Questions about CtP or the Convince Tassadar Thread

[Nubclear]

Hello I've read the reviews for Call to Power and ... it's recieved less than flattering reviews. However, I hear that it is *very* moddable (You can even mod it to Civ3?) and so I am considering buying it. I just have a few questions:

1. I hear the combat system in CtP 2is EXACTLY that of Civ3. Is this true?

2. What are the "ages" in CtP2?

3. What are good thigns about the game?

4. Bad thingS?

5. The hardest question of them all: Should I buy it

[Dale]

1. I hear the combat system in CtP 2is EXACTLY that of Civ3. Is this true?

Oh stopit, I can't take it, the laughing is hurting! No, CTP2's combat is not Civ3's (or the other way round if you like). CTP2's stacked combat is great as it allows for multi-function armies, and actually uses it. IE: If you have artillery, they will actually bombard the enemy as your infantry assault, and mobile units flank.

2. What are the "ages" in CtP2?

- Ancient
- Medieval
- Industrial
- Modern
- Genetic
- Diamond

3. What are good thigns about the game?

Read the other 3 million threads on this topic. I suppose the best ones are by Vel.

4. Bad thingS?

A couple of niggling bugs, but the modders are finding ways around them, or fixing them.

5. The hardest question of them all: Should I buy it

Up to you. But if you want a really good TBS Civ-style game, with excellent mods, great potential, more mods on the way, and for only $5, I'd say buy it.

But if you want a crappy, cut-down re-run, with dodgy graphics, 300 workers per turn to move, a patch that costs the same as the original game (PTW), a tech-tree to laugh at how pathetic and puny it is, phalanxs killing tanks and bombers, then I suggest you go buy Civ3.

[Nubclear]

Kewl. Any other comments to try to convince me?

[hexagonian]

What I can say is look here...

Unmodded, CTP2 is not that hard, but Modded CTP2 is a very challenging game.

It does boil down to preferences though - PW vs Workers, more governments in CTP2 vs civ3 - in fact, more choices in just about every area of the game - stacked combat (CTP2) vs single one-on-one unit combat (civ3) - especially tedious when you have stacks of doom.

I will say that the diplomacy in civ3 is probably more in-depth than CTP2, but this does not negate the challenges of many of the main CTP2 Mods - they are tough on the highest levels.

For the cost (usually less than $10 for CTP2 now), CTP2 is a good buy - but in Modded form...

[Peter Triggs]

Hi, Tass

I've seen you talking about making scenarios on the Ron forums.

Do you have any programming experience?

If not, then CTP2 is probably the best platform to start learning about games-related event driven programming around. It will serve you well when Ron comes out.

[Tamerlin]

Welcome Tassadar5000,

I can only say you should buy CtP2 and give it a try, this game is the best Civ-like game I have ever played. Dale has already summed up the good things about this game and hexagonian has rightly reminded us all this finally boils down to preferences.

You should buy this game, you won't loose much money if you don't like it, install it, download the Super Apolyton Pack v2.0 and play. The Super Apolyton Pack is mainly correcting the bugs of the original game and is strengthening the AI without changing the original game itself.

What I also like in CtP2 is that you can really play this game as you want, wether you are a conqueror or an empire builder the game is not forcing you to adopt a given strategy to win, you can design different strategy to win and will have to use different ones in accordance with the terrain, the neighbouring civilizations, etc.

Try this game but don't expect a Civ clone, this is a very different game with very different mechanisms. If you are not yet convinced read Velociryx comments on the game as Dale suggested it earlier.

[SMIFFGIG]

BUY IT FOR SURE

Hi Tassadar5000

This is a common thread, maybe we should make a sticky which lists all the features and upcomming (Civ3 features) in CtP2, as there are so many.

All I can say is BUY IT NOW!!! Best TBS easily and probably best game IMO (that is modded)

I play Medieval Mod 2

but using the modswapper tool you can easily switch between mods and different options for the mods

however with upcomming mods like HotW that will have like all the best features from every mod

BUY IT!!!! (£5)
oh, and sell Civ3 cause you wont be playing it if you have CtP2 (if u have it)

[Turambar]

I've both CTP2 and Civ3 and I must say Civ3 is nowhere near as good as a modded CTP2 or even the original game.

The best thing is though CTP2 is always being improved by the modders round here. If there's a feature you think the game may be missing then there's a dam good chance someone might be able to put it in. Even things like strategic resources are being worked on I believe!

Here's another topic by Vel but on the Cradle mod this time http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=64006

[Locutus]

1. As Dale pointed out, CtP2's combat system is VERY different from Civ3's system. From what I heard, the latest patches of Civ3 (haven't played myself since v1.17 or whatever) do offer stacked movement similar to CtP2, but they still have the same old (IMNSHO) f*cked up single-unit combat system. CtP2 has actual stacked combat, as in you can attack with up to 12 units at a time (where melee units attack 'normally' while ranged units attack from the second line, flanking units cover the flanks and civilians take cover in the rear - providing you composed your stack wisely).

2. Unmodded CtP2 has the ages Dale mentioned except that the 'Industrial Age' he mentioned is actually called the Renaissance Age. Some of the mods add more ages, the best example being MedMod, which has 9 Ages:

- Ancient
- Classical*
- Medieval
- Renaissance
- Industrial*
- Modern
- Information*
- Genetic
- Diamond

(* = new)

3. What others said. We get several threads a week in this forum where people ask the same thing (Hmmm, about time that I started some 'introduction for newbies' guide, I suppose...). I found your tread right abouve this one when I woke up this morning and if this had been the OT, I would probably have closed this one for being a copycat You may want to check that thread out as well (aside from that, as others pointed out, read Vel's threads).

4. This is different for everyone. Some people totally worship this game and everything about it (particularly the mods, of coure ), others don't like it at all. Eventually, as hex pointed out, a lot boils down to preferences. If you think there could be better alternatives to the Settler/Worker system of Civ, you may like the PW system, if you think the 1-on-1 combat stinks, you may enjoy stacked combat, etc, etc... If you're perfectly happy with the Settler/worker system and think Civ's combat system is just fine, you may not like CtP's alternatives nearly as much, perhaps you'll even hate them. My own biggest petpeeve of CtP2 is the UI - it's not completely crap but it could have been a lot better - but I've heard other people who like the UI just fine. So there's really only one way to find out...

5. See previous point: a lot depends on preferences. But if you realize that you're basically buying over half a dozen games (the major mods and some scenarios are almost games in themselves) for €10ish (if not less), there's not much to lose... (except for many, many hours that could be spend doing more productive things )

[Ãskallin]

if you like

the confusion and betreyel get World at war mod, a mod covering 1900-1950 it has it all...

Here is links to most of the mods (i think)

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Locutus
2. Unmodded CtP2 has the ages Dale mentioned except that the 'Industrial Age' he mentioned is actually called the Renaissance Age. Some of the mods add more ages, the best example being MedMod, which has 9 Ages:

- Ancient
- Classical*
- Medieval
- Renaissance
- Industrial*
- Modern
- Information*
- Genetic
- Diamond

(* = new)

Actual Medieval was Wes' idea so you have totally 5 ages in the default game and ten ages in other mods like ApolytonPack, CityMod2 and IIRC Cradle.

3. Actual I don't have much to add only that I don't have to move 200 settlers per turn, I can manage my cities well, I am not asked every turn when a building, wonder or unit is finished what this and that city should build next, I can just make a long build queue and forget the city if no enemy appears.

4. Bad things, as Locutus mentioned the UI could be better, in some cases it is an improvement over the one of CTP1 in other cases it is the opposite, I think in the end it is just a question of getting used to it. The other problem is the AI in the unmodded game if you expect there one then you will be disapointed. If you play a mod then you will be surprised if you know the default AI and maybe killed, at least it is not easy. The last thing I don't like are these little bugs and unfinished thinks here and there, shure if you just play the game then you just might find the sea city sprite bug actual an annoying bug, too. But you can live with it.

5. And if you consider the prize then you can ignore CTP2 imperfectness, so that is actual the easiest question to answer, buy it.

-Martin

[hexagonian]

Civ2/3 has a better cityscreen than CTP1/CTP2. Overall, I liked CTP1's setup the best though.

One thing I will say in defense of the CTP2 UI - I feel that the CTP2 interface provides more ingame hyperlinks to find important info than the civ3 interface, and much of the info seems to be more clearly presented (example - civ3 used pics on the ingame tech tree to define what each advance gives, but does not label those pics, so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I was getting for each advance - and Firaxis was too cheap to provide a tech tree poster with the regular game. (although the cheap version of CTP2 now available doesn't have a poster/manual either)

[SMIFFGIG]

I prefer CtP2 UI except the city screen which is clumsy. This I prefered i CtP1 where it was displayed at the bottom which was good.


Talking about Civ3 being cheap. I UK anyway they didnt even provide a CD case for Civ3. The game was inside a paper and see through plastic wallet UNBELIEVABLE

[Mongoose]

SMIFFGIG, I'll sell you my biscuit tin.

[SMIFFGIG]

LOL! So you where lured into buying the SPECIAL edition of Civ3 where you, well i mean at least you got a biscuit tin, but for £50 thats rather expensive



Anyway ill be probably throwing it in a bin or donating it to some car boot sale in the near future so im not really bothered btw did it have a CD Case ?