What is your Major question for CTP2?

answers would help focus the main preview on the "big issues"....

Is the money realistic, as in, does it come in the million, billions, trillions?

and is the population realistic, like would it be possible to get 1.2 billion ppl, like china?

quote: Originally posted by ContradictioN on 11-11-2000 07:08 PM Is the money realistic, as in, does it come in the million, billions, trillions? and is the population realistic, like would it be possible to get 1.2 billion ppl, like china?

these are your MAJOR questions about the game???????

[Drakenred]

i would tend to be more interested in a view of a negotiation sestion between you and the AI, from start to finish,

your impresion of the individual WotW and FoWs you have gotten so far,

your inpresion of the "Fix" aplied to units to eliminate Phalanx Vs Battleship-Phalanx Vs Tank problems

also,(in general) how far into the game have you gotten?

[Monkey]

Those are minor things ContraDiction.

My questions:

1) Will Activision continue support of this game AFTER release even if it bombs in sales? Example: new downloadble scenarios, new graphics etc etc

2) How does CTP2 compare with the current benchmark in civ games, SMAC? How does it compare to the granddaddy, civ2? Was it everything CTP was supposed to be? Did they take all the annoyances of CTP away?

3) Based on the current state of CTP2, will it turn into a successful franchise?

[Dida]

My main questions are
How is the AI, are they any smarter? How do they do in Diplomacy? Are they as stupid as they were in CTP1? I meant, the Diplomacy system is completly new, and we got tons of new features, but these are garbage if AI don't cooperate.

[Daniel Frappier]

1) Is the AI a good chalenge & playfull both on the terrain and in negociation.

2) How are the tools for snenario making, I know it's not you're specialty but maybe you could browse them and give us you're feeling.

3) How is the end of game replay, is it in the game, comparable to Civ I ?

4) How is the new model for city radius & trade working out for you ?

[hexagonian]

Several AI-related issues...

Is the AI capable of launching a concerted assault to take back one of its cities it lost?

Can the AI launch a major amphibeous assault, originating from a distant location and then reinforce its holdings with sea transports?

Does it stack slavers with its armies?

[Nazgul]

Salutation,

Is the concept of "Blitzkrieg" feasable in CTP2.

From what i understand of the "Blitzkrieg" (or Lightning War)is that it require Tanks + Motorized Infantery + Airpower and/or Motorized Artillery.

In CTP i couldn't create a true "Blitzkrieg" concept since there was no concept of Motorized Infantery and Artillery. Therefore if you starcked artillery or infantery with your tanks you were slowing down all the stack thus preventing any fast attack in enemy territory (unless you sticked with roads)

From the latest screenshot (preview day 5) i did notice the presence of what seems to be motorized artillery (A truck with some kind of a cannon or missile)

So what about Motorized Infantery?

Nazgul

[Nazgul]

quote: Originally posted by hexagonian on 11-11-2000 08:22 PM Can the AI launch a major amphibeous assault, originating from a distant location and then reinforce its holdings with sea transports?

If CTP2 AI is able to come close to something like that, i will have to raise my hat to whoever coded that AI

Personnaly i will be happy if the AI is just able to cross the sea.

In CTP1 once i was on an island the only thing i had to worry about was the enemy settlers and the occasionnal stealth unit.

Nazgul

well, i've put aside my first game(although i want to end it to see well, how it ends ) and started a new one on impossible(deity) level
so far i've survived...

[Tical_2000]

Mark, I know this is not a MAJOR question (so you probably won't answer it) but anyways i was wondering, can u make 'empty' threats to civs. I mean, when you threatened war against the Brazilians, when they refuse, are you automatically at war with them or do you then have to choose whether to follow through? Just wondering.

[Triphosphatase]

Was Medium difficulty too easy for you? Report back on Deity. I hope Deity is actually 'Impossible' instead of 'Hard in the beginning, but will become very easy once you conquer one civ'.

[Ralf]

In Civ-2/SMAC i often had only 2-3 city-guarding units, and perhaps 3-5+ attack-units to conquer a single enemy-city.
In CTP-2 there seems to be a need for building pretty big and well-balanced 8-12+ unit armies to be able to achieve anything at all. I can see why increased 800-1000 turns can be helpful here.

- Does it cost just as many turns/resorces to build any average single military-unit in CTP-2, comparing with any average unit in Civ-2/SMAC?

Many players (including the AI) seems to overemphasize food-production and large city-population (good or bad - thats subjective, i know). I tend to emphasize somewhat smaller cities and have upto 30-40% of the tiles as forrest/mined hills.

- Can i tweak the AI to work towards the same 30-40% resource emphasize - not only through mayors, but also how the AI manage its own AI-controlled cities?

- Is it just as difficult to control big 20-25+ cities in CTP-2 compared with Civ-2/SMAC?
- Is it easier to build these mega-cities? I coudnt help noticing many really big cities, despite the fact that many of its city-area tiles wasnt cultivated.

About government-related max-limits on number of cities, and on overall empire-sizes:

- Any max numbers of cities per government type?
- Any government-related indevidual city-grow limits?
- Does happiness-problems get an increasingly bigger (and finally, almost unsolvable) problem with 30, 40, 50, 60+ empire-cities? Any practical limits? How big can an empire be without self-destruct?

About "settler-mania" (this is a MAJOR issue for me). What im aiming at is the strategy of building settlers, settler and almost only settlers early on (with some early wonders thrown in here and were) until i get at least 20-25 cities - and THEN starting to cultivate these cities, by adding city-improvements and terrain-improvememts. I dont like that and i hope CTP-2 have rules to combate this.

- How many undeveloped cities (without any, or very few city-improvements) can i build early on , before i *must* build more city-improvements? Is there any improvement-related limits on unrealistic super-fast empire expansion?

About the increased amount of game-turns: Any opinion how that affects the overall pace of the game? To the better? This particullar question you can answer in Preview: Day 6 or 7, if you prefer that.

quote: Originally posted by Tical_2000 on 11-11-2000 11:40 PM Mark, I know this is not a MAJOR question (so you probably won't answer it) but anyways i was wondering, can u make 'empty' threats to civs. I mean, when you threatened war against the Brazilians, when they refuse, are you automatically at war with them or do you then have to choose whether to follow through? Just wondering.

oh yes! threats are just words...

btw, i'm not sure if it means something for the regards of other towards you if you threaten war and then go to war. it is certain though that it means a lot if you attack someone without declaring war on him first. if you dont, everyone's regard towards you lowers...

quote: Originally posted by Triphosphatase on 11-12-2000 02:39 AM Was Medium difficulty too easy for you?

well, i only created a recognizable difference from the others in 1900's, and i still have less techs from a few civs

quote: Originally posted by Ralf on 11-12-2000 02:52 AM In CTP-2 there seems to be a need for building pretty big and well-balanced 8-12+ unit armies to be able to achieve anything at all. I can see why increased 800-1000 turns can be helpful here.

oh yes, it is quite often to be against 6-10 units when you attack a city. bombarding a city before attacking it is the only way to go(of course you can attack directly with 2-3 stacks if you like )

quote: - Does it cost just as many turns/resorces to build any average single military-unit in CTP-2, comparing with any average unit in Civ-2/SMAC?

i would say it takes the same time spent on the game

quote: - Can i tweak the AI to work towards the same 30-40% resource emphasize - not only through mayors, but also how the AI manage its own AI-controlled cities?

perhaps. there are texts file for the building lists and the tile improvements according to the mayor choice. not sure if the ai uses them for itself as well, but i guess it does

quote: - Is it just as difficult to control big 20-25+ cities in CTP-2 compared with Civ-2/SMAC?

you mean city of 20-25 size or 20-25 cities?

quote: - Is it easier to build these mega-cities? I coudnt help noticing many really big cities, despite the fact that many of its city-area tiles wasnt cultivated.

well, if you consider that my own cites were at about 16-17 and the ai had a few 26 size cities...

quote: - Any max numbers of cities per government type?

still exist. it is shown on the national manager, on the goverment selection tab

quote: - Any government-related indevidual city-grow limits?

dont think so

quote: - Does happiness-problems get an increasingly bigger (and finally, almost unsolvable) problem with 30, 40, 50, 60+ empire-cities? Any practical limits? How big can an empire be without self-destruct?

didnt get over 35 in the first game. i'll try to go back to it later...

quote: About "settler-mania" (this is a MAJOR issue for me). What im aiming at is the strategy of building settlers, settler and almost only settlers early on

due to the fact that the city are can now be much bigger you will either accept that you will have small sized cities or you have to find lots of lots of space. and if you're not alone on the continent you will have to remember the existance of borders

quote: - How many undeveloped cities (without any, or very few city-improvements) can i build early on, before i *must* build more city-improvements? Is there any improvement-related limits on unrealistic super-fast empire expansion?

well monarchy, republic and theocracy have a 20 cities limit(tyranny is at 10). you have to wait for fascism and communism for more(35)

quote: About the increased amount of game-turns: Any opinion how that affects the overall pace of the game? To the better?

at first i thought it would take much more time. the thing is though that larger armies, build queues and mayors can make the game much shorter than what a 800-turn civ2 game would be

[Ralf]

Thanks MarkQ for the detailed responses! I realize that it can be pretty timeconsuming to answer all these questions that we all have. Its appreciated.

quote: Originally posted by MarkG on 11-12-2000 05:22 AM [QUOTE]- Is it just as difficult to control big 20-25+ cities in CTP-2 compared with Civ-2/SMAC?

you mean city of 20-25 size or 20-25 cities?

Reply: I mean any indevidual 25+ city.

quote: - How many undeveloped cities (without any, or very few city-improvements) can i build early on, before i *must* build more city-improvements? Is there any improvement-related limits on unrealistic super-fast empire expansion?

well monarchy, republic and theocracy have a 20 cities limit(tyranny is at 10). you have to wait for fascism and communism for more(35)

Reply: I didnt ask for the government-related limits. I was wondering if there is city-improvement -related limits as well. For example:

- To expand beyond 6 cities; you must build a temple in city 1 to 6.
- To expand beyond 12 cities; you must build temples in city 1 to 12 and marketplaces in at least 6 of them.
- To expand beyond 18 cities; you must build a temple in city 1-18, marketplaces in 12 of them and courthouses in 6 of them.

The configuration temple + marketplace + courthouse is the barebone minimum configuration you have to build in order to expand beyond any 24 > 30 > 36 city empire limits.

Above could be tweakable through the .txt-files; You could choose something else, or [None] if you dont like the idea. Above should of course affect human and AI alike.

If the answer is NO - their arent any such limits: you can, after quickly discovered Monarchy, spray 20 settlers to build 20 cities, and THEN start to build and cultivate them with improvements.

Thats basically semi-ICS!

[This message has been edited by Ralf (edited November 12, 2000).]

[Dauphin]

What is the economic-scientific relationship like in the game?

In CTP building economic improvements tended to give a bigger scientific bonus than scientific improvements.

quote: Originally posted by Ralf on 11-12-2000 06:33 AM Thanks MarkQ...

sorry, this post might appear as a bit off-topic but.... isn't his name MarkG? perhaps you mixed him up with DanQ, Ralf? )

sorry for this off-topic post again... don't intend to threadjack this...

[Ralf]

quote: Originally posted by Andz83 on 11-12-2000 07:31 AM sorry, this post might appear as a bit off-topic but.... isn't his name MarkG? perhaps you mixed him up with DanQ, Ralf? )

Oops! Well, what can i say?

quote: Originally posted by Big Crunch on 11-12-2000 06:40 AM What is the economic-scientific relationship like in the game? In CTP building economic improvements tended to give a bigger scientific bonus than scientific improvements.

i remember someone from the team saying that has been changed

quote: Originally posted by Ralf on 11-12-2000 06:33 AM I mean any indevidual 25+ city.

one problem i have seen is with pollution. i conquered a 26 size city with a communistic goverment. as a result, it started producing lots of pollution creating dead tiles around it. where i left the game i'm in a rush to discover recycling plants...

quote: I was wondering if there is city-improvement -related limits as well. For example: - To expand beyond 6 cities; you must build a temple in city 1 to 6. - To expand beyond 12 cities; you must build temples in city 1 to 12 and marketplaces in at least 6 of them. - To expand beyond 18 cities; you must build a temple in city 1-18, marketplaces in 12 of them and courthouses in 6 of them.

nothing like that

quote: if the answer is NO - their arent any such limits: you can, after quickly discovered Monarchy, spray 20 settlers to build 20 cities, and THEN start to build and cultivate them with improvements. Thats basically semi-ICS!

first of all, by the time you build 20 settlers(or more accurate 10 as you will probably reach to 10-cities limit of tyranny, right?) you already have discovered monarchy
second, so you get 20 cities? and then what? 35-cities govs(fascism, communism) are far away, and conquering foreign cities will mean trouble

No one is talking about the intelligence (spying) side of things.... is it like SMAC, with infiltrators, or is it like civ2? is is balanced, realisitic and (most importantly) fun?

------------------
"And it was destined that he should fall before the mighty hoof of our Lord and King of Spain."
-Francisco Pizzaro, 1534

[markusf]

How long does it take to play a game.

How long does it take to play a multiplayer game????????

Its it turned based still in MP play?

[Sorn Xorin]

Just had a look at a review of CTP2 with a pic of the Earth map. The map seems rather small, does the map come in multiple sizes or is that it. (it looks smaller than the world map they chucked in for CTP1)

See below link to see what I mean
http://pcmedia.ign.com/media/news/im...Pworldmap2.jpg

[TheBirdMan]

3 things:

AI invasions (has been mentioned by others). Test harder - can it (the AI) do it?????

AI defend. Does the AI still get confused if you use a strong task-force and "cut" through its frontline and attack its cities from "inside"?

AI settlements. The AI used to settle on "solid land". Only in desparation for land, you could get it to settle on islands. Else most settlements were made by luck (a city or a settler in a ruin on that island).

[Tiberius]

My first big question is related with trade:
Is trade important ?

Because maybe it's a little hard to answer such an question, I'll add a some minor questions:
- making lots of trade routes adds a lot (and I mean A LOT) of money to the treasury?
- does exist a threat like "... or I stop trading with you!" and if exists, does it scare the AI ?
- can you call a trade embargo? I mean, make a request to ALL civs to stop trading with an agressor?
- does a lot of trading between 2 nations improve the diplomatic relations between them?
- is there any other aspect of economy other than trading in the game?
- the traded goods have any other use than the trade route itself (money)?
- are there any new units/city improvements/wonders related to the economy?
- is it possible to help building a wonder with caravans?
- does tourism appear in CTP2 (for the purpose of gold income, of course)?

Finally : can I win the game only trading? (and of course defending my borders ). Can I play Switzerland (or Taiwan, or Hong Kong or somebody like that)?
Btw, it reminds me: can a civ be neutral?

That's it for now. Additional related questions are also wellcomed

Thanks Markos.

P.S. I've just seen the Statistic screen. How is the economic rank calculated?

[This message has been edited by Tiberius (edited November 13, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Tiberius (edited November 13, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Tiberius (edited November 13, 2000).]

[Tiberius]

Markos, please, please give us a screenshot with the battle, with modern units from only one side, AFTER the battle!

Please!
[This message has been edited by Tiberius (edited November 13, 2000).]

quote: Originally posted by Tiberius on 11-13-2000 03:28 AM Markos, please, please give us a screenshot with the battle, with modern units from only one side, AFTER the battle!

please explain what you mean
why only from one side?