prowess to catch up? If you don't get too many wonders, are you hooped?

- Are there other aspects of the game that keep a player from enjoying a few hours of immersion? This was the problem in CTP1 that made me quit after a few weeks of frustration. It was also something that I didn't pick up from MarkG's preview of CTP1.

- My experience with CTP1 multiplayer was awful. How do I know that CTP2 will be better?

- Are all of the governments more balanced, or is everybody going to jump straight to Theocracy in the beginning of the game?

- When another civ agrees to stop tresspassing, is it going to keep breaking the agreement every second turn? Are stealth units going to be sent in droves regardless of other civ's opinion of your own? (CTP1 was really a dissapointment here).

- Is everybody going to hate you, and will it be almost impossible to set up meaningful trade routes? Will there be as much technology trading as there was in CivII? (I found CTP1 a dissapointment here, too).

- Basically, I want to know what it is that makes playing CTP2 more rewarding and immersive than listening to my favourite .MP3's and playing solitare.
Civ II doesn't cut it anymore and CTP didn't make the mark.

[MarkG]

quote: Originally posted by Tical_2000 on 11-11-2000 11:36 PM Wow, that invisible ship battle looks really stupid! I can't believe they overlooked that. Oh well.

you misunderstood me. the ship is sunk

[Nsae Comp]

Mark, one question:
How big is the biggest Map size,
and how big is the littlest Map sizem, you can choos?

By the way GREAT PREVIEW!


------------------
Keep Smile and keep cleare in your head.
Everyone is its fate - and its environment - blacksmith

[TheBirdMan]

Doesn't matter how big the biggest map is - we'll just modify the settings .

But I hope the map-generator can handle big maps. The "old" one often made half the land as something between Finland and England (as England looks like these rainy days ). Little lakes/small islands mixed on large areas instead of a more "normal" look.

[MarkG]

quote: Originally posted by Nsae Comp on 11-12-2000 03:45 AM Mark, one question: How big is the biggest Map size, and how big is the littlest Map sizem, you can choos?

map sizes:
small 24x48
regular 48x96
huge 64x128
gigantic 70x140

[MarkG]

quote: Originally posted by Slingshot on 11-12-2000 01:42 AM I'm still worried about the game: - Will all the diplomatic options be reduced to just a couple of useful ones? (Like a 28-speed bike that you only use 4 gears on).

depends on how you play the game i guess

quote: - Will the player find the trade system to be a good conquest tool or just a nuisance? (In CTP1 it was just a nuisance).

dont see how trade was nuisance in ctp1

quote: - Do the units keep shouting "Find the enemy!"? Does the settler always have to stretch so much, and does the monk unit have to wave its arms all the time?

voices can be turned off like in ctp1. the settler sprite is different. dont remember if the monk does anything different

quote: - Are the Wonders balanced?

cant say with only a couple of games

quote: * So far, the best thing about the game are the music files released by Activision. (They're downright inspirational!) But are the rest of the tracks annoying?

still playing with them. none of them annoying for me

quote: - Can I play Zimmer's "Roll Tide" .MP3, or something by Gustav Holst in lieu of other bad tracks?

you can have winamp playing on the background

quote: Does the music change with the age, or are we going to listen to tribal drums while building underwater cities?

no different music for each age

quote: - Is there a unique feeling with each age, or does a player's strategy never have to change?

well, when it comes to land, you always have ranged, defensive, offensive and flanking units. of course as new units come up(sea, air, special) and new goverments are availiable you have to take some decisions

quote: - Can a player be behind in wealth but use her science prowess to catch up?

it depends

quote: If you don't get too many wonders, are you hooped?

dont know

quote: - Are there other aspects of the game that keep a player from enjoying a few hours of immersion?

well, you wont find many "toys"(dancing diplomats, video advisors, throne rooms, city vews...)

quote: - My experience with CTP1 multiplayer was awful. How do I know that CTP2 will be better?

didnt have the chance to play multiplayer

quote: - Are all of the governments more balanced, or is everybody going to jump straight to Theocracy in the beginning of the game?

theocracy takes some time...

quote: - When another civ agrees to stop tresspassing, is it going to keep breaking the agreement every second turn?

in my last game i have tresspassing agreemnts(which dont expire btw) with 3 civs and they have kept them so far

quote: Are stealth units going to be sent in droves regardless of other civ's opinion of your own? (CTP1 was really a dissapointment here).

surprisingly i havent seen many stealth units so far(even slavers)

quote: - Is everybody going to hate you, and will it be almost impossible to set up meaningful trade routes? Will there be as much technology trading as there was in CivII? (I found CTP1 a dissapointment here, too).

how to increase regard of others towards you is going to be one HOT topic on the strategy forum. thinks are complicated(in the good way)

quote: - Basically, I want to know what it is that makes playing CTP2 more rewarding and immersive than listening to my favourite .MP3's and playing solitare.

imho it is very hard to ruin the civ recipie