Alpha Centauri / Call to Power: My opinion

[Red Trotskyite]

Imran: --Of course, he is going to biased, but good points are brought out by his argument.--

Like what? How to make an illogical marketing advertisement in 4 easy steps?

--This group is untested in the TBS realm.--

As I recall, weren't Reynolds "the Great," and Meier "the Almighty," relatively untested when the latter made Civilization and the former Civilization II? And yet we can both agree these are wonderful games (albiet with flaws). Is then the fallacy in this so-called "good point" of your fearless leader clear?

Wait a minute! This is Imran I'm talking to, of course not. While arguably less ludicrous then assuming game balancing and AI will suffer due to an increase in unit types, the assumption that the teams experience in TBS will take away from their making a good game is obviously trivial.

They seem very dedicated and they may in fact pull off a much better game than BRAC (yes that's right, Imran, it's quite possible, shield your virgin eyes if you must that you might not read this). And it is self evident that, for all his arrogance, Reynolds and his team might very well fail to create a successful follow-up to their last effort.

Certainly it has happened before, where original creators of a hit could not follow it up with a decent sequel, in both games and movies. Therefore the Star Wars analogy your great leader makes is laughable, it serves only to stroke his own ego.

And it's very annoying when an individual with this pretentious way about him comes and makes arrogant statements in the interests of marketing.

That said, when the SMAC demo comes out I'll see for myself whether or not I like the game. Hopefully there will be a CTP demo when CTP is ready as well. I am happy that Firaxis sees fit to offer a demo...although the scope of the demo remains in question. I hope Activision does the same.

--And, because of the hostile reaction I have recieved, I might not get CTP now.--

We're crushed... really.

--You people have turned me off of it.--

Absolutely hearbroken... can't you tell? Really Imran, it's your loss not ours (no Imran to deal with on multiplayer... ah the grass looks green again).

--I know that is not a good reason, but it is reason enough for me.--

That should be your credo, Imran, that line of reasoning permeates every post you make and probably every thought you have.

Red Trotskyite,
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

[Colon™]

There are very few people who can discuss things with such a spirit like you, Red.
You succied in making all posts, even about games, into a whole legendary statement that crushes all other opinions like they came from small childeren.

[mrtemba]

notice mr. reynolds has yet to respond...

Mr. Temba
Save the Manatees

[Colon™]

I think the guy forgot that he ever posted here.

[Shah of Persia]

OH NOOOOOOO000000000000OOOOOOOOOOO0000000OOOOOOOOOOO! !!!
Imran isn't gonna buy CTP??? How else can I then beat the crap out of him??? How else can I take my anger out on him???
Any ideas people? How else can I KILL him?

[Colon™]

Buy SMAC instead, when he discovers that you have bought it too, he'll decide to buy CTP to avoid confrontation.
Afterwards buy CTP, by this he cannot flee anymore.
Unless he buys Imperialism II ofcourse ...

[Mentat]

This is the second time Brian Reynolds has posted on these C:CTP forums, and the last time he never replied either. I don't think that he ever reads this board, only posts (not that I think he ought to). I'm only saying that maybe you shouldn't waste your time trying to get his attention. I could be wrong though--maybe he visits all the time.

By the way, this may be a stupid question, but is Sid Meiers even working on SMAC? He's been moved around so much recently, that I can't remember where he's working. Red here, keeps calling it BRAC.

[Starchild]

Imran isn't going to buy CtP.
I was never planning on buying SMAC.
Once again, I am amazed at how the universe keeps everything in balance.

[stalker]

If BRAC spelling is [brak] - in Russian it means thing that stopped before leave the factory because of quality control, i.e. not good thing, corrupted.

[Klaus]

To Stalker:
Your post is delicious.
(I laughed in about 3 minutes after reading it)
thanx
klaus

[Apocalypse]

I laughed for 3 minutes too! But for another reason.

Its SMACABRD, not BRAC. Its really funny when people try to make jokes, but they are really just putting down themselves.

[stalker]

Especially for Apocalypse:

If SMAC spelling is [smak] - in Russian it means delicious thing (sleng word) i.e. "I ate yesterday something, it was smac".

How deep did I put myself now?

Maybe SMAC aka BRAC aka SMACABRD (what does that last mean, could anyone explain to me?) is very good game. I trust you, but anyway I don't like that one. It's like I don't like honey, nothing personally.

[St Leo]

SMACABRD = Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri A Brian Reynolds Design

[Drakenred]

LOL

frankly my dear, after playing SMAC for 2 days then moving one saved game to the ZIP files to finish it up when i finaly buy Smack(probably AFTER spring break now) i Realy dont give a damn fo Brians Arogance.

unless the Games a hell of a lot better than the demo i may smack-a-bird off my hardrive faster than Hexplore.

[Drakenred]

now that i saw my own post, i have to state that the typo (leaving the word "take" off just befor Smac-a-Bird) works a whole lot beter than what i MENT to say

[Doctor T]

Brian, when it comes out, I'll challenge you to a game of CTP. Not that I'm saying I'm not gonna buy SMAC (fawn, fawn!!), it's just that I reckon you would wipe the floor with me before I even made Planetfall!

[connorkimbro]

I have to say i was MOST dissapointed with Mr. Renyolds post. . it clearly seems as if he is trying to slander CTP before it comes out. I'll also say that i am skeptical a bit about call to power and some of its new ideas. . (whats up with the cow unit anyway???. . i sure am glad that got scrapped). . for the MOST part, i'm really excited about it. I'll maybe also get SMAC, but i'm not looking forward to it in the same way. . it just doesn't appeal to me as much. AND, a question. . what IS CIV:TOT? is it a new game or an add on?. . i havn't been able to find out anything about it. .

[Domk]

I played the smac demo and it sucked.I hated it and i am not buying smac.Now i moved on to CTP it looks better and i think it is better.I totaly underestimated the potential of CTP.Now i know that it could be a great game.


I use to be a smac fanatic but now i saw the light.

[St Leo]

I played the SMAC demo and it rocked. I loved it and therefore am buying SMAC. Now I moved off CtP as it seems like a flop. I totaly underestimated the potential of SMAC. Now I realize that it could be the next GREAT game. I used to be a CtP fanatic but now I've seen the light.:-)

[Chuckles]

I think you need a smac upside the head.

[Beefcake]

Oh, I get it! You said the same thing as Domk but switched the words CTP and SMAC! That was pretty cool.

In case you couldn't tell, I was being sarcastic.

[scipio]

I will tell you why I am not going to buy SMAC or whatever the hell you want to call it. Activision is giving me a free copy of Call to Power. Now if i were to be given a free copy of SMAC, then I would have to play it too. Money makes the world go 'round my friends.

Ok Ok, I would have bought CTP anyway. It is going to be awesome!

[St Leo]

So what did you people not like about the game? It had the magic spark of CivII in a new setting with cool units and fantastic mood.:-)

[Beefcake]

All true, minus the magic spark and the fantastic mood part. It was like playing a not so imaginative conversion. Like in QuakeII where people could make conversions, and they are only cool for a little bit because it is a change from the regular game. A week later you have to reinstall QuakeII to get that stuff off.

[EntropyW]

This is all moot before the actual games come out.

[Slax]

Seems to me this is the "Civ comparison" section of the forum, and thus Mr Reynolds has every right to make his case. He makes a has a good point. It would not take much, an improperly balanced Wonder, or a poor unit or two to make CTP (or SMAC) unaddictive. Without playing the games, comparison of the teams behind them is logical. I don't buy many games, I bought CIV II, but so far I don't think I'll buy either sequel, at least for quite a while after release.

Just my 2 cents.

[Beefcake]

In another thread, MarkG said Gamestats allows only one advertisement per page. :>

[TCO]

OK, Bri. Here is my take, which I also tried putting out to you guys on the old preUBB firaxis board.

Imagine George Lucas with those same copyright infringement problems...deciding that he would try to cash in on the Star Wars mystique by putting Alec Guiness and Mark Hamill into a Wild West "revolution." Well despite the legal and ethical concerns, (Don't tell me you can't think of them) the biggest concern from an artistic standpoint is the dynamic tension between the desire to feed off Star Wars popularity in Western drag and to properly explore the novel possibilities of a Western story. Get my drift?

[Panda]

I think that Mr. Reynolds is just afraid that CTP might just be a good product and his ego can't stand the thought. I too will probably buy both to make my own comparisions, but I think we would all expect much higher standards from SMAC because of their long pedigree in the genre, but I secretly think it'll just be a re-hash of Civ (albeit a prettified and playable re-hash), whilst I'm hoping that CTP will be more original in game concepts.

Honestly: learn from each other. You're essentially both approaching the same problem from different angles. Both can be equally valid. Just be honest enough to admit that some of your ideas may be less than perfect in comparison to another's

[King Clovis]

Everyone, Bryan has fled the thread due to overwhelming hatred and overpowering oppostion.

H\Who wants to follow bryan Reynolds after he insulted CTP. I will never by that game, I will never by a Sid Meier/Bryan Reynolds game again.

Metat, Red Trotskyite, Colon, Beefcake, Quintirus, Robi, YYYH, and all members of this forum who appose Bryan Reynolds, let us unite against the common threat, Alpha Centurian.