update on civiliza

[dexter4dxm]

okay guys, I've completely changed my mind again. I've decided to continue with my original civiliza project, except there will be no multiplayer support. No multiplayer means I have absolutely no reason to make this game real-time. So now I'm on the road to an Alt-Civ game that is very similar to Civ2, but with some definate changes. The biggest changes won't be coded into the game for a long time.

I did have a basic working multiplayer engine with sound, but multiplayer just adds way too much confusion and extra things to worry about, not to mention all the extra coding. Things in my life have been changing a lot recently, and I need to actually "finish" this project sometime. So multiplayer is definitally off the list, but I don't regret going that way for the small amount of time that I did, because I learned a lot then. Some of the things I learned are being applied to the current build of civiliza and the end result is a game that is much more understandable and easier to code. Also, some things that were unique to the multiplayer edition are being carried over, like the larger view area and the map editor.

Work will now progress much quicker. Any suggestions for demo 3?

keep in touch,
-dex

[dexter4dxm]

zzzzzzzzzzz...........

[dexter4dxm]

like i said before, i hate AI programming

i really want to make a somewhat better AI for the release of demo 3. compared to the rest of the work put into demo 3, i haven't spent long with the AI yet, but it is still holding back the release. if i can't get my ambitious little AI routines to work soon, i will put in something much more simple. either way, expect demo 3 to be out within a day or two.

[dexter4dxm]

no one cares anymore, but i like to pretend there's someone out there who has the slightest amount of interest in my project. so anyway, here's an update on the demo 3 situation:

i guess it wasn't that bad. the AI isn't nearly great yet, but it's a huge step in that direction, and it works (for now). i still want to get the new demo out as soon as possible, but i'm going to hold back a little bit longer. just a couple more bug fixes, and a couple more features....

so, in the infamous words of CRS (Cornered Rat Software), "SOON!"

[tishco]

im intrestested but cos the forums looked stale i thought that was it. guns germs and steel, civ evo and open moo all are good to be alt civs.

[RonHiler]

Originally posted by dexter4dxm
no one cares anymore, but i like to pretend there's someone out there who has the slightest amount of interest in my project.

Don't confuse lack of posts with lack of interest. They're not at all the same thing. There are people watching your progress. You have an interesting project going, it's just that there is not a lot to say about it right now. As you add more features and get more complex, you will pick up posters and posts.

I can tell you that MD, which is late in development and has it's own public forum, has only 12 registered forum users! But if I miss a published deadline, I get about 50 e-mails from people wondering why they can't get the new download People are there, they just prefer to remain quiet.

So don't worry about it. Like the movie says, build it, and they will come

Ron

[Darkknight]

Yeah I'm still interested I read your posts when I womble over here.
When's the "weekly update" coming RH?
BTW I haven't had much time I actually got something to do in our own game but I've been working on one or two techs.
Some I wont be able to do. Like horsie ones.
You really dont want to see what my 3D horsies look like
My men could be in doom

[dexter4dxm]

my thoughts...

Why my project sucks now
My initial concept was.... interesting, to say the least. Demo 2 was so early in design that the only thing neat about it was the real-time turn-base hybrid move counters. Now that multiplayer is out, real-time is out. That means all I have is a really bad version of Civ2 (which i guess still isn't too bad considering I'm doing this alone).

Why my project might not suck someday
I've been reading about the other various Alt-Civ projects, including the new one just starting. It's nice to see that all the projects have completely different design points, and for the most part, they are all great ideas. If it weren't for the gameplay design ideas I have planned, I wouldn't continue this project. They are unique enough to set my project apart from the others, and I feel they can add so much to the game if implemented correctly. However, I'd rather not give away what they are right now

Why you should play Demo 3
Because it's the first release to show the new turn-based Civiliza engine, with lots of added features and bug-fixes. Because you feel like helping me out by finding bugs and gameplay flaws. Because you have hope, like I do, that this may someday become a great Alt-Civ.

A full list of features and changes in the Demo 3 build will be available when the finished demo is posted, which is supposed to be like uhhhhh.... about one week ago

It will be soon though, very soon. I appreciate those of you who are at least a little bit interested in this project, and those of you willing to leave feedback about what you think. I don't want to stretch demos out too far so that it takes too long between releases and I also don't want to have people download demos all the time that incorporate minor gameplay changes. I also want to say that I'm sorry the demos are still being posted in threads in this forum. Demo 3 will be the last one though. After that will come the website, along with the release of the map editor.

-dex

[tishco]

horay!

[RonHiler]

Originally posted by Darkknight
When's the "weekly update" coming RH?

As soon as I finish the combat functions. I'm working on AI routines, which are very complex. Once those are done, we'll be going back to "weekly" updates, instead of "every once in a while" updates, as we have now. I could release weekly builds, but you wouldn't notice any changes, as AI routines have no real effect on gameplay until they are totally finished

Ron