I'm glad I pirated Civ 3!
Grumpy
work their asses off designing and coding good software deserve to be
paid for their efforts. For example I've got tons of registered
shareware on my HD. I've even sent money to guys who write freeware.
But I wasn't going to get a chance to get to the Best Buy 'til this
weekend, and I succumbed to temptation when I ran into a pirated copy of
Civ3 . I figured I'd could get a jump start on a game I've been
anticipating for months and assuage my conscience with a purchased copy
on Saturday.
But now that I've played it, fuck those assholes at Firaxis. I'm gonna
post this sucker everywhere I can. They deserve to lose the asses on
this piece of shit. I hope they go out of business and those sorry sons
of bitches all end up cleaning the Slurpy machine in some Baltimore 7-11
on the midnight to 6AM shift.
Goddam this game pisses me off:
* I'm sick of the 2 minute lag for the AI to move every goddam turn.
* I'm sick of the stupid restrictions on building and rushing Wonders
* I'm sick of the combat results that have no relation to the putative
strengths of units
* I'm sick of the absurd corruption rules
* I'm sick of the ridiculous amount of pollution generated even at low
levels of industrialization and the even more ridiculous amounts of time
it takes to clean it up
* I could go on , but you get the picture. I'm sick of this fucking
game. I haven't been this disappointed since MOO 2, and that at least
was a little bit fun to play. About 15 minutes ago I almost broke my
keyboard clamming my fist in anger, and frustration and rage are not
what I'm looking for in a gaming experience.
Oh, and don't bother writing to tell me I'm stealing. You're absolutely
right. And I'm doing it with malice aforethought, as they say.
Jason McCullough
wrote:
So:
1. You steal a game.
2. You're upset the game you stole "is a piece of shit."
3. Therefore, you help other people steal it.
Why are you trying to inflict a shitty game on as many people as
possible?
Jason McCullough
blortkar...@yahoo.com
Remove "blort" from the front of my email address to contact me.
asf
>
> 1. You steal a game.
> 2. You're upset the game you stole "is a piece of shit."
> 3. Therefore, you help other people steal it.
>
> Why are you trying to inflict a shitty game on as many people as
> possible?
lol!
Hmm. "I'm petulant and angry so I will throw a tantrum like a child so big
daddy firaxis will give me what I want"?
Not sure what he wants though. Civ 2 in a new box maybe.
Jeremy Reaban
>game. I haven't been this disappointed since MOO 2, and that at least
>was a little bit fun to play. About 15 minutes ago I almost broke my
>keyboard clamming my fist in anger, and frustration and rage are not
>what I'm looking for in a gaming experience.
>
>Oh, and don't bother writing to tell me I'm stealing. You're absolutely
>right. And I'm doing it with malice aforethought, as they say.
Actually, you're not really stealing. In fact, you might be saving
Firaxis/Infogrammes money. Because presumably if you had bought the
game, and didn't like it, you would have returned it. Often returned
games can't be sold (unless the retailer is ethically challenged), and
are returned to the publisher. Which is then out the cost of
physically producing the game & manual (probably about $3-4).
Still, if you didn't like Moo2, WTF would you think you would like Civ
3? Moo2 is basically Civ in Space....
I also don't think you are cut out for strategy games. It's not
unusual for a turn based game to take 2 minutes or more for the
computers turn. It's very common, in fact. Space Empires IV often
takes 10 minutes for the computer to go (and that's without showing
any graphics, which is the main slow down in Civ 3). The old game
Sword of Aragon would take 30 minutes or so in the battle at the end
on my old 12 mHz PC.
Stick to RTSes
Miles Lippincott
Jeremy Reaban wrote in message
>Actually, you're not really stealing. In fact, you might be saving
>Firaxis/Infogrammes money. Because presumably if you had bought the
>game, and didn't like it, you would have returned it. Often returned
>games can't be sold (unless the retailer is ethically challenged), and
>are returned to the publisher. Which is then out the cost of
>physically producing the game & manual (probably about $3-4).
I'm afraid there are very few retailers who are not "ethically challenged"
as you put it. Almost all the national retailers simply reshrink the box
and put it back out. I know for a fact that EB, SoftwareEtc/GameStop,
WalMart, Target, Circuit City, and Best Buy just reshrink. I'm not sure
there's an issue with that, but to each his own.
The only way it would cost Firaxis/Infogrames is if the game sells poorly.
Retailers usually have some sort of return for credit deal that allows them
to send back unsold copies within a period of time.
Miles
Marc Sylvestre
asf wrote in message ...
Probably Civ 2 in a bigger box with prettier units and a pretty-girl
interface that loses clothing as you get closer to victory
>
>
Grumpy
2:00 this AM. Enraged and vengeful is probably a more accurate
description.
Tantrum is, unfortunately, a bit closer to the mark. But hey, I'd woken
at 6, attended two meetings, driven 450 miles home, wanted to unwind with
the newest iteration of my all-time favorite game, and then had CIV 3
piss all over my shoes. I had provocation.
No, I own Civ 2 already, thank you. (Yes, I bought it, thanks for
asking.) I don't know what I wanted; delighting the customer
with something new and innovative is the developer's job.
I would have accepted a flawed but decent attempt, like SMAC. What is
unacceptable is a badly programmed, badly designed and badly balanced
piece of shit like CIV 3. Now all I want is news of Firaxis filing for
Chapter 7.
[Deep breath] I guess I'm so angry because I had such high expectations,
I mean CTP and that other, dumb animated version of Civ 2 - what was it
called? - just elicted a sigh and shrug.
I should have known better. It's been clear for years that Meier is a
one-hit wonder (all right, two hits if you like railroad sims) and has
done anything worth a damn in ten years. Brian Reynolds is the real
talent and the person I should be watching.
Gav
wrote:
>In article <tuklet8...@corp.supernews.com>, as...@asdf.com says...
>> > So:
>> >
>> > 1. You steal a game.
>> > 2. You're upset the game you stole "is a piece of shit."
>> > 3. Therefore, you help other people steal it.
>> >
>> > Why are you trying to inflict a shitty game on as many people as
>> > possible?
>>
>> lol!
>>
>> Hmm. "I'm petulant and angry so I will throw a tantrum like a child so big
>> daddy firaxis will give me what I want"?
>>
>> Not sure what he wants though. Civ 2 in a new box maybe.
>>
>>
>>
>I'd say 'Petulant and angry' doesn't really capture my emotional state at
>2:00 this AM. Enraged and vengeful is probably a more accurate
>description.
Vengeful for WHAT, exactly?
Nobody made you get hold of the game, or play it. And since you
pirated it, you didn't pay a penny to the publishers.
>Tantrum is, unfortunately, a bit closer to the mark. But hey, I'd woken
>at 6, attended two meetings, driven 450 miles home, wanted to unwind with
>the newest iteration of my all-time favorite game, and then had CIV 3
>piss all over my shoes. I had provocation.
>
>No, I own Civ 2 already, thank you. (Yes, I bought it, thanks for
>asking.) I don't know what I wanted; delighting the customer
>with something new and innovative is the developer's job.
>
>I would have accepted a flawed but decent attempt, like SMAC. What is
>unacceptable is a badly programmed, badly designed and badly balanced
>piece of shit like CIV 3. Now all I want is news of Firaxis filing for
>Chapter 7.
You don't like a game a company made so now you hate them and want
them to go broke?
>
>[Deep breath] I guess I'm so angry because I had such high expectations,
>I mean CTP and that other, dumb animated version of Civ 2 - what was it
>called? - just elicted a sigh and shrug.
>
>I should have known better. It's been clear for years that Meier is a
>one-hit wonder (all right, two hits if you like railroad sims) and has
>done anything worth a damn in ten years. Brian Reynolds is the real
>talent and the person I should be watching.
It's pretty clear that you have the emotional maturity of a 3 year
old.
Gav
--
Real email is gavan(hyphen)martin(dot)moran(at)ubs(dot)com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own, not my employers
"Du musst Amboss oder Hammer sein"
flaky
>done anything worth a damn in ten years. Brian Reynolds is the real
>talent and the person I should be watching.
Think of Colonisation...
Anyway, all you locked on commercial releases ought to take a look at
FreeCiv, the best Civ2 ever. Great (really) AI that doesn't cheat,
network, all that believers of the hype have always wished for.
Marc Sylvestre
Grumpy wrote in message ...
>I should have known better. It's been clear for years that Meier is a
>one-hit wonder (all right, two hits if you like railroad sims) and has
>done anything worth a damn in ten years. Brian Reynolds is the real
>talent and the person I should be watching.
1) Sid has had a lot of great games over the years. I ain't saying he's a
god, but few people in any profession are as professional as he is
2) You pirated the game - you get what you pay for
3) Isn't expecting Civ3 to be EXACTLy like civ 2 a bit silly? I am irritated
by some of the changes too. But being human I can learn. For me the jury is
still out, because of the unbalenced corruption, etc.
John DiFool
Link?
JD
Michael Oberly
>Oh, and don't bother writing to tell me I'm stealing.
I wasn't going to-I was just going to tell you to go fuck yourself.
--
Mike Oberly * Rain can't wet me,
when I have my poui in my hand. *
* Rain can't wet me,
I advancing on the foe like a roaring lion!*
Soca/Calypso fan?Check out http://www.iere.com/thebarn
Gandalf Parker
Grumpy wrote:
> But now that I've played it, fuck those assholes at Firaxis. I'm gonna
> post this sucker everywhere I can. They deserve to lose the asses on
> this piece of shit. I hope they go out of business and those sorry sons
> of bitches all end up cleaning the Slurpy machine in some Baltimore 7-11
> on the midnight to 6AM shift.
WOW I cant believe that you posted this to a public newsgroup which is
archived forever. You have absolutely NO clue about hidden headers in your
posts do you?
There is more than enough information there to track you down you idiot.
(for example, you live near Hyattsfille, Maryland using a cable modem? thru
home.com and using Windows)
And openly threatening an illegal act is enough to make home.com cough up
your real info. Gee theres nothing like volunteering enough info to trash
yourself as you loudly proclaim an illegal act in violation of your providors
terms of service. Forwarding your post would be enough to make you lose your
account.
Distribute your shit then!
Gandalf Parker
Kevin D. Kissell
news:3BEAAE45...@earthlink.net...
www.freeciv.org. It's pretty cool for internet multiplayer, there
being a metaserver at freeciv.org to help peope pick up games.
I've never run the Windows version, but it ain't bad under Linux.
As near as I can tell, though, the AI cheats like hell, and is
almost impossible to beat. Most internet MP players
refuse to allow an AI civ in the game.
Stormcloud Creations
> WOW I cant believe that you posted this to a public newsgroup which is
> archived forever. You have absolutely NO clue about hidden headers in your
> posts do you?
Funny how some people's anger has to be vented publicly to be effective for
them. Similar incident: One user of my game Trader wrote on a board that he
couldn't win the game, so he hoped that I went to hell, and told me that he
had downloaded a crack that got him extra money (there is one available,
amazingly) and he was gonna win, and screw me, dammit! <shrug> Can't believe
my fun little game made him so upset. People are funny sometimes. :)
Derek
Stormcloud Creations
http://www.stormcloudcreations.com
Charles Frederick Goodin
Grumpy <Sai...@justblowme.com> wrote:
>But now that I've played it, fuck those assholes at Firaxis. I'm gonna
>post this sucker everywhere I can. They deserve to lose the asses on
>this piece of shit. I hope they go out of business and those sorry sons
>of bitches all end up cleaning the Slurpy machine in some Baltimore 7-11
>on the midnight to 6AM shift.
That's "Slurpee", and most 7-11s don't have 6 hour shifts.
--
chuk
boojumhunter
Big Bad Joe
drank a fifth of Old Crow and wrote:
> most 7-11s don't have 6 hour shifts.
Live and learn, I guess. Makes sense, though. I go there all the
time (one is VERY close), and I usually see the same 3 people working
there (Slow-Motion Walter, Baby-Face, and The Hag).
Big Bad Joe
J.S.
"Grumpy" <Sai...@justblowme.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1653fafe5...@news.rdc1.md.home.com...
> I'm a long-time fan of Civs 1 & 2. And I firmly believe that people who
> work their asses off designing and coding good software deserve to be
> paid for their efforts. For example I've got tons of registered
> shareware on my HD. I've even sent money to guys who write freeware.
>
snip..
Be glad you didn't pay for it and are now waiting for a patch and
multiplayer sometime next spring. Though in all honesty, multiplayer never
bothered me as I would never play it. Still, Im thinking I get to get
another expansion that will have scenarios in the first place, a decent
editor and patched the bugs (No, there thankfully aren't a lot of
gamestoppers.. but to me, graphical glitches- had 3 freezes when right
clicking units in city screen and then fortifying them again after an
upgrade and other gameplay annoyances add up).
J.S.
Kevin McGuire
: I'm a long-time fan of Civs 1 & 2. And I firmly believe that people who
: paid for their efforts.
<<snip>>
So, two little old ladies are eating dinner at a restaurant in the
catskills. The first lady says "The food here is so terrible!" Her
friend nods her head in agreement and says "And the portions are so small!"
--
Kevin McGuire University of Pennsylvania
Spelling tip: I win, you _lose_. You are the _loser_ of the game.
This XXL shirt is really _loose_. I can't see how it could
be _looser_.
Jim Vieira
"J.S." <pytho...@NoSpamrocketmail.com> wrote:
> Be glad you didn't pay for it and are now waiting for a patch and
> multiplayer sometime next spring. Though in all honesty, multiplayer never
> bothered me as I would never play it. Still, Im thinking I get to get
> another expansion that will have scenarios in the first place, a decent
> editor and patched the bugs (No, there thankfully aren't a lot of
> gamestoppers.. but to me, graphical glitches- had 3 freezes when right
> clicking units in city screen and then fortifying them again after an
> upgrade and other gameplay annoyances add up).
I can verify that bug, it has happened to me a few times already too.
Same circumstances. I had activated a unit, and then realized that I
activated the wrong one and fe-fortified it, and it locks. The music
keeps playing, I can move the mouse, but can't close the city screen
or click on anything at all.
Jim
Caton Little
>
> I'm a long-time fan of Civs 1 & 2. And I firmly believe that people who
> work their asses off designing and coding good software deserve to be
> paid for their efforts. For example I've got tons of registered
> shareware on my HD. I've even sent money to guys who write freeware.
> Oh, and don't bother writing to tell me I'm stealing. You're absolutely
> right. And I'm doing it with malice aforethought, as they say.
After seeing pretty much everyone here miss the point, I for one agree
with you (somewhat) and also recognise a late-night rant when I see one
:).
Firaxis have proved that they can turn out a good game, but I think they
really let themselves down with Civ3. It has far too many capricious
(like ass-backwards culture-based defections, and iron deposits that
just *vanish* without warning) and flat-out brian-damaged ('optimal'
city counts, bland counter-intuitive combat model) game mechanics. After
seeing where they went with SMAC, I was really expecting Civ3 to be
something better, but too many things were dumbed-down, messed-up or
just plain missing (social agendas, for instance, would have made an
*outstanding* addition). I'm glad I pirated Civ3, too. Depending on
where Firaxis goes with the inevitable string of patches, I may pick the
game up but right now it's just not worth $100 to me.
...and before any of you fanboys chime in your 2 bits worth, remember
how you felt when you found out that Jar-jar Binks was an integral
character in TPM? When you realised that MoM2 will remain vapourware for
*years*? When you found out what an unspeakable pile of stinking turd
CTP was?
Cut this guy some slack.
--
Caton Little | c...@ihug.co.nz
------------------+---------------------------------------------
"His eyes were cold. As cold as the bitter winter snow that was
falling outside. Yes, cold and therefore difficult to chew..."
Michael Oberly
>I'm glad I pirated Civ3, too. Depending on
>where Firaxis goes with the inevitable string of patches, I may pick the
>game up but right now it's just not worth $100 to me.
It's evident why you are sympathetic with his point of view.
Caton Little
>
> Caton Little <ca...@netwin.co.nz> wrote:
>
> >I'm glad I pirated Civ3, too. Depending on
> >where Firaxis goes with the inevitable string of patches, I may pick the
> >game up but right now it's just not worth $100 to me.
>
> It's evident why you are sympathetic with his point of view.
It's also evident why you don't say exactly why.
Dweeb
>I would have accepted a flawed but decent attempt, like SMAC. What is
>unacceptable is a badly programmed, badly designed and badly balanced
>piece of shit like CIV 3. Now all I want is news of Firaxis filing for
>Chapter 7.
Umm...it's just a fucking game, asshole.
Joe Ankenbauer
> I'm afraid there are very few retailers who are not "ethically challenged"
> as you put it. Almost all the national retailers simply reshrink the box
> and put it back out. I know for a fact that EB, SoftwareEtc/GameStop,
> WalMart, Target, Circuit City, and Best Buy just reshrink.
Most of the stores you mentioned (Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy) don't even accept
returns on opened software.
JMA
Klaatu
news:9secn...@enews2.newsguy.com:
So, flaky was just blowing smoke when he said "AI that doesn't cheat"?
--
If guns cause crime, matches cause arson.
Kevin D. Kissell
news:Xns9153912F5838Ckl...@127.0.0.1...
Well, did it sound to you like he knew what he was
talking about in any other particular? Gamers tend to
think that the AI is "cheating" whenever they are being
outplayed by the computer, but in the case of FreeCiv,
it really looks pretty blatant sometimes (absurdly huge
armies, very high tech without much apparent investment
in educational infrastructure, etc.). FreeCiv is open source,
so I suppose if anyone were really curious they could
download the sources and poke around to verify how
the AIs cheat, and even prevent them from doing so.
My intuition is that if they didn't cheat, they'd be pushovers.
FreeCiv is cool FreeCiv is free. You can fix the bugs
yourself if you know how to program. It has a few user
interface tweaks that are improvements on Civ2. But it's
much less fun as a single-player game than Civ,
Civ2, or SMAC (being in France, I'm still waiting
for my copy of Civ3 to be delivered, and playing
a bit of Europa Universalis in the mean time).
FreeCiv gives much less control over the level of
difficulty, and there's not even the limited possibility
of diplomacy with the AIs that you've got in Civ2.
Once they find you, they seem to just come after you
until you die. I've beaten Civ2 on most levels, and SMAC
on all levels, but I've never come anywhere close to
winning at FreeCiv against the machine.
But those of you who know better than Firaxis
what AI's ought to do have a ready platform
available to prove it.
J.S.
"Jim Vieira" <Whip...@wi.DOTrr.DOTcom> wrote in message
news:4SBG7.1109370$si5.31...@typhoon.kc.rr.com...
Cool, or rather bummer. At least its not something on my system =)
J.S.
Duane VP
> 2:00 this AM. Enraged and vengeful is probably a more accurate
> description.
Enraged & vengeful, eh? Poetic justice then - 'tseems to me you got
what you paid for.
> Tantrum is, unfortunately, a bit closer to the mark. But hey, I'd woken
> at 6, attended two meetings, driven 450 miles home, wanted to unwind with
> the newest iteration of my all-time favorite game, and then had CIV 3
> piss all over my shoes. I had provocation.
_Provocation?_ Yeah, they made you steal a game and intentionally
caused to you dislike it in defiance of normal desires for profit.
Frustration I could understand. Disappointment I could understand. But
claiming "provocation" is nothing more than a poor attempt to justify a
childish response.
> No, I own Civ 2 already, thank you. (Yes, I bought it, thanks for
> asking.) I don't know what I wanted; delighting the customer
> with something new and innovative is the developer's job.
And you of course kept your guarantee from Firaxis that in addition to
promising to appeal to the personal likes of every person on Earth said,
"Don't bother to pay us, and if you don't like it you are entitled to cheat
us out of money we would get from somebody else." Without your notarized
copy of that guarantee you don't stand a chance of getting your money back.
Oh. Wait...
> I would have accepted a flawed but decent attempt, like SMAC. What is
> unacceptable is a badly programmed, badly designed and badly balanced
> piece of shit like CIV 3. Now all I want is news of Firaxis filing for
> Chapter 7.
I'm sure their sentiments are reciprocal.
--
Duane VanderPol
God Bless the USA
http://home.earthlink.net/~duanevp
inferno2000
> asking.) I don't know what I wanted; delighting the customer
> with something new and innovative is the developer's job.
>
> I would have accepted a flawed but decent attempt, like SMAC. What is
> unacceptable is a badly programmed, badly designed and badly balanced
> piece of shit like CIV 3. Now all I want is news of Firaxis filing for
> Chapter 7.
>
> [Deep breath] I guess I'm so angry because I had such high expectations,
> I mean CTP and that other, dumb animated version of Civ 2 - what was it
> called? - just elicted a sigh and shrug.
You are upset because you expect Civ3 as a natural evolution from
Civ2. But it is not.
After almost finishing a game, I noticed Civ3 is more an evolution
from Civ1 than anything else. It is like the designer goes back to the
design of Civ1, then incorporate some features from Civ2, CtP and SMAC
to build a new game. You are upset because you do not like the end
result.
For me though, Civ3 is a far different game from Civ2, it is closer to
Civ1, with some features I really like from CtP and SMAC thrown in. I
don't like the reduction in number of government types, units and city
improvements. No more caravans and diplomats make this game very
unlike Civ2. No longer can I build a battleship and expect it to
defeat those 10-20 enemy galleys easily. But I like the new approach
and combat engine enough that I don't feel Civ3 as a bad game, just a
rather different game from Civ2, and it is interesting enough to make
me keep playing it.
It will be a sad if Firaxis went out of business because of Civ3. It
is no way a bad game, just a game which may differ from the
expectations of many fans.
The Enigmatic One
Sai...@justblowme.com says...
>Oh, and don't bother writing to tell me I'm stealing. You're absolutely
>right. And I'm doing it with malice aforethought, as they say.
No, you're not stealing. Really. Don't muddle the terms.
You're an ass who, when faced with some great innovation, whines
that it isn't the innovation you personally wanted. You're a fuck, plain
and simple.
That said, I am glad you were able to find the game and try it,
therefore realizing that it wasn't for you. Too many games from too many
companies try to rely on the "their stuck with it so we don't care" thing.
Too bad there isn't any demo.
-Tim
Drew Albert
Boy you had a full day. Stole some software, up at the crack of dawn, two
meetings, drove 450 miles to get home, played stolen software, had a
tantrum. Let me guess, your Brian Reynolds son (I don't know if he has one,
it is just a guess).
I would tell you to get a life, but it sounds like you have a full one. If
this story is true, you don't need a life, you need someone else's life
(and/or some Prozac).
"Grumpy" <Sai...@justblowme.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.16545749d...@news.rdc1.md.home.com...
> In article <tuklet8...@corp.supernews.com>, as...@asdf.com says...
> > > So:
> > >
> > > 1. You steal a game.
> > > 2. You're upset the game you stole "is a piece of shit."
> > > 3. Therefore, you help other people steal it.
> > >
> > > Why are you trying to inflict a shitty game on as many people as
> > > possible?
> >
> > lol!
> >
> > Hmm. "I'm petulant and angry so I will throw a tantrum like a child so
big
> > daddy firaxis will give me what I want"?
> >
> > Not sure what he wants though. Civ 2 in a new box maybe.
> >
> >
> >
> I'd say 'Petulant and angry' doesn't really capture my emotional state at
> 2:00 this AM. Enraged and vengeful is probably a more accurate
> description.
>
> Tantrum is, unfortunately, a bit closer to the mark. But hey, I'd woken
> at 6, attended two meetings, driven 450 miles home, wanted to unwind with
> the newest iteration of my all-time favorite game, and then had CIV 3
> piss all over my shoes. I had provocation.
>
> No, I own Civ 2 already, thank you. (Yes, I bought it, thanks for
> asking.) I don't know what I wanted; delighting the customer
> with something new and innovative is the developer's job.
>
> I would have accepted a flawed but decent attempt, like SMAC. What is
> unacceptable is a badly programmed, badly designed and badly balanced
> piece of shit like CIV 3. Now all I want is news of Firaxis filing for
> Chapter 7.
>
> [Deep breath] I guess I'm so angry because I had such high expectations,
> I mean CTP and that other, dumb animated version of Civ 2 - what was it
> called? - just elicted a sigh and shrug.
>
> I should have known better. It's been clear for years that Meier is a
> one-hit wonder (all right, two hits if you like railroad sims) and has
AcK!
>Tantrum is, unfortunately, a bit closer to the mark. But hey, I'd woken
>at 6, attended two meetings, driven 450 miles home, wanted to unwind with
>the newest iteration of my all-time favorite game, and then had CIV 3
>piss all over my shoes. I had provocation.
Reminds me of the joke about the KGB officer who interrogated a prized wild
mushroom in the woods, demanding to know where his comrades where.
The mushroom was silent.
After more and more threats and yelling, the mushroom did not say a word about
the whereabouts of the others.
The KGB officer then proceeded to kick the mushroom into a pulp with his boots.
His wife (who had dragged him away from work to unwind with some mushroom
picking) ran up to him, horrified, and asked why he just did that.
His response?
"I was provoked."
TTYL
... "No wait... With $10,000 we'd be millionaires!" - Homer
krup...@yahoospa.com
remove "spa" to email
Gerry Quinn
>Firaxis have proved that they can turn out a good game, but I think they
>really let themselves down with Civ3. It has far too many capricious
>(like ass-backwards culture-based defections, and iron deposits that
>just *vanish* without warning) and flat-out brian-damaged ('optimal'
Surely sid-damaged?
- Gerry Quinn
Maddog
> For me though, Civ3 is a far different game from Civ2, it is closer to
> Civ1, with some features I really like from CtP and SMAC thrown in. I
> don't like the reduction in number of government types, units and city
> improvements. No more caravans and diplomats make this game very
> unlike Civ2. No longer can I build a battleship and expect it to
> defeat those 10-20 enemy galleys easily. But I like the new approach
> and combat engine enough that I don't feel Civ3 as a bad game, just a
> rather different game from Civ2, and it is interesting enough to make
> me keep playing it.
>
> It will be a sad if Firaxis went out of business because of Civ3. It
> is no way a bad game, just a game which may differ from the
> expectations of many fans.
I've got to ask because I read in another message somewhere, which I
didn't ask about, that swordsmen could beat tanks which made me wonder
about combat in Civ III which I've been waiting for and really wanted
to get. But over the years I've learned to read and evaluate what is
said about new games right here in the newsgroups before going out and
purchasing.
Are you saying that 10-20 galleys are capable of defeating a
Battleship? Please say it isn't so. I was so looking forward to this
game but not if it's as screwed up as all that.
rugievit
wimper.
"Marc Sylvestre" <msylv...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:9sdrn1$jvn$1...@slb7.atl.mindspring.net...
>
> asf wrote in message ...
> >> So:
> >>
> >> 1. You steal a game.
> >> 2. You're upset the game you stole "is a piece of shit."
> >> 3. Therefore, you help other people steal it.
> >>
> >> Why are you trying to inflict a shitty game on as many people as
> >> possible?
> >
> >lol!
> >
> >Hmm. "I'm petulant and angry so I will throw a tantrum like a child so
big
> >daddy firaxis will give me what I want"?
> >
> >Not sure what he wants though. Civ 2 in a new box maybe.
>
> Probably Civ 2 in a bigger box with prettier units and a pretty-girl
> interface that loses clothing as you get closer to victory
>
> >
> >
>
>
Jeremy Billones
Maddog <mjan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Are you saying that 10-20 galleys are capable of defeating a
>Battleship? Please say it isn't so. I was so looking forward to this
>game but not if it's as screwed up as all that.
A tricked out rowboat took out the USS Cole.
--
Jeremy Billones
"If you are "fighting" vi, it should not try and give helpful hints, it
should munge your cursor, screw up your terminal, rot13 your mailbox and
call your girlfriend for a date." - Pim van Riezen
Jeremy Billones
Caton Little <ca...@netwin.co.nz> wrote:
>Michael Oberly wrote:
>>
>> Caton Little <ca...@netwin.co.nz> wrote:
>>
>> >I'm glad I pirated Civ3, too. Depending on
>> >where Firaxis goes with the inevitable string of patches, I may pick the
>> >game up but right now it's just not worth $100 to me.
>>
>> It's evident why you are sympathetic with his point of view.
>
>It's also evident why you don't say exactly why.
Well, calling someone a thieving asshole in public is usually considered rude.
[Note for N.A. readers. He's talking about $100 NZ, which is about $40 US.]
Eric VanHeest
> Well, calling someone a thieving asshole in public is usually considered rude.
As is strongly implying the same.
Maddog
>
> In article <56dd8040.01110...@posting.google.com>,
> Maddog <mjan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >Are you saying that 10-20 galleys are capable of defeating a
> >Battleship? Please say it isn't so. I was so looking forward to this
> >game but not if it's as screwed up as all that.
>
> A tricked out rowboat took out the USS Cole.
>
> --
> Jeremy Billones
One loaded with explosives and right next to it and it didn't sink. Last
time I looked Galleys didn't have explosives.
--
Maddog
======
"Blaming crime on guns is like blaming spoons for Rosie O'Donnell's
being fat."
YanquiDawg
J.S.
"Maddog" <mjan...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:56dd8040.01110...@posting.google.com...
Well, I will start off by saying I don't like the combat system. However, I
doubt it would happen as I've not seen a comp with that many galleys ;) I've
not seen much modern naval warfare but that seems to be fairly even (most
likely because there are no defense bonuses). Still, if a comp had say 15
galleys, and in one round or two I give the battleship a 65% survival rate
based on what I've seen in other areas of combat.
J.S.
Adam Smith
> Well, I will start off by saying I don't like the combat system. However, I
> doubt it would happen as I've not seen a comp with that many galleys ;) I've
> not seen much modern naval warfare but that seems to be fairly even (most
> likely because there are no defense bonuses). Still, if a comp had say 15
> galleys, and in one round or two I give the battleship a 65% survival rate
> based on what I've seen in other areas of combat.
I've noticed that throwing piles of weak units against a few strong
units can be counter-productive, since the strong unit will quite
often gain experience and not only win the fight, but come out of it
tougher than it went in.
--
Adam Smith
phobos
... snip ...
> Firaxis have proved that they can turn out a good game, but I think they
> really let themselves down with Civ3. It has far too many capricious
> (like ass-backwards culture-based defections, and iron deposits that
> just *vanish* without warning)
... snip ...
I haven't got Civ 3 yet... it appears to be delayed until the 16th.
But about those culture-based defections, that was something I really
missed from Civ 1 when I upgraded to Civ 2 many years ago. Every so
often it would say 'The people of $CITY are impressed by the great
wealth of $NAME of the $TRIBE' and the next turn the entire city would
defect as if it had been bribed. And, to be quite honest, if you have
a city living in grinding totalitarian poverty next to the riches of
an advanced democracy, and you've left the garrison too small, what in
the world do you expect to happen?
And culture-based defection, rather than military conquest, was in
fact standard policy in the Roman empire. The army would go in and
take out the main centres of resistance. Then they'd start building
villas and insulae and baths everywhere. However resentful the natives
might be of the invasion, they'll still be grateful for the aqueduct.
And the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order,
irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health. Oh, and
peace. (Peace?! Shut up!)
I'm in severe danger of beginning a major Monty Python ramble now, so
I'd better just shut up myself...
Barry Gaudet
[...]
: And culture-based defection, rather than military conquest, was in
: fact standard policy in the Roman empire. The army would go in and
: take out the main centres of resistance. Then they'd start building
: villas and insulae and baths everywhere. However resentful the natives
: might be of the invasion, they'll still be grateful for the aqueduct.
: And the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order,
: irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health. Oh, and
: peace. (Peace?! Shut up!)
: I'm in severe danger of beginning a major Monty Python ramble now, so
That's what I was thinking. :)
Though I think the cultural imperialism of the game is a tad strong.
: I'd better just shut up myself...
--
'Americans are arrogant and Canadians are smug.
Canadians don't mind American arrogance because
it gives us something to be smug about.'
Kevin D. Kissell
news:3BEC29E4...@nowhere.com...
> Jeremy Billones wrote:
> >
> > In article <56dd8040.01110...@posting.google.com>,
> > Maddog <mjan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > >Are you saying that 10-20 galleys are capable of defeating a
> > >Battleship? Please say it isn't so. I was so looking forward to this
> > >game but not if it's as screwed up as all that.
> >
> > A tricked out rowboat took out the USS Cole.
>
> time I looked Galleys didn't have explosives.
When's the last time you looked? There may not be many
galleys plying the seas these days, but you will find dhows
on the Nile and junks being used in Asian costal waters
whose designs haven't been changed for centuries.
But today you might well find that the crews of those
junks are packing kalashnikovs and even heavy machine
guns to defend themselves against pirates. In a world
with an uneven distriribution of technology, a certain
amount does trickle down.
Regardless, a stack of galleys attacking a battleship
on the high seas should have essentially zero probability
of sinking it. But a battleship charging into shallow coastal
waters to attack a mass of galleys might well find itself
running aground or being boarded.
Sim Pilot
Must be your guilty conscience, if you have one. Quite frankly, anyone
that actually gets mad at a computer game really needs some counseling
and find another hobby. It's this side of computers that I hate. Young
people who have no social skills whatsoever and thus fly off the
handle at any silly little thing.
So you don't like it. Then don't buy it. But to wish that all of the
HONEST folks who made the game such harm is beyond childish, it's
shameful. Shame on you. We say that all the time, but think about
those three words and what they mean. If there is anything decent in
you, you will feel ashamed.
>I'm a long-time fan of Civs 1 & 2. And I firmly believe that people who
>work their asses off designing and coding good software deserve to be
>paid for their efforts. For example I've got tons of registered
>shareware on my HD. I've even sent money to guys who write freeware.
>
>But I wasn't going to get a chance to get to the Best Buy 'til this
>weekend, and I succumbed to temptation when I ran into a pirated copy of
>Civ3 . I figured I'd could get a jump start on a game I've been
>anticipating for months and assuage my conscience with a purchased copy
>on Saturday.
>
>But now that I've played it, fuck those assholes at Firaxis. I'm gonna
>post this sucker everywhere I can. They deserve to lose the asses on
>this piece of shit. I hope they go out of business and those sorry sons
>of bitches all end up cleaning the Slurpy machine in some Baltimore 7-11
>on the midnight to 6AM shift.
>
>Goddam this game pisses me off:
>
> * I'm sick of the 2 minute lag for the AI to move every goddam turn.
>
> * I'm sick of the stupid restrictions on building and rushing Wonders
>
> * I'm sick of the combat results that have no relation to the putative
>strengths of units
>
>* I'm sick of the absurd corruption rules
>
>* I'm sick of the ridiculous amount of pollution generated even at low
>levels of industrialization and the even more ridiculous amounts of time
>it takes to clean it up
>
>* I could go on , but you get the picture. I'm sick of this fucking
>game. I haven't been this disappointed since MOO 2, and that at least
>was a little bit fun to play. About 15 minutes ago I almost broke my
>keyboard clamming my fist in anger, and frustration and rage are not
>what I'm looking for in a gaming experience.
Gandalf Parker
YanquiDawg wrote:
> How's he helping people steal it?
you must have missed the beginning rant.
He declared that he was going to spread the cracked game everywhere he
could because he felt it sucked and didnt deserve to make any money.
Gandalf Parker
Flavius
Sai...@justblowme.com says...
> > >
> > > 1. You steal a game.
> > > 2. You're upset the game you stole "is a piece of shit."
> > > 3. Therefore, you help other people steal it.
> > >
> > > Why are you trying to inflict a shitty game on as many people as
> > > possible?
> >
> >
> > Hmm. "I'm petulant and angry so I will throw a tantrum like a child so big
> > daddy firaxis will give me what I want"?
> >
> > Not sure what he wants though. Civ 2 in a new box maybe.
> >
> >
> >
> 2:00 this AM. Enraged and vengeful is probably a more accurate
> description.
>
> at 6, attended two meetings, driven 450 miles home, wanted to unwind with
> the newest iteration of my all-time favorite game, and then had CIV 3
> piss all over my shoes. I had provocation.
>
> asking.) I don't know what I wanted; delighting the customer
> with something new and innovative is the developer's job.
>
> I would have accepted a flawed but decent attempt, like SMAC. What is
> unacceptable is a badly programmed, badly designed and badly balanced
> piece of shit like CIV 3. Now all I want is news of Firaxis filing for
> Chapter 7.
>
> [Deep breath] I guess I'm so angry because I had such high expectations,
> I mean CTP and that other, dumb animated version of Civ 2 - what was it
> called? - just elicted a sigh and shrug.
>
> I should have known better. It's been clear for years that Meier is a
> one-hit wonder (all right, two hits if you like railroad sims) and has
> done anything worth a damn in ten years. Brian Reynolds is the real
> talent and the person I should be watching.
Try playing the game for more than 30 minutes. About the only valid
complaint you have is that AI turns take a long time late in the game.
However, they're working on fixing that in a patch at the end of this
month. Plus, you can Ctrl-Esc out of the game and it will run in the
background and finish its turn if you're really impatient. You can thus
play while surfing the net or writing a report, etc. Very cool.
Flavius
Ykalon Dragon
wrote:
>
>I should have known better. It's been clear for years that Meier is a
>one-hit wonder (all right, two hits if you like railroad sims) and has
>done anything worth a damn in ten years. Brian Reynolds is the real
>talent and the person I should be watching.
Let me see. Ever heard of Pirates? 3 hit wonder, his Sid Meier's
Antietam or whatsitcalled was a moderate success among wargamers, 4
hit wonder. In fact about 95% of his games have earned a lot of money
AND earned critical acclaim. He's everything BUT a one hit wonder. And
Civ3 is the BEST of the civ games so far. I'm quite sure he would
refuse to have his named associated with the game if he didn't thought
it was a great game.
Just because your old Civ2 strategies didn't work you don't need to
slam the game.
inferno2000
> I've got to ask because I read in another message somewhere, which I
> didn't ask about, that swordsmen could beat tanks which made me wonder
> about combat in Civ III which I've been waiting for and really wanted
> to get. But over the years I've learned to read and evaluate what is
> said about new games right here in the newsgroups before going out and
> purchasing.
>
> Are you saying that 10-20 galleys are capable of defeating a
> Battleship? Please say it isn't so. I was so looking forward to this
> game but not if it's as screwed up as all that.
Well, I have not encountered 10-20 galleys with my battleship yet. But my
mech. infantry had been attacked by a couple of swordsmen and longbow men
once, they lost but it did hurt the mech. infantry a bit. Had the attacking
force been larger, they would probably have killed the mech. infantry.
However, this is only a concern if there is only a single military unit in
a square. If there are a few units in a square, the strongest unit will fight
in defense, if it gets hurt, the next attack will cause the next strongest
unit in the stack to fight. If one of the defending unit get killed, it does
not destroy the whole stack as in Civ1 and Civ2. Even though no unit is
completely invincible to other units, it is not really that easy to kill
a high-tech units with low-tech units unless:
(1) the high-tech unit is isolated
(2) the high-tech unit foolishly trying to attack several low-tech units
regardless of its health status
The new combat engine also favor defending units a lot more now. I once
send 20 regular warriors (1/1/1) and archers (2/1/1) against 2 spearman (1/2/1)
garrisoned in a city, which manage to kill off everyone, and become elite
unit in the process.
However, sea unit now can bombard from a distance and therefore can hurt
land unit without risk to itself. Air unit can undertake bombard mission
and do the same thing. So it is not possible for a spearman to kill
battleship or stealth bomber. :-)
Christoph Nahr
wrote:
>For me though, Civ3 is a far different game from Civ2, it is closer to
>Civ1, with some features I really like from CtP and SMAC thrown in.
After two completed games, that sounds like a good description to me.
AND I LOVE IT! Never liked the Reynolds changes anyway...
Not to mention that the AI is the best I've seen in any Civ-style game
to date. Yeah, the difficulty settings are off (easiest is what I
would have expected on medium diff!) but at least the AI doesn't seem
to cheat on this level. It's moderately clueful about managing its
armies, and diplomacy is actually fun.
--
http://www.kynosarges.de
Christoph Nahr
>Are you saying that 10-20 galleys are capable of defeating a
>Battleship? Please say it isn't so. I was so looking forward to this
>game but not if it's as screwed up as all that.
The combat system is a mix between Civ1 and Civ2. Units do have
hitpoints but they vary only with individual unit experience, not with
technological level, and the concept of firepower is gone. So your
galleys will have a better chance of killing that battleship than they
had in Civ2, but it won't happen on a regular basis as in Civ1.
Personally I think it's great -- just the right balance so that older
units aren't completely worthless while newer units are still worth
the research and production you have to put into them.
--
http://www.kynosarges.de
Christoph Nahr
wrote:
>...and before any of you fanboys chime in your 2 bits worth, remember
>how you felt when you found out that Jar-jar Binks was an integral
>character in TPM? When you realised that MoM2 will remain vapourware for
>*years*? When you found out what an unspeakable pile of stinking turd
>CTP was?
The thing is that Civ3 is not a "pile of stinking turd" by any
definition. Some of your complaints are valid but all of them are
rather petty. You could easily find similar things to bitch about in
SMAC (late-game mindworm infestation, hard-to-read graphics). Others
are just a matter of taste, such as social agendas (not something I
miss very badly) or the new combat system (I like it). Frankly, it
sounds like you hate Civ3 just for not being SMAC set on Earth...
--
http://www.kynosarges.de
Caton Little
>
> In article <3BEAFD22...@netwin.co.nz>,
> Caton Little <ca...@netwin.co.nz> wrote:
> >Michael Oberly wrote:
> >>
> >> Caton Little <ca...@netwin.co.nz> wrote:
> >>
> >> >I'm glad I pirated Civ3, too. Depending on
> >> >where Firaxis goes with the inevitable string of patches, I may pick the
> >> >game up but right now it's just not worth $100 to me.
> >>
> >> It's evident why you are sympathetic with his point of view.
> >
> >It's also evident why you don't say exactly why.
>
> Well, calling someone a thieving asshole in public is usually considered rude.
Whether I'm a thief or not depends on semantics. I *know* I'm not an
asshole. Are you?
> [Note for N.A. readers. He's talking about $100 NZ, which is about $40 US.]
Given that none of the local game stores have a return policy, I prefer
to make sure I'm paying for something I acutally *want* first. I deleted
the game 3 days after I got it. If you figure that a game like Civ lasts
even six months on the average paying customer's harddrive, then I guess
I owe Firaxis NZ$1.66.
The fact is that these days too many games are released unfinished,
badly designed, ill-conceived and sometimes all 3. I'm not going to
waste my money finding out the hard way. Sure I pirate games... on a
regular basis for that matter. However, *any* game that stays on my HD
for more than a week, I buy. That includes game I might never have heard
of otherwise, such as SE4, Uplink and Tzar (which AFAIK has yet to make
it over here).
I pirated Commandos2, and liked it so much I bought it. I pirated Civ3
and disliked it so much, I saved myself $100 and several dozen megs of
HD space. That seems fair to me.
--
Caton Little | c...@ihug.co.nz
------------------+---------------------------------------------
"His eyes were cold. As cold as the bitter winter snow that was
falling outside. Yes, cold and therefore difficult to chew..."
Caton Little
Acutally that's not far from the truth :)
No, the reason why I dislike Civ3 is that what *I* want is an Empire
management game with a strong combat element and a little diplomacy on
the side. Civ3 is an Empire management game with a strong diplomacy
element and a little combat on the side. It's just not my sort of game.
When it comes down to it, *all* matters of personal preference are
petty, so I won't disagree with you there :) Unlike Mr. Grumpy who
started this thread, I'm not going to run around screaming foul play and
burning piles of Civ3 boxes in the street... but this *is* usenet and I
therefore have a God-given right to rant :)
Butcher
>
[psychotic rant snipped]
You have bigger issues than your problems with Civ 3 if this is your reaction to
a game that you're dissapointed in. I'd say it borders on the psychotic to be
this affected by a game that you actually stole.
--
"What a depressingly stupid machine."
Marvin, The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
Gandalf Parker
Caton Little wrote:
> The fact is that these days too many games are released unfinished,
> badly designed, ill-conceived and sometimes all 3. I'm not going to
> waste my money finding out the hard way. Sure I pirate games... on a
> regular basis for that matter.
Lets all support pirating as the proper response, and then wail about how the gaming
industry is going downhill, and then boost pirating some more, and then cry about
how the gaming industry doesnt seem capable of turning out the games it used to, and
then boost pirating some more, and then declare how the gaming industry is spending
too much on protection schemes and not enough on decent gaming programmers, and then
boost piracy some more, etc etc etc etc etc
Of course these two things have nothing to do with each other so ignore what I just
said. (by the way, which came first. the chicken or the egg?)
Gandalf Parker
Caton Little
Apteryx.
Gandalf Parker
Caton Little wrote:
> > said. (by the way, which came first. the chicken or the egg?)
>
> Apteryx.
Wrong, but good try.
It was a rhetorical question for a point. But since you feel like answering, the answer is
absolutely known. As to which answer it depends on which group you want to ask. For the
religious fanatics the answer is "chicken". For the scientific fanatics the answer is
"egg". Since you took the sci side I think you meant to answer egg. Think about it.
Gandalf Parker
Jeremy Billones
Caton Little <ca...@netwin.co.nz> wrote:
>Christoph Nahr wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, 09 Nov 2001 10:16:14 +1300, Caton Little <ca...@netwin.co.nz>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >...and before any of you fanboys chime in your 2 bits worth, remember
>> >how you felt when you found out that Jar-jar Binks was an integral
>> >character in TPM?
If Jar-Jar didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent him.
*pause*
Err...
>> Frankly, it sounds like you hate Civ3 just for not being SMAC set on Earth.
Sounds like a good enough reason to me :)
>... But this *is* usenet and I
>therefore have a God-given right to rant :)
Damn right.
(Sorry about the ring & run upthread. This hasn't been a good week to
stop sniffing glue.)
Butcher
"Gandalf Parker" <"postmaster"@[127.0.0.1] (spam THIS sucker!)> wrote in message
news:tv32nrp...@news.supernews.com...
That's right. If you believe in evolution then the egg came first. I you
believe in creationism, then the chicken came first.
Hank
wrote:
Well, while most of your points are valid( the 95% thing is a high ) ,
one thing needs to be clarified: not only did he not approve of the
game as 'great' I don't think he played it for more than a few
minutes. He certainly did not oversee the outline or any of the
development. He has his name on it because he gets paid to have his
name on it.
HJC
Trygve Høgebøl
[snip]
> FreeCiv is cool FreeCiv is free. You can fix the bugs
> yourself if you know how to program. It has a few user
> interface tweaks that are improvements on Civ2. But it's
> much less fun as a single-player game than Civ,
> Civ2, or SMAC
hmmm, can't see why. Unless fancy graphics is a prerequisite for enjoyment.
[snip]
> FreeCiv gives much less control over the level of
> difficulty, and there's not even the limited possibility
> of diplomacy with the AIs that you've got in Civ2.
I seem to remember there being three levels of AI aggressiveness. Then
there is a whole lot of other adjustments that can be made to make the
game suit you.
> Once they find you, they seem to just come after you
> until you die. I've beaten Civ2 on most levels, and SMAC
> on all levels, but I've never come anywhere close to
> winning at FreeCiv against the machine.
Might be a matter of playstyle. Its a bit harder than civ1/2, but I've
won several games.
One thing I really like about freeciv is the listing/advisors system.
All in separate windows, and sortable to your hearts content. This game has
clearly been developed by gamers, no doubt about that.
--
Trygve
Kevin D. Kissell
news:3BFA5F69...@colibriaSPAM.BLOCK.com...
> Kevin D. Kissell wrote:
>
> [snip]
> > FreeCiv is cool FreeCiv is free. You can fix the bugs
> > yourself if you know how to program. It has a few user
> > interface tweaks that are improvements on Civ2. But it's
> > much less fun as a single-player game than Civ,
> > Civ2, or SMAC
>
> hmmm, can't see why. Unless fancy graphics is a prerequisite for
enjoyment.
If fancy graphics were a prerequisite for enjoyment,
why would I be making a distinction between MP
and solo play? Indeed, I actually prefer the simplistic
graphics of FreeCiv to the elaborate and time-wasting
animations of Civ3. The issue with solo play is,
as I said, the AI...
> > FreeCiv gives much less control over the level of
> > difficulty, and there's not even the limited possibility
> > of diplomacy with the AIs that you've got in Civ2.
>
> I seem to remember there being three levels of AI aggressiveness. Then
> there is a whole lot of other adjustments that can be made to make the
> game suit you.
There are run-time parameters one can set that affect
the absolute difficulty of the game (e.g. city sizes before
unhappiness sets in, research points per advance),
but none that affect the overall behavior of the AIs.
There are per-civilization configuration files that
contain the default names of cities, monarchs,
etc, and in principle one can set the attack probablilty
and expansionism of each civilization on a scale
of 0-2, but (a) I haven't noticed much difference in
the AI behavior between the "agressive" and
"peaceful" cultures once one gets past the first
stages of the game and (b) one has to modify the
installation of the game to change these parameters,
it's not as if one can choose the AI difficulty level
with the GUI at game startup, or even with a command
line option.
If you download the source code and browse around the
src/ai directory, you'll see that there are a lot of functions
that are just stubs, with "to be done later" comments.
While there is a diplomatic menu, the AI will, in my
experience, *never* initiate a dialogue, one does
not have the classic Civ opportunity for a diplomatic
exchange at the first encounter with another civilization,
and there is not even the simplistic Civ2 notion of distinct
personality for the various AI civilizations.
> > Once they find you, they seem to just come after you
> > until you die. I've beaten Civ2 on most levels, and SMAC
> > on all levels, but I've never come anywhere close to
> > winning at FreeCiv against the machine.
>
> Might be a matter of playstyle. Its a bit harder than civ1/2, but I've
> won several games.
I don't doubt that it's winnable, I'm just saying that it's
consistently and predictably extremely difficult, and
that the AI's make up for a lack of cleverness and
"character" with a mute nastiness and what looks
to be some hefty built-in advantages.
> One thing I really like about freeciv is the listing/advisors system.
>
> All in separate windows, and sortable to your hearts content. This game
has
> clearly been developed by gamers, no doubt about that.
The user interface is indeed good, with several distinct
improvements over Civ2 and *far* nicer than Civ3. Like
I say, it's a cool game, but it's far less fun for me to play
against the AI than Civ2 or Civ3. YMMV.
Geoffrey Tobin
>
> Kevin D. Kissell wrote:
>
> [snip]
> > FreeCiv is cool FreeCiv is free. You can fix the bugs
> > yourself if you know how to program. It has a few user
> > interface tweaks that are improvements on Civ2. But it's
> > much less fun as a single-player game than Civ,
> > Civ2, or SMAC
>
> hmmm, can't see why. Unless fancy graphics is a prerequisite for enjoyment.
Perhaps FreeCiv would be better if modified to become
a Master of Magic clone?
--
Geoffrey Tobin: Email: g...@ee.latrobe.edu.au
WWW: http://www.ee.latrobe.edu.au/~gt/gt.html