07-12-2001 09:28									#1
	when to buy civ3 - decisions, decisions Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

buy now - it sounds like a great game, really. Stronger AI - the single thing everyone was asking for most. Culture system, reflecting real historical strategic dilemmas, so game plays more like history. Resource system problematic, with some historically ubuquitous resources too scarce, and system so out of balance as to require step backwards in combat system to offset it - on the other hand resource system seems to integrate war, diplomacy and trade very nicely, for both gameplay and history. Wonders better balanced, more accurate, terraforming ditto. Govt's perhaps imbalanced, but at least a strong historical vision there. Corruption as a real challenge, largely historically accurate counter to large empires early (historical accuracy on this deserves a seperate thread) perhaps overdone, but seems to be fixed in patch. Civ-specific attributes appears not to dominate game.

Yeah it came out kinda buggy, but first patch is already out, and more likely to come soon.

Wait - no scenario editor. i have the historical scenario itch, i really see absence of scenarios as a major limitation on value for ME. OTOH isnt $50 still a decent value on a great Civ game - well maybe, although i tend not to buy new games, prefer a bargain - but wait, this is CIV after all. Ah, but, I am relatively new to Civ, less than 2 years, and i still dont have SMAC. These discussions have whetted my appetite for SMAC.

And clincher - system not up to specs - not enough RAM - oh cmon RAM is cheap - yeah but crappy proprietary architecture limits RAM I can add, probabaly still wont run smoothly. So buy a modern PC, why doncha? What, when I just invested in CD RW drive, extending my PC's life ? Only compelling reason to get a new PC now is ..... Civ3(and oh yeah, maybe EU). Dont you realize i'm not a hardcore gamer, only game im serious about is Civ, and non-game apps work fine on my old machine. which doesnt have a scenario editor. and i dont have SMAC yet. And i still have a lot of civ2 scenarios yet to play.

In a few months (4?6?8?) Xpack will come out - will have scen editor (very important) MP (not important to me) more civs (negligible) other goodies(?) some time after that gold pack with Civ3 plus xpack at a reasonable price. By which time i will have played through most Civ2 scens. And have played SMAC. And maybe a few other old, bargain games. And maybe ready to replace PC.

So i will probablly buy it - but not for a while yet. Meanwhile i will occasionally follow this forum.

LOTM