Are you excited about Civ4?

[Kaboth]

Perhaps this is a little off-topic but I really wanted to post it to the Alpha Centauri crowd.

Are you guys excited about Civ4 at all?

I'm not. I was for Civ3 but not not for Civ4. I havn't even bothered to look at any info on it. I think its a case of too much of the same thing.

I'm still happy playing Civ3 Conquests and feel no desire for a new Civ game at all yet.

On the other hand SMAC has so much more room for development. It's not constrained by real human history and so would be a fresher history. Every Civ game is fundamentally similar due to its foundation on history. Plus the premise and story behind SMAC is so much more interesting too.

I suppose Firaxis is making Civ4 at the moment because Civ 3 sold much better than SMAC.

I only hope they do move onto SMAC2 or SMAC remake next. Perhaps by that stage many more gamers will have grown a little tired of civ and SMAC2/remake would be more successful than its forebear.

[Darsnan]

Re: Are you excited about Civ4?

Originally posted by Kaboth
Perhaps this is a little off-topic but I really wanted to post it to the Alpha Centauri crowd.

Are you guys excited about Civ4 at all?

Not in the sense of buying it for the base game - just not that into dusty old history I guess (never bought a Civ game to date). However there has been some talk about modding Civ4 into a version of SMAC(X). Depending upon how the initial reviews are from the Civ mod'ers, why I'm gonna look into picking up a copy of cIV just for that purpose.

Originally posted by Kaboth
On the other hand SMAC has so much more room for development. It's not constrained by real human history and so would be a fresher history. Every Civ game is fundamentally similar due to its foundation on history. Plus the premise and story behind SMAC is so much more interesting too.

If you think about it SMAC(X) is already primed for a sequel. Just have a Faction find the wreckage of a Progenitor ship, salvage the hyperdrive (and possibly the starmaps), and the galaxy (if not the universe) is open to the players from there! Throw in the modability that is promised via cIV, and you have not only a complex game, but one that people can then script in whatever scenarios (read worlds/ Factions/ Alien Civilizations/ solar systems) that they want! The only limits then become the imaginations of those playing the game(s)!
Much better than dusty old history, eh?

Originally posted by Kaboth
I suppose Firaxis is making Civ4 at the moment because Civ 3 sold much better than SMAC.

They may have made a Pirates game, but they are Morganites at heart: Money talks. :shrug:

Originally posted by Kaboth
I only hope they do move onto SMAC2 or SMAC remake next. Perhaps by that stage many more gamers will have grown a little tired of civ and SMAC2/remake would be more successful than its forebear.

I think a lot of people will start holding their breath after Firaxis pushes cIV out the door, anticipating whats coming next. We will see.....


D

[Kaboth]

Re: Re: Are you excited about Civ4?

Originally posted by Darsnan
If you think about it SMAC(X) is already primed for a sequel. Just have a Faction find the wreckage of a Progenitor ship, salvage the hyperdrive (and possibly the starmaps), and the galaxy (if not the universe) is open to the players from there! Throw in the modability that is promised via cIV, and you have not only a complex game, but one that people can then script in whatever scenarios (read worlds/ Factions/ Alien Civilizations/ solar systems) that they want! The only limits then become the imaginations of those playing the game(s)!
Much better than dusty old history, eh?

Yes I suppose the factions could move to many all new worlds but that would require a dramatic shift in game design. How would all the factions attack each other and the personality of being alone surrounded by rival factions would be lost too.

Then there is the question of transcendance which sort of cuts out any possibility of a direct sequel without other dramatic changes.

I think a well featured remake would sell well; the fans would love it plus I think many civ3 players missed the first SMAC so everything would be new for them.

[Darsnan]

Re: Re: Re: Are you excited about Civ4?

Originally posted by Kaboth


Yes I suppose the factions could move to many all new worlds but that would require a dramatic shift in game design. How would all the factions attack each other and the personality of being alone surrounded by rival factions would be lost too.
Then there is the question of transcendance which sort of cuts out any possibility of a direct sequel without other dramatic changes.

My solution, as posted in this thread . Essentially factions that were losing in the Alpha Centauri system get the opportunity to start anew in a different solar system, before transcendence , thus circumnavigating that issue. Human Player then gets to choose which 7 Factions go with him (her) to this new planet.

Originally posted by Kaboth
I think a well featured remake would sell well; the fans would love it plus I think many civ3 players missed the first SMAC so everything would be new for them.

Depends on how well its made. Also, after how Civ3 was percieved by many fans, why it may also depend upon how Civ 4 does as well.....


D

[Commy]

I would agree...a remake of SMAC would be much better than a sequel...just like civ 3 is a remake of civ 2...

[frostking]

I absolutely will not buy CIV 4.
When SMAC, and SMACX came out I was well pleased with my purchases. (And I am soon to purchase them again as my origional copies are getting old...I've never bought any game twice before).
Except for a few bugs, the SMAC games were almost perfect. In short, the SMAC games took you to the place that the CIV series was always headed for to start with.
When I purchased CIV 3 I was expecting a game that would be equal-to or better than the SMAC set. When I played it, It felt like I was playing CIV 1 that was released for the old SNES long years ago, with souped-up graphics to make it seem new. I'm 38, and I felt like I was playing a game made for a 10 year-old.
I played CIV 3 for 2 hours, and have never touched it since.
I felt very cheated.
GAL CIV was a little better than CIV 3, but not by much.
If there is a SMAC 2, or GAL CIV 2 I may try them, but no more CIV titles.

[Frankychan]

I played SMAC/X and got Civ 3. I just gotta say that I'm still playing SMAC/X.

Now, if they get the diplomacy in Civ 4 like SMAC then I might be persuaded into getting it...maybe....











...maybe.

[Mart]

Some of the screenshots of civ4 and especially a movie showing the actual play turned me off for the moment. I find some concepts already announced as interesting, but the RTS look of the game is a wrong turn in my oppinion. Graphics is important, but good 2D will be always better than nowadays 3D. Still.

And Earth having shape of a Footbal ball? like an egg. I know how difficult it is to divide a spherical surface into ordered and the same shaped tiles, but rugby ball planets are not for me. Any spherical map should be spherical for the purpose of establishing on the south and north poles (and exactly there) some activity. I bought original civ3, PTW and recently Conquests. The most interesting though in it is that I could make some mod of it into a galactic conquest game. After some tile of arranging planets from game graphics, I came to conclusion, that it is much better if I write my own game in this time. I played civ2 a lot. civ2 test of time also. I still remember civ1. However, I am very much afraid of what will come out of civ4. I will certainly wait till I read numerous oppinions before I try the game.

[Dis]

yes

[Sikander]

Originally posted by frostking

When I purchased CIV 3 I was expecting a game that would be equal-to or better than the SMAC set. When I played it, It felt like I was playing CIV 1 that was released for the old SNES long years ago, with souped-up graphics to make it seem new. I'm 38, and I felt like I was playing a game made for a 10 year-old.
I played CIV 3 for 2 hours, and have never touched it since.
I felt very cheated.

I largely agree. I played it for a week and haven't touched it since. The graphics were an embarassment. Cabbage patch leaders and walking cavemen? Please! And the gameplay was the most linear to date. If Civ 4 gets great reviews from people whose opinions I trust, I'll perhaps give it a try when it hits the bargain bin.

[Kaboth]

I hated the initial release of Civ3 because some of the traits and unique units were just really unbalanced. Conquests fixed these problems so I came to like Civ3 after that.

I felt Civ3 had some good things like national support which I'd wanted for so long. I hated the local support system in civ2. It wasn't so bad in SMAC because you could at least make clean units and rehome units (but thats rather fiddly).

But I was very disappointed in how Civ3 was in some ways large steps back. There were no custom units or all of the subtle complexities of SMAC.

But most frightening was the total lack of immersion in the game. No Wonder Movies, what were they thinking? Saving money I suspect. Diplomacy was horrid also I just couldn't identify with the leaders.

Civ3 is more balanced than SMAC but it just isn't as fun.

[Ka Plewy]

I'm nervous. We're definitely in a fool me once (civ 3) shame on you, fool me twice (civ 4?) shame on me situation.
I actually liked some of the screen images that I saw, until I noticed the poles. It appears that the poles are still map borders, and that missile warfare over the poles isn't possible.

I tried to give Civ3 every opportunity, rushed to buy it as soon as it was out, played it many a time, and in more games than not, I was hamstrung by the lack of coal, or oil. As discussion on the Civ4 forum indicates, anything that is outside the control of the player is a bad thing.
I'll be watching the Civ4 buzz carefully, and more importantly watch the SMAC modding community to see whether a SMAC mod is possible, even desirable. Perhaps after I finish my degree (and only have the job to deal with) I may be able to spend some time coding (I know some python, and I have extensive RDBMS programming experience).

[Chaos Theory]

Perhaps the topology of the map is moddable.

[Flubber]

Liked Civ 1 and 2 but I never got into 3. I still love Smax so I think I might take a pass on 4. Or perhaps try it once its a bargain

[Kataphraktoi]

Much better than dusty old history, eh?

history rocks but so does sci fi. i guess im just a gifted individual for liking them both[/arrogance]

on the topic,i will defintly be playing cIV but i wont be buying it intiul i see they are supporting it and its a decent game anyhow(or at least modable to be a good game). i always get the 'full sized demos' before buying any game.