Why are Civ snobs so against CTP2?

[arktiem]

Hey there!!

Martin:
I tried manually changing the screen resolution to 640 X 480 in CTP2's userprofile.txt, but it seems as though there is a limit set elsewhere because the program still runs at 800 X 600. I wondered if that would be the case simply because of the real estate that the Minimap and Helm take up. It would be HUGE in the lower resolution. :-) Was worth investigating though.

Arktiem

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by arktiem
Hey there!!

Martin:
I tried manually changing the screen resolution to 640 X 480 in CTP2's userprofile.txt, but it seems as though there is a limit set elsewhere because the program still runs at 800 X 600. I wondered if that would be the case simply because of the real estate that the Minimap and Helm take up. It would be HUGE in the lower resolution. :-) Was worth investigating though.

Arktiem

Did you write protect the userprofile.txt Arktiem? That is the last possibility to prevent the game to reset the screen resolution. And check finally if the game removed the your modifications. Maybe the game will crash if you try it this way, but even if it does work you would have to shrink down the whole userinterface and the art, at least modding these things is no problem, but it needs a lot of time.

-Martin

[Locutus]

Hmm, I thought the 800x600 resolution was supported by default in CtP2... I know for a fact that the programmers intended this and that they designed the UI to support this (that is in fact for a large part why it's so cumbersome: otherwise it would look all screwed up on 800x600). Maybe QA or management or whatever came in between there?

Anyway, yes, 800x600 will work just fine in CtP2 but 640x480 indeed won't. That would have meant even more drastic sacrifices to the UI, the design team was not ready to make such sacrifices and they had insufficient resources available te design a completely different interface for lower resoltions (believe me, we Apolyton testers whined and whined about this, but they really couldn't make the UI any better than it is ).

With some modding of the ldl files, you could probably make the game 640x480 friendly, but that does take some time and effort...

[arktiem]

Hey there!

Martin:
I didn't try write protecting the file. After I tried the changes I looked at the userprofile.txt and the changes I made were still there, so as Locutus as suggested, the program was designed for 800 X 600 or higher and the amount of modding required isn't worth the effort. :-) I can certainly live happily with 800 X 600. These eyes can still make out things pretty well. :-) It'a Civ III's minimum 1024 X 768 that I wish I could change without all the scrolling that is required with the MOD for it. Oh well... if that is all I have to complain about today, I be happy.

Locutus:
Thank you for the confirmation. And you are correct... CTP II's default resolution is 800 X 600. I just wondered if it were possible to make it run at the 640 X 480 like C:CTP did. That would have be slightly easier for me to read, but I can fully understand that it would have meant some pretty intense work on and sacrifices to the UI and as it is the UI is pretty well implemented (I just wish there was a way to make the entire message show up word wrapped in the message screen instead of having to pop them up). And you are certainly right... it would take a lot of time and effort to change the interface and it isn't worth it. :-) Thanks a bunch!

Arktiem

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by arktiem
I just wish there was a way to make the entire message show up word wrapped in the message screen instead of having to pop them up

I edited the messages in the strings file on my version so that they're short enough to fit. For instance, I have messages like "Rome builds Granary. Next: Aqueduct". I find that helpful.

[Locutus]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
Imagine, if somebody came here and opened a CtP2 bashing thread twice a day?

Seem to have missed this line.

No need to imagine, this forum used to be crawling with flamers and whiners... AH being one of the most infamous of them (although in reality also one of the most reasonable, although Markos will never admit that ). Still, I don't recall anyone ever bashing Civ2 because of it. Then again, we had good arguments to get counter them: if you don't like it, change it

one of you gentlemen there, who says, how much better modded CtP2 is

Talking about which, we've been promoting this game whenever we could, but one of the best forums for doing so, the Other Games Forum, has so far been almost void of CtP2 activities. Just an observation

[Anguille2]

Hello,

I am pretty new to all this CIVILIZATION world. I had in my possession CIV2 which i had bought for a couple of bucks and had played only the WW2 scenarios.
My real experience started this year when i bought CIV3 (version 1.17). I got immediately hooked to the game even if a couple of things where not perfect (too little money, Diplomacy engine). I've played it a lot.
A month ago, i bought CCTP. After installation, i wasn't really keen to play it as the graphics were not so great as in CIV3, and the game had too much things. I got it installed again 2 weeks ago, and i've played it a lot. Result: i think it's a great game, very deep. Diplomacy means something, you get money to buy land ameliorations, great tech tree and so on.
I've bought CTP2 last week and have started to play it yesterday....seems very promising.
2 day ago i started a CIV3 game and got frustrated as it really wasn't so much fun as CTP.
I will play CIV3 again, but the approach is different. I would say that CIV3 is more like a boardgame...with an offensive play style.
CTP is much deeper.
I guess we can't really compare them as the you have to play completely differently.

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Anguille2
I guess we can't really compare them as the you have to play completely differently.

That's the conclusion everyone seems to reach in the end...

[child of Thor]

No! everyone is way too reasonable about this!
Civ3 was rushed out by an unforgiving publisher and is by this fact a mere shaddow of what it could have been.

CTP2 on the other hand....er.....mmmm....cough....was rushed out by an unforgiving publisher and is a mere shadow of what it could have been.
Oh yeah at least it can be modded at quite a deep level......yah sucks to Civ3! it smells of rotten fruit



[disclaimer: I CoT have in no way played Civ3, or any version thereof-so i don't actually know anything other than what i read on the apolyton forums(good+bad)]

[Cookie Monster]

Excellent thread..........

Sir Ralph's arguments truely show that he is a logical and mature individual. We should all look at the big picture before bashing any games.

Now my quick opinion. I'm one of those very rare gamers that actually loves both Civ3 and the CtP series. Each has their own compelling features that keep me entertained for hours. Sure, lately I've been playing nothing but Civ3, but that's because I haven't truelly mastered Civ3 at Regent yet. I have done well but need more improvement in CtP2. So in short I love both games.

I think the key for me anyway is "ignorance is bliss". I guess that I try not to think too much about game flaws, although I do recognize and don't like them, and just try to work with them and play the game.