[X] My Assistant

[silva]

Exactly. That's one aspect of Civ which has always made me a little bonkers. I really want to see A and B go to war because of a difference in beliefs, and for no other reason.

Play Alpha Centauri.

[nezumi]

I really prefer the historical setting of Civ. Plus, I'd like the ability to change ideological backgrounds to meet diplomatic situations. I guess I just want religion to carry more weight.

[Tanegar]

Play Alpha Centauri.

Well, really, everyone should play Alpha Centauri. It's an awesome game.

[Karoline]

Well, really, everyone should play Alpha Centauri. It's an awesome game.

Seconded.

Also, I find it funny how the other civ's leaders take the time out of their busy schedules to inform me that my army is weak. They don't actually take advantage of this fact to attack me, they just feel like telling me every so often.

I suppose it is true, given I only have a bit over a dozen units, and about half of them are brutes in the year 1600, but I make up for it by being the only power on my continent. But now I've gone and established a beachhead on France by taking a city-state. France's continent is about 3 times as big as mine, and contains about 5 times as many cities thanks to nearly all the civs having started there, and France having conquered and puppeted them.

My favorite part of the battle? My army is lead by an ex-scout turned crossbowman who heals 2 damage every turn, even when attacking, and has a +100% bonus to defense, on top of retaining the 'ignore movement penalties' ability. As soon as I finish railroads I'm going to work on rifling so I can up grade him to a rifleman and put his abilities to better use.

My current problem? Getting units to the beachhead. It is about 10 turns by boat (After I've spent several turns shipping them to the western part of my continent), and I need escorts to stop random barbarian ships capturing them. It is making progress over there currently non-existent. Oh well, flight is just over the horizon, I may wait till I can do air raids.

[silva]

Plus, I'd like the ability to change ideological backgrounds to meet diplomatic situations

Alpha Centauri has this too.

What is keeping me from trying Civ5 is the frustrated experience I had with Civ4 where most CPU controlled Civs soon or later group together to destroy you without any plausible in-setting reason, but for the sole purpose of not letting you/the player to win the game. The only Civ-type games that gave me a genuine feeling of "being there" - where CPU actions are backed up by actual in-setting motivations, and not purely gamist ones - were Alpha Centauri and Galactic Civilizations 2.

So, how is Civ5 in this aspect ?

[pbangarth]

Alpha Centauri has this too.

What is keeping me from trying Civ5 is the frustrated experience I had with Civ4 where most CPU controlled Civs soon or later group together to destroy you without any plausible in-setting reason, but for the sole purpose of not letting you/the player to win the game.
.....
So, how is Civ5 in this aspect ?

My experience of game AIs in the past has been that the 'artificial intelligence' is increased at higher levels not by making the program think better but by giving timing/power advantages to the machine-run opponents and getting them to gang up on the player's side sooner.

So, I wonder, too. Is Civ5 any different?

[Backgammon]

At difficulty King and onwards, the Ai is artificially boosted, but they don't gang up for the sake of ganging up. I've had a game-long good relationship with Russia, which in Civ 4 would eventually have fucked me arbitrarely. But now, the AI understands our friendship benefits us both.

[Karoline]

I'm still on a marathon game at prince level, but so far I haven't had the AI attacking me arbitrarily. Actually I've entered a few secret pacts against the 'apparent' super power in my world, France.

I have noticed that the AI seems to factor in military more than anything else when figuring out who the biggest threat is. It makes sense from one perspective, but they ignore the fact that I'm the most technology advanced, likely the most cultural, and despite my low city count, they are all exceedingly built up, with all 10+ populations (Compared to France who mostly has cities of 6 or less population). I also have enough gold stockpiled to pop up 2-3 top end units at a moment's notice (A huge potential advantage in marathon games where building a single unit can take 20+ turns).

Going to go back to it for a bit, now, can't wait to see if France or I wins, or if someone else manages an upset.

[nezumi]

So... How about Europa Universalis? Anyone with gripes against Civ have anything good or bad to say about EU?

[silva]

So... How about Europa Universalis? Anyone with gripes against Civ have anything good or bad to say about EU?

I say the two dont really compare.

Europa Universalis is a historical simulation series, while Civilization is a strategy series loosely based on history. In the first history is enforced as (almost) shackles; in the second history is not enforced at all, its (almost) just color.

I like both.



P.S: two of my favorite games of all-time are from these series - Arsenal of Democracy (the WW2 version of EU ) and Alpha Centauri (the Sci-fi version of Civ). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

[X-Kalibur]

The last Civ I played was... well... Civ. For the record, I still miss DOS.

That being said, I read mention of mechs and nukes so I may have to look into Civ 5 now. Although I doubt it will grab me as well as the original.

[hobgoblin]

The last Civ I played was... well... Civ. For the record, I still miss DOS.

dosbox?

[Doc Chase]

dosbox?

For the record, X-COM > Civ 1. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Wounded Ronin]

X Com is effing impenatrable. Then again I never owned the manual.

[X-Kalibur]

DOSBOX? I played Sid Meier's Civilization when it was relevant =P I used to actually run DOS.

Also yes, X-Com is quite possibly the best PC strategy game ever made. Especially with the patch to fix Super Human mode. (Also, you can buy it on Steam these days and it runs quite nicely)

[silva]

Also yes, X-Com is quite possibly the best PC strategy game ever made.

Together with Jagged Alliance 2, yes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[Doc Chase]

Together with Jagged Alliance 2, yes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

I would make a point of getting my fast h2h specialist captured so Eliott would leave the cell door unlocked and I could make a suicide strike on Dessie right there.

It was a hoot and a half, let me tell you.

[Tanegar]

*slap* "Elliot, you idiot!"

[Voran]

Oddly playing Civ 5 caused me to start playing a game I hadn't touched in ages, but had been sitting in my Steam Library: Sword of the Stars.

[Tanegar]

I have Sword of the Stars on Impulse. I wonder if the two versions are compatible?

[Voran]

Not sure, doubt it though. I have Sins of a Solar Empire on Impulse, haven't played it in awhile tho....

Heh, my Sword of the Stars game atm is pretty awesome, I got the option to research AI less than 15 turns into the game, which then opened up AI virus, AI fire control, industrial boost and financial boost. And I didn't trigger an AI rebellion. So in under the first 30 odd turns, I had a ridiculous buff to all future combat, industrial production, research, and money income. Some games I never get that lucky. Heck this one in general has been pretty awesome, as near as I can tell, i unlocked the best possible shields, armor, even boost abilities. In a way, it was like my Civ game, I've almost nearly cleaned out the entire research tree in under 115 turns or so, and my defensive ring around planets can pretty much hold off a fleet all by its lonesome, when I add a few cruisers and a dreadnaught, it gets ridiculous.

[nezumi]

For the record, X-COM > Civ 1. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

For the record... You're wrong (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

If they made X-Com about three times as fast, maybe they'd be comparable. But I spent so much time walking four steps at a go to make alternating columns, it just made me bonkers.

And then my saved game crashed because I engaged a downed ship while another ship was in pursuit mode.

[Wounded Ronin]

Gameplay more flexible than 4. Getting to last leg of my first game on chieftan.

[Doc Chase]

For the record... You're wrong (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

If they made X-Com about three times as fast, maybe they'd be comparable. But I spent so much time walking four steps at a go to make alternating columns, it just made me bonkers.

And then my saved game crashed because I engaged a downed ship while another ship was in pursuit mode.

For the record... Your face is wrong. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

I never had problems with my games when I was engaging downed ships while others were on pursuit.

I also never made columns - one good grenade toss and it was fission mailed. Did have a good pair of psychics stay in the carrier, and my guys with flying armor would bust in through the top, scout the enemy, and drop stuns to bring back prisoners. Anything that didn't get stunned got MC'd and would finish 'scouting' for me.

That was pretty late in the game, though. Early on was a scorched earth policy with laser rifles and tanks. DGIF. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[X-Kalibur]

For the record... Your face is wrong. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

I never had problems with my games when I was engaging downed ships while others were on pursuit.

I also never made columns - one good grenade toss and it was fission mailed. Did have a good pair of psychics stay in the carrier, and my guys with flying armor would bust in through the top, scout the enemy, and drop stuns to bring back prisoners. Anything that didn't get stunned got MC'd and would finish 'scouting' for me.

That was pretty late in the game, though. Early on was a scorched earth policy with laser rifles and tanks. DGIF. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Go and google the X-Com Let's Play. I promse that you'll thank me for it.