suggestions for next expansion/patch

brianshapiro · December 28, 2002, 17:17

add to this , though i dont know if we could really expect another expansion, a list of small refinements to the already existing game , if theres no immediate plans for a new game

apart from obvious points like improvement in multiplayer,

. unit disbanding animation , probably kneeling and setting down weapons in case of ground units, so ti doesnt look as if you kill your units

. when starting from later eras, generation of cities units and terrain improvements for start , so the later eras dont begin by a single settling

. in place of of removing cultural flipping , massacres/revolts each turn where stationed units battle population until resistance or happiness is gained

. one thing i would like is keeping the old architecture of cities captured until there is new growth. firaxis probably considered this and rejected it though

brianshapiro · December 28, 2002, 17:18

also i guess though no farms , have a railroaded square automatically replace irrigation graphics with farm graphics

Odin · December 29, 2002, 15:42

Disasters, like in Civ1.

Inverse Icarus · December 29, 2002, 15:56

how about we start with working multiplayer?

Traelin · December 30, 2002, 14:32

Well if there isn't another (less buggy) XP, I'll be extremely disappointed. I'd even settle for an XP with one or two major bugs if it has what I want. I fully expect to see sweeping reforms of the U.N. and diplomacy, and there's no way this kind of stuff will be put into a patch.

PLATO · December 30, 2002, 14:47

UN reform needed?? Hmm...Is this a touch of realism?? Seriously, I think that diplomacy still needs work. I also agree that the UN could be greatly expanded. What about a security council that reacts to excessive razing of cities for example??

brianshapiro · December 30, 2002, 16:01

reaction to razing of cities -- like in Alpha Centauri ??!@.

Dimension · December 31, 2002, 02:59

How about a small wonder that lets you design your own units? That was one of the coolest parts of AC. There's not exactly going to be a lot of variation in ancient times (I'll take the horse chassis and put the sword weapon on it), but it'd be nice to have different kinds of modern units.

Along those lines, it's a little weird that there really is no legitimate means of a modern air invasion, just because the chopper is so useless. It's just a bit of a letdown after having nerve gas choppers in SMAX and being able to air drop tanks.

They also really need to make espionage a more interesting facet of the game. I loved the way you could get by in AC with almost nothing but spies and enough cash to subvert units. I'm not saying this should be added to Civ3, but there has to be a middle ground somewhere.

Maybe I should just play SMAX instead, but I really like the Civ3 setting more than the sci-fi setting. Oh well.

Traelin · December 31, 2002, 10:37

Quote:

Originally posted by Dimension
How about a small wonder that lets you design your own units? That was one of the coolest parts of AC. There's not exactly going to be a lot of variation in ancient times (I'll take the horse chassis and put the sword weapon on it), but it'd be nice to have different kinds of modern units.

Yeah I always liked the unit workshop in SMAC, but I think Firaxis mentioned a long time ago that there was really no chance in including this in Civ3 or in an XP. I think it would be really cool, but that's just my opinion.

I still would argue that the best turn-based strategy game ever would be a combination of Civ3 and the best features of SMAC. Change the UN to function like the Planetary Council, and add all the diplomacy features of SMAC (plus a few more) and you'd have a ridiculously addictive game. The unit workshop would be nice too, but it's probably a pipe dream.

Sinapus · December 31, 2002, 11:22

1. A "make peace with" option in diplomacy
2. Ability to hire units in the capital out as mercenaries, with renewal every 20 turns. (If not renewed, then *zoom* the unit goes back to the capital. Unrealistic movement, but can't think of any other way to return them.)
3. Give colonies ability to move one of the main resource types (food, shield or commerce) to any city connected by road (default is nearest) and don't have them disappear if in the cultural boundaries of a civ. If within a city radius, then that city's population cannot work on that square. (Yes, I liked the supply crawlers from SMAC.) Also, they don't grow like cities do. Consider them small towns that never really grow in population.
4. Worker project: build docks at cost of one worker. Allow it to be built in same square as colony for those 1 mountain islands that appear from time to time. Ships can't move into square with dock. (Or allow that, but give a high build time, say double that of a fortress, to represent digging the waterway in, and let them be linked so we can finally build canals connecting landlocked seas, etc.)
5. Offensive air superiority. Which basically is send a fighter into airspace where enemy fighters are in the current air superiority mode with the intent of drawing them into combat to destroy them. (This might be moddable, but haven't managed to playtest it.)
6. Air defense ability for units. To make mobile air defense units and give warships AA ability.

Rusty Nail · January 1, 2003, 17:35

Civ3 should allow conversion of any SP game to hotseat and vice versa as was possible in civ2, so you can play any or all civs in a saved game. This was really a step backwards. Only the latter is possible now in civ3, and due to a bug when loading a hotseat game from a saved SP game. Even MP games should be included except when password protected.

Theodrik · January 2, 2003, 16:04

In regicide games, rather than all the cities turning into rubble, how about they become "kingless" cities, generating barabaians? And with culture flipping, how about a 'civil war', with the garrisons fighting the population? I also like the merc idea listed above.

Switch · January 3, 2003, 01:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Theodrik
In regicide games, rather than all the cities turning into rubble, how about they become "kingless" cities, generating barabaians?

Although all of the cities should become size one with no improvements, to make it sorta fair...

Nubclear · January 3, 2003, 02:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Dimension
Maybe I should just play SMAX instead, but I really like the Civ3 setting more than the sci-fi setting. Oh well.

You should because overall its ten times the game Civ3 will ever be (even after 3 more expansino packs

)

WarpStorm · January 3, 2003, 06:29

SMAX is great, but the AI was laughable.

JoeyCora · January 3, 2003, 06:47

I'd really like the ability to 'organise' a military alliance. Someway of deciding with your ally which cities each of you will target.
It really pees me off when you traipse halfway round the world only for the bloody Koreans to raze Ulanbataar one turn before you were about to take it!

BioMedGamer · January 3, 2003, 16:43

Hopefully this is the right spot for this:

1) When I am told that it is "now your turn", make it my turn. Do not have the AI player make their moves right after I acknowledge the message.

2) Do not give me the "end of turn" sound and flashing red light, when all of my automated units haven't finished moving. If I try to help speed the game along, I end up hitting enter to end my turn before it is actually over.

3) Do not give me 5 messages scrolling along the side of the screen saying "our cultural influence expands". It doesn't help unless it shows the city (like it does in SP)(I try to make certain ones grow fast to induce 'culture flipping' or protect territory during early expansion).

4) Go to the SP style of pop-ups for city production and scientific research. It takes longer trying to look at each individual city the way it is, and slows down the game for other players.

5) Tell me when I am being attacked, while it is happening, not after they have razed the city!

6) Why are my unit movements, map redrawing, etc. so slow when I am hosting the game? (Yes, I have enough ram, virtual memory, video ram, cpu speed) Besides, SP moves just fine.

7) It is uncanny how the AI players happen to materialize a settler out of nowhere and put a city down right where I just told a settler to head to. Nope, didn't have this problem in SP.

8) Interesting how a AI civ can move over sea spaces to find my continent, when I am the one with the "Great Lighthouse" wonder.

Maybe I am just miffed. This is my first MP game in PTW and I was expecting it to run decently like CivIIGold. Haven't played SMAX, and to show my newbie'ness, I have to ask what it is.

Adagio · January 3, 2003, 18:01

I only have one annoying problem:

When playing PBEM games, the settings are saved in the file, which means Player1 makes some changes in the preferences, Player2 hates Player1's preferences an change the preferences back, Player1 then re-change the preferences back, etc, etc, etc...

And within short time, they're annoyed by each other, since they have to re-change all preferences for each turn...

In my current PBEM game, there's one who always turns on those totally annoying color-discs, while I keep turning them off... It's very annoying

Switch · January 4, 2003, 05:11

BMG, SMAC is Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, a very complex turn-based strategy game based on the sci-fi world of a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri, known as Chiron, or Planet for most people.
SMAX is the expansion, Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, which adds a LOT more to the game than PtW did.
Check out the official site for more details.

As to those suggestions, though I don't play MP myself, I would think that they would be pretty obvious additions for Firaxis to have made....why they didn't...

lockstep · January 4, 2003, 12:59

Quote:

Originally posted by BioMedGamer
5) Tell me when I am being attacked, while it is happening, not after they have razed the city!

I second that. If a large stack of foreign units enters my territory, I want my military advisor to give me notice of it. Especially when I'm at peace with everyone.

Panag · January 4, 2003, 13:40

Quote:

Originally posted by lockstep

I second that. If a large stack of foreign units enters my territory, I want my military advisor to give me notice of it. Especially when I'm at peace with everyone.

hi ,

, this option should be in the preferences , togeher with one that gives a call when at war , whenever someone enters there should be a call , .....

, maybe they could make it available at a certain time with a certain tech , like battlefield communications , and even get a small wonder with it

have a nice day

Coracle · January 5, 2003, 00:03

Quote:

Originally posted by lockstep

I second that. If a large stack of foreign units enters my territory, I want my military advisor to give me notice of it. Especially when I'm at peace with everyone.

If ANY enemy unit enters my territory they have one turn to get out or declare war on me.

We've been asking for that one for the past year. What makes you think Firaxis will fix that, and dozens of other things, now??

Panag · January 5, 2003, 14:51

hi ,

,

; the re-integration of a casualty timeline like in CIV II

have a nice day

Adagio · January 5, 2003, 15:00

Quote:

Originally posted by panag
hi ,

,

; the re-integration of a casualty timeline like in CIV II

have a nice day

I can't remember a such thing in Civ2, but it sounds like a nice thing to have...

Panag · January 5, 2003, 15:46

Quote:

Originally posted by ADG

I can't remember a such thing in Civ2, but it sounds like a nice thing to have...

hi ,

its there

have a nice day

Aramis · January 6, 2003, 13:39

Along with renting mercenaries for twenty years out of the capital, how about selling units outright? Non-human units, such as artillery, cruise missles, helicopters, transports, even tactical nukes, to civs that have the technology for such units.

Also, if in a military alliance, allow space on transports for allied units. That might be tough to do. Maybe loan use of equipment for the duration of the alliance.

Become a defense contractor for the rest of the world while pursuing a diplomatic victory.

Crimson Shadow · January 6, 2003, 19:52

Ability to transfer some culture points to new founded cities (City must be connected with a road, harbor or airfield for oversea city
) with no cultural improvements. This would help to quickly fill your holes with your zone of influence and to prevent computer AI to found new lone cities in the middle of your territory.

A feature to "paint" terrain as your zone of interest (with explorer or even with any military unit). You can "paint" only terrain which has no zones of influence of any nation. Any trespassing (and founding new cities) with settler of any nation (not yours, of course) would be an act of war. This would also allow buying and selling territory (Diplomacy - with cities if you want - Hey, Alaska was bought by USA from Russia).

Cities in ancient times were built only near rivers. To reflect this in the game, cities cannot be built (at the start of the game - ancient times) in desert and tundra unless there is a river nearby. Any tundra [maybe even for other, even hill] square adjacted to a river would have +1 food bonus. (Why the hell Firaxis did implement that for desert and not for a tundra

) When electricity is available, new cities can be founded even on desert or tundra without a river. That would also slow down the early expansion and map would not be full of cities even before AD on higher levels of difficulty. This would also allow colonization period later in the game.

As an option, to found new cities on hills you need masonry or engineering? Maybe that would be too tough for anybody on younger worlds.

New diplomatic option. Alliance with some other civ should be possible even in peace time, and not only alliance against someone.

Allied victory

Corruption modifier for each era. (copy - paste from my other post). These numbers are not affected by corruption.

Middle Age: +1 production; +1 trade
Industrial Age: +1 production; +1 trade
Modern Time: +1 production; +1 trade

Example : City around the world without any improvement get 1 production, 1 trade (Ancient time, as it is now), 2 production, 2 trade (Middle age), 3 production, 3 trade (Industrial age) and 4 production, 4 trade (Modern time).

To better reflect usefulness of knowledge and research, table could be progressing.

Middle Age: +1 production; +1 trade
Industrial Age: +2 productions; +2 trade
Modern Time :+3 production; +3 trade

Example : City around the world without any improvement get 1 production, 1 trade (Ancient time; as it is now), 2 production, 2 trade (Middle age), 4 production, 4 trade (Industrial age) and 7 production, 7 trade (Modern time).

Panag · January 8, 2003, 12:01

Quote:

Originally posted by rmds
Along with renting mercenaries for twenty years out of the capital, how about selling units outright? Non-human units, such as artillery, cruise missles, helicopters, transports, even tactical nukes, to civs that have the technology for such units.

Also, if in a military alliance, allow space on transports for allied units. That might be tough to do. Maybe loan use of equipment for the duration of the alliance.

Become a defense contractor for the rest of the world while pursuing a diplomatic victory.

hi ,

we have been asking since CIV III went into the factory , but until this day , ......

not only should we ba able to sell units , with or without technology (!) but why not even the loan of units , .....

have a nice day

Adagio · January 8, 2003, 12:18

loan of units? That'll be a little bit bad I'd say. What happens if one of those units gets destroyed before the loan-period is over? The risk for that is pretty high...

Panag · January 8, 2003, 13:28

Quote:

Originally posted by ADG
loan of units? That'll be a little bit bad I'd say. What happens if one of those units gets destroyed before the loan-period is over? The risk for that is pretty high...

hi ,

, compensation is payed or so , .....only artillery units or ships should be on loan , ......

have a nice day