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Let me start this by recalling the SMAC demo: Most people said it was brilliant. Some went as far as to say that the demo was more fun than the full version. This, of course, raises a very interesting possibility.

Since SMAC was the first game Firaxis had ever done a demo for, I think they poured all their focus on those first 150(?) years of the game. Looking at the way SMAC plays, it does seem the case that your opponents actually become a lot less intelligent as the game progresses: By late game, the enemy A.I. basically has a bunch of cities in riot thanks to horrendously managed populations and units (or nothing) being built that would actually help the computer win. In other words, if you last long enough in SMAC, you win. Period. There is no late game computer comeback, even if you are weak and could be easily defeated.

This makes me think that Firaxis made a demo and then let the demo A.I. run the full game A.I. I also think that they were so focused on the demo that they hardly ever played to Transcendence. A number of the production bugs and even the Infinite Range Missile Crisis only manifest themselves in any meaningful way on full-fledged (larger map) games.
Thus, a masterful demo was made at the expense of the larger picture.

Now, for Civ3, I would go so far as to suggest this:

"Dear Firaxis,

Please don't waste the time and expenses on a demo. Die-hard fans and most of the uninitiated will buy the game anyway, and solid reviews and fan buzz will do the rest. Not doing a demo should save immense time and hassle, avoiding the focus on the early game aspects to the loss of the end game.

However, if a demo is a marketing must-have, PLEASE watch the end game. The A.I. in SMAC goes brain dead towards the middle and later game. Infinite Range missiles start popping up once the technology and resources are amply developed...particularly on a HUGE map (please test HUGE maps).

I, for one, would readily trade away a Civ3 demo if it meant that you guys could focus on the larger picture and make the game challenging and solid from start to finish".

Maybe we should start an anti-demo demo.
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