Patch Update - Page 3

adaMada · November 28, 2001, 21:00

Quote:

Originally posted by sophist
I think it would be great if Firaxis opened the scenario/map file format and possibly supplied a C API for it. Then people could write custom map generators to address many of these problems. I don't see a down side to them doing this the way there would be with opening other things.

Would a C-API for any part of the game be awsome? Of course -- I know basic C, but don't actually get to use it -- that could change if Faraxis did this. But I don't think it's ultra-likely, and also I don't put it high on my list of priorities compared to being able to make scenerios point blank...

-- adaMada

sophist · November 28, 2001, 22:30

Yeah, I guess I'm just pampered by the tremendous support that id has given the q1/q2/q3a mod community.

Quote:

Originally posted by adaMada

Would a C-API for any part of the game be awsome? Of course -- I know basic C, but don't actually get to use it -- that could change if Faraxis did this. But I don't think it's ultra-likely, and also I don't put it high on my list of priorities compared to being able to make scenerios point blank...

-- adaMada

Rasputin · November 29, 2001, 00:33

perhpas if firaxis had released a beta version of the original game no patch would have been necessary... oh yeah the civ 3 game is jsut a beta version till Civ 3 MP arrives...

I did notice Dan once again ignores all questions he isnt allowed to answer.!!!!

Pythagoras · November 29, 2001, 00:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Rasputin
perhpas if firaxis had released a beta version of the original game no patch would have been necessary... oh yeah the civ 3 game is jsut a beta version till Civ 3 MP arrives...

I did notice Dan once again ignores all questions he isnt allowed to answer.!!!!

I have seen games in much worse shape than Civ3 is at release. EU is a good example. Also, Firaxis rarely extended the release date. So to have a game this polished with little extension of the initial release date is a suprise for me.

ElitePersian · November 29, 2001, 01:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Pythagoras

I have seen games in much worse shape than Civ3 is at release. EU is a good example. Also, Firaxis rarely extended the release date. So to have a game this polished with little extension of the initial release date is a suprise for me.

yes, a lot more games have been released which were in worse condition than civ3. Im actually glad they released it early. I couldnt have imagined waiting another 3 weeks or whatever. At least we can play the game, and the minor bugs will be solved.

Cozy_22303 · November 29, 2001, 05:00

...I just hope we won't have to pay for the patch

korn469 · November 29, 2001, 06:12

Pythagoras and ElitePersian

civ3 was originally scheduled to come out for christmas of 2000 but that all fell apart when the guys from big huge games left firaxis (reynolds, trains, coleman, inscore, etc.) so civ3 is about a year late...i think someone from firaxis (Soren perhaps) said that they lost about 7 months because of it, so it's not like civ3 came out early from its original time frame or anything

but besides lacking mp and a true scenario editor (which is a big deal) civ3 doesn't have any showstoppers, just a bunch of little bugs that hopefully the patch will fix

Adm.Naismith · November 29, 2001, 06:25

"Enthusiasm" seems the hottest word around here.

I can't understand why people fall in love with a developer because he announce a coming of a patch

Thank him for the news, then wait to see if it fix the broken part of a game you payed.

All this fuss about the wonderful support you got, way before having tested the patch at work...

I don't want to insult Firaxis, so I'll wait to judge their work until I see it.
It seems to me more fair and more pratical, considered how many things went on bad path recently with the rushed release, the missing of some key features, the legal approach of Infogrames against the game community... I prefer and recommend the "Wait & See" approach

MarkG · November 29, 2001, 06:34

Quote:

Originally posted by korn469
civ3 was originally scheduled to come out for christmas of 2000

huh? with development starting in spring 1999 how could it be scheduled for christmas 2000?!?

Grumbold · November 29, 2001, 06:42

18 month development schedules are not unknown, but for a complete redevelopment it would have been very ambitious. Back then they were talking of rolling terrain so perhaps they anticipated reusing more of the SMAC code than they eventually did.

MattHiggs · November 29, 2001, 08:31

Okay, it's probably been asked a thousand times, but, has anyone got any idea when the patch will be released. I am dying to get some of these bugs of the game ironed out!

Robert Plomp · November 29, 2001, 08:40

uuuuuh, Matt......
that's what the thread posted tried to make clear (Jeffrey from FIRAXIS)

somewhere next week !

MattHiggs · November 29, 2001, 08:40

Sorry, I should know better.

Saint Marcus · November 29, 2001, 12:20

I really hope this patch is any good, cause the way Civ3 is now is pissing me off. It's extremely unstable, it crashes frequently and reloading doesn't do anything either cause it will just crash at the exact same point in the game. Others have found this out as well. The game crashes when making contact with a certain civ, while in other games it's when you build a city in a certain spot, or sometimes it's something the AI does, and since you can't do anything about it the game is ruined. You can't play anymore cause it will crash at the exact same spot every single time.

Jeannette · November 29, 2001, 12:57

Although I feel that some people in this thread are arrogant and unnecessarily rude, some of their concerns - about Air Superiority, Espionage, Corruption, etc. - are almost universally shared. I'm fairly confident that Firaxis will address these, but there are a number of things that I feel betray how rushed the game was - evidently to meet the publisher's Xmas deadline - that are UNLIKELY to get fixed.

For a start, everyone's noticed what a strain it is to even see the resources on the map, which is why so many mod-makers like Sn00py are working overtime to improve the picture. (They're not being arrogant; they're just making the game more playable.) Shouldn't this have been finessed in-house by Firaxis?

Have you noticed how redundant and un-intuitive some of the on-screen buttons are? The D(iplomacy), P(alace) and S(paceship) tabs at the bottom-right are all echoed as F-keys, when they could be devoted to useful extras like, say, find-city, find-resource, or single-clicking a list of deals-about-to-expire.

Moreover, the Diplomacy function is available a third time (if I'm not mistaken) at top-left: the button with the speech balloon. Why, when there's so much other info we require at our fingertips?

In any case, shouldn't P(alace), which is purely decorative, not strategic at all, logically be placed top-right, next to the City View eye? The control panel is all over the map!

I especially dislike the way alert messages for famine and city-unrest flash past so fast (and in a flimsy-looking font that's inconsistent with the general game font) that I barely have time to read them, requiring me to laboriously scroll around the map each turn to see if I missed anything. There should be a tab or button for THAT!

I also find the artwork for the various support screens inconsistent, unlike that of CivII, which had some elegance and cohesiveness. Look at the City View, Palace, New Era and Historograph screens: all different styles. What game am I playing here, and on what planet?

And don't get me started on that stupid, animated warrior who gongs the fairground game at the end. And the victory/defeat splash pages? Ugly art, childish jokes with no replay value. (As opposed to the fairly witty and informative civilization descriptions in the civilopaedia.) I just quit right out of this part, I can tell you.

I know that some of my complaints are petty, but for me it really does suggest what a rush-build CivIII has been; I love much of it, but there are aspects of its design that bode ill for Hall-of-Fame status... in my humble opinion.

siredgar · November 29, 2001, 14:42

I agree with Ms. Jeannette. The minor details show that this is a complete rush job. As previously mentioned, I've noticed that they haven't even changed the city lists from Civ II (i.e. still using "Marseilles" instead of "Marseille"). I was shocked at how bad the graphics were for the Palace view and the warrior with the hammer at the end of game is a complete joke. It's utterly appalling at how much the game has regressed from Civ II. I applaud the many intelligent improvements made in this version, but there are sorely obvious slop-jobs involved here.

For Mr. "Taco", please look at the customer reviews at mass consumer sites like EBWorld or Amazon.com and you will see how many people left negative comments about the game. This game really deserves five stars, but because it is rushed I'll give it only three stars, like most people on these sites. They address similar issues discussed here, especially the lag and AI diplomacy.

Yes, this game will sell very well because of its legacy and it is still a very good game. However, when the mass consumers see the bad reviews that this game has received because of its problems, I don't think it will sell as much as it really should.

Yours Faithfully,

Sir Edgar

taco · November 29, 2001, 15:27

People who dont have complaints about the game feel no reason to state this, that goes for EB and Amazon just as much as Apolyton.

Doesn't matter about the Civ legacy, if the game was as bad as you people made it out to be it would sell good for a month max, then drop off the charts forever. This is not going to happen.

wakamoto · November 29, 2001, 15:40

Anymore news that the pacth is coming out this Friday?

Robert Plomp · November 29, 2001, 16:18

Quote:

MarkL: I really hope this patch is any good, cause the way Civ3 is now is pissing me off. It's extremely unstable, it crashes frequently and reloading doesn't do anything either cause it will just crash at the exact same point in the game. Others have found this out as well. The game crashes when making contact with a certain civ, while in other games it's when you build a city in a certain spot, or sometimes it's something the AI does, and since you can't do anything about it the game is ruined. You can't play anymore cause it will crash at the exact same spot every single time.

uh, civ3 has only crashed once since I got it, 6 weeks ago.
I think it's something with your computer. There are rarely people speaking about crashing, as far as I can see.

Quote:

Anymore news that the pacth is coming out this Friday?

Why don't you just read the thread ?
The answer is in it. In fact the thread STARTS with the answer to your question, and 5 posts above yours I told someone else what the answer is

wotan321 · November 29, 2001, 16:24

Hmmm... the news about the Mac versions seems to suggest that the Patch they are waiting to incorporate in the Mac version does NOT include a working editor. Which means.... the patch we MIGHT receive next week won't address the editor deficiencies.

Thats dissappointing.

crayonx_2K · November 29, 2001, 18:22

My comments....

I think people who are recorded as complaining about this game will always outnumber satisfied customers. 99% of people who will buy this game will never log onto a fansite forum.

Yes, I agree the game was 'dumbified' so that it could capture first timers and a wider audience (..I hear they're doing TV commercials soon..? Unheard of in the PC Games industry until only recently). But that's their prerogative, based on the success of games like Roller Coaster Tycoon, which FAR exceeded expectations in terms of sales and popularity.

Let the patch come, let people do their own mods, etc etc, whatever makes you happy. As for me, I'm gonna eventually put the game away for a while and read a good book, or get a social life again...

...it's just a game, everyone. a TOY.....

crayonx

wakamoto · November 29, 2001, 20:32

Quote:

Originally posted by CyberShy

Why don't you just read the thread ?
The answer is in it. In fact the thread STARTS with the answer to your question, and 5 posts above yours I told someone else what the answer is

Thanks dude, I know about that somewhere next week statement, but things keep on changing that is way I ask "anymore news?". I personally would like it out NOW. So who knows what? maybe tomorrow? rather than next week.

rcampos · November 29, 2001, 20:41

Ok people, this isn't really important, but the city of "Marseilles" IS Marseilles with an "s" at the end. This being said, some European city names ARE wrong indeed.

About the game?

Well, rush job or no rush job, the game is fun BUT gets annoying at points. I did expect something more than what we got, but I'm sure a lot of issues will be addressed in the forthcoming patches.

Too bad there isn't hotseat/multiplayer though.....

FALVES · November 29, 2001, 21:18

Well, you know, opinions are like noses...
everyone has one.
I've had the game for a couple of weeks and my opinion:
I LOVE THIS GAME (and i'm not talking basketball here)
Sure, it's not perfect and there are some aspects to be corrected, but hell, I haven't had so much fun since... well, since civ II !

Reibisch · November 29, 2001, 21:44

CyberShy - you got the game six weeks ago? Man, you must have good connections. I could have sworn the release date was only four weeks ago.

TheHobbit · November 29, 2001, 22:34

I've easily logged over 30+ Hours with Civ3 sadly enough(that's a lot for me, of course I don't count). I love the game, I'm totally new to the civ series and it makes my other games look like crap. I could never click the mouse fast enough in RTS, problem solved, now I can take my time and plan! I was looking for something that spanned time like Empire Earth but was turn based, found! I wanted to be able to have a game that I enjoyed so much I didn't care if I lost! This is the most windows friendly game I have, programs interupt it and they just pop up above it and I just minimize them and click Civ3 in the taskbar EX: ICQ when someone messages me! The game is great, I absoloutely love the random map generator and the way you have to trade and compete for domination. I look forward to the patch for hopefully new features or improvements, but one thing. I hear people complain about how buggy the game is, I never noticed any bugs or have had any problems.*GRAND PAUSE*

Ok well I just wanted to join in the bickering

. If it makes you happy feel free to pick apart and insult my opinion and what I say. I'm just a human after all and I live in a world where you get insulted and picked on for being an individual by people who are so miserable making others miserable also makes them feel better...

ThaddeusAlexander · November 29, 2001, 23:25

Quote:

Originally posted by TheHobbit
This is the most windows friendly game I have, programs interupt it and they just pop up above it and I just minimize them and click Civ3 in the taskbar EX: ICQ when someone messages me!

Just to let you know, although people message me over ICQ and it doesn't pop up, i just hit the Window's key on my keyboard and the taskbar pops up, as well as ICQ which is attached to it ... that way i can check for messages periodically

Just thought I'd say that ...

Cheers!
~Alex

Cozy_22303 · November 30, 2001, 04:44

Since this thread is developing into a "I like/ dislike CIV3" thread, let's get back to business: What this upcoming patch should fix, and what is in the game that cannot be fixed because it is, actually, a feature, even if we don't like it.

Most important is that I don't believe Firaxis will be able to fix all the things you asked for in time. Look at the list of wanted changes, it goes from improving pictures and changing city names over to changing internals up to removing the warrior at the endgame. And they have to be finished with this well, until today. C'mon folks, this is not possible.

The major improvements were discussed before, here is a short list:
- No more savegame corruptions please
- Fix the city corruption issue
- Air superiority

Later patches (if there will be such) might even speed up the game... we'll see...

And, sure I like CIV3. I am still unsure if I prefer CIV2, but then again, I surely have to bow to Fireaxis to present a worthy new member of the Civilization game family.

Robert Plomp · November 30, 2001, 06:25

Quote:

CyberShy - you got the game six weeks ago? Man, you must have good connections. I could have sworn the release date was only four weeks ago.

hmmmmm, I thought time flied faster

You're right.....oops
got it 3 weeks ago.....

LaRusso · November 30, 2001, 08:14

heheh, so what week was jeff talking about. the coming one? or this one?