Do user mods actually make CTP a better game?

[delijoe]

I've stayed away from CTP due to all the bad reviews and bad comments in newsgroups about it's major flaws. Now I see all these user mods (as well as official patches) and I wonder if these actually make CTP significantly better. So what's the verdict? Have all the enhancements corrected most of the flaws that the original release had? Has it been improved to the point where it's almost a brand new game, worthy of both the civ name and the $30 that it's now going for?

[MidKnight Lament]

I play CTP with the patches but no mods, and still get much enjoyment. Quite a bit of the flack it copped early was bug related, and the patches have fixed most of them. I have nothing against the mods, and I'll get around to them at some point, but for now I'm enjoying the game without any.

- MKL

[TheBirdMan]

I woundn't play WITHOUT the mods. The game is just too simple and easy as it is "out of the box" - even in deity mode.

Have big respect to all the great mod-makers....

****

Special to Wes: Woodstock was here (again).

[PrinceBimz]

Well I have been playing CTP with just the latest patch and I enjoy it like that. I did not use any mods yet but I might eventually give one a try for a different variation. Even though I have not used any mods I still say thanks to all who have created them!

[WesW]

I wasn't going to post on this thread, because me saying I like the mods is like Bill Gates saying he likes Windows. But, since I came on here to post my most recent evaluation of the AIs performance using the Med mod 3, I just *have* to urge you guys to try out some of the mods here.
At least get the Apolyton Pack and the Awesome Aips that go with it. You will see the AIs accomplishing things they would almost never be able to do with the original settings.
In the game I am playing right now, the AI is performing better than I have *ever* seen it. I don't think it is much of an exaggeration to say that going from the original game to the Med mod 3 is like going from Civ 1 to Civ 2.

I will just say in parting that I have been coming to this forum regularly for 9 months now, and I have never heard of anyone who tried out the mods here, and then went back to the original setup. I *have* heard many people say that they could have kicked themselves to not trying them out sooner.

[GGRubicon]

I agree with WesW.

Definitely get Med Mod 3. It improves the game substantially. I was very bored with the game until I started using the Mods.

Glen

[TrainWreck20]

I have played the game for some time w/o the mods (though it is on my when-I-get-around-to -it list). The regular patches have worked wonders, and although I agree that the AIs are no match (after a learning curve), multiplayer alone is worth it. As far as the reviews, some were accurate and have been corrected, and some just seem to miss the point, IMO.

[ETB]

I fully endorse Wes's Medieval Mod. It's the first game that I have played in a long time were the AIs have out-performed me. I have been 9th and 10th in a field of 12 (90 by 180 random map) for most of the game. Also, I have truly enjoyed the struggle.

Yes, I am one who is "kicking myself" for not trying the mods sooner. The biggest drawback that I see - you really need to spend about 30 minutes reading and understanding the readmes. But what's 30 minutes when compared to hours upon hours of great fun?!

ETB

[Hanibal]

The mod which I use (and fully endorse) is a combination of the Apolyton pack's random map and Nordicus' Trade Goods. IMHO it makes for an entirely different game. The thing that's so different about having the new trade goods isn't just seeing silk goods instead of beaver, rather it's the concept that silk and oil and all the other goods have different production-gold-food values. In other words some goods are inherently more valuable than others and their value to you is based on more than just how much money it'll bring in.

So yes, I do think that many of the mods out there are VERY worthwhile. And I believe we all owe the makers of these mods a big debt of gratitude.

[MadWoodster]

They make a massive difference to the realism and difficulty of the game and make it alot better, I use WesW's new Med Mod 3.