How was your 1st CTP2 game?

[Dinner]

I was recently rereading the posts in the Civ3 forum about people's first game of Civ3 and it starting me thinking about a similar thread here in the CTP2 forum. For you old timers out there it may be hard to remember but I'd still like to know. How was your first CTP2 experience?
Mine was kind of a joke. You see, I'm not the type of player who likes to read directions so normally I just wade in and try to figure things out on the fly. Most of the time this works well but during my first CTP2 game I just couldn't figure out why I couldn't build roads with my settlers. By golly settlers built roads in Civ2 so why couldn't I get them to do the same in CTP2?
I must have played for two hours before I finally read the manual and figured out what the PW system was. Looking back I have to laugh at myself. Still, it is sometimes fun to remember back to when you were a newbie.

[Locutus]

Well, my first game in CtP1 was so long ago I can't remember (what is it now? 4-5 years?), so no I have no recollections of any kind about not understanding the PW system or anything.

For CtP2, my first game was an early alpha, which was truly a mess (but a fun mess at that ). I had read the design docs and descriptions by other people who got the game before me (Harlan, skorpion59, Mr Ogre, Dave White, et al), so I roughly understood the rules and worked out the details pretty easily on the fly, I didn't have a real manual (although the manual on the CD for Dark Reign 2 was mildly interesting ).
Anyway, if you think out-of-the-box CtP1/2/Civ3 are buggy, you haven't seen those alphas - you *really* don't want to know (and even if you do I'm probably not allowed to tell ). It crashed all the time, the graphics looked horrible (imagine a mix between CtP1, CtP2 and programmer art ) and a coracle in a tornado is more balanced than that alpha was I don't even remember how the game went, I think I played the Dutch on Deity (yes, it was still called Deity then) and, contrary to most testers until then, played all the way into the modern era to eventually conquer 2/3 of the globe (diplomacy victory didn't work yet ) and build up a gold reserve of countless milions (trade was waaayyy too powerful) before the game crashed beyond fixing.

Ah, those were the days

[Pedrunn]

I was a really ctp1 fanatic.
When i first knew about CTP2 the game was already without activision support. From that time i didint knew the diference among ctp series to civ's ones. I thought they where only one.

But i had so much fun without ctp1 the i didnt even looked for reviews. I wanted that game so much. Guess what? I couldnt find it anywhere. I bought by the internet. R$20 (at that time R$ 1 = $ 1) + 30 R$ of mail tax. And it was a pirate version. You can image how badly i wanted.
It was may. The game has arrived. No charts or manual, just a CD. Started a game. The disapointement. I like it but not as much CTP1 and I had discovered there was no space layer. The game went to the closet.
But in its website there was a link, Apolyton!
But i did not gave CTP2 another chance i became a Civ3 enthusiastic. Everyday i was there to discuss new ideas to the game. Again disapointed. After 60 posts in civ3 i discovered there was a CTPfobia. And since my ideas where almost all based in CTP1 most people were against them and as time went by i got the feeling Firax wasnt giving a penny for Apolytioners ideas.
I went back to CTP1 but soon i gave CTP2 another try with Wes Mod. I really enjoyed the game this time. It was incredible. And i was surprised too. How did he change all of this features in the game?
Boom!!!
Discovering how he did and i start modding. That way CTP2 gained me by one unique aspect of the game:
Customizibility
And here i am. Hppy with this gme that will never get old.

[TheArsenal]

Well, my experience is still relatively fresh. I was an avid boardgamer, even regularly played the very basic ones, like Risk. I knew very little about PC games ... video games in general really ... and assumed they were all basically Laura Croft. Wasn't interested.

Then a friend bought Civ:CtP for me as a gift about half a year ago. I loaded and played out of courtesy. It was a revelation. I had no idea such games existed. So I played myself to the brink of exhaustion, but began to notice small things about it that bugged me. The way it crashed when I would bombard cities with a battleship. Or how I would have to put every unit to sleep right after I moved it to make sure it didn't wander off in a very stupid direction, or worse, I didn't accidentally kill another civs unit I've been cautiously avoiding war with for centuries. Or the haphazard teleportation of units respecting trespass agreements.

So I went on-line to find information on patches or tips, to cure these problems and found there was CtP2. Bought it at Best Buy for 20 bucks. Around the same time two things happened, I found this site, downloaded a couple of mods and got a glimpse of this game's vast potential (although I needed help just downloading, so that lets you know that I am far from fully exploiting the game's vast potential) and began giving copies of Ctp2 away as gifts the way it was given to me (CtP2 is not easy to find any more, BTW). And now, I have seriously *hooked* four other people into "The Game" (as it is simply known, as if there is no other).

So, I am at the point where some of you were eons ago. New to the genre, and surrounded by buds who are so fired up about this game they don't know what to do. And none of them have even downloaded a single mod yet. Just wait.

[Locutus]

Originally posted by TheArsenal
So, I am at the point where some of you were eons ago. New to the genre, and surrounded by buds who are so fired up about this game they don't know what to do. And none of them have even downloaded a single mod yet. Just wait.

Great strategy to give those games away Be sure to point those buds to Apolyton, we can always use some extra crowd (and they will enjoy the mods, I'm sure)

[TheArsenal]

Originally posted by Locutus


Great strategy to give those games away Be sure to point those buds to Apolyton, we can always use some extra crowd (and they will enjoy the mods, I'm sure)

Oh, I'll definitely do that. Apolyton is an invaluable resource. But that said, I feel that (with rare exceptions like me) that this is more of a modders forum than a player's. I get the feeling a lot of people are *testing* the mods, but no one is *playing* them. Could be wrong. But I think because this game has been out so long, on these boards all basic game play discussion (like which units to use in an attacking stack in each era, which is the kind of things my friends and I talk about) has been replaced by discussion of which text file to open or which mod to use. Don't get me wrong, this forum's great, I have two awesome mods (MedMod and Apolyton Pack) and Ships of the Line that bombard land again (hopefully, I haven't tested them yet) because of this place. But for the average game player, leagues behind you guys, I think it's a bit intimidating. But, I'll let them decide for themselves.

(If I was off topic, apologies. New guy excuse).

[Dale]

TheArsenal:

I know a few guys who play CTP2, thought unlike me they have no interest in making mods/scenarios and have no knowledge of it. When I got them onto Poly 6 months ago, they found that the discussions based on modding and creation were too much for them. But they still lurk. I know of 4 players like that. They just lurk. Also, I've received emails from other lurkers of the forums who've tried out my mods. So I know they're out there, they just don't post.

They'd prefer to PLAY the game as opposed to CHANGING the game like we do.

However, we modders make these mods for ALL ctp2 players, so all advice/suggestions/requests are listened to. We evaluate them and see how they'd fit within our mods. If it adds to the mod, we come up with a solution and post the updated mod. So basically, we all work together to improve everyone's mods, not just our own.

[Locutus]

Originally posted by TheArsenal
I get the feeling a lot of people are *testing* the mods, but no one is *playing* them. Could be wrong. But I think because this game has been out so long, on these boards all basic game play discussion (like which units to use in an attacking stack in each era, which is the kind of things my friends and I talk about) has been replaced by discussion of which text file to open or which mod to use.

That's *exactly* what we need the extra crowd for (and why I'm starting things like succession games, numerous polls and GotM features). We have (and always had) way too little of such discussion and, as you said yourself, only discussing about mods and such intimidates new players. I *know* that a lot of people are playing this game and that many of them at least occassionally read this forum, but most hardly ever post - a sharp contrast with the Civ3 forums. These strategy and other non-modding related discussions are interesting for the veterans as well but, aside from Oerdin, noone ever seems to start any

[Dale]

Locutus:

Beat ya by seconds mate!

[Locutus]

Crossposted with Dale (edit: twice ): exactly, I get tons of emails/ICQs/PMs/etc as well from all sorts of people, players and modmakers, and read in other forums about Civ3/SMAC/Civ2 players who say they still play or used to play CtP2 as well but who I've never seen in these CtP2 forums.

And yes, ideas, questions, remarks, strategies, etc are all very much welcomed, both to evaluate and use for the mods and just because it's nice to talk about this game which we all like so much...

Originally posted by TheArsenal
(If I was off topic, apologies. New guy excuse).

Don't worry, this sort of semi-off topic discussion is exactly what we need more, as I described above.

[Eagle]

Ey,

Well, can confirm that there are guys out there who are not interested in modding the game, who only want to play it. I am one of them.

Find it incredible how you guys can change the game soo much with just a couple of text files.

About my first ctp2 experience. Was about the same as Oerdin's. I don't read manuals until 'after' I have played the game for a week or so. Also, I bought CTP2 without manual, downloaded it afterwards from the site.

Had the same experience with the roads and PW. Couldn't figure out why the computer was able to build roads and farms etc and I couldn't. Hadn't noticed yet there was a tile tab at the bottom of my screen ...

But hey, I am running in 1400x1050, so the nav bar at the bottom right is quite small.

I wouldn't mind starting threads about strategy or something, but most of the guys here I think are sooooo prof, that they don't need any discussion about what unit to use in which situation, or they look down on newbie questions like I am asking.

[Dale]

Originally posted by Eagle
I wouldn't mind starting threads about strategy or something, but most of the guys here I think are sooooo prof, that they don't need any discussion about what unit to use in which situation, or they look down on newbie questions like I am asking.

The most important thing us oldies should (and do from what I've seen on these forums) remember is that "We were newbies once too."

Any question is not a stupid question.

[Eagle]

Grin, tnx for that Oerdin.

I know and agree it should be like that, but that isn't always the case.

Me too, I try to be like that in a lot of things (kinda have to in my job), but it ain't easy to keep on explaining the same old simple things to guys

[Dale]

Hey, I'm in IT phone support, so I know what you mean by having to example the same thing over 'n over.

[Eagle]

Hehe,

Can understand you, yep.

I am in the maritime field and am getting quite a lot of cadets/apprentice officers working under me. Sometimes I am getting tired of explaining over and over again how to do something on the gascompressors, I just want them to do what I ask them. But then again, I was once a cadet also and had to learn my job aswell.

Just noticed I said Oerdin when I meant to say Dale in my last post. Hmmm, sorry for that. Probably not awake yet.