PtW for single player, worth getting?

unic · April 7, 2003, 20:22

I have been considering getting the PtW expansion - but as I play only single player, is it worth it? Is there enough content within it aimed at single-player games?

Also, I remember from when it was new, that it was getting lots of bad press in reviews due to bugs. Have those been adequately fixed in patches? (I'll be getting the UK / European version, if that's relevant.)

Thanks for any advice people have! I have a rather limited amount of money to spend on games, so must prioritize whether to get this, or some other expansion / game.

/unic

BigDork · April 7, 2003, 20:35

Unic...

I'd say yes. You get several more civs to play. A new wonder or two and new city improvements. Also the AI is remarkably better in PtW. I feel that it was well worth my money.

BigD

unic · April 7, 2003, 20:55

And how about problems with bugs?

BigDork · April 7, 2003, 22:13

I can't really think of anything too bad with SP. MP was pretty buggy but I think they fixed most of that with the patches.

BigD

statusperfect · April 8, 2003, 03:43

Don't forget the great AI improvements.

AI is much smarter now, especially the ´barbarians.

Thoth · April 8, 2003, 05:25

Unic:

Go for it. I bought it back in January, solely for SP. Well worth the cash IMO. Better AI, new civs, a few new units, better barb AI and some interface tweaks. No huge SP bugs IIRC, but download the latest patch anyway.

Tiberius · April 8, 2003, 07:16

Quote:

PtW for single player, worth getting?

Yes.

The bad press reviews were due to the buggy MP. The SP didn't have any serious bugs AFAIR (besides the game was patched and now it is virtually bugless). The 1.21f PtW Civ3 is a very good Sp game.

The MP still has some annoying shortcomings, but it is playable.

unic · April 8, 2003, 07:37

Ok, thanks for the opinions

I'll keep an eye open and see if I can pick it up for decent price anywhere.

/unic

player1 · April 8, 2003, 09:16

Yes. It's worth.

BigDork · April 8, 2003, 12:19

Isn't the 1.21 patch only for the US version???

BigD

Ubergeek · April 8, 2003, 13:02

I bought it for SP only and for me the implementation of the swordsman/medieval infantry/guerrilla upgrade path, even by itself, was worth the $25 I payed for the game. The additional civs provide nice variety (especially those Carthaginians, tough SOBs that they are) and the interface has some very nice tweaks. It's highly recommended.

Gramphos · April 8, 2003, 15:22

It adds mush to single player as well. Du borde köpa den.

PLATO · April 10, 2003, 18:52

I got the upgrade in order to play on the internet. Still haven't figured out how to get my ports open, so I ended up playing SP all the time. This has still been well worth it! The extra civs, the better AI, the upgrade path to guerilla...all have been exciting additions. You also get things like airfields and radar towers that can be situationally beneficial. The game even comes with some excellent preloaded scenarios. Well worth the investment!

Alex · April 11, 2003, 10:17

Ok, so when will we see the next thread with this question? My bet is April 25th.

bvoncranium · April 11, 2003, 13:56

Quote:

Originally posted by unic
I have been considering getting the PtW expansion - but as I play only single player, is it worth it? Is there enough content within it aimed at single-player games?

As others have pointed out, Civ3PTW + patches includes interesting new Civs, better AI, fixed bugs, etc., which makes SP work very well. Is it good value for the new-game price? - the answer depends on your attitude. In a benevolent world Infogrames would have made the better AI and bug fixes a free download - seeing as it was basically fixing what was poorly implemented in the first place. If you agree, then the price of PTW buys you 8 new Civs + multiplayer (MP). As such, for the SP, it looks like 8 expensive new Civs, which I wouldn't pay full price for by itself.

Quote:

[SIZE=1] Also, I remember from when it was new, that it was getting lots of bad press in reviews due to bugs. Have those been adequately fixed in patches? (I'll be getting the UK / European version, if that's relevant
I have a rather limited amount of money to spend on games

A lot of criticism of the value of Civ3PTW revolved around (i) it is an MP expansion, in which the MP has many bugs and performs very poorly when it performs at all; and (ii) the sheer number of bugs, resulting in the PTW customers being a de-facto Product Verification team for Firaxis/Infogrames. As such, many of us were enraged at having paid new-game prices for what was essentially a low-quality add-on that didn't deliver the advertised play-value.
Now that many of the bugs that affect SP gaming have been resolved, Civ3PTW patched with 1.21f plays very well for the SP wanting to take on the world. Some MP modes play well also, though more work is required.
Criticism and bad history aside, I'd have to base a recommendation on whether we play the game and enjoy it much more than Civ3, and the answer is YES. It would be hypocritical for me to claim Civ3PTW is a bad game, given that we spend way too many hours playing it!

My conclusion: Worth it, with reservations, plus a lower opinion of Infogrames and much lower likelihood of buying their future products.

Panag · April 12, 2003, 12:29

hi ,

one word "yes" its worth it , in every aspect

have a nice day

AJ Corp. The FAIR · April 12, 2003, 13:23

YES !

Spiffor · April 12, 2003, 16:33

Yes, no doubt.

David Murray · April 12, 2003, 17:33

Whatever you do, make sure you get the US version and not any European version! It will save you no end of bother if you ever want to apply future patches from Firaxis.

Aramis · April 13, 2003, 11:06

If the cost of PtW (versus a different game) is the issue, then you must ask yourself how much Civ can you take? PtW is an excellent XP for SP. Other posts have mentioned the new civs, improved AI, sword/longbow>guerilla upgrade, and peskier barbarians. I'll add the improved worker function buttons, which freed me from remembering all those shft+cntrl+whatever commands, and the stack buttons.

Happy improvements as these are, they are minor improvements. If cost is the issue, think twice. Think about how much you like the game--how often you'll play. If you're really into Civ III SP, it's worth it.
Watch prices, too. I don't pay attention to what it's going for online, but I've noticed the price for PtW is coming down in stores.

I payed full price for PtW the day it was released--I've not been disappointed with it.

Solver · April 13, 2003, 11:50

Good post, Rob. PtW is now, though, much better than it was. Originally, I almost regretted getting it - MP didn't work, and SP crashed on me all the time, while vanilla Civ 3 has been crash free for me all the time I've played.

Many of the improvements in PtW are interface ones, that are convenient, but not game-changers. However, a few new units and civs add to the gameplay value, so does some other stuff that comes with the game. I also love the great performance increase that PtW has over Civ 3.

MP... with the patches, it's good. Unless you're behind some particulary badly configured router, you're not going to have trouble playing.

AI... it has indeed been improved in PtW, and AI is what I value the most in Civ3 expansions, so that alone is worth getting the game. On my wishlist, though, is AI for Regicide in next PtW patch from Firaxis.