Interview with Sid

Nikolai · March 23, 2001, 06:18

The interview Gamespot UK have had with Sid is really interesting and informative, just look at this quotes:

About leaders:

quote:

Great nations can produce gifted leaders from history, each one capable of leading your civilization to martial glory. Whether helming an army on a distant battlefield or passing their personal experiences onto future generations of soldiers, these towering figures can single-handedly alter the course of history.

And:

quote:

This is a very cool new part of the game. As you enter into diplomatic relations with other Civs, a leader representing that Civ will appear (like Abraham Lincoln for the Americans or Mao Tse Tung for the Chinese) who you'll be able to interact with during your negotiations. The leaders will show a range of expressions, which will change depending on the types of deals you try to broker with them!

As you can see, the leaders can lead you to martial glory, that will end some of the discussion on that, or?

About the timespan:

quote:

Civ III will cover from 4000BC to somewhere around the year 2020. The game will offer several ways to win, so the ultimate objective will depend on which pathway to victory you choose (we'll talk more about new ways to win in an upcoming website update).

About multiplayer(not much):

quote:

We're working on a really fun and unique multiplayer concept that we'll talk more about when we're closer to completing it.

That was the most important(in my eyes) updates. Well guys, what do you think?

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Who am I? What am I? Do we need Civ? Well....

Jeje2 · March 23, 2001, 07:22

To me the new happy thing was effictive extorsion

quote:

Want to offer a Peace Treaty to the Iroquois, but only if they will pay five gold pieces per turn? Just make the demand.

I like this...

And also

quote:

For example, your relations with the Zulus might include a peace treaty as well as a mutual protection pact, a right of passage agreement, and a trade embargo against the French.

Good news indeed

Personally I am a little afraid of "Great leaders" and theire effect. I hope they will not have a too big influence.

Oh, one has to wonder what kind of terrain system they really have?

Zanzin · March 23, 2001, 08:59

I'm worried about the terrain as well. I think we can all agree we're sick of diamond tiles. A 3-D map would be nice. But I was looking at screenshots of Gettysburg and Anietam and, frankly, the 3-D terrain in those titles looked pretty horrible.

I was thinking something along the lines of a Railroad Tycoon II 3-D surface would look really nice and work really well.

Henrik · March 23, 2001, 09:17

In the Interview he also states that there will be a site update soon

raingoon · March 23, 2001, 14:25

Firaxis has nothing to do with Railroad Tycoon II. Hasbro (at the time) consented to Poptop's use of that game name, and Poptop is the company who owns that code -- which it appears IS making another appearance, underneath their new game coming out next month, called "Tropico."

The thing I didn't like about this "interview" is the apparent cribbing of some of the answers from Firaxis press releases. The only thing I noticed that was really new was... actually, I'm not entirely sure I haven't seen all of it before. I assume this is because of Meier's sticking to the script himself, and not G-spot repurposing old information.

Henrik · March 23, 2001, 14:29

quote:

Originally posted by raingoon on 03-23-2001 01:25 PM
Firaxis has nothing to do with Railroad Tycoon II.

Well, it's the same programersm, right (I could be wrong I never played Railroad Tycoon II)?

Dan Magaha FIRAXIS · March 23, 2001, 17:14

quote:

Originally posted by Nikolai on 03-23-2001 12:30 PM
That is absolutely important. I wonder of what they have to us this time?:shaking of exitement: Maybe some screenshots?(Dan, Dan, are you listening?)

I'm *ALWAYS* listening =) but there are a lot of things I can't control. When we release screenshots is one of those things.

Dan
Firaxis Games, Inc.

Henrik · March 23, 2001, 17:23

quote:

Originally posted by Dan Magaha FIRAXIS on 03-23-2001 04:14 PM
I'm *ALWAYS* listening =) but there are a lot of things I can't control. When we release screenshots is one of those things.

Dan
Firaxis Games, Inc.

Could you leak when the site is to be updated?

raingoon · March 23, 2001, 17:31

quote:

Well, it's the same programersm, right (I could be wrong I never played Railroad Tycoon II)?

Nope, no connection whatsoever.

Henrik · March 23, 2001, 17:43

Oh well

Zanzin · March 23, 2001, 22:48

I wasn't saying there was a connection between Firaxis and Railroad Tycoon II. I was saying however that RR2 had some sexy 3-D terrain, and maybe that's how Civ3 is going to look...maybe!! I don't know, I'm not god, I don't hold the answers to the mysteries of the universe!!!

Lol, and going by what Dan said about screenshots, it looks like we're in for a long wait

( Sigh

Seeker · March 24, 2001, 00:53

While obviously they can't exactly use RR tycoon II terrain, they should use something that looks like it.

Father Beast · March 24, 2001, 01:28

The MOST encouraging thing I heard was that throwaway comment about "trade embargo against the french"

That means that trade sanctions will probably be a part of this game. I don't know how many times I got teed off because a civ I'm at war with goes and makes a lucrative trade route with one of my cities, and I want to cut them off...

Nikolai · March 24, 2001, 01:30

quote:

Originally posted by Henrik on 03-23-2001 08:17 AM
In the Interview he also states that there will be a site update soon

That is absolutely important. I wonder of what they have to us this time?:shaking of exitement: Maybe some screenshots?(Dan, Dan, are you listening?)

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Who am I? What am I? Do we need Civ? Well....
[This message has been edited by Nikolai (edited March 23, 2001).]

ChrisShaffer · March 24, 2001, 01:35

Fun and unique multiplayer

That's the part I'm happiest to hear...maybe we'll get a decent system for asynchronous (aka server-based or PBEM) playing!

jglidewell · March 24, 2001, 01:50

''I was thinking something along the lines of a Railroad Tycoon II 3-D surface would look really nice and work really well.''

I have played only the original Tycoon then got the civ bug and never got around to getting II.

Since they have the code you just might be right.

Does everyone else think that II terrain is good for Civ III??

raingoon · March 24, 2001, 03:05

I agree. I hope it'll be at least that good. Especially I hope the continents look like real continents, a la Civ I. NOT like in Civ 2, please!!!

GaryGuanine · March 24, 2001, 05:55

Civ1 maps rule!!!!!

Zanzin · March 24, 2001, 07:54

I never played Civ1, but I'd agree that the Civ2 continents didn't really look 'continent-ish' as we'd think of them in terms of the Earth. Did Civ1 kinda look more 'continent-ish'? Raingoon??

Nikolai · March 24, 2001, 08:14

quote:

Originally posted by GaryGuanine on 03-24-2001 04:55 AM
Civ1 maps rule!!!!!

I have maybe misunderstood you Gary, but do you want that flat map with those square units???? Maybe I'm dumb, but...... I am!

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Who am I? What am I? Do we need Civ? Well....

raingoon · March 24, 2001, 16:00

Zanzin, Civ I maps looked much more like continents. At first I thought the isometric perspective of Civ 2 made its continents look more stringy but even if you flattened out Civ 2 and made it like Civ I, the land masses would still look more like a world of large and small islands with no definitive oceans in between. If anything got me off Civ 2 it was the scarcity of real oceans and the predominance of those globule strings of land. No matter what variables I set Civ 2's map generator at, it never came close to matching the ability of Civ I's map generator to evoke a real world.

Zanzin · March 24, 2001, 22:59

Raingoon,

thanks for the info.

WEll, Sid said in the interview that their resident mathematician had come up with a great algorithm that creates random maps....lets hope so!

MrFun · March 24, 2001, 23:09

I read Sid Meier's interview, but frankly, I did not find any new information from it. I did learn anything that I did not already know from the forum.

oh well (sigh)

raingoon · March 25, 2001, 00:38

Zanzin, you're welcome -- I agree, I was encouraged by that quote. MrFun, I had the same impression from the "interview" although Zanzin just reminded me of at least one thing that seemed new. Hey, Sid, baby, I hope that's one wicked, wicked map algorythm!

Ralf · March 25, 2001, 01:35

quote:

Civ III will cover from 4000BC to somewhere around the year 2020.

Thank God for that!!!

Keep those SciFi futuristic fantasies in some really good addon scenarios instead. I havent posted here for a while, but that single piece of Civ3-update was really welcoming and reassuring.

VetLegion · March 25, 2001, 06:41

That whole interview is a scam, exept for the "console vs. pc" sentence. Sid (or whoever wrote the interview) just copy-pasted the info that was standing on the web for weeks, down to a sentence.

bagdar · March 25, 2001, 15:10

quote:

Originally posted by VetLegion on 03-25-2001 05:41 AM
That whole interview is a scam, exept for the "console vs. pc" sentence. Sid (or whoever wrote the interview) just copy-pasted the info that was standing on the web for weeks, down to a sentence.

and it took such a long time for someone to realize!

Sparky · March 25, 2001, 20:20

We finally have a count on some of the civs that will be in. Here's whp Firaxis has shown or mentioned thus far: the Americans, Zulus, French, Chinese, English, Iroquois (New!), and Russians. Any others we're sure of?

Roman · March 26, 2001, 04:04

quote:

Civ III will cover from 4000BC to somewhere around the year 2020.

Yes!!!!!

Adm.Naismith · March 26, 2001, 07:44

This Sid interview make me fear alot about mentioned "light heart" elements added for Fun.

After months of debate here at Apolyton about CIV III realism and best balancing history vs playability, I have a strange feeling of incoming Civ III great hopes derailing for unnecessary humor just in sake of larger impulsive buyers audience...

You know, that gaming debate Deja Vu about "Wars are so more fun", "Smiling leaders" that add special effects (Magic? Super human?

) to your army...

Quotes a la SMAC are ok, but a despot that tell jokes or looks and acts like a Joker? Is the Epic of Civilization running head down to a wall?

May be it's only because today I'm in a bad mood...

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Admiral Naismith AKA mcostant
[This message has been edited by Adm.Naismith (edited March 26, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Adm.Naismith (edited March 26, 2001).]