Beware of Civ3 But Not Exactly What You Think...

TechWins · October 10, 2001, 00:28

My whole intent on this thread is to not bash Civ3, for I feel Civ3 will be a fantastic game for myself at least, yet to show the dangers Civ3 may cause.

I am one who is fairly new (about a year in the making) to the Civ series, which in turn should mean that the game shall still be innovative and exciting to me. How much that excitement tears at my life is still unforseen but my I thought is that it will again be of great extent.

$10 of mine has already been invested into Civ3 with my purchase of the Civ3 Pre-Order. Although, the other $40 I will need to dish out (which is fair) to buy the game may not occur. The reasoning for me being unsure on buying Civ3 or not, is for my fear of what will happen to my life. Here's a quote from the "Making of the Civ3 Video" quote on quote "We've ruined your life again" quote unquote. Now do I, you, or anybody else what that to happen? Now one might think I'm joking or being sarcastic but this is a legible concern I have. Some around raise concerns around here of "what will I do to keep my girlfriend/wife happy, while I'm playing Civ3". If that is a concern I had I would not buy the game. For that is a concern I might have in the coming days. Even if some of you have raised those concerns in a jokingly matter you should still think twice about buying the game. You know Civ3 is going to fully occupy your life as soon as you buy and you won't be able to do anything about it. Myself I don't want to lose what appears to be the girl of my dreams (being completely honest about the girl being completely amazing) for some game. Ok, so maybe only the relationship will be damaged for some time being but for others you could lose somebody special. I'm being serious, this is a likely situation. Hypothetically you are supposed to call your gf at 8pm to talk to her but instead you are way too focused on defeating the Russians or your gf calls you at 8pm but you couldn't hear the phone because again you were way too focused on defeating the Russians. Now this may be no big deal most of the time but if it was important at the time or becomes a continuing situation. Basically my point is that everybody needs to think twice before buying Civ3!

My example of a gf/wife is only the tip of the iceberg in the part of your life that could be ruined or damaged. I may just be playing too much into this but it still seems some what probable. Maybe all the anticipation of playing Civ3 is gettnig to my head, I don't know. Either way everybody should think twice before buying Civ3; I will be taking into strong considerations the consequences of buying Civ3.

orange · October 10, 2001, 00:30

I've got University to think about

I am quite concerned.

yin26 · October 10, 2001, 00:39

The trick in life is this: All good things in moderation. If you can't handle a gf and Civ3 at the same time, chances are quite good you're going to have big problems with something else someday. So: Buy Civ3 but control youself. Regulate your playing time. If you gf is your priority, keep it that way but also play the game for 30 mins a day before sleeping, etc.

For me, in grad school, I had a great gf, full-time classes, two part-time jobs AND played lots and lots of computer games. I graduated Magna *** Laude. Mind you: I didn't have time to become an expert in any of the games I played, nor did I have time to make the best mods ever, etc., but I had a great time playing them...isn't that the point?

HINT: Keep your game time as a REWARD for handling all your 'real-life' issues for the day FIRST. I never played games until my paper was written, etc., and this helped push me to get the paper done early. That kind of thing.

yin26 · October 10, 2001, 00:39

What a joke: Magna C(u)m Laude is censored! Christ...

Willy · October 10, 2001, 00:43

I share the same worries as you orange.

Skanky Burns · October 10, 2001, 00:45

Yin has a point. If you cant control yourself with Civ 3, then you will find that you cant control yourself with many things. Speaking of which, im supposed to be working on my uni assignment at the moment...

TechWins · October 10, 2001, 00:52

Quote:

The trick in life is this: All good things in moderation. If you can't handle a gf and Civ3 at the same time, chances are quite good you're going to have big problems with something else someday. So: Buy Civ3 but control youself. Regulate your playing time. If you gf is your priority, keep it that way but also play the game for 30 mins a day before sleeping, etc.

Ok...I won't be able to have fun playing Civ3 for just 30 minutes a day. I will need to play at least a few hours a day to have fun playing it.

During the weekdays I only get around 3-7 hours of sleep depending. I have 7 classes for school ( an A hour on top of my original 6), which gives me a ton of homework. I'm going to be getting a job here soon...give me even less time. I spend about 30 minutes a day writing e-mails to important people to me. My sister and my baby nephew are coming in from Louisiana to visit for a while, which means more time with them less time doing other stuff. Hopefully I will be having (don't mean that in an object sense) a gf here soon. I work out everyday after school on top of working out at school in weight training, very tiring. Still being able to hang out with friends. Now throwing Civ3 into the mix of this could be very difficult. As much as I would love to play Civ3 I think I might have other things going on in my life that are more important to me.

My whole point is not to show my situation but to let people realize how Civ3 might effect their life. A question everybody needs to ask themselves, what am I willing to sacrifice so I can play Civ3?

yin26 · October 10, 2001, 00:56

I'm not willing to sacrifice anything other than T.V. time and a little sleep. I'm married now and have a little daughter, and she is my priority when I go home after work. There ARE times in life when things are just too busy and it becomes almost impossible to enjoy computer games.

My advice: Wait, like I am, for the Gold Edition several months from now. All the good stuff will be in it at a low price, and hopefully you'll have more free time then.

TechWins · October 10, 2001, 01:02

Well, congratulations on your marriage and your daughter or good luck or whatever nice thing I'm supposed to say.

See you just aren't willing to make the sacrifice (like you were going to anyways

) to play Civ3. People need to be warned in the sacrifices they will need to make.

Thanks for the advice for how ever much it may be worth.

yin26 · October 10, 2001, 01:09

Well, as we know: My advice is even worse than worthless...following it will probably cost you. And thanks for the thanks or whatever post-thanks I should give.

Chuckles · October 10, 2001, 03:23

Well if I play Civ3 24/7 instead of Diablo2 what's the difference. It will be all the same to my gf anyway.

Sarxis · October 10, 2001, 04:01

Tech: and I'm seriously supposed to take your warning to heart? I have posted about 300 messages here at Apolyton over the last two weeks; I think I am beyond the point of 'CIV' return.

August Borms · October 10, 2001, 04:03

I dropped out of university after not even 3 weeks so I'll have plenty of time to play Civ3 without sacrificing anything

Grim Legacy · October 10, 2001, 08:16

Quote:

Originally posted by yin26
The trick in life is this: All good things in moderation. If you can't handle a gf and Civ3 at the same time, chances are quite good you're going to have big problems with something else someday. So: Buy Civ3 but control youself. Regulate your playing time. If you gf is your priority, keep it that way but also play the game for 30 mins a day before sleeping, etc.

For me, in grad school, I had a great gf, full-time classes, two part-time jobs AND played lots and lots of computer games. I graduated Magna *** Laude. Mind you: I didn't have time to become an expert in any of the games I played, nor did I have time to make the best mods ever, etc., but I had a great time playing them...isn't that the point?

HINT: Keep your game time as a REWARD for handling all your 'real-life' issues for the day FIRST. I never played games until my paper was written, etc., and this helped push me to get the paper done early. That kind of thing.

Though your message is reasonable, it presupposes that there is a clear distinction between being able to muster the discipline to 'handle' a game like Civ and the rest of ones life, and not being able to. This is in fact a fallacy.
It cannot be denied that it is virtually impossible to deal with any thing in ones life in such a way that it can be detached from the rest, or at least not causing interference.
Let me use your 30mins before bedtime example: it is perfectly acceptable to you or your significant others maybe, but it might not be for others ("why do you insist on playing that stupid game every night!"). Even if it were, there will be an impact on yourself: despite being absorbed in the game, you force yourself to go to sleep. Speaking out of my own experience with near-bedtime gaming: you may sleep badly, dreaming about Civ and beating the Russians etc.

In other words...there will always be *some* impact. Maybe not as disastrous as Techwins feared, but that which remains should not be downplayed.

drake · October 10, 2001, 08:26

I play civ 2 religously, once a week. Civ 3 won't be any different. One night a week will be reserved for civ.

LaRusso · October 10, 2001, 08:49

yeah, magna orgasm laude would be much better LOL

yin26 · October 10, 2001, 08:51

Quote:

In other words...there will always be *some* impact. Maybe not as disastrous as Techwins feared, but that which remains should not be downplayed.

Sure. There's an impact to eating and taking a shower, too. Lord. It's a silly computer game. If you take it that seriously, something is wrong. For however I seem to get riled up here sometimes, it's all just blowing off steam and enjoying life.

yin26 · October 10, 2001, 08:52

"magna orgasm laude"

LOL! FUNNY!

Sarxis · October 10, 2001, 10:18

Quote:

Originally posted by drake
I play civ 2 religously, once a week. Civ 3 won't be any different. One night a week will be reserved for civ.

I admire your discipline. That, or you have a job.

I play PC games pretty much all the time, and CivIII will be filling up a great deal of my day.

redstar1 · October 10, 2001, 10:54

I have a job, a gf, thinking about moving house etc. Its possible to have all of these and still enjoy computer games for a good few hours a day. In recent years however I've found myself playing less and less, mostly because I have other responsbilities, also because i have found other things to do. I'm 25, maybe older than some of you guys who play games all day every day. I was like that once and hell it was fun! One thing I would say though is that try and make it your goal to have other distractions. One thing I regret about University was that I'd be playing CIVII, Grand Prix etc when I should have been enjoying myself with other people, or concentrating on my Uni work more.

Basically what I'm trying to say is enjoy games but try to acheive something else, it is much more rewarding in the end.

Dave

Provost Harrison · October 10, 2001, 11:23

Well I have been playing civ games for many years and I think I am a lot better at self regulating than I used to be. I still have time though as well; I am not in a long term relationship nor is my work life especially taxing (I am a PhD student so I just work during the daytimes and make sure everything is done).

But yeah, civ is damn addictive, it has been my drug of choice for many many years

I have spent a lot of time playing civ, yeah, but on the other hand, it has also saved me from extreme boredom on many occassions when I was younger, and as that old adage goes: 'Light hands make the devils work'. I have managed to fit everything in, got a good education, an Oxford degree and a social life yet still enjoy a good game of civ now and again. Hell, at least it isn't smoking or heroin, and it isn't the same downward spiral. With a bit of training, you can do it in moderation, and hell, use the eagerness to play to cheer up a sad and miserable day...

I will get the game, as after being in the lab all day, it is a great way to unwind and vent on some poor other nation

ajbera · October 10, 2001, 11:32

Techwins, you have to learn to prioritize. You have a busy schedule, and you may have to make some sacrifices to play, but think hard about your sacrifices. Don't skip schoolwork to play (I would, were I still in college, but I still wouldn't recommend it), and if this lady is as spectacular as you feel, don't sacrifice time spent with her (as wonderful as Civ3 will hopefully be, it doesn't hold a candle to a (near) perfect woman.) However, if she is really terrific, she won't feel snubbed if you want to spend some time playing. My gf will happily do her own thing while I play games, but I'm lucky enough to have the best gf in the world

.

I have sacrificed sleep for a good game. I have also struggled to complete some work at the last minute because I was playing games when I should have been working. It seems you will already have to shuffle your existing duties to make time for your visiting family. After their departure, you can allocate that time back to what it was originally spent doing, or you can play Civ with it. You may want to give up an hour of sleep to play, or every other workout session. I've lost God knows how many hours that could have been spent reading (one of my most favorite pasttimes) playing Half-life and Civ2; looking ahead, I see more hours of my life whittled away by Civ3, Neverwinter Nights and the Baldurs Gate games. Luckily, my job gives me plenty of free time, and my girlfriend is still happy to do her own thing when I'm amusing myself. I just try to make certain my work doesn't suffer, and that I let my gf know all the time how damn lucky I am to have her. So, I've sacrificed some reading time and some sleeping time to play my games. C'est la vie.

Steve Clark · October 10, 2001, 11:56

I remember yin and I discussing this before and I agreed with him then as a I do now. I am 41 yrs old, with a wife (and full-time mom) and a 4 yr old boy. When I go home, it is my turn with him until he goes to bed at 7. My playtime, as it has been in the past 5-6 years, is from 7-9/10 most nights. That's an average of 14 hours per week and 60 hours per month. There are about 7 games that I like to play on a rotation basis and most of them takes about the usual 20-30 hours to play. (That's one reason why I have never accepted the invitations to join in on a Civ2 MP game).

Even with Civ3, my playtime WILL/CAN NOT alter. I'll play for a few weeks at first, then rotate something else in to give me a break, and then it'll be back Civ3 (hopefully some scenarios will have been developed by then). So in other words, I don't view Civ3 as any different than any other games that I have bought and added to my rotation list. Even if for some reason, Civ3 doesn't take hold, I certainly got plently of other games to keep me busy during my limited playtime.

Apart from my frustration with those here who do not understand the power and functionalities of customization, I also react against those that makes this game (or any other game) an all-consuming event in their lives. Act like Civ3 is a privilege and bonus, instead of a necessity.

Asesino_Virtual · October 10, 2001, 12:09

Ohhh, shout up Tech. Just buy the fu**ing game and play. U will find the way to balance ur life. Perhaps u will have to leave some stuff, but, what the heck! is CIV3 what we are talking about. Chicks come and go as buses. Do what uncle Asesino says, go and get it!.

HalfLotus · October 10, 2001, 12:10

Firaxis has to be loving this thread. People are afraid that they wont be able to keep themselves from playing the game constantly and destroying their lives.
Be afraid, be very afraid.

Alex · October 10, 2001, 12:31

Ok, this thread is not supposed to be taken seriously, is it?

Hmm... I am married and I have a job. My wife hates computer games. Somehow, I could find a balance and managed to get some time to play the games I like (just like SC, I play a lot of games on a rotation basis).

But the trick, as Yin pointed out... uh... err...

No, I cannot take this thread seriously. Sorry.

Unspeakable Horror · October 10, 2001, 14:05

Quote:

Be afraid, be very afraid.

I am afraid

I have to study for my finals at the unversity!
(1° year Medicine)

What I´m supposed to do?
Perhaps I can use CivIII to stay awake at night... and study when the AI moves...

cassembler · October 10, 2001, 14:36

Quote:

Myself I don't want to lose what appears to be the girl of my dreams for some game.

Yeah I lost a girl 'cause of SMAC, but that was a conscious decision. (It's better than "Hey baby, I slept with some chick last night, I think, I'm not sure") If you have to make a tough decision between a video game and a chick, the chick's probably not any better that the other thousands that you could be with. My decision was easy.

Quote:

My example of a gf/wife is only the tip of the iceberg in the part of your life that could be ruined or damaged.

Welcome to adulthood. It doesn't ever get any easier.

Ahhhhh... You have a valid complaint, my friend, but if you play games, it's part of your personality and lifestyle. If your friends/ sig. others don't understand that you just feel like staying home tonight, then politely remind them that you've killed someone before (jk). My current girlfriend and I call it "Cave Time," while hers is called "Shopping Time." Of course, you can't spend 24/7/365 playing video games... you'll die.

Quote:

"Some vices miss what is right because they are deficient, other becasue they are excessive, in feelings or in actions, while virtue finds and chooses the mean." -Aristotle (Ref: SMAC)

connorkimbro · October 10, 2001, 14:40

if your so undisciplined that you honestly cannot control your desire to play civ to the point that it ruins your relationships, your work habits, etc, then you are a pathetic individual indeed. Learn to frickin control yourself man.

I mean yeah, if you can't control yourself, then don't buy the game. And also, check yourself into a mental hospital.

TechWins · October 10, 2001, 18:33

Thanks to everybody who gave me for advice, but I really don't need it. My time schedule is completely under control and it will stay that way with or without Civ3. (most likely "with" come Nov 1) Those of you who for some reason were born with a mental difficiency that make you uncompatible with certain discussions among humans, shut up!

A large based amount of misinterpretation has taken place in this thread. That may be my fault, though, by my poor explaining of the situation I have and also the poor explanation of my preaching. Insight of clearing all of this up: I will buy Civ3. but I won't let it take over more important activities in my life. Playing Civ3 might not occur for me much if I can't find the time to play in large sessions. This may only be me but I don't find much fun in playing a game like Civ for a only session of a half an hour. A classic example of this is how I bought EU back in early August. I loved the game at first because I got to play in larger time sessions; then when school started August 20 I was only able to play for a short amount of time for each session. With that happening I haven't played EU in over a month and a half and I don't plan on ever playing it again because it became very unenjoyable when playing in such short time spans. Now I don't want this to happen to Civ3, so I will most likely sacrifice a lot of sleep and my social life the first week to play Civ3. After about the first week of playing I will only play Civ3 when I can find time for large, gameplay sessions without having to sacrifice any other part of my life.

Letting Civ3 tear out other parts of your life shouldn't occur. If playing computer games is already a large part of your life then fine. For those who don't play games regularly don't let Civ3 take a bite out of something important in your life. Hopefully I and everybody else can find the appropiate amount of time to play Civ3 freely. Quite possibly this further elaboration on the topic by myself has explained my logic more and no longer makes me look like such an idiot anymore.